TWICE's Nayeon Often Wished She Had Debuted Under A Different Name, Here's Why

As K-Pop fans would know, TWICE Nayeon‘s stage name is also her real name. Unlike many other idols, the “POP!” singer made the decision many years ago to embrace the name she was born with and use it in her professional career.

She reflected on the decision in a recent interview with ELLE magazine. Thinking back to her debut, she revealed that she chose to not take a different name because she was proud of “Nayeon” as is.

After debuting, however, there were times when she wanted a stage name to separate her public life from her private life. She didn’t like how interconnected they were.

Before I debuted, I wanted to be called Nayeon because that’s my name, and I’m proud of it. But after I debuted, there were times when it was difficult to distinguish between my public life as a celebrity and my life as Nayeon.

— Nayeon

But with time and effort, she came to realize that “Nayeon” is who she was always meant to be. She now can’t imagine calling herself by anything else.

On the plus side, she gets to enjoy the many nicknames fans give her! Her favorite one so far is “Yeowo” because of its endearing meaning. At the end of the day, everything worked out for the better.

It was hard, but I realized that I don’t know how to be anyone other than Nayeon. And the fans give me the best nicknames. They call me “여워,” which is a way of saying cutesy. I like it a lot!

— Nayeon