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tomorrowxtogether · 4 years

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TXT Members Talk Dreams, Debut, and Destiny in Teen Vogue Cover Interview

“We really try hard to make songs that people can empathize with; songs that can heal people and reassure people,” Taehyun, the vocalist known for his incredible high notes, tells Teen Vogue via a translator. “Crown,” which garnered 14.5 million YouTube views within 24 hours (as of this writing, it’s at 113 million and counting), was actually a healing experience for TXT — the songs they attach themselves to most in their discography are the ones that tell their story of hardships faced leading up to their initial launch as a group.“If just one person can be healed or consoled through our music, I think that’s great.”

It’s 11 a.m. on a balmy Monday in Seoul, South Korea, when Tomorrow X Together (better known as “TXT”) enters the studio. The five members softly greet and smile at everyone as they squeeze onto a black sectional couch. In an ideal world, this interview would be conducted in person, but given the pandemic, it’s a Zoom call. No matter the medium, this K-pop group has effervescent energy that is naturally endearing; it can be seen in the way they enthusiastically nod and applaud throughout one another’s responses, and heard in the way they laugh whenever the call temporarily lags.

In the span of just over a year, TXT members Choi Soobin (19), Choi Yeonjun (20), Choi Beomgyu (19), Kang Taehyun (18), and Huening Kai (birth name Kai Kamal Huening, 17), have added a lofty list of achievements to the group's name. Since they officially came on the scene, via Korean powerhouse Big Hit Entertainment (home to BTS) in March 2019, they have held a six-date showcase tour in the U.S., took home more than 10 major music awards, performed center stage at Madison Square Garden during KCON, and released three albums in Korean and English that all cracked the top five of the Billboard World Albums chart. Their first studio album became the highest-ranking debut album ever for a male K-pop group on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Beyond their status as BTS’s “younger brother” group, there’s something special that attracts fans to TXT — empathy, sincerity, and a little bit of magic. In their bubbly, synth-pop debut single “Crown,” the group unpacks the awkward, emotional pains of adolescence with an extended metaphor about overcoming differences in the service of love. “There’s a horn rising up on my head, but I love it,” the chorus goes, per the official translation. “You become my crown.” The things that make them different become points of pride.

According to Taehyun, the decision to dedicate the group's discography to documenting their teenage experience stems from a desire to create the kind of music they wish they had heard when they were coming up. “I think if I had heard this sort of a song when I was young and going through those growing pains, it would’ve been very comforting,” Taehyun says. Beomgyu adds, “If just one person can be healed or consoled through our music, or can relate to our music, I think that’s great.” Taehyun echoes, “That would satisfy me and would make it all worth it.”

Each member arrived at their roles in TXT differently. Four members were born in various parts of South Korea, and Huening Kai was born in the U.S. and raised abroad. Taehyun starred in commercials as a kid, before joining Big Hit in 2016. Beomgyu declined an audition in Seoul because it was during his school exam period, so the company came to his hometown of Daegu instead. Soobin sent in an audition tape with incorrect contact information, but fortunately, Big Hit was able to locate him after searching for a while. Huening Kai didn’t make it onto a singing competition show, but an employee for that show was impressed by him, and when that employee left to work at Big Hit, he was invited to audition there. For Yeonjun’s second-round audition, when he was a young teenager, he wrote and performed original rap lyrics. After TXT was accepted by Big Hit, the group went through the industry-standard idol-trainee system; each member spent at least two years training in singing, dancing, rapping, and more before their official debut in 2019.

Before Big Hit went public with its first group in six years since launching BTS, speculation about TXT had been swirling on the internet. By the time TXT had published five separate introduction videos on YouTube, fans were already discussing potential biases (the popular K-pop term for a favorite member). A week after debuting, the group appeared on Korea’s The Show Choice, a competitive singing program where they won. From that point forward, fans have overwhelmingly supported the young men in TXT, who seem destined for success.

“Our biggest goal when we were trainees was, of course, our debut,” says Huening Kai, who has been described by fans as "a walking ray of sunshine.” “That was our goal. That’s what we were working towards.”

In interviews, the members speak highly of family members who have motivated them to work hard. Beomgyu, speaking to Refinery 29, “credits his mother for his resilience.” Huening Kai’s father is a musician who encouraged him to play several instruments. But despite technical training in the art of musical performance, little prepares one for K-pop superstardom. The members of TXT admit that the journey has been eye-opening.

Yeonjun, the eldest member of the group, has been open about his struggles as the member who trained the longest prior to the group's debut, and Taehyun shared that the group’s first few meetings were a bit awkward. “It was a brand-new environment that we were not used to, but after meeting a few times, I think we really got familiar with each other,” he explains. Beomgyu says he was surprised when the group first met, because “all of the other members were really good-looking.”

Instead of letting their fears and insecurities hold them back, TXT leaned into the desire to succeed, with songs like “Maze in the Mirror,” written entirely by the group and produced by Beomgyu, the soft-spoken vocalist who has performed covers of Radiohead and Glen Hansard in the past. “It’s our first self-penned song; it’s one that tells our story,” says Yeonjun, a main rapper for TXT who fell in love with dancing after joining a club at school. “It’s a story about us.”

In that same vein, Taehyun mentions “Sweat,” a “hidden” track that the group released this year. Translated, the lyrics read, “Remember the moments we soaked with sweat. To look back on these days when our dream has been met. We can make it with the five of us together.” The song is a thinly-veiled story of working hard to obtain a goal. “It’s not a song that’s on the album, but it’s a song that we released for our fans online,” he explains. “It’s a song that contains our story and how we’ve grown.”

TXT’s professional growth has been directly impacted by the public ascent to megafame. Some of the intensity around K-pop artists comes from their fans online, who promote them and defend them with equal fervor. Like many contemporary pop artists, TXT has a following, but the level of dedication from their fans is high. This is something all five members are very aware of, and it’s given them a sense of obligation to make intentionally uplifting music. “We learned to be more cautious of what we say and how we act because we now know that we can influence others in the world,” they told Buzzfeed in a recent interview. “We think we’ve become more responsible and that we’re able to keep a more professional mindset.”

By wearing their hearts on their lyrical sleeves, the members of TXT have fostered a tight-knit relationship with their fan base MOA, an acronym for “Moments of Alwaysness.” The Korean word Moa also means to gather or collect, and per Dispatch, the sum total of the phrasing means “gathering pieces of dreams to fulfill a mutual dream of TXT and fans.” The group regularly connects with fans online, especially on the Big Hit fan community platform Weverse, where they encourage fans to study, reply to love letters, and pen diary entries for fans to read. “I think it’s great that we can create music that appeals and resonates with a new generation of fans and listeners,” says TXT’s shy leader Soobin, who keeps morale high among the group through jokes, dancing, and encouragement. “We enjoy making songs for people in their teens and 20s, and it’s fulfilling. We are growing as part of the process as well, so we want to keep making music that can resonate with this generation.”

TXT has shown that they're willing to be emotionally vulnerable in their music, but they're not trying to grow up too fast. They're relatable and goofy, but they also celebrate how each member has got his own thing going on. In this global boy band golden age, TXT is the musical equivalent of watching actual teenage actors play teens on television, instead of ultraglamorous but unreal mid-twentysomethings.

TXT's first mini-album, The Dream Chapter: Star, in March 2019, set the tone by exploring the joy and excitement of meeting new people and forming friendships. That thrill continued with their first full-length album, The Dream Chapter: Magic, in October of that year, which featured the newfound friends ditching the banality of school and societal expectations to embark on a magical adventure in search of an otherworldly oasis where they could be free to be themselves. On The Dream Chapter: Eternity, just out in May, TXT completes their set of musical vignettes exploring youth, friendships, and trust.

“Working on every album, it’d be a lie to say that there’s no pressure at all,” Taehyun says, “but we try to use that pressure to drive us and motivate us to make our albums as best as we can make them.”

Outside of the magical realm of music videos, the members of TXT have their own unique, intriguing personalities. Soobin has a known fear of water, and the group has been very vocal about their deeply polarizing relationship with mint-chocolate ice cream. They also have different musical interests: Soobin is quick to share his well-documented love for Bebe Rexha, who recently joined TXT for an Instagram Live, and Yeonjun appreciates hip-hop artists like Dean and DPR Live for their style and musicality. Beomgyu adores Adele for her powerful vocals, and Taehyun picks Kehlani for her “amazing groove,” and because her vocal tone “stands out over any beat.” Huening Kai’s pick? Shawn Mendes, a performer the group has covered, because of his calming voice. “He’s also good at guitar, so double the points!” he says.

It’s only when their schedules are finished for the day that TXT feels like they can really be themselves. “When all of our activities are done and we go back to our home and I’m with my members, I think that’s when I’m the most comfortable because we really know each other well,” says Taehyun. Like most Korean idol groups in their early years, the members of TXT live together when they’re not touring. Watching Netflix is a favorite pastime at home, and Taehyun also has a new obsession: volleyball. “I never realized how interesting the sport of volleyball is,” he says.

Overall, it’s been a transformative year for TXT, not just because of career achievements, but also because the members have grown from wide-eyed trainees into more confident, professional versions of themselves. “I think when we were starting out, everything was really new and confusing. But as time passed, I developed a little bit more of a sense of responsibility,” says Huening Kai. “In the past year, there have been a lot more fans who have come to really appreciate and love our music, so the way I think now is that I want to perform as best as I can to give back some of this love we receive.”

This year has also inspired them to become more active participants in the creative process of their music going forward. “I think I would like to again participate in making songs and also writing the lyrics,” says Huening Kai. “I would like to write music that would really move people’s hearts.” The group is also keen to explore new genres: “Future R&B — that’s one genre I would like to try,” Yeonjun says.

“We’ve tried a lot of different genres of music,” says Soobin. “We didn’t release it as a song, but when we were trainees, we worked on an a cappella song. That’s something we’d like to do in the future, if we can.”

As the group’s Dream Chapter series comes to a close, the members of Tomorrow X Together have a conscious eye on their legacy and how they can make dreams a reality. Although they can’t specifically reveal what comes next, they’ll continue to do what has already won over hearts of fans across the globe: release honest, authentic music that is not only representative of their personal stories, but their generation and the world around them.

“I think seven or ten years from now, we will be continuing to perform as the five of us. Singing, dancing, and performing. It’s what I’d like to be doing,” Taehyun says confidently. “I would like people to remember us as a group that can really have a positive influence, and when they hear our name, it brings a smile to their face.”

#txt #tomorrow x together #200707 #teen vogue #article #soobin #yeonjun #beomgyu #taehyun #hueningkai

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mhae22 · 3 years

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세븐틴 (SEVENTEEN)

Stop, before you proceed reading, open a new tab and search for Seventeen. Now, what did you see? Did you see a simple number? Or Did you know the magazine or the exceptional group I was about to tell you about? “Seventeen” before its just a number to me, but then when the year 2016 came, it turned out to be the most beautiful thing that came into my life. Korean pop is not new to me because of the songs Nobody by Wonder Girls and Gangnam Style by Psy. As a kid, I used to hear it thousand times, and in school, we use these songs for our convocation day. 2015 - the year BTS, EXO, GIRLS GENERATIONS, and more influenced my friends.

Fast forward to the year I became crazy, but I genuinely felt happy. I learn to know Seventeen; they are composed of 13 members with 2 American and 2 Chinese members. They are called Seventeen because they are half into three subunits: the Hip Hop Team, Vocal Team, and Performance Team, to add all 13 members + 3 dub units + 1 whole group = Seventeen. They are initially 17 members before they debuted, but unfortunately, 4 of them did not debut. One of them is Kim Samuel; his mom did not allow him to debut because he was still very young.

The Hip Hop Team is composed of 4 members, who are the rappers of the group. S.Coups (Choi Seungcheol) is the Hip Hop team leader, and SEVENTEEN. Second is Jeon Wonwoo, who ranked 72nd in the Most Handsome Faces 2017. The third is Kim Mingyu, the tallest member in Seventeen and has been an MC in music shows and had been guests in different Korean shows. Lastly, Vernon (Choi Hansol) is one of the group’s Korean American member and second to the youngest.

The vocal team has five members who are the group’s vocalist. The first member is Yoon Jeonghan, the subunit’s oldest member. In 2015, he had long hair that made him look like a girl, and many people were fooled by it. Later on, Jeonghan said that he would never grow his hair that long again. The second member is the reason why I met seventeen. He was born in Los Angeles, California, and a Korean American. He is fluent in English and has an incredibly soothing voice, which I love about him the most; plus, he is outstanding at playing guitar. He is no other than Joshua Hong, and in Korea, his name is Hong Jisoo. The next member is the subunit leader and the smallest member in the group, and the man behind every song that seventeen has. He composes their group songs and even soundtracks of other Korean Dramas. He may be small but has the most potent voice; He is Woozi (Lee Jihoon). Next is DK or Deokyeom (Lee Seokmin), the funniest member, but his high notes are not joking. He is very caring and soft, which everyone loves about him. Lastly, Seungkwan (Boo Seungkwan) won an award for being a good entertainer in various shows. His vocals are also incredible that made him sing Korean dramas official soundtracks.

Lastly, the Performance Team is the dancers of the team. The first member is Hoshi (Kwon Soonyoung), the leader of the subunit. He is one of the people behind the stunning choreography of the group. Seventeen became famous because of their routines and unbelievable synchronization even though they have 13 members. Jun (Moon Junhui) is Chinese and has exceptional visuals. He may be a dancer, but his vocals are terrific. Next is The 8 (Xu Minghao) is also Chinese and in charge of b-boying. He is good at art and has an extraordinary taste in fashion. Lastly, the maknae (youngest) of the group is Dino (Lee Chan). He learned dancing since he was still young, and he choreographs two of their group songs. Isn’t they are all talented.

Seventeen became my source of happiness. Some may think I am exaggerated, but no. Seventeen were my company through my ups and downs. Their songs comforted me a lot and motivated me to keep going. I can say that I am a successful Carat (Seventeen fandom name) because my family is supportive of me, and I have seen them perform live once. September 29, 2018, the night I won’t forget, I witness them sing, dance and talk in person. What makes that night extra special is because my mom is with me. We watched the concert together even though she is not a fan, but she would join me after that night in singing seventeen songs. I could say that it was really the BEST NIGHT EVER!

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hopeworldfan · 5 years

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good things come in threes (1)

summary: you had a unique relationship with hyuna and hyojong, one that gets even more complicated when min yoongi gets involved.

pairing: yoongi/reader, hyuna/reader/hyojong

word count: 2984

rating: 18+

genre: fluff, smut, angst, idolverse, idol!reader

warning: smut, threesome, hyuna with a strap is my biggest kink, sexting, excessive orgasms, marking

a/n: my dream threesome is with hyuna and edawn and thats just the cold hard facts

“So, (y/n), on to the burning question that’s on everyone’s mind,” the host started, leaning towards you. “What is your relationship with Hyuna and E’Dawn.”

You laughed and the host joined in. “Well, they’re my dear friends of course. If it wasn’t for Hyuna taking an interest in me all those years ago I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

The host was visibly disappointed with your answer. It was the one you gave any time you were given that question, you would think they would stop asking it by now.

“So, you’re not in a relationship with them?” He pried and you internally rolled your eyes but externally kept a polite smile on your face.

“They’re in a relationship with each other, so no, I’m not in a relationship with them.” It wasn’t a lie. They thought it was hilarious how you never once lied about the details of your relationship, just darted around it.

“Well, that’s all we have time for today. It was a pleasure talking to you today (y/n).” The host said and you both got to your feet. “Everyone check out her new album, now available on all streaming services.”

Your manager was the first person to approach you when you walked off the stage, a clipboard in her hand and an annoyed look on her face. “You think they would learn to stop asking that question by now.”

“I think it’s funny.” You shrugged and Minsun glared at you.

“I know you do. You’re getting more reckless (y/n), more people are talking, especially since Hyuna and E’Dawn made their relationship public. It’s only a matter of time before something gets caught on camera, and then what? You’re controversial enough as is, that could be the final nail in your coffin.”

You sighed. “You worry too much Minsun. Besides, I don’t see much of them these days anyway.”

Walking into your dressing room, your manager was quick to close the door behind you before turning and fixing you with a hard stare. “You and Hyuna are both performing at MAMA this year, you know E’Dawn’s going to be there. I am begging you (y/n), be careful. Keep the physical contact for behind closed doors, I’d prefer you to stay away from closed doors with them, but I know it’s pointless to even ask.”

“I promise Minsun, okay?”

“I wish I could believe you.” Your manager said with a defeated sigh before adjusting her glasses and walking out. Guilt coursed through you. Minsun was an amazing manager, she had been with you since the start of your career, you didn’t like making her worry.

The guilt faded away when you picked up your phone and saw a message from Hyuna. Your breath hitched when you opened the message and saw the attached picture. It was obviously her hand, resting on top of Hyojong’s clothed crotch, but you could see the strain from his erection.

we miss you (y/n), all i did was say your name and he got hard

Excitement coursed through you and you double-checked that your door was locked before ripping your shirt off and posing in front of the large mirror. Your face wasn’t in the picture, it never was. The three of you were careful about that, in case someone were to get ahold of your phones.

After being satisfied with one of the pictures, you sent it.

i’ll see you both in two days, make sure we’re in a soundproof room

A sudden knock on the door distracted you from the heat pooling between your legs and you groaned. “Hurry up (y/n), you have practice in an hour!”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I’m coming Minsun.”

Two days later and it was finally the day you had been waiting for. Your stomach was in knots, but not because you were nervous about your nomination for ‘Song of the Year’. No, you were finally seeing Hyuna and Hyojong again.

Between your tour, working on your new album, and all your tv appearances, you hadn’t seen either of them in five months. It was torture. Sure, there were phone calls, video chats, and a multitude of texts, but it wasn’t the same. Your whole body was practically vibrating in anticipation.

“I know you’re eager to run off and see those two, but you need to greet the BTS boys first,” Minsun informed and you stopped dead in your tracks.

“Why?”

Your manager shook her head. “Other than it being polite since you’re going to walk right by them, there may be talk going on about a collaboration.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” You hissed in a hushed whisper, your eyes wide at your manager’s words.

“I did, a few times, you were too busy texting Hyuna and E’Dawn.”

You tried to think back, but you were coming up blank. “A collaboration? Really?”

Minsun rolled her eyes. “Yes, a few of the boys expressed interest in it. The details aren’t ironed out yet.”

“Which boys?” You prompted excitedly. A collaboration with BTS was everything you dreamed about. You were a big fan of them. Their music was amazing, they’re choreography was stunning, and they were all drop-dead gorgeous. Not to mention it could be what you needed to really break into the American market, something you had been making progress with.

“Suga’s expressed the most interest, but also Jimin and Jungkook. I have a few meetings coming up about it, so make nice with them.” Minsun didn’t have to tell you twice before you were bouncing up to the group of boys, sliding right past security.

“Hey, guys!” You chirped. “It’s so nice to officially meet you.”

You had seen them at award shows and events before but had never said more than two words in passing. The boys were immediately falling all over themselves to greet you.

“Ah hello!”

“(y/n), hi!”

“It’s so nice to meet you!”

“Wow, hi!”

“I’m a big fan!”

“You’re so pretty!”

“Hello.”

They each shook your hand and you giggled at how excited they were. “My manager just told me there’s talk about a collaboration going on, I’m looking forward to it.”

Namjoon was the first to answer with a shy smile. “We would all be honored to collaborate with you (y/n), we’re all big fans.”

“Yes! We love you!” J-Hope added cheerfully.

“Aww, stop it guys, I’m blushing.” You replied, bringing your hands to your cheeks. “I could say the same about all of you! I’m such a big fan! You’re all so talented!”

“You’re the talented one here (y/n),” Jimin commented shyly.

“I always watch your videos the day they come out!” Jin added excitedly.

You felt your phone vibrate in your pocket and you suddenly remembered just where you were headed to before you were distracted by the seven boys. The butterflies in your stomach increased because you knew what was waiting for you in Hyuna’s dressing room.

“Well, it was so nice to meet all of you!” You smiled, catching Suga’s eye and grinning even wider. He was definitely your favorite, your bias some would say. “I look forward to working together in the future.”

The boys said their goodbyes and you were off. You couldn’t move fast enough and the security guard in front of the door immediately moved when he saw you.

“(y/n)!” Hyuna squealed when the door shut behind you and she was in your arms immediately.

“Hi.” You laughed.

“It’s good to see you,” Hyojong said with a lazy smile, sliding behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist.

Hyuna’s lips were on yours immediately, inexplicably eager. Hyojong’s hands roamed up the front of your body, sliding under your shirt and cupping your breasts.

“You two are eager.” You breathed against Hyuna’s lips before being silenced again.

“We missed you, can’t you tell?” Hyojong answered before lowering his mouth to the base of your neck. Your breaths started to become uneven when Hyuna’s hands slid down your stomach and slipped past the waistband of your sweatpants.

“You’re so wet already (y/n).” Hyuna purred when one of her digits rubbed against your soaked panties.

“What can I say, I missed you both too.” You panted and she giggled before tugging you out of Hyojong’s grip and to the large couch. He whined at the loss of contact and trailed behind.

“C’mon Hyojong, we have to make (y/n) cum at least five times before she has to get ready to perform.”

“My goal is seven.”

No, you weren’t in a relationship with Hyuna and Hyojong. It started not long after your first collaboration with Hyuna. She had taken such an interest in you, and the two of you got along so well, you easily became close friends. Then it morphed into something more than that, and the sex started.

It was complicated, and messy at first, but you worked through it. Neither of you wanted a relationship, so you settled on friends-with-benefits and that worked out spectacularly. Then she started dating Hyojong and everything went to shit again. You remained friends, though it was rocky, and you didn’t touch each other for a year.

Until she finally approached you about a threesome. It was never something you thought you’d be in to, but you decided to give it a try because sex with Hyuna was spectacular and you missed her. It was probably the greatest decision you had ever made. Your biggest fear was that you would feel like an intruder since they were dating, but their attention was so focused on you and holy shit Hyojong was also great in bed.

It worked out surprisingly well. You weren’t in their relationship, it wasn’t a polyamorous relationship, you were just friends-with-benefits with both of them. There were times when you just slept with Hyuna, or just slept with Hyojong. You all shared a connection, it just didn’t extend to romantic when it came to you, and you were okay with that because you didn’t have romantic feelings for either of them. You all loved each other, but it was platonic when it came to you.

The public wouldn’t understand so it was kept under wraps, and that was fine with you too. Only a handful of people knew the truth, your manager for one, only because she happened to walk in on you making out with Hyuna while Hyojong was eating you out. She wasn’t happy, to say the least.

There was also their former ‘Triple H’ member, Hui. He joined in on the fun a few times, leading to some very memorable orgasms.

Other than those two, Hyuna’s security guard and a few members of both of your inner circles. There was a tight lid on it, even though there was speculation. Hyuna and Hyojong were very touchy in public to your manager’s constant annoyance. They’d been seen leaving your dressing room and vice versa multiple times, but there’s never been anything concrete.

“I think that’s six.” Hyojong smiled, picking his head up from your dripping pussy and licking his lips. Hyuna smashed her lips against his, lapping up the excess juice from his lips. Without his grip on your thighs, your trembling legs fell against the couch and you took a shaky breath.

He wasn’t kidding when he said his goal was seven.

“My turn!” Hyuna chirped, pulling back from Hyojong. She already had her strap on, and your vagina literally twitched in anticipation. He moved to stand next to your head and you turned your head to the side to take his hard cock in your mouth while Hyuna fucked you.

She had only gotten a few strokes in when there was a knock on the door. “(y/n) so help me God you needed to be in makeup five minutes ago. I’m going to walk away and if you’re not in your dressing room in two minutes there will be hell to pay!”

“Fuck.” You mumbled around Hyojong’s cock. Minsun didn’t get angry often, but when she did it was never pretty.

“That’s not fair!” Hyuna whined, pulling out so you could get up and tug your clothes on, struggling because of how weak your legs felt.

You glanced up into the mirror and cursed again when you saw the marks on your neck. “Hyojong! What the fuck is this! Minsun is going to fucking gut me!”

Said boy just shrugged, lounging on the couch. “You know I get carried away when I don’t see you for a while.”

“I’m fucked.” You groaned, haphazardly throwing your rats’ nest of sex hair into a messy bun.

“Yeah, you were.” He grinned and you glared at him.

“Have a good performance babe!” Hyuna called out as you threw open the door, still tugging your shirt into place. You managed a wave before the door shut, quickly turning on your heel to rush to your dressing room. What you weren’t expecting to happen was to run right into someone else.

“Shit sorry!” You said automatically, the other person’s hands coming up to steady you. Your eyes shot up to see just who you were running into and your mouth went dry when you met Suga’s gaze.

He didn’t say anything at first. You watched as his eyes took you in, shirt on inside out, obvious sex hair, swollen lips, dark marks on your neck. Then his attention went to the name on the door you ran out of and you practically saw the pieces connect in his brain.

Fuck.

You wanted to say something, to throw together some half-baked excuse, but you remembered that you probably only had thirty seconds to get to your dressing room before having to face the wrath of your manager, so you extracted yourself from his grip and shot him a frazzled smile. “Sorry, gotta blast!”

As expected, Minsun essentially ripped you a new asshole when she saw the hickeys on your neck. It was a good thing your makeup team was very good at their job or you never would have heard the end of it. Your hairstylist didn’t even bother trying to be gentle, but you couldn’t complain.

You managed to be in position five minutes before you had to go on and you just prayed to God your legs didn’t give out on you. Sex before a performance was never a good idea, but you couldn’t help yourself.

Miraculously, you managed to pull off a stellar performance despite how weak-kneed you still felt. It felt amazing when you could finally sit and watch others. Hyuna was spectacular as always, you couldn’t get the vision of her in-between your legs with her strap on out of your mind though. Minsun discreetly pinched you when she saw you start to squirm the slightest bit.

BTS was amazing. Their performance was so passionate, you were entranced the whole time. You knew they would win Artist of the Year.

Finally, it was time for them to announce Song of the Year. Your stomach was in fucking knots. You had been nominated once before but lost to Twice. Minsun was gripping your hand so tight you thought it was going to fall off.

“Song of the Year…goes to,” The announcer began before peeling open the envelope. “(y/n) for Anywhere, Anytime!”

Minsun started screaming immediately, followed by your team. You just sat there in shock, eyes the size of saucers.

“You did it!” Minsun squealed, jerking you up to your feet. The cheers from the crowd were deafening and you just couldn’t think. You won. You actually won. What the fuck.

Almost in a trance, you walked up to the announcer who had a giant smile. He handed you the award and you took it almost robotically, shaking his hand and thanking him. Then it was time for your speech, but you still couldn’t even think.

“Um…wow,” You started with a nervous laugh staring at the award in your hand. “I just…wow.”

Tears started to prick at the back of your eyes as you stared at the award, it finally starting to hit you that you won.

“There are so many people I have to thank for this, um,” You paused, trying to fight through the burning in your throat. The crowd began to cheer again, shouts of encouragement reaching your ears. “My fans, of course, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. I love each and every one of you so much…I’ll continue working hard for all of you.”

You used your free hand to wipe the now free-falling tears. “My parents, for always believing me and supporting me. My manager, Minsun, and my whole team for being such an amazing support system, my company for giving me this opportunity, just, everyone who supports me and of course my lovely friend Hyuna who I owe so much to. Thank you all so much for this, just, thank you.”

Hyuna was the first person to greet you when you walked off the stage, pulling you into a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you!”

You just cried into her shoulder while she laughed before passing you to Hyojong.

“Good job baby.” He whispered into your ear, rubbing your back as you cried. Minsun was the one to break you all apart, ushering you back to your seat with a shake of her head, she held back from chiding you though.

You found your friends again after the awards when all the groups were mingling. She instinctively wrapped an arm around your waist and Hyojong placed a quick kiss against your cheek. You just so happened to glance up in time to see Suga staring directly at you. You knew he had seen the interaction. You knew he knew something was up.

You met his intense gaze and he was the first to look away. Just great.

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fy-kimjihun · 5 years

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In Conversation with KNK, a South Korean Idol Group

KNK, a South Korean idol group, first saw the light of day in 2016 when they debuted on the domestic market. They relatively quickly made a name for themselves with their mature and serious looks, music and gentlemen attires. In 2017, a huge crowd welcomed their performance at the Feel Korea concert in London and even then, KNK showed potential to stand the test of time as long as they kept their future performances at the same level.

After the departure of You-jin, an immense vocal talent, the group welcomed Dong-won, a rapper who added his own charm to KNK; the group now consists of him, Ji-hun, In-song, Seo-ham, and Hee-jun. After successful performances in the US, KNK are now about to embark on their 1st European Tour called Sunrise, which will include 6 cities: Berlin, Warsaw, London, Lisbon, Madrid and Paris. KNK will play the O2 Academy Islington in London on August 18th. Tickets are now available to purchase via Ticketmaster and Ticketweb.

Ahead of KNK’s European Tour Sunrise, we caught up with the group and chatted about K-pop, their newest release KNK S/S Collection and life in general.

2016 was the year you officially debuted. Prior to your debut, you obviously trained to enter music industry, but was it your dream to become a part of a boy group?

Ji-hun: Yes. I wanted to become a ballad singer when I was a student, but afterwards I became determined to be a dancer as well as a singer.

In-seong: Yes. I am so happy to make my dream come true.

Seoham: Yes. As I started practicing as a trainee, I really wanted to debut as a singer, so I practiced hard to achieve my dream.

Dong-won: As you know, I became a new member of KNK in 2019. I always had a dream in my heart of becoming a singer, since I was a student, but I didn’t have any chance to do it, so I was in fact preparing to become an actor. Fortunately, thanks to KNK members who called me to be a part of the group, I was able to make my debut as a singer.

Hee-jun: Actually, I wanted to be a football player.

Your most recent album [KNK S/S COLLECTION] was just released. What was the creative process behind it and – as your lyrics are in Korean – would you mind telling our readers which themes your songs represent the most?

Ji-hun: This time, we tried for new sounds – compared to our previous songs – and we will keep working hard to make good songs in the future.

In-seong: For our new album, we tried for a dynamic and exciting concept which is reflected in the music. When you listen to it, it’s like being in a fashion show.

Seoham: Visually, it’s a new concept that we hadn’t tried before: KNK members as fashion models. The lyrics, however, tell the story of a man in love.

Hee-jun: Also, we wanted to express love and melancholy through the colours used in the music video – like the feelings you have when someone leaves.

What were your feelings when preparing for this video (SUNSET)?

Ji-hun: In my case, when we were preparing the video for SUNSET, I just wanted to show it to our fans as soon as possible.

In-seong: I remember that although the group dance scene was very hard this time, the on-site atmosphere was really good.

Seoham: The shoot itself was very difficult because there are several scenes that include all of us dancing at the same time, but the shooting session was different from the ones we had done in the past, so it was a lot of fun.

Dong-won: The shooting of my personal scenes took longer than expected, so it was very burdensome at first, but I think I did well. I am getting used to the hard choreographies by now.

Hee-jun: It was exciting because we were able to show different styles of KNK.

Your image comes across as a very mature one, including your music. Are there any other concepts, or certain music, you would like to try out with your future releases?

Ji-hun: I love songs that feature dancing and complex choreographies; however, given the chance, I would like to sing lyrical and moody songs.

In-seong: Vampire concept!

Seoham: I would like to keep exploring trendy music styles like SUNSET since it features a new concept for KNK. Summer-like songs would be great as well!

Dong-won: If I must choose, I want to try hip-hop. Even though I’m not confident enough about my skills just yet, it would be great to try! Also, bright and refreshing music!

Hee-jun: More than trying new concepts or styles, I would like to keep promoting KNK and become the world’s favourite artists!

Is there music you like, which never fails to make you feel good? Who really inspires you as an artist?

Ji-hun: I’ve been listening to Night That Reminds of You by 20 Years of Age a lot lately.

In-seong: Since I’m a singer, I was inspired by VIXX and TVXQ.

Seoham: KARD is the best! Listening to their music gives me energy!

Dong-won: I really like rapper PH-1! He is famous not only as a rapper but as a singer as well. I’ve been listening to him a lot these days.

Hee-jun: I would say that one of the artists who inspires me the most is Coldplay.

What’s the hardest thing about being in a group? As there are five members, there are also five different personalities. How do you make it work as a team?

Ji-hun: Probably, the hardest thing about being in a group like KNK is the choreographies. As we mentioned before, they are very complex and physically demanding. Luckily, since we have very similar personalities, we can get along and overcome the tough moments.

In-seong: I think the most important aspect to consider in order to make a group like KNK work is the understanding of each other’s points of views and personalities.

Seoham: Personally I think there are no difficult moments because being together with all the other members is fun and because we support each other every single day. So, everything works just fine!

Dong-won: Since I am the new member in the group it seems natural to feel lost at times, especially among members who already have quite an impressive teamwork skill. Fortunately, the guys took good care of me as a new member, so I think I was able to get used to KNK’s pace quickly.

Hee-jun: [Referring to Dong-won’s previous answer] I think it’s because we have the same dream as KNK members.

When you are not working, what do you do to get away from it all and relax?

Ji-hun: I really like watching YouTube videos when I have some spare time. I can just spend my day with something to eat and YouTube!!!

In-seong: I usually go fishing. I like games, too!

Seoham: Rather than going out, I prefer to stay at home and have a good rest. There, I enjoy eating delicious food.

Dong-won: My favourite hobby is fishing! Since In-seong also likes it, as he mentioned previously, we go fishing together. In fact, it is not only a hobby, but a way to heal and relax.

Hee-jun: If I’m not sleeping during my free time, I try to do some activities to keep my body active. Just like football or working out.

Which would be your dream collaboration, if you could choose any singer or a group?

Ji-hun: I would love to collaborate with 20 Years of Age and sing a track like Night That Reminds of You.

In-seong: A duet with Jooheon of MONSTA X!

Seoham: KARD!!

Dong-won: I would like to collaborate with PH-1, that’s why he is on my playlist nowadays!

Hee-jun: It would be great to work with Coldplay and Camilla Cabello. I really like them!

K-Pop is huge nowadays, and with various groups (BTS, EXO, BlackPink etc.) pushing through into the foreign markets, how do you feel about your own career abroad?

Ji-hun: I’m so excited about the positioning of K-pop in foreign markets nowadays. Just like BTS, EXO and BlackPink, we want to keep working hard in order to become a popular group everywhere.

In-seong: Me too, I’m so excited. Having the opportunity to meet our Tinkerbells [KNK fandom name] when touring abroad is a great experience. We really want to meet all of our fans in Europe during the next tour.

Seoham: I’ve always wanted to visit different countries. My dream is to have as many concerts as possible and meet more fans all over the world.

Dong-won: I’m so grateful to the fans who are welcoming us from all around the world. We’re always excited when we go on tour overseas. I would like to go to even more cities and meet our fans.

Hee-jun: Since our senior colleagues [referring to more experienced K-pop acts] paved the way for us, we’ll do our best to meet fans expectations wherever we can go!

What’s next for you as a group?

Ji-hun: We will keep working hard to strengthen our music style. Personally, I would like to improve my singing skills in order to become a popular singer not only in Korea, but around the world!

Seoham: What’s ahead of us is an active promotion of our most recent single SUNSET. Also, we are preparing for our upcoming European tour which will start very soon. Right after that, we should start working on our next album.

Dong-won: What’s next for KNK? We will stick together as a group making songs that our fans will love. Many more concerts and why not – perhaps we’ll get the 1st place on one of the Korean music shows. I want to be with the other KNK members and do the music that our fans want. Also, I would love to win the first place on music shows and want to have concerts often!

In-seong: 1st place!

Hee-jun: I want to let everyone know about KNK and I hope people get impressed by our music.

[SOURCE]

#knk #keunakeun #ot5 #kim jihun #jihun #park seoham #seoham #lee dongwon #dongwon #jeong inseong #inseong #oh heejun #heejun

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fyeah-bangtan7 · 5 years

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The Greatest Showmen: An exclusive look inside the world of BTS

Maybe you saw them piled on the klieg-lit couches of Ellen DeGeneres and Jimmy Fallon, trading light bilingual banter with their starstruck hosts. Maybe it was when they spoke solemnly on mental health and self-love at the United Nations General Assembly last September, or when a wall of dolphin-like screams greeted them as they rolled into February’s Grammy Awards in trim matching tuxedos, their hair tinted various shades of pastel macaron.

Or maybe the cover of this magazine is the first time you’ve truly noticed BTS. (Stranger things have happened in 2019.) But it seems indisputable to say that sometime over the past two years, the septet have taken over the world: two No. 1 albums on the Billboard chart in the span of three months; more than 5 billion streams combined on Apple Music and Spotify; a string of sold-out concert dates from the Staples Center in Los Angeles to London’s famed Wembley Stadium.

That hardly makes them the first boy band to dominate a cultural moment, but the fact that they are all Korean-born and -raised, singing Korean-language songs only occasionally sprinkled with English, feels like something brand-new. And it speaks to an unprecedented kind of global currency — one where pop music moves without barriers or borders, even as geopolitics seem to retreat further behind hard lines and high walls.

On a blindingly bright March day in Seoul five weeks before the release of their upcoming sixth EP, Map of the Soul: Persona, the band is holed up at their record label Big Hit Entertainment, preparing. Buildings like this are where much of the magic of the phenomenon known as K-pop happens, though Big Hit’s headquarters on a quiet side street in the city’s Gangnam district (yes, the same one Psy sang about in his 2012 smash “Gangnam Style”) look a lot like any other tech office: sleek poured-cement corridors and glass-box conference rooms scattered with well-stocked mini-fridges, plush toys, and the occasional beanbag chair. Only a display case stacked with a truly staggering number of sales plaques and statuettes, and a glossy large-scale photo print of BTS at their sold-out concert at New York’s Citi Field last October, give away the business they do here.

Down a long hallway, all seven members lounge in various states of readiness as they gear up to pretape a thank-you video for an iHeartRadio award they won’t be able to accept in person. Jimin, bleached blond and pillow-lipped, is having his hair carefully flat-ironed in a wardrobe room filled with racks of coordinated denim and neon streetwear. Dozens of pairs of pristine Nikes and Converse are piled in a corner; a lone fun-fur jacket the color of strawberry ice cream slumps on a hanger behind him, like a neglected Fraggle.

Jung Kook, the baby of the band at 21, sits obediently in a folding chair in the dance studio, also having his hair tended to; J-Hope strides by in a white dress shirt emblazoned with an over-size silk-screen of Bart Simpson, then grins and disappears. Suga, V, and Jin huddle together on low sofas next door, scrolling through their phones and occasionally singing fragments of American R&B star Khalid’s “My Bad.” Twenty-four-year-old RM, the group’s de facto leader and lone fluent English speaker, is the last to arrive.

They run through their speech for a camera crew and do maybe four or five takes until the director is satisfied. Then they settle in for a conversation in an airy break room upstairs, accompanied by their longtime translator, a large, amiable bald man in a business suit named John. (Unless noted, the answers of all members other than RM come through him.) Several weeks after returning from their first Grammys, they’re still riding high off the experience: presenting the award to H.E.R. for Best R&B Album; chatting with Shawn Mendes in the men’s room — “I was like, ‘Do I need to tell him who I am?’ ” Jimin remembers, “but then he said hello first, which was really nice” — and being seated only a sequin’s throw from Dolly Parton. (“She was right there in front of us!” marvels Jung Kook. “Amazing.”)

As happily dazzled as they still seem to be by other celebrities, seeing BTS in the flesh triggers the same disorienting but not unpleasant sense of unreality. On screen, the band can look disconcertingly pretty; avatars of a sort of poreless, almost postgender beauty who seem to exist inside their own real-life Snapchat filters. In person they’re still ridiculously good-looking, but in a much more relatable, boyish way: bangs mussed, even the occasional chapped lip or small (okay, minuscule) blemish. Take away their Balenciaga high-tops and the discreet double Cs of Chanel jewelry, and they could almost be the cute college guy next to you at the coffee shop or on the train.

Except riding public transportation or casually dropping into a Starbucks stopped being an option for BTS a long time ago. In Seoul, their faces are plastered across makeup kiosks and street signs and the sides of buses — even on massive digital billboards that are bought and paid for by private citizens to acknowledge a beloved member’s birthday, or just because. In cities like São Paulo and Tokyo and Paris, fans camp out days in advance for concerts and public appearances, obsessively trading trivia and rumored sightings. When the band posted their takethis link opens in a new tab on Drake’s #InMyFeelingsChallenge, it became the most liked tweet of 2018; this summer, Mattel will release an official line of BTS dolls.

In the still center of this bizarre fame hurricane, the boys have managed to find a few pockets of normalcy. Jimin wistfully recalls a time in Chicago when they were able to slip out of their hotel rooms undetected “late at night, just to get some fresh air.” But most places, he admits, “that’s really out of the question” unless they split into smaller groups. “I mean, look at us,” RM adds with a laugh, running a hand through his own silver-nickel bangs. “Seven boys with dyed hair! It’s really too much.”

Instead, they focus on the things they can do, like sneaking out to the movies (“Always the latest or earliest show,” says RM, if they want to stay unseen), shopping online (V loves eBay, especially for clothes), going fishing, playing StarCraft at home. Group housing is actually common for K-pop stars, and BTS seem to appreciate the shared stability: “We’ve been living together for a while now, almost eight, nine years,” says Jimin. “So in the beginning we had a lot of arguments and conflicts. But we’ve reached the point where we can communicate wordlessly, basically just by watching each other and reading the expressions.”

Though they’re unfailingly polite and attentive in interviews, there’s a certain amount of contained chaos when they’re all together — a sort of tumbling-puppy cyclone of playful shoves, back slaps, and complicated handshakes — but also a surprising, endearing sweetness to the way they treat one another in quieter moments. When a question is posed to the group, they work hard to make sure each one of them is heard, and if someone is struggling to find a word, they’ll quickly reach out for a reassuring knee pat or side hug.

Even with the language barrier of speaking to an American reporter, though, their individual personalities quickly start to emerge: Asked to name their earliest pop memories, the answers land all over the map. “I loved Pussycat Dolls’ ‘Stickwitu,’ ’’ says J-Hope, the group’s most accomplished dancer, snapping his fingers and cooing the chorus. For RM, who started out in Seoul’s underground rap scene, it’s Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” (“I think that’s, like, a life pick for so many people around the world,” he admits, “but I can’t forget when I first watched 8 Mile and heard the guitars. That was my turning point.”) For Jung Kook, who has released covers of Justin Bieber and Troye Sivan songs, it was Richard Marx’s deathless lite-FM ballad “Now and Forever.”

The soft-spoken Suga cites John Lennon’s “Imagine” as “the first song I fell in love with,” which feels like a fitting gateway to ask where BTS see themselves in the pantheon of musical heartthrobs that the Fab Four essentially invented. “Sometimes it feels really embarrassing when someone calls us a 21st-century Beatles or something like that,” RM concedes. “But if they want to call us a boy band, then we’re a boy band. If they want to call us a boy group, we’re a boy group. If they want to call us K-pop, then we’re cool with K-pop.”

Ah, K-pop. In South Korea, where the genre has become not just a prime cultural commodity but a multibillion-dollar export, the players, known as “idols,” go through rigorous Fame-style schooling in song and dance and media training that often goes on for years before they’re considered ready for the spotlight. And it’s paid off: Business has been booming since the early ’90s, with stars from Girls’ Generation to G-Dragoncrossing over to various markets across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. But while the sound has remained fairly consistent — a canny mix of club-ready beats, hyper-sweetened choruses, and the more urban inflections of Western hip-hop and R&B — it’s never before landed with the lightning-bolt impact of BTS.

Bang Si-Hyuk, the CEO and founder of Big Hit, began putting the band together in 2010, when all the members were in their tweens or teens: RM and Suga were coming up on the local rap scene; Jimin and J-Hope studied dance at performing-arts schools; V, who focused on singing early on, joined officially in 2013. Jin was an aspiring actor recruited off the street for his striking looks; Jung Kook, now the group’s main vocalist, joined while he was still in junior high.

Though fansites tend to lean on their extracurricular differences (Jung Kook is a Virgo who loves pizza! V collects ties and clenches his teeth in his sleep!), each member genuinely does hold a unique space in the group’s process, whether it’s leaning more toward production, lyrics, or the supersize hooks the songs rest on. “With seven members we have seven different tastes, of course,” says RM. “So when it comes to songwriting, it’s like a big competition.” Occasionally, adds J-Hope, “we’ll write a lyric and decide, ‘This sort of reflects me [more], who I am and my own color,’ so we’ll want to keep that for a solo song.”

Because Big Hit doesn’t restrict their right to funnel some ideas into side projects — and because the appetite for more BTS-sourced material online is seemingly unquenchable — members regularly release solo work through EPs, SoundCloud, and mixtapes. But the primary impact still comes through the official album releases, and the particularly weighty subjects those songs take on — a notable departure from the narrow, often strenuously upbeat topics other K-pop artists typically cover.

“I promised the members from the very beginning that BTS’ music must come from their own stories,” says Bang; their subsequent openness about their own struggles with depression, self-doubt, and the pressure to conform took them all the way to the U.N. last fall, where RM addressed the band’s Love Myself campaign and #ENDviolence youth partnership with UNICEF.

“They stand out,” says Japanese-American DJ and producer Steve Aoki, a top-selling global dance artist who has also collaborated with the band on several tracks. “And I’m not just talking about K-pop. They add so much of their personality to the music and into their stories and how they present themselves. And the world has fallen in love with them because they are showing that vulnerable side that everyone wants to see.”

It helps, too, that the group’s more pointed messages are often slipped into the sticky aural peanut butter of anthems like “No More Dream,” “Dope,” and “Am I Wrong.” But they always appreciate the chance, Suga says, to get “a little more raw, a little more open.” RM elaborates: “I think it’s an endless dilemma for every artist, how much we should be frank and honest. But we try to reveal ourselves as much as we can.”

Honesty has its limits, of course, when you’re the biggest band in the world. Asked to describe the new album, due April 12 (at press time, it had already hit over 2.5 million in preorders), members offer up cryptic but enthusiastic koans like “therapeutic” and “refreshing crispness.” To be fair, they can’t say much in part because the new album’s track list isn’t actually finalized yet — late decisions being a luxury of in-house production — though they do agree to play one song, a propulsive rap-heavy banger called “Intro: Persona.” (It was released as a teaser March 27; you can watch the video herethis link opens in a new tab.)

When it comes to more personal questions about the challenges of dating or the goals they might want to pursue post-BTS, they pivot so gracefully to evasive, nonspecific answers, you almost can’t help but be impressed; it’s like watching a diplomat ice-dance. They want you to know that they are incredibly grateful for the devotion of their fans, and so blessed to be exactly where they are; that they really don’t think in terms of five- or 10-year plans. But they turn reflective when the subject of American pop’s holy grail, the Hot 100 singles chart, is raised. They cracked the top 10 last year with “Fake Love” but have yet to reach a higher spot, largely because mainstream radio airplay—a huge component of Hot 100 domination—still eludes them Stateside.

“It will have to be a great song,” Suga acknowledges, “but also there’s a whole strategy that’s associated with getting all the way up. And then there has to be a measure of luck, obviously. So what’s important for us is just to make good music and good performances and have those elements come together.” Does a Spanish-language smash like 2017’s “Despacito” — which spent a record 16 weeks at No. 1 — make them more optimistic about their own odds? “You know, Latin pop has its own Grammys in America, and it’s quite different,” RM says thoughtfully. “I don’t want to compare, but I think it’s even harder as an Asian group. A Hot 100 and a Grammy nomination, these are our goals. But they’re just goals — we don’t want to change our identity or our genuineness to get the number one. Like if we sing suddenly in full English, and change all these other things, then that’s not BTS. We’ll do everything, we’ll try. But if we couldn’t get number one or number five, that’s okay.”

Aoki, for one, has faith they’ll get there. “I think it’s 100 percent possible that a song sung entirely in Korean could crack the top of the Hot 100. I firmly believe that, and I really firmly believe that BTS can be the group that can do that. It’s going to pave the way for a lot of other groups, which they’ve already been doing—and when that happens, we’re all gonna celebrate.”

Back at Big Hit, though, the band has more immediate work to do. RM offers a quick tour of his production room (each member has his own dedicated space on site). The door outside is guarded by a quirky assemblage of figurines by the renowned street artist Kaws, but inside feels, incongruously, like stepping into a tiny, luxurious Sundance lodge that also just happens to have a soundboard: There’s a beautiful coffee table made from a single piece of black walnut; Navajo-style rugs; tasteful art on the walls. RM talks easily about his admiration for producers like Zedd and the Neptunes (“Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were my true idols in 2006, 2007. Pharrell’s voice! It’s so sexy, how he sings”), and plays down his own skills (“As a beatmaker, Suga is way better than me. I don’t even know how to play the piano — I just do the chords like this,” he insists, miming keyboard Muppet hands).

Then it’s back to the dance studio, where they’ve changed into track pants and T-shirts to run through new steps with a choreographer. It starts with a rough triangle formation, and an elaborate hip-swivel-into-pelvic-thrust/crotch-grab combo that actually plays much more innocently than it sounds, mostly because they keep stopping to crack each other up. Soon, though, they drill down — repeating the moves until they seem crisp but easy, almost an afterthought. It feels like time to leave them; the boys wave happily, shouting out a rowdy chorus of goodbyes. Then they turn back to the mirror, and keep dancing.

#bangtan #jimin #jungkook #v #suga #jhope #jin #rm #o:interview #190328

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sunyoonandstars · 6 years

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BTS Scenario 1.1.: Him being too busy with work to make time for you (while you are having a hard time)

This was one of the first fanfiction I ever wrote and the first scenario I ever shared here. I just recently went back and edited it. Please enjoy. ☺️💖

The Scenario You’re in a committed relationship with one of the members of BTS and are going through a particularly rough time right now. However, they’re so busy with work they can’t seem to make time for you ... Let’s see how the two of you handle it.

angst, fluff, hurt / comfort

Word count 1.889

1. Kim Seokjin / Jin

You knew exactly what you were getting into when you started dating Jin about a year ago.

Pretty soon after first meeting by coincidence, at the restaurant where you work, you two became serious, and 6 months ago he finally made it official. Since then, you had been spending as much time together as your busy work schedules allowed. However, even though you were pretty immersed in your studies at the university and additionally working part time 4 to six nights a week as a hostess in a hip and busy restaurant in Seoul, you always did everything in your power to arrange it so that you two could get at least a few peaceful hours of alone time whenever Jin wasn’t too busy with practice, songwriting or touring. He really appreciated your efforts and did his best to show you that. Whenever you two were together, Seokjin only paid attention to you. When you were hungry after work, he would go grocery shopping in the middle of the night to cook you your favorite meal. He would bring homemade snacks, whenever he found the time to pop by at your workplace, and continuously showered you with sweet compliments and gestures of affection. So, he basically treated you like the princess you are whenever he got the chance.

However, lately, the boys were extremely busy with their latest comeback. They wanted to make it their best so far and put considerable effort into perfecting their skills and doing their lovely fanbase justice. You admired and respected that about Jin and the rest of them, and tried your best to be supportive and convince yourself that it didn’t matter, that the that you hadn’t seen your boyfriend for over two months didn’t change anything that. That he really did do his best to make time for you, but it just wasn’t possible. That must be it. You knew him. He would never neglect you on purpose. He loved you. You knew that. But after ten weeks had passed since you last saw him, your heart began to doubt him and your relationship. You tried to best to tell it to stop. You knew he would never hurt you purposely, that he only wanted to see you happy and must feel just as miserable as you about not being able to see, kiss and hold you for what felt like forever. You knew, sometimes you had to step back, to give him space, to allow him to live out his passion.

I knew, what I was getting into, you kept reminding yourself.

It’s okay, y/n. As soon as Seokjin gets a chance, he will make it all up to you by being as sweet and loving and caring as he is.

But a couple of times he even had to cancel plans made weeks in advance. On the phone, he always sounded profoundly sorry and miserable about flaking out on you. You couldn’t bear to hear the hurt in his voice.

„Princess, I’m so sorry! I really wanted to make it this time! But we’re just so swamped with practice. The manager -“

„It’s okay, Jinnie. Don’t worry about it. I’m busy anyway. I have a big exam coming up, and I better start studying sooner than later.“

He sighed on the other end of the line, while you struggled to hold back tears. You wouldn’t let him hear you cry. No way in hell would you add to his misery by letting him know how hurt you really were.

„Are you really okay, princess?“

You nodded, even though you knew he wouldn’t see because you couldn’t trust your voice anymore, afraid its shakiness would give you away.

„Y/n?“

You swallowed hard, covering the microphone with your hand.

„Y/n, are you still there?“, he asked, sounding increasingly worried.

„Yeah. Yeah, I’m still here.“

A long pause took place. You were afraid he knew you far too well not to sense how much you were truly hurting, even over the phone.

„I’m sorry, oppa, I just got a little emotional, that’s all. Don’t worry about me and concentrate on your come back instead. I’m fine, really.“

„That’s a lie, and we both know it. What’s wrong? Is it school? Are you having trouble with that professor again? Or is your boss giving you a hard time again, overworking you like they did last year around Christmas? Or …“ He hesitated, and the short silence let your heart stop. „Or is it me? I’m not good to you, that’s it, isn’t it? I’m not treating you the way you deserve lately. I know that, and I wish I could do better, but -“

„It’s okay, Jin, it really isn’t your fault,“ you cut him off in the middle of his sentence since you couldn’t take it for one more second to hear him getting all worked up about this. We both knew that times like this were bound to come. I just wasn’t prepared for it. I got so used to you being around all the time, cooking and caring for me. I miss you, that’s all. But I can take it, really. Don’t worry. Every long-distance couple has to go through this. We can, too.“

„I’m so sorry, princess, I truly am. And grateful! I can’t believe you’re being so understanding and mature about this.“

You put the phone to your shoulder for a second, covering the microphone, breathing heavily, afraid you would finally break out in tears.

„You’re the best. I don’t deserve you! I will be sure to make time for you soon, and I’ll make it all up to you! Promise!“, you heard him practically screaming on the other end of the line, as soon as you put it back to your ear.

You knew too well of his promises, which had mostly been empty over the course of the last few months. But you agreed anyway. There was no point in making this situation any harder on the two of you than it already was.

„Thanks, Jin, I really appreciate that. Have a good practice and give my best to the boys.“

„I will. I love you, don’t ever forget that.“

„I love you, too.“

You ended the call immediately because you weren’t sure how long you would be able to hold in the sobs stuck in your breast for the past five minutes. You tried your best to keep it together, but when you went back to your kitchen where you had set the table for a romantic meal in candlelight, you finally fell to your knees, sobbing uncontrollably on the cold kitchen floor.

Everything was just so hard these days. Because Jin's guesses were all right. Yes, you were swamped at university, having a hard time studying for one of the most important exams this year, and that one professor - who held a grudge against you ever since you wouldn’t put up with him bullying another student in front of the whole class at the beginning of the semester - was repeatedly threatening to fail you. Also, you worked your pretty butt off at work, continually doing over time, leaving for work at six in the evenings, right after university, coming back home no second earlier than at 3 in the night, homework for your seminars piling up on your desk. You barely got any time to sleep and kept skipping your meals, since you hated eating alone. You knew all you desperately needed to gather your strength again was getting to spend at least a couple of hours with Jin, being held by him, hearing him whisper into your ear that everything was gonna be alright, him softly kissing your hair, loving you, just being there.

But you couldn’t and wouldn’t be selfish. The last thing you wanted was to make Jin feel guilty and neglecting his career. So you didn’t want to bother him with your mundane worries. The fans regularly accused you of taking up too much of his time, anyways …

So you had been holding it all in, pretending you were fine whenever you were on the phone with him, smiling in your video calls and the photos you sent him.

But know, this call — It was all just too much.

You were still crying, unable to regain control and make your body stop, when you heard a noise right behind you. Assuming it was your cat, you didn’t bother looking. But then, suddenly, two strong hands slid under your arms and pulled you to your feet. At first, you were startled, your immediate reflex to scream. But you instantly recognized the feel of Jin's arms around you, his scent, his soft voice, as he hugged you from behind, whispering at your neck, his hot breath stroking your skin:

„I’m so sorry, y/n. I should’ve noticed earlier how hard of a time you were having. I know from experience how difficult it can get to balance work and university, and that’s why I should’ve been there for you. But I am here now. I am here. And I will never leave you alone with your worries like that ever again. Please, always tell me what’s on your mind so I can be there for you. You don’t have to pretend with me. Just let it out. Let it all out.“

You had been holding back your sobs again, embarrassed of him witnessing you in this state. But now that he turned you around and looked you in the eyes, his glistening with tears as well, you could not hold it in any longer. And you didn’t want to anymore, either. Because you saw in his beautiful eyes that each and every single word he just said was nothing but the truth. With Jin, you would never have to pretend. He loved you, with everything he had, for everything you were.

With a sad smile, he whipped away your tears and placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

„Don’t ever suffer alone, again, jagi. Promise me that. It would break my heart knowing that you are struggling and won’t let me be there for you.“

„I will never lie to you again, I promise.“

For a few minutes, you just stood there in your kitchen, bathed in flickering candlelight, him hugging you tightly, softly swaying you in his arms, while you cried into his shirt. When you were done, he lovingly wiped your face with his sleeves and kissed you on the tip of your nose, after having looked at your face cupped in his hands for seconds that felt like an eternity. You couldn’t believe how beautiful his delicate features looked in the faint glow of the flickering candles.

Then again he kissed your nose, after that each of your cheeks.

„So cute, your red nose and puffy eyes.“

His comment made you giggle.

„What’s so funny? I really mean it. To me, you are cute and beautiful, no matter what. Even with a runny nose and puffy eyes. You’re my princess and always will be.“

You couldn’t help but smile.

„There it is. I made my princess smile again!“, he cried out, clapping his hands in excitement, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

„Now, let me cook for you. You lost so much weight. And that is something I can't tolerate.“

******************************************

Hope you liked it! ☺️

Here you can find my Masterlist, in case you feel like checking out the rest of my work. 💖

Take care and have a great day! ☺️💖

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dmukcs · 3 years

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Fly - Epik High

This weeks recommendation is Fly by Epik High (에픽하이).

listen to the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHqLlyBlmQI

This is the song that really gained Epik High their popularity though a lot of you probably know it as “the song that inspired Suga from BTS”. However, as such a popular release, it deserves to be recognised in its own right having topped the domestic charts and taking five wins for hip hop awards at music shows. Fly was also featured on Fifa 07 and the Korean arcade game Pump It Up.

The song has an upbeat and inspirational tone that fans say represents hope to them .

members left to to right: Mithra Jin, Tablo, DJ Tukutz

Epik High are a three person alternative hip hop who have been known for combining multiple styles and lyrical themes since their debut in 2003. They are still active as a group now and have recently announced that a new album will be released on the 18th of this month.

The group began in 2001 in Seoul’s underground music scene, performing with groups such as CB Mass as part of the ‘Movement Crew’ which was once of South Korea’s largest hip hop crews at the time. They were relatively unknown early on in their career as the music genre itself wasn’t popular with mainstream audiences and critics argued there as no place for lyrically complex music that did not match the currently rising popularity of K-Pop.

Regardless, they released a debut album under Woollim Entertainment titled Map of the Human Soul in 2003 which gained them some success and later in 2004 they released their second album High Society in 2004. The release of their album Swan Songs in 2005 was supposed to be their last after the poor reception to their previous releases. Instead, the album became a mainstream hit and rocketed Epik High into fame as one of the most popular hip hop groups in Korea. The following year they released an album featuring remixed versions of the songs from Swan Songs, titled Black Swan Songs.

Their 2007 album Remapping the Human Soul became third best seller in Korea and won Album of the Year despite being censored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for its diverse themes of sexual crime, war, religion and education. Then in 2008 Pieces, Part One had 50,000 preorders. Their EP 1 Minute 1 Second went on to top charts later that year and the group won awards for, Best Hip Hop Performance and Hip Hop Musician of the Year (Netizen vote).

In 2009 they Woollim Entertainment and founded the independent record label Map The Soul which consisted of Epik High, MYK, Planet Shiver and Dok2. That same year they released 魂: Map the Soul which Tablo stated was not an official but a “special project” and as such the album was exclusively available through their website. To commemorate this release they also toured Japan and performed at Melon Ax in Seoul as well as several cities in the US. Later that year they released a second album [e] with the electronic pop title track Wannabe which criticised K-Pop trends and, following their continued success, they had a South Korean tour beginning shortly after.

From late 2009-2012 DJ Tukutz and Mithra Jin served their mandatory military service. During this time the album Epilogue was released under Woollim Entertainment featuring several members of the boy group Infinite prior to their own debut. Tablo also signed a four-year contract with YG entertainment where he was able to release a solo album though he indicated many times that Epik High had not disbanded and was simply on hiatus.

After a three year hiatus it was announced that Epik High would return under YG Entertainment. They remained with the company until 2018 where they then signed with William Morris Endeavor , releasing the albums 99, Shoebox and We’ve Done Something Wonderful, as well as several singles and remixes where they collaborated with various artists to much acclaim. They were also the first Korean act to perform at Coachella with their set in 2016.

Chart popularity of Epik High has faded in recent years, their 2019 EP Sleepless in ________ peaked at only 8 on the Gaon Album Chart and 6 on Billboard US World Album Chart. Despite this they have remained popular among the public, winning 2018 Gaon Chart Awards song of the year with Love Song (feat. IU) and receiving several nominations for 2018 MBC Plus X Genie Music Awards.

Other songs I recommend: Love Story, One, Map The Soul, 혼자라도 (Although I’m Alone), Don’t Hate Me, Born Hater, Home is Far Away, Lovedrunk, Happen Ending, Fan, Yesterday, Let It Rain, Get High, I Remember, The Basics, 피해망상 (Paranoia) Pt. 3

pictures https://www.makestar.co/artists/2369 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Songs_(Epik_High_album) https://twitter.com/coachella/status/721812846703616000?s=20

references https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epik_High https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Songs_(Epik_High_album) https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Epik_High https://www.kpophighindia.com/know-your-k-pop-group-epik-high/ https://www.soompi.com/article/1244881wpp/15-striking-moments-shaped-epik-highs-extraordinary-journey https://www.vice.com/en/article/ryzpek/the-noisey-guide-to-epik-high

#dmukcs #dmu #dmu korean culture society #old kpop #old school kpop #epik high #epik high fly #kpop #kpop recommendation #old kpop recommendation #music recommendation #music #ksoc

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everythingshawnmendes · 7 years

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Individual Success PT1(Shawn Mendes x Reader)

I made this imagine with Fred Weasley on my Harry Potter blog, and decided to make a Shawn version with it. There will be more parts so I BEG YOU to be patient because there will be a happy ending. Don’t get fooled by the first couple sentences that Shawn ends up with Camila okay there will be more parts!!!!! Leave feedback hope u enjoy oxxxoxoxoxo

« Y/N! Y/N you look stunning! Can we get a smile?”

Y/N flashed her signature smile at the cameras, ears blocking out, out of habit, the thousands of screams of fans. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate her huge fanbase, but come on, she’d like to keep her eardrums intact.

She walked along the red carpet.

Shawn got out of his cab, and lent a hand out to his girlfriend.

“Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes! Hollywood’s sweetest couple! Smile!”

Shawn kissed Camila on the cheek and walked onto the carpet with her. He moved on slowly down the carpet towards the center of it.

Nearing the middle of the carpet, Y/N turned her head and spotted Shawn Mendes. Her breath hitched in her lungs.

Shawn smiled and looked in front of him. His hand fell from Camila’s waist. Standing in front of him was Y/N Y/L/N.

They locked eyes as the same memories played inside both of their heads.

Shawn walked into the bright small Los Angeles café, looking forward to the caffeine he was going to get.

He walked up to the cashier, who had her (hair color) hair tied up in a messy ponytail. She looked up from what looked like a script and smiled.

“Oh my god Shawn Mendes! Oh gosh, I’m so sorry I’m being totally unprofessional haha. Um what can I get you?” she smiled brightly.

Shawn smiled widely at her. Smiling looked good on her.

“Um can I get a triple shot latte?”

“Yeah sure. I’m assuming you got a big day ahead of ya?” She laughed as she started preparing his drink.

“Yeah actually, got a lot of press conferences today.” He glanced down at the pack of papers she was holding. It was indeed a script, more precisely what looked like a musical.

“Triple shot latte.” She said, placing a cup down in front of him.

“Thank you so much um-“ he looked at her nametag. “Y/N.”

“My pleasure. Shawn.” Y/N grinned.

“Um may I ask if that’s a script?”

“Oh yeah, I um have an audition for a musical in a couple weeks.”

“Wow, best of luck!”

Y/N took a deep deep breath before walking into the audition room. The movie musical she was auditioning for was called “Summer of Love” and the character was the main love interest.

Walking in, she spotted a table of directors and, Shawn.

“U-um hi!” Y/N stuttered. What was he doing here?!

“Hi Y/N, thank you for being here today. So, you are auditioning for Shawn’s character’s love interest. Um, why don’t we turn to page 41 and read from the top?”

“Hello Y/N, this is Amy from casting. I’m calling to tell you that you got the part! It’s a six-week shoot, we start on Monday.”

“OH MY GOD!”

Articles read:

Shawn Mendes and new upcoming actress Y/N Y/L/N to star in musical movie “Summer of Love”

Shawn Mendes’ love interest will be played by Y/N Y/L/N, brand new actress

Shooting the movie was amazing. Y/N and Shawn had this natural chemistry and their attraction on camera was the most natural thing ever.

After each shoot, Y/N and Shawn hung out; at times practicing their scenes, at times just watching their favourite movies together, at times going out late into the night downtown to see the lights of the tall LA buildings.

Pictures of Y/N and Shawn surfaced on the internet, in magazines… Pictures of them laughing together, of them leaving set in sweats and a cup of coffee in hand, snapchats of them on set together goofing around.

“Hello this is BroadwayToday.com and here we are with two absolutely talented actors both making their film debut in the musical «Summer of Love», welcome Shawn Mendes and Y/N Y/L/N!”

Y/N and Shawn sat down, Shawn put his arm around Y/N’s shoulder comfortably.

“So, this is both your first movie. Congratulations by the way! How does it feel?”

“Wow, it’s so cool. Actually when I was a kid, I wanted to become an actor so it’s really out of this world for me right now.” Shawn said.

“Ah the anticipated how do you feel question.” Y/N laughed.

Shawn chuckled, and looked at her.

“Well I moved from Canada five years ago to become an actress, and every single day had been a struggle for me. But luckily I had an amazing family and friends circle betting on me, so I kept on pushing and bam here I am!”

“Oh Y/N, I didn’t know you were from Canada!” The interviewer said.

“Montreal actually.” Shawn interjected as Y/N opened her mouth to say the same answer.

“Hahaha you two seem very close!”

“I guess we are.” Y/N grinned. “We became really close of course during this entire shoot and we hung out every day actually.”

“Shawn, what do you think of Y/N?”

“Oh god, where do I start. She’s annoying, irritating-“

“Shut up!” Y/N punched him amicably.

“I’m kiddiing.” Shawn said to her. “Y/N is honestly a perfect mix of funny, kind, goofy, artistic and um… “

“And um what mister?”

“Fun.” Shawn finished.

“Well if you don’t mind me asking are you two-“

“If you’re gonna say dating, I’m going to say yes.” Y/N said. “JUST KIDDING. Oh shit, I already see the paparazzi twisting this around.”

“Yeah, maybe this wasn’t a question to joke around with, the media die for this kind of stuff.” Shawn smiled down at her.

“Alright guys last shot of the whole movie. The kiss scene. Make it fire. Action!”

Y/N and Shawn undeniably had feelings for each other. What was a little crush turned slowly into more, and after a long six weeks, their feelings have blossomed into a beautiful love waiting to be announced.

Shawn looked into Y/N’s eyes, and took her hand in his. Y/N smiled up at him and closed her eyes as she felt his lips on hers.

And in this moment, they were not their characters, they were Y/N and Shawn and their kiss lit up fireworks in their minds.

“Wow you look beautiful.” Shawn gushed. Y/N blushed.

“We’ve been a couple for two months and you say that to me every day, you know?”

“Well how can I not, it would be a sin not to tell you you are beautiful.” “I love you Shawn.”

“I love you more love.”

Shawn pulled Y/N into a kiss.

“Whoa whoa whoa there tiger. Red lipstick.” Y/N smirked.

“Fuck it.” Shawn said, pulling her close again.

On their way to the premiere, he wiped the lipstick off his face.

“You know, eeeverybody thinks we’re dating.” Shawn said.

“Well we are.” Y/N giggled.

“So do you think we should just tell them and make it official?”

“I don’t see why not, since we’re not very subtle anyway.” Y/N laughed.

The two stepped out on the carpet to a round of shouts and camera flashes.

“Y/N! Y/N you look amazing! Oh and you came with Shawn!”

“Yeah actually we have a little announcement to make.” Y/N said, looking at the cameras.

Shawn was looking at her, and said:

“Yeah and that announcement is-“ He pulled Y/N into his arms and kissed her. Y/N smiled up at him.

And in that moment, each other was all existed.

“Y/N have you seen my sweater-“

Shawn looked up to quite a sight. There y/N was, sitting in his apartment kitchen, wearing his sweater and fuzzy socks, coffee mug in one hand, book in another.

“Hmm?” She looked up.

“Nothing.” Shawn said, sitting beside her, kissing her cheek.

Shawn’s career was flourishing and he was preparing his biggest tour yet, he was going to be on the road for a year and a half.

Y/N meanwhile, had been to numerous auditions, but hasn’t gotten a part since Summer of Love.

“Shawn are you coming to bed baby?” Y/N hugged him from behind, as he was hunched over contracts and international concert venue information sheets.

“Hmm yeah.”

Y/N went to bed alone, waiting for his body to warm her up.

“Hello love.” Shawn said coming back home.

On the kitchen counter was a note.

“Hey Shawn, I got three auditions in a row tonight. See ya in the morning.”

“We never spend time together anymore!”

“Well maybe I’d see you more often if you weren’t involved in tour preparations 24/7!”

“I’d see you more often Y/N if you weren’t trying to get every movie role available in America!”

“I’m sorry if I’m ambitious and want things in life!”

“I have ambitions too!”

Y/N sat down, tears streaming down her face. Shawn flopped down onto a chair, hand going through his hair nervously.

“What’s happening to us Shawn?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“Our goals, careers they’re just. They’re driving us apart.”

“I miss how we used to be.”

“We’re still the same people, we’re just so busy you know? Anyways, I got an audition in ten minutes we’ll um we’ll talk later.”

“I’ll come with you.”

The cab ride, Shawn held Y/N’s hand. Their minds left their careers, their jobs, their schedules and just focused on this intimate moment. As they pulled up to the building however, it all came rushing back.

Y/N’s audition went well. She was borderline trying, having been rejected for every role she auditioned in the past year. This just made the casters see her natural self though, and they loved her.

Outside of the audition building, on a park bench overlooking the city.

“So, what do we do Y/N?”

“I don’t know. Nothing. You’ll have to go on tour, because that’s what you love; and I’ll stay here and you know, wait for responses.”

“I’ll never forget you Y/N. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving you. When I met you, my life was changed because of you.”

“And I will always love you Shawn. Maybe we’ll find out way back to each other.” Y/N smiled sadly.

The camera flashes and shouts came back into Shawn and Y/N’s ears. Y/N blinked and Shawn swallowed as they both turned away from each other and smiled to the cameras.

Y/N turned her head slightly to look back at Shawn. He did the same. In their eyes there still was a hint of love that would not fade.

Y/N smiled at him, and Shawn gave her a small one back.

They weren’t with each other, but all of their other dreams had come true. Y/N was an Oscar-winning actress and Shawn had taken home his first Grammys. It just wasn’t with each other that it all happened.

PART2. Btw in ur requests take off anon so u can get a notif when i answer it

#shawn mendes fanfic #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes x reader #shawn mendes fluff #shawn mendes angst

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ads-is-shady-blog · 5 years

Text

#3) [Otome Games/BTS] Indie devs enrage fans of their crowdfunded games with a censorship controversy, years of broken promises and delays, & legal troubles on a BTS fan game

View the discussion on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/abjkzf/otome_gamesbts_indie_devs_enrage_fans_of_their/

Post (words belong to original poster linked):

Tl;dr at the bottom since this spans several years and numerous layers of drama and is therefore very long.

Some useful info:

Otome games: a niche genre aimed at a female audience, typically visual novels with a female player character and romanceable male characters. Originated in Japan.

Visual novel (VN): a game where the story and dialogue is (mostly) conveyed in text, accompanied by relatively simple visuals and audio, and with choices that change the direction of the story. Also originated in Japan. VNs made in English are sometimes distinguished with the moniker OELVN (Original English Language Visual Novel).

Route: a specific path or branch of a visual novel, often one involving a romance with a particular character.

Pay-per-route: a payment model mainly found in mobile otome games where a game's prologue/common route is free and each character's route is bought separately as DLC. There may also be separate epilogues, sequels and other DLC.

BTS: a massively popular 7-member Kpop boy idol group.

ARMY/ARMYs: the official name of BTS's fanbase/fans.

BigHit Entertainment: BTS's agency.

This drama concerns one small indie dev company, Aeon Dream Studios (ADS), formerly known as Star Maiden Games, and three of their games:

Mystic Destinies: Serendipity of Aeons (MDSOA): their first game for PC & mobile, an urban fantasy OELVN otome game;

Mystic Destinies: Echoes (Echoes): a promised sequel where the romanceable characters are the male antagonists of the first game;

To the Edge of the Sky (TTEOTS): originally a nonromantic BTS fan game for PC & mobile where the members of BTS are reimagined as operatives in a cyberpunk future. There was no in-game mention of the members' names or of BTS itself, but characters were visibly recognisable as BTS members and the group's name was frequently used in descriptions & promotions by the devs. Though originally free, the game was later monetised.

I'll break things down by year for easier reading. I only became aware of the drama this summer and most of this post is the product of my amateur internet sleuthing in the last month, so I apologise if I have made any mistakes.

2015

Star Maiden Games formed and began developing MDSOA in 2015. Like many indie otome game developers, in September 2015 they turned to Kickstarter for funding with a $2,000 goal. Five days later they'd met the target, and when the campaign closed they had $3,555 pledged in total and several stretch goals met. Looking back now, they were a little overoptimistic in promises for sequels and episodic content which were never added. The $3,500 stretch goal of customisable MC skin colour was also never implemented, though this was supposedly because one backer cancelled their pledge.

2016

MDSOA was soon Greenlit and released on Steam in February 2016 with a free prologue and a single route as paid DLC; four more routes and five corresponding epilogues were to be added as DLC as they were completed. Though the majority of initial reviews were positive (see chart), several Steam users left negative reviews, many criticising the pay-per-route model that had given multiple players the false impression that the entire game was free. One reviewer made a deeply critical playthrough of the prologue on Youtube, branding the game 'Serendipishit', and was soon notified it had been taken down by a copyright strike from the developers. His video about the strike gained significant attention on Reddit and a backlash began to form against the developers' perceived attempt to censor criticism.

A day later, the reviewer posted a follow-up video asking viewers to stop harassing the devs. Having personally spoken with them, he now stated the developers were revoking the strike and everything was good. The exact same thing also happened to another Youtuber at roughly the same time (initial video, video about the strike, update. Judging by a comment on the latter video, the Youtuber believed after speaking to the devs that the copyright strikes were deliberate manual strikes aimed at negative reviews.)

In both cases the follow-ups attracted a fraction of the attention that the videos about the strikes got and the controversy took a while to die down. Outside of Steam the developers made only the vaguest allusions to these events. The devs' most detailed comment on the issue, along with a defence of their payment model, was in response to a Steam review, where they claimed they had not specifically targeted negative reviews, only videos that did not have their direct permission to be posted.

Despite the censorship furore, otome game fans who tried MDSOA were largely pleased with the game and a small but passionate fanbase formed. The developers had a small number of Patreon supporters; bonuses included a short story set before MDSOA, which was also sold for $1+ on Gumroad. The second route came out in May 2016, and that month Star Maiden Games changed their name to Aeon Dream Studios, only citing "varied" reasons for the change.

At some point during the year, the two creative heads of the studio became fans of Korean idol group BTS due to relating to the lyrics of Dope, a motivational anthem about the group's tireless work and commitment to attaining success while refusing to bow to criticism. According to later statements by the CEO/Creative Director of ADS, the devs were enduring significant poverty and exhaustion while working on MDSOA during this time.

That September the third route released and ADS launched another Kickstarter campaign to help fund the final 2 routes and a deluxe edition DLC, all of which were slated to be out by December. Fans spread the word and within 4 days they reached the funding goal of $7,500. The devs then rebranded much of the page to reflect their stretch goal, a sequel called Mystic Destinies: Echoes, initially promised for March 2017. Though the stretch goal was not reached, the funding surplus (roughly $5,500) was put towards Echoes with another Kickstarter planned later to finish funding. The fourth MDSOA route was briefly delayed but came out at the end of November. The fifth route and the DLC did not end up arriving in December as promised, but as some delays are par for the course with Kickstarter, nobody was too perturbed. However, whispers of unrest began as ADS started making references to a BTS fan project.

2017

The developers finished funding Echoes through their third Kickstarter in January 2017. This slightly surpassed its $7,200 goal with a closing total in February of $8,033, and they also opened preorders for the game on itch.io (since closed). They now aimed to first finish MDSOA and its Kickstarter reward fulfilment and then release Echoes in "late Spring 2017", or at least no later than Summer 2017. The studio at the time consisted of only 3 employees, with some work contracted out to others.

Obviously, things didn't quite pan out.

Despite the amount of work still to be done on the Mystic Destinies games, in March 2017 they also released a demo for their BTS fan game, TTEOTS, and in May were soliciting funds through Gofundme for further development. (This closed in September 2017 at $1000 raised.) They dreamed of receiving an official endorsement from BigHit and not only emailed and tweeted at BigHit (with no response) but encouraged fans to do so as well, mobilising under the Twitter hashtag #ARMYWantsBTSGames. Though they never received any response, they decided to go ahead with the game anyway. Meanwhile, due to the pushbacks, lack of updates, and emergence of the BTS project, Mystic Destinies fans began to criticise the studio more openly (sample comments: one, two, three).

One focus of criticism was the devs' poor communication. Statements and news were scattered across multiple platforms or buried in Kickstarter comments, leading to confusion and rumours flying among the discontented community. When pressed for answers about whether the delays were TTEOTS-related, the developers insisted they were only working on one game at a time. Meanwhile, the final route of MDSOA hit further delays and due to the devs' communication issues many fans only found out it had been split into two parts when the first book finally released in June. The second followed in July, while the deluxe edition DLC was now slated for "Summer 2017". Continuous delays followed, but the developers posted semi-regular updates, blaming delays on problems like Hurricane Irma and their main artist leaving. In October the DLC was still not out and the devs stated Echoes would be out in November - but at the same time they were running more crowdfunding campaigns for TTEOTS.

As a BTS fan game, the developers tapped into a large and dedicated worldwide fanbase, so it wasn't a surprise that the two TTEOTS funding campaigns launched in October across Kickstarter and Fundrazr netted over $36,000 in total. From here on Fundrazr was the devs' crowdfunding platform of choice, using its "Keep it all" option where backers' money is sent immediately and campaigns can run forever. By November 2017 TTEOTS's first part had been launched to the public and they created a petition for BigHit to officially recognise the game (9000 signatures and 2k+ comments as of this post), but there were no updates on Echoes or MDSOA's deluxe edition DLC until the end of the month, when both were again delayed until December. Still, as the releases had only been delayed by a month or two each time, it seemed like both games must be near to completion.

Just two weeks later, ADS pushed back Echoes' release date indefinitely, offering a vague promise of 2018, and stated Echoes would now have less content than originally promised - 10 hours' gameplay instead of 15-25. They claimed they would offer refunds to anyone who wanted one but backers were understandably confused and upset, leaving comments expressing their frustration. As 2017 ended, fans were growing deeply concerned.

January - July 2018

After announcing another delay for the MDSOA DLC and receiving a few exasperated responses, the devs posted a backer-exclusive update threatening to forcibly issue refunds to backers whose behaviour they found dissatisfactory and blaming negative comments as the reason for their silences. I was not a backer so don't have a screenshot, but here's part of the text:

We would like to issue a reminder to everyone interacting with us in the community that comments should remain respectful and polite. [...] we ask that the community please keep a positive, welcoming environment instead of the toxic one it's veering into for us - which also makes us reluctant to speak openly about our progress and engage with the community more often. If you feel you cannot do this, or are engaging in abusive language, we do reserve the right to refuse service - this can result processing a refund for your backer number. [...] Part of supporting a project is more than just the financial aspect, but being an encouraging, welcoming presence for the team to come back to and feel comfortable with discussing the development with you in our regular updates. (emphasis added)

Many read this as a threat to stop airing any criticism whatsoever. In the Steam forums, backers dissected the devs' statements and wondered about the legality of TTEOTS, with one user predicting legal trouble was inevitable. (sample comments: one, two, three)

In February, ADS launched another Twitter campaign to promote TTEOTS using the hashtag #BTSxTTEOTS and the account @Trend_TTEOTS. They also hired a new writer, a BTS and TTEOTS fan who had helped promote the game by handing out promo cards at BTS concerts before she was hired. She was set to work on Echoes along with another employee while the most experienced employees, including the CEO, continued work on TTEOTS.

February also brought the release of the deluxe edition DLC for MDSOA, which meant the game was at last considered complete over a year later than promised. Some backers were incredibly frustrated by this point as those who had paid for the full deluxe edition of the game on Kickstarter did not receive any part of the game until the deluxe edition DLC was finished. As the promised release date had been December 2016 at the time of the Kickstarter, backers had certainly not expected such a long and uncertain wait to receive the full game. Some backers had been so dedicated to the game that they had bought the DLC as it came out on Steam on top of backing one or more of the Kickstarters.

As for Echoes, there was little mention of it throughout the first half of 2018, but the devs continued to post regularly about TTEOTS, released the first volume of a TTEOTS graphic novel on ComiXology, and launched additional crowdfunding campaigns on Fundrazr, including:

a project to send gifts to BTS in hopes of receiving official recognition for TTEOTS ($645);

a full length TTEOTS novel (which is still open and currently stands at over $3.5k);

a second campaign to fund TTEOTS development ($4,123);

a campaign to revamp TTEOTS's art ($4,516).

As 2018 rolled on, Echoes backers became angrier at the continued lack of updates and perceived favouritism towards TTEOTS. Those following the devs' social media in hopes of receiving Echoes news were infuriated by the constant stream of TTEOTS-related posts; even the Echoes Kickstarter received an update which featured several lines about TTEOTS and only a cursory mention of Echoes at the end. Despite their claims that half the studio was working on Echoes, their silence about the progress of the game continued and was not well received.

Comments in the Steam forums and elsewhere had by now become much more accusatory. Some backers speculated that the money they'd paid for Echoes had been funneled into TTEOTS instead; some suggested the devs were just opportunists cashing in on BTS's popularity by milking eager fans for money. Since January, numerous Echoes backers had reported difficulty getting the promised refunds (example), often due to unanswered emails and messages, or failed to get any response when asking about backer rewards they were still owed (example).

TTEOTS Premium also launched in late May, swiftly climbing to the #10 Paid Casual app on the Google Play store. Premium included extra content, including exclusive art and the beginnings of romantic content with the characters. For $9.99 Premium players were promised an all-access season pass to all future content up to the game's completion date in December 2018.

With a large fanbase and multiple revenue streams, TTEOTS seemed to be thriving despite the escalating discontent from Mystic Destinies fans.

August - December 2018

Then, in early August, the devs dropped a bombshell: they had been served a cease & desist by BTS's agency, BigHit Entertainment, along with a demand for financial records regarding TTEOTS.

Though TTEOTS was originally a free fan game, BTS's agency may have finally felt a legal line was crossed with the addition of its premium version - presumably they had been aware of the game for some time due to the volume of ADS and ARMY's attempts at contact. Irate Echoes backers experienced a certain schadenfreude at this announcement, with some perceiving it to be the studio's comeuppance. Many had given up on ever getting Echoes and some actively hoped ADS would be sued into bankruptcy.

After the C&D the devs hired legal advice and launched Operation Phoenix, an effort to edit the game's art so characters could not be recognised as BTS, as well as redact all mention of BTS elsewhere to avoid legal repercussions. Some art was updated, but other characters' faces were hidden with masks while new art was being worked on. As many TTEOTS players were ARMYs, some complained about the change or stopped playing entirely, but if anything much of the game's fanbase was bolstered by the crisis. ARMYs sometimes have a contentious relationship with BTS's agency and some felt that BigHit's approach to TTEOTS was not only unfair but set a worrying precedent for other BTS fan works. (At least one fan took to calling the agency 'BigShit'.)

The developers posted two passive aggressive tweets bidding goodbye to those who had abandoned the game due to the C&D and Operation Phoenix and thanking those who stayed.

Not long after, they suddenly began posting developer interviews to promote Echoes' "imminent release" in September 2018, and appeared in the MDSOA Steam forums to lock a discussion thread with over 200 posts which backers had been using for more than a year to discuss and speculate on the Kickstarter problems and, later, the legal situation with TTEOTS. The devs posted a warning against libel and slander and instructed anyone with concerns to email them directly and wait 72 hours for a response instead of posting on the forums. Some commenters felt this was simply an attempt to threaten them into shutting up and hide criticism from the public eye, prompting dozens of outraged comments in response. Several people pointed out they had tried emailing questions or refund requests in the past and never received a reply.

After that, things eventually quieted down for a time. A number of official statements followed on ADS's website between August and October. Echoes was again delayed past September, but many backers had given up caring anyway. The CEO/Creative Director lamented the negativity of Echoes backers, admitted they had made mistakes and stated they would have been homeless if they hadn't started working on TTEOTS. These statements again riled up the posters in the Steam forums for both MDSOA and Echoes, and there were several critical responses to these statements on Kickstarter, but also several supportive responses too. In October they stated Echoes is 80% finished and offered a vague release date of "before the end of the year [2018]".

Come December this began to look increasingly unlikely, and on top of that TTEOTS fans began to grow concerned about the schedule slip and silence regarding Chapter 4 of TTEOTS which was originally scheduled for September, then November, and is still unreleased as of this post (tweet compilations: one, two). While December 2018 had originally been slated as the completion date for TTEOTS, the devs had since announced they planned to continue the game indefinitely in seasons. Echoes backers clearly felt that history was repeating itself for a different group of fans. However, TTEOTS fans appear to mostly still believe in the developers, and some have tweeted defending the devs and urging people not to pressure them for updates.

After a long silence, the CEO of ADS posted a personal blog in mid-December stating that she had struggled to focus on her work ever since a BTS member sustained a minor injury in October that affected his mental state (for reference, "MAMA 2018" refers to Mnet Asian Music Awards, which mainly features Kpop artists, and where BTS won several major awards this year). The post expounded on her many worries about the mental and physical health of BTS members and the effect they had had on her life.

Finally, there was a year-end update on the 24th, pushing back Echoes once again to 2019 and placing blame for the delays on the staff she selected to work on it. Echoes backers were incredulous. Most expressed sympathy for these employees, their consensus being that the CEO had essentially dumped her mess on people with less experience, not given them sufficient help and supervision, and thrown them under the bus to avoid taking responsibility herself. No date was given for future TTEOTS content and she described wanting to "focus less on ADS and more on other solo projects" in 2019.

It is currently unknown if any further legal action will be taken by BigHit, but the development of the amended version of TTEOTS will supposedly continue and the devs' website still contains a link in the navbar to their petition for BTS to officially recognise the game.

Further reading:

Threads on /r/otomegames from backers: one, two

ADS's CEO's thoughts on the creator-fan relationship

Tl;dr (even the tl;dr is long, sorry)

Mystic Destinies

Indie dev studio releases niche game in installments using 3 Kickstarters to fund the 5 routes, a DLC and a sequel. Total funding for all: $24k+, plus preorders, Patreon, & Paypal donations

Developers use copyright strikes to take down two negative Youtube videos about the game, generating a censorship backlash, but revoke the strikes soon after

Continual delays & increasingly long silences about progress. The final DLC was over a year late, the sequel is not out yet (approaching 2 years late) & will be shorter than promised

Backers report extreme difficulty getting refunds, ignored emails & not receiving certain Kickstarter rewards. Irate backers feel valid criticism is being stifled by devs and devs are playing victim

To The Edge of the Sky

During the Mystic Destinies delays, devs began pouring efforts into a free BTS fan game and running numerous social media and crowdfunding campaigns. Funding: $40k+ for the game, $3.5k+ for a novel, $600+ for a gift project, plus Patreon & Paypal donations, revenues from a graphic novel and...

...a premium version of the game is launched in May 2018 with a $9.99 season pass or smaller microtransactions

In August 2018 devs announce they received a cease and desist from BTS's agency and have to hire lawyers, remove all reference to BTS and send financial records to the agency. Angry ex-fans are delighted, some BTS fans abandon the game, others staunchly support the devs.

As of December 2018, development on the formerly BTS-based game has hit delays and long silences but TTEOTS fans remain mostly supportive, the long-delayed MD sequel is delayed again to 2019 with delays blamed on inexperienced employees, Mystic Destinies backers look on with exhaustion and hopelessness.

#aeon dream studios #ads is shady #adsisshady #mystic destinies #tteots

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erlangs · 7 years

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kpop recs

okaaay so i was bored and wanted to procrastinate so i thought why not??? keep in mind that this list isn’t exhaustive and there are probably more recs out there but here are just some of my favorites + why i would rec them!! a lot of the recs are on the popular side of things too but i also tried putting in groups that not everyone know of / listen to already ( i put the more popular groups down the bottom btw ).

day6: day6!!!! day6!!! i got into them like over a year after their debut lmao so i was a lil late but damn am i glad that i started listening to them?? they’re more krock than kpop probably but honestly....pls listen to day6.... a lot of people have been saying that some of their songs feel like anime intros too and i would agree?? like some of their songs would fit v v well into shonen anime intros tbh esp probs like sports anime? ANYWAY, they have a variety of songs like they have different sounds for some of their things but i think they still have a v distinctive day6 feel it’s just a matter of preference which sort of sound you like better? honestly, i would rec all their songs but i think for the purpose of this list my rec for them would be letting go (놓아 놓아 놓아). even without context the music video feels so Raw and Deep too imo but...with context lmao they left a keyboard untouched whenever there are scenes of them playing as a band and that’s bc one of their members left and that always makes me emotional. also, congratulations was their debut and you were beautiful is a continuation of that mv wise which i think is cool af. personal rec though? both tracks from the every day6 march ( how can i say is the title track for that one ).

dreamcatcher: ok so as i write this they’ve only debuted like a couple of months ago but goddamn i love their concept. here’s a fun fact: they debuted on friday the 13th with a song and mv bearing a horror concept which is??? sick af??? their debut mv chase me basically is about the girls as ghosts haunting this place and it is SO COOL. ofc tho, trigger warning for horror!! i believe that the mv is part of the trilogy, and here is the second part of it called good night. the chase me mv i think is the BEST but i really really love good night as a song too. also !! they have rock sounds which is really cool!! ( also, pls listen to yoohyeon, sua and siyeon covering winner’s really really. )

laboum: MY GIRLS WHO DESERVE SO MUCH. i....honestly don’t even know what to rec for this list just bc i like everything they’ve done?? some i do like more than others though, but i think it also kind of depends on your taste and what you like?? if you like kinda like that cute concept then i would def recommend shooting love?? honestly, i myself am kind of like...picky about cute ish concepts just bc a lot of them seem to blur together but i really like shooting love?? it’s such a fun mv and is such a bop. if you’re here for something slower, though, give fresh adventure a listen. and pls support their latest mv ( as i write this ) hwi hwi which is such a catchy song i’m crying.

loona: they’re doing this thing where they’re releasing info about a member every month this year and they’re letting their members come up with a debut song and mv one by one until all their members are out to public. i think it’s a really cool concept too and they seem really really promising. i would recommend watching each of their individual debut mvs ( hyunjin’s around you is my favorite, but watch them all tbh ) and i still can’t get over how much i love their mv ( not featuring all their members tho as not everyone is “released” yet ) love & live.

pentagon: i....love them??? HONESTLY i have no idea what it is about them that makes me love them so much?? sometimes i’m like pls @ them but i really love them and i think their debut was really Solid too?? it’s an mv called gorilla and it just....really impressed me for a debut mv?? their second title track is called can you feel it and they also they have a super cute mv called pretty pretty lmaooo. in their second ep though ( five senses, with can you feel it as title track ) i really like the song engine!! if you like slower and chiller songs, give beautiful a listen too. the mv isn’t like a Spectacular concept or anything but i just love these boys and how much of cute losers they are.

kard: as i’m writing this they have currently not yet debuted but !! they released three project singles that are all such BOPS HONESTLY. kard is a coed kpop group with some really cool sounds. i’m just gonna list all three project singles here because i def think you should listen to all of them esp bc they’re kind of a trilogy song wise?? their first one is oh nana, followed by don’t recall ( a personal fave ) and their most recent one is called rumor. there are v interesting fan theories about the mvs too, especially for don’t recall.

triple h: they’re a project unit featuring hyuna and pentagon’s hui & e’dawn and their debut is!! really something!! their debut mv is called 365 fresh and holy fuuuck. trigger warning for blood, bruises, violence, murder and suicide, though, so please keep that in mind if you plan on watching. if not, the song in itself is such a Fresh song. i love the entire vibe of their entire 199x ep too.

vixx: kings of dance and vocals, ngl. i swear that they just get better and better and better and every time they have a comeback ever since like chained up they just get even fucking better somehow??? fantasy i really really love too and for the longest time it was my favorite song of theirs but then they recently dropped shangri la which is honestly....quite Something Else. i have admittedly not listened to many of their non title tracks either but i really like black out!!

f(x): i’ll be honest and say that i haven’t really listened to much of f(x) other than their 4 walls era but i love that era?? i love the mv to 4 walls too and i would 10/10 rec it. though honestly pls give the entire album a listen and personally, my favorite song from the album is deja vu.

blackpink: goddamn these girls got popular real quick. honestly one of my fave girl groups though I LOVE THEM SO MUCH and though boombayah i think is officially their debut mv whistle is honestly such a bop and also has a bomb ass music video?? their other two mvs playing with fire and stay are also sick af i just really love them. they got the #aesthetic.

seventeen: i’m just gonna keep this short bc i don’t think i know nearly enough about svt just yet but mansae is suuuch a fun mv imo as a whole group that’s their best mv just because it was really fun?? the song is super catchy too. but give their hip hop unit’s check in a listen too bc it’s Iconic tbh.

bts: they honestly deserve the hype they get?? so much?? you’ve most likely already heard about them but if you’re not into them yet or have yet to listen to a song and don’t know where to start my number one rec is blood, sweat and tears — which is also what got me into them — ( and here’s the japanese ver but keep in mind there are triggers for blood, murder & allusions to drugs, i like to think that the japanese ver is an alternate universe/continuation of the korean one and there are lots of theories on this that you can read up ). althouuugh bst especially the mv would set your standards very high i think?? but honestly....that’s a Must Watch if ur getting into bts. i know that it’s already v popular but it really really deserves the attention it gets imo. BUT the entire wings era is worth listening to and also pls listen to all their solos in the wings album ( my personal favorite is rap monster’s reflection ).

red velvet: probably another name that pops up a lot too and they have a really interesting concept tbh?? they have like this duality where red is like a more playful and fun concept and velvet is more classy and elegant in a way?? dumb dumb is a really fun example of the red concept and be natural for velvet!! russian roulette seems like a hit or miss for people too but i think the song is really cute!!

exo: again, who hasn’t heard of them?? monster was a Hit and deservingly so too. i honestly really really love the entire lotto / ex’act album too and i especially really like can’t bring me down from the album. but honestly, as much as how big of a hit monster ( and some of their other mvs like overdose and call me baby, amongst many others are huge hits too ) was, i think my favorite mv they did was sing for you. boy that made me feel things?? many fans speculate that the mv was kind of a tribute to kris, luhan and tao ( three members who left ) too and that made me even more !!! about it. ALSO ALSO they have a sub unit called exo cbx and i just rec everything cbx does tbh but before they became an official sub unit they did this song as an ost for a kdrama and i LOVE it so much it’s called for you.

got7: another really popular group so imma try not talk too much about them but honestly...i think just right is p much an insight into got7′s personality LMAO aka adorable losers. everyone loves all three of their flight log trilogy eras too but my favorite is the flight log: turbulence era. hard carry is a masterpiece that i keep on coming back to and skyway is my other favorite song on the album, followed by boom x3.

bigbang: i’m not even gonna get into this one because chances are you’ve heard fantastic baby or bang bang bang. listen to anything in their made album, basically. but i’m just gonna leave last dance here it was a Masterpiece.

2ne1: a disbanded group, which is really sad lmao. you’ve probably heard i am the best too but i just wanna rec come back home and falling in love. 2ne1 was what got me into kpop in the first place too and i love them.

soloists: i’m too lazy to link all the mvs and all but look into seo inguk, kim chungha, lim kim, ailee, lee hi, park jimin ( of 15& ), amber liu, kisum, dean, heize and i’m probably missing a lot of people.

#kpop #kpop recs #music #song recs #wtf do i tag #*#i know im probs missing a lot too like #fiestar isnt there yet #gfriend too #and a bunch of others #also akmu #but i like the whole rambling thing and some groups idk enough to ramble about just yet although i really like their music #i tried reccing some non title tracks for the groups i know well enough about too!!#also did i purposely put day6 up top first? yes i did #this list is by no means exhaustive and honestly i just did this bc i was bored LMAO but....maybe ppl will find it useful??#i see more and more ppl on my dash getting into kpop too so!!

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torentialtribute · 5 years

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From Thierry Henry to Patrick Vieira, where are Arsenal’s Invincibles now?

Back in April 2004, Arsenal & # 39; s would-be Invincibles have history written by the Premier League secure title on White Hart Lane and celebrate for fans of the house.

It was, understandably, the movement that caused the waves and flames of the long-standing rivalry of the Gunners with fellow North Londoners Tottenham

A now famous photo emerged from the team at the field of Spurs, with Thierry Henry lying on a & # 39; champions & # 39; flag and Ashley Cole with an inflatable trophy.

] But what are the legendary players of Arsenal so far? It has been a topsy-turvy year for many – so Sportsmail has decided to take a look while the two teams are preparing to appear in the Premier League again this weekend …

Arsenal's impressive side of 2003-04 posed for a snap at White Hart Lane after winning the title

Dennis Bergkamp

Although Dennis Bergkamp was hidden behind the photo important because he played 28 times in the league. In recent years, the Dutchman has been sitting back and even admitting recently: & # 39; I don't watch football that much. & # 39; He coached the first team at Ajax for six years, and most recently helped unpaid in the Dutch second layer in Almere City.

Sol Campbell

Club Legend Sol Campbell, delighted in the photo to the left of the Invincible snap, has just left a controversial job at League Two Macclesfield. It was a difficult season for the former England to defend, as it operated with little to no budget, yet managed to steer the side to safety in the fourth row. He later spoke about his tears after the last game of the season when they stopped relegation, but he left the club by mutual consent earlier this month and is currently out of work.

Sol Campbell had a large season in Macclesfield, which saved them from relegation, but has now left

Patrick Vieira

A true leader as a player, it might come as no surprise that Patrick Vieira went into coaching. He started at the Man City academy before going to New York City, and now he is back in his native country with Nice. It all started horribly, with 6-1 and 8-1 defeats in the preseason (against Burnley and Wolfsburg), but perhaps they were saving their big performance for Ligue 1. Nice has won their first two and is in great shape.

Ray Parlor is a regular talkSPORT presenter and made headlines this week newspapers

Ray Parlor

The Romford Skin played 22 times in that season for Arsenal and was at the center of the famous photo. After retiring a few years later after a stint in Middlesbrough, he made a name for himself in punditry, regularly on talkSPORT and around the speaker circuit after dinner. He made headlines this week as he fell asleep on the tube after a few drinks with his radio colleagues.

Gilberto Silva

Rock in the midfield of Arsene Wenger, Gilberto Silva now regularly pops up all over the world in its different guises. His last officially listed job was as technical director at Panathanaikos, which he left after seven months until the end of 2016. He played a major role in moving Fred to Manchester United and was a regular adviser and friend of his Brazilian counterpart. He visited Tomas Rosicky in Sparta Prague in August, Sun Campbell a week later in London and still works as an ambassador for Arsenal.

Robert Pires

Fourteen goals in the Invincible season ensured the legendary status of Robert Pires in Arsenal. After leaving the club in 2006, he went to Villarreal, Villa and later India, where he ended his career at FC Goa in 2016. He is still an ambassador at Arsenal and fulfills an informal coaching role at the club's academy.

Robert Pires is still a regular at Arsenal ground training and plays a coaching role at the club

Martin Keown

Although Keown entered the final stages of his career against the time the Invincibles arrived, no doubt a big player in the dressing room if not always on the pitch in 2003-04. After retiring a few years later, he tried his hand at coaching, but is now better known for his punditry. He regularly appears on Match of the Day and BT Sport, and writes a regular column for Sportsmail .

Thierry Henry had a torrid team last season in his first management role in Monaco

Thierry Henry

The poster boy of the Invincible, pictured lying down for the photo on a champion flag with one hand on the inflatable trophy. Since his retirement, Henry has remained in the consciousness of English football fans, regularly at Sky Sports as an expert, before turning his hand to management. He went to Monaco in October 2018, but struggled when the club picked up defeat after defeat. He was fired in January with a record of four wins, five draws and 11 defeats.

Jens Lehmann

The only man who started every season of Arsenal's Invincibles, Jens Lehmann enjoyed a great career. before he hung up his gloves in 2011. Since retiring, he has tried many things – including coaching and punditry – while also graduating from the University of Manchester. He coached at Arsenal before Unai Emery arrived and was an assistant coach at Augsburg earlier this year before the entire coaching staff was fired for only three months in their tenure.

Jose Antonio Reyes

The Spaniard played in 13 Premier League games for Arsenal in their title-winning campaign, before playing eight more clubs in his impressive career. He still played – for Extra Armor in the second layer of Spain – when the tragedy struck in June. Reyes was killed in a car accident that also claimed the life of his cousin Jonathan and seriously injured another in Juan Manuel Calderon. His team number was retired and many of his old Arsenal teammates have since paid tribute to him as a player and as a man.

Tribute to fans and former teammates arrived after the death of Jose Antonio Reyes

Kolo Toure

After missing a game of the Invincibles season, Kolo Toure played for Manchester City, Liverpool and Celtic – where he won league titles in the first and last. After hanging his boots in 2017, he moved to the dugout in Celtic Park, and became an assistant to Brendan Rodgers, who has since followed Leicester. He also worked in the coaching team for the national side of Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017.

Ashley Cole hung up his boots this month and looks ahead to his future in coaching

Ashley Cole

One of the younger members of the team, Cole played for Chelsea, Rome, LA Galaxy and Derby County in a shimmering game career. He hung up his boots only two weeks ago and promised to go into coaching in the coming years. He was associated with a role alongside Frank Lampard at Chelsea, but nothing has happened in that regard.

Lauren

After his 242 appearances for Arsenal – of which 32 in the 2003-04 title winning campaign – Lauren went on to Portsmouth and Cordoba. He played for five Spanish clubs in his team on the field and has since been a respected expert and commentator for La Liga. He is an Arsenal ambassador for Africa and lives in Seville with his wife and children.

Gael Clichy

He was only 18 and at the start of both his time in Arsenal and his career as a whole when the invincible season came. Since that year he spent another eight in Arsenal, before moving to Manchester City and then Istanbul Basaksehir. He still plays for the last at the age of 34, alongside the likes of Arda Turan, Demba Ba and Robinho.

Gael Clichy still plays in Turkey for Istanbul Basaksehir together with Demba Ba

Graham Stack

For most, the least recognizable face in the famous Invincible photo is that of Graham Stack, who did not make any competition match for Arsenal during his time at the club. He played 11 other parties in a driver career and is now found in North London as head of the academy of Watford & # 39; s head of the academy.

Edu

The Brazilian spent four years in Arsenal, with the Invincibles-season blow in the middle, before he went to Valencia and completed his career in his home country with Corinthians. After his retirement, he became their football director and then became Iran's assistant alongside Carlos Queiroz at the 2014 World Cup. He recently returned to Arsenal as the club's technical director to work with boss Unai Emery, and was praised as an & # 39; real & # 39; Arsenal Man & # 39; by director of football Raul Sanllehi.

Edu has just returned to Arsenal to work as technical director alongside Unai Emery and Co.

And what about those not pictured …?

Arsene Wenger

The man behind his success, Arsene Wenger is rightly considered one of the best coaches ever to honor the game. He led the club to 17 trophies in his 22 years – but will certainly look back on the Invincible season as his best. He left the Gunners in 2018 and is linked to a series of return to the game, but he has not yet continued his management career. He can be found regularly as an expert at beIN Sports in the Far East.

Freddie Ljungberg

He didn't play in the game due to an injury on White Hart Lane and was therefore not & # 39; t on the field on the field, but the importance of Ljungberg that season was clear. He played 30 times, scored four, and was an important reason for their success. Since hanging his boots in 2014, he has turned his hand to management and is now & # 39; First Team Assistant Coach & Transition Partner & # 39; next to Emery at Arsenal. Before that he was the head coach under the age of 23 and he is still ingrained in the structure of the club.

Other members of the team that played in the Premier League that season include: Sylvain Wiltord, Pascal Cygan, Nwankwo Kanu, Jeremie Aliadiere, David Bentley and Justin Hoyte

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#From Thierry Henry to Patrick Vieira #where are Arsenal’s Invincibles now?"

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thechasefiles · 6 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 5/7/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Monday 7th May 2018. Remember that you can read full articles via subscribing to Nation News Government Information Services (BGIS).

DEMS LAUNCH WITH BANG – We too can party. That seemed to the response of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and its supporters as the DLP threw its fans a soca party Sunday night. But partying aside, the faithful were warned that the May 24 elections would be a watershed event. Twenty-four hours after the Barbados Labour Party turned Weymouth Playing Field red, a crowd of thousands, clad in the DLP’s trademark yellow and blue colours, transformed an area between the National Stadium and the Netball Stadium, in the constituency last held by Barbados Labour Party leader Mia Mottley, into a sea of colour. The popular artistes, though, had one message. Dem Now; Dem Again. Or as Scrilla screamed: “We sticking with them.” And the crowd agreed. Holding the posters of their candidates aloft, the people jumped and wined and sang along to the popular calypsos. They cheered when candidate Ronald Jones joined Sanctuary on stage for his campaign song and they roared when he followed the singer’s exhortation to “juck, juck, juck”. Then, the lights were dimmed and the candidates filed onto the stage. And as the lights were raised, the crowd roared their support. But it was the arrival of Prime Minister Freundel Stuart at 7:50 p.m. that drove the Dems into a frenzy. He then took his place in the centre of the front row, flanked and backed by the other 29 candidates who will be going to the polls on May 24. Master of ceremonies and the party’s campaign manager, Robert “Bobby” Morris, brought a note of sobriety to the proceedings. “This is a watershed election. It’s like 1961 and 1986 all over again,” he declared. “We are fighting to save the soul of Barbados. This is a very important election. We are up against some forces – the forces of the dynasty as opposed to the forces of the meritocracy,” the historian told the crowd that swelled as the night grew. Early speakers included St Andrew candidate Irene Sandiford-Garner, who lambasted the BLP and Mottley.

(DN)

ALL FIRED UP – The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Sunday night launched an attack on Barbados Labour Party (BLP) leader Mia Mottley in the heart of the St Michael North East constituency. Abandoning their stamping ground of Independence Square, The City, for its first major event in the May 24 General Election campaign, the Dems took the fight to the St Michael riding where Mottley has been reigning since 1994. Several of the night’s nine speakers questioned her competence to be a Prime Minister – as touted by her supporters – and cited the internal falling out with members of her party. In his 45-minute address, which ended at quarter past midnight, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, the last speaker, said the DLP’s existence was to fight the notion that anyone’s bloodline entitled them to be privileged so that there was no one who could anchor their achievement to their family. Stuart, who had long promised to “explain” Mottley, argued that she was privileged and believed her bloodline gave her a sense of entitlement. “We cannot allow those kind of thought processes to cast root again in Barbados; we left that behind a long time ago,” he told the thousands gathered outside the National Stadium at Waterford, St Michael. The Prime Minister went back to an article in March 2002 when Mottley became a Queen’s Counsel where then Chief Justice Sir David Simmons, in his citation, stated “. . . whose bloodlines spell and portend limitless and boundless opportunities for even greater achievement”. Stuart said the days of people getting through based on their bloodline were long gone. In an atmosphere which was sometimes celebratory and other times serious, the speakers used unflattering pictures of Mottley as they reviewed her tenure as Minister of Education and the EduTech programme, which they blasted as a failure, along with the burning of HMP Glendairy Prisons under Mottley’s watch as Attorney General. Stuart went through a list of candidates within the BLP line-up, including George Payne, Ralph Thorne, Gline Clarke and Kerrie Symmonds, and questioned their ability to stand up to Mottley. Both Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler and Minister of Agriculture Dr David Estwick warned that promises coming from Mottley on the platform could not be achieved. Sinckler referred to a promise of increasing non-contributory pensions, pointing out that any increase there would run into millions and the contributory pensions would also have to increase. He pointed out that the prison burning had left the country with an annual $30 million debt. Estwick said Mottley appeared to have a magic wand that could solve every problem, including the South Coast sewage crisis. He criticised her suggestion that the businesses there should be closed down and Government pay workers while the Barbados Water Authority worked on the crisis. He described as “hogwash” Mottley’s proposal to get rid of the National Social Responsibilty Levy and other taxes, while increasing givebacks to the people. Patrick Todd, the DLP candidate who is up against Mottley, reminded those on hand that she had been beaten before and he intended to win the seat back for the DLP. The team, which has dubbed itself the People’s Army, was missing two from among its ranks. Dr Denis Lowe, candidate for Christ Church East, was said to be still recovering from knee surgery and had spent the day canvassing, while St Michael North candidate Kim Tudor was under the weather. (DN)

MOTTLEY UNVEILS BLP’S REMEDY – Cutting out wastage, stamping out corruption and reprioritizing the country’s expenditure, will give a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) Government all the money it needs to fulfill all of its campaign promises. This from Opposition Leader Mia Mottley, who went into a little more detail about how her party intends to pay for some of its signature plans, which include the repeal the controversial National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL), restoring free tertiary education, raising pensions and fixing the south coast sewage problem. Along with the plans unveiled over the last several months, Mottley promised civil servants, who have been pushing for a salary increase for almost two years, that she would be meeting with the trade unions shortly after taking office to discuss this issue. She also revealed that if it is determined that an increase cannot be immediately afforded, a living allowance would be provided within three months. Speaking to more than 20,000 people (estimated by party officials) at Weymouth at the official launch of the BLP’s campaign ahead of the May 24 general election, Mottley attempted to answer her critics, who continuously demand that she shows the math behind what they deem to be overly ambitious promises. “There are those naysayers who say ‘well how you going pay for it?’ We I have come to Weymouth tonight to talk to you the people of Barbados. I have come tonight to tell you that this country of ours that has a $10 billion economy and a $4 billion Government expenditure, can be no different from what each an every one of you householders have to face every day and every week in this country,” Mottley said. The BLP leader argued that in like manner to a discerning householder, those with the responsibility for Barbados finances must know when to restructure debt as well as possess the ability to determine the country’s wants from the urgent needs. “When they [ruling Democratic Labour Party] ask with temerity, ‘how you going do it?’ they know as well as I do that they have had at their fingertips the tools to make decisions about choices and about rejigging how we spend our money. I have come to Weymouth to tell you that this is not rocket science,” Mottley said. In her hour-long speech, the Opposition Leader explained that the BLP was not making promises which were out of whack with the economic times but rather they were outlining the social safety nets and institutions to be safeguarded in the period of belt tightening to come. “Education means something to us and your ability to go the QEH [Queen Elizabeth Hospital] and go for treatment means something to us. In order to do this there has to be a cutting out of the wastage, and the corruption and what we have seen is this Government over and over, making decisions that put you the people at the bottom of the totem pole. How do you build a five storey building at Vaucluse and forget to buy 35 garbage trucks,” questioned Mottley, who was referring to the estimate $29 million to build a new headquarters for the Sanitation Service Authority. “Do you mean to tell me that a Government that has $4 billion in expenditure cannot buy 40 buses to put your children and your parents in buses on time? We will do it. We will buy the 30 garbage trucks that are necessary to keep Barbados clean. We will deal with the south coast sewage problem immediately. The days of pensioners getting $77.50 will be no more. From June 1 pensioners will get $225 every two weeks,” Mottley said to an eruption of applause. (BT)

DEES GO AFTER MOTTLEY – The incumbent Democratic Labour Party (DLP) officially kicked off its election campaign here on Sunday night, with one woman and one woman only on the minds of each and every DLP speaker – Opposition Leader Mia Mottley. During the six-hour long political meeting, DLP officials made no bones about saying why they had chosen to hold their campaign launch at the National Stadium in Mottley’s St Michael North East constituency. In fact it was simply attack after attack on the Opposition Leader, beginning with DLP St Andrew candidate Irene Sandiford-Garner who sought to suggest from the outset that Mottley was unfit for the post of Prime Minister, but was determined nonetheless to “force feed the population” on this idea. However, Sandiford-Garner strongly urged Barbadians to keep their thinking caps on as they prepared to elect a new Government. She was followed by Minister of Social Care Steve Blackett who was simply vicious in his onslaught against the Opposition Leader as he sought to show that there was nothing special about Mottley, at times even labelling her “an imposter” and suggesting that she was as “shallow as Brandons Beach at low tide”. Blackett also urged Barbadians to question Mottley’s views on domestic violence and other social issues. The onslaught continued with DLP candidate Patrick Todd, who is seeking to unseat Mottley in St Michael North East. While suggesting that it was time for Barbadians to tell Mottley “adios mi amor” (goodbye my love), he drew a line from Tarrus Riley’s popular reggae song as he further urged voters to ensure that Mottley “Don’t Come Back”. Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth Stephen Lashley was next and he was later joined by Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley, who is also an attorney, in not only attacking Mottley on the controversial issue of her legal qualifications, but also over her alleged involvement in the Crab Hill Police Station fiasco. Both men also suggested that Mottley had a lot to answer for in terms of Edutech and other failed projects which occurred under her watch as Minister of Education in a previous Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration. Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler and Minister of Agriculture and Water Resource Management Dr David Estwick also made it clear they were present to discuss leadership and in particular the leadership of the BLP, while promising that there would be plenty time later in the May 24 general election campaign to address other issues, including pressing matters to do with the economy. However, Estwick did not miss the opportunity to seek to clear his name over the persistent problem of sewage leaks along the south coast. In fact, while reading from official documents, he charged that BLP stalwart Sir Henry Forde had warned the former BLP Government as far back as 1994 about constructing the sewage plant along the south coast, but no one listened. However, he said the Mottley-led BLP was now seeking to lay full blame for the embarrassing mess on the shoulders of the incumbent DLP. Estwick was also joined by Sinckler in attacking Mottley’s plans for resolving the current sewage issue, suggesting that she had a “magic wand” for everything that was wrong in Barbados. Before a large crowd of party supporters, the majority of whom were decked out in party colours – bright yellow and blue shirts with the words “Do D Ting! Vote Dems” printed on the front, and on the back “We staying wid Dems!” – Sinckler also called on Mottley to answer two questions, namely, who was funding her political campaign that she was spending “ostentatiously” on and whether something was psychologically wrong with her, while dismissing her plans to purchase 50 garbage trucks, repeal the dreaded National Social Responsibility Levy, give public servants a pay increase, hike old age pensions and restore free tertiary education immediately as simply unattainable as they would cost the Treasury in excess of $400 million. At the same time, Sinckler, who has been under pressure for his handling of the economy in recent years, suggested that the BLP leader was getting funding from a billionaire from Africa, while making reference to the Jihadist militant organization based in northeastern Nigeria, known as Boko Haram. Prime Minister Freundel Stuart wrapped up the night’s assault on Mottley claiming that she was approaching the office of Prime Minister with a sense of “entitlement” while he felt passionately that leadership had absolutely nothing to do with blood lines. Absent were Christ Church East candidate Dr Denis Lowe, who DLP campaign manager Robert Bobby Morris said was still recovering from knee surgery, and newcomer Kim Tudor, the candidate for the St Michael North constituency, who Morris said was “a little under the weather”. (BT)

IT’S NOMINATION DAY FOR BARBADOS – Today is Nomination Day in Barbados, where political hopefuls will be officially nominated to run for office in the May 24 General Elections. A record high of 125 candidates are expected to hand in their nomination papers over the course of the day. This figure is a significant increase over the 67 candidates who participated in the 2013 elections. The two major parties − the Barbados Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party − are expected to field a full slate of 30 candidates. Also in the running are candidates from the United Progressive Party, Solutions Barbados, Barbados Integrity Movement, Bajan Free Party and the People’s Democratic Congress. A number of independent candidates are also in the running, with two in some constituencies. (DN)

CANDIDATE TOLD APPOINTMENT REQUIRED – Solutions Barbados candidate, Angela Edey, turned up to hand in her nomination papers without an appointment at 9:50 a.m. The St. Michael West Central candidate was told by Returning Officer, Leonard Walters, that she had to make an appointment. Edey was given 12 noon as the time to return. (DN)

SUSAN READY TO SERVE – Solutions Barbados candidate Susan Corbin has been officially nominated to contest the St Thomas seat on a Solutions Barbados ticket in the May 24 General Election. The 55-year-old entrepreneur arrived at Lester Vaughan Secondary School this morning in time for the 10 o’clock start of the process. There was little fanfare. Joan Boyce-Shorey was the proposer and Lorien Clarke the seconder. Justin Canoville and Heather Clarke acted as witnesses. Corbin had no agent at the time. The returning officer is Halcourt Bovell. Corbin said if he elected she would be especially looking to assist youth and the elderly. (DN)

LEWIS GOING FULL STEAM AHEAD – In 18 minutes Solutions Barbados’ Kenneth Lewis was done with his nomination process. He left the same way he came in, quietly. With two proposers and two seconders they signed the relevant documents with returning officer Walter Jones and elections clerk Mario Riley. The newcomer said he was elated the process was over and happy to be running for the people. He said in two weeks his campaign would be full steam ahead and he expects to give Stephen Lashley a fight. "Everything is in God's hands," he said repeatedly. He didn’t bring an agent and he was told he has until 3 p.m. to do so. (DN)

SKIP EMPTY ON SATURDAY, OVERFLOWING SUNDAY – Less than 24 hours after an empty skip was placed near the old Fairchild Street Market in The City, the garbage has become so much, it’s overflowing again. Two mattresses have been leaned against the side of the skip; boxes of what looked like documents have been piled on top; and the rear of a television, a stove and computer could be seen wedged among the scores of bags dumped inside. And the man whose team spent at least four hours cleaning the spot last week Sunday was frustrated. “It is really, really disgusting because the last time it was cleaned, people had dead dogs in plastic bags. I am extremely frustrated,” the representative from the company Express Skip Services said on Sunday. The man, who declined to give his name, said a full skip was removed on Saturday and an empty one placed in its stead. “And, lo and behold, I passed there this morning [Sunday] and I took a series of pictures – a bed, mattress, old stove, the same place,” he said, his voice filled with frustration. “And I can guarantee you that by tomorrow morning [today], that place is going to be full of garbage because the skip is full,” he said, adding the skip was removed six days a week. He said the skip was there for use by vendors in the market. (DN)

PETROL PRICES RISE – Effective midnight Sunday, May 6, the retail prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene will increase while the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) will fall. The new retail price of gasoline will be $3.40 per litre, up from $3.31. The price of diesel will move from $2.60 per litre to $2.61, while the price of kerosene will be $1.46 per litre, up from $1.36. These represent increases of nine cents, one cent and ten cents per litre, respectively. The retail prices of LPG will be adjusted from $169.88 to $162.39 per 100 lb cylinder, a decrease of $7.49; from $47.57 to $45.70 per 25 lb cylinder, a decrease of $1.87; from $42.03 to $40.38 per 22 lb cylinder, a decrease of $1.65; and from $38.21 per 20 lb cylinder to $36.71, a decrease of $1.50. The adjustments in the retail prices of these products are in keeping with Government’s policy to allow retail oil prices to be reflective of those on the international market. (BT)

RUBBISH FIRE AT BONNETTS UNDER CONTROL – The sound of a fire engine racing through Bonnetts St Michael caused a big alarm moments ago for residents who were gathered outside their homes to witness the nomination process at Bonnetts Resource Centre. However, it was a rubbish fire which, so far, has not interrupted the proceedings. Fire officials are on the scene dealing with the situation which residents lamented was happening far too often. They say persons usually dump on the unoccupied land and then light it. One resident in close proximity had to summon an ambulance for her asthmatic relative. (DN)

ZR FOLK MOURN DRIVER’S DEATH – Gunshot victim Dwayne Forde will be missed by his route taxi family. Black flags and bandanas hanging from public service vehicles (PSV) in the River Van Stand told of the grief and shock by operators who lost one of their own on Sunday. Route taxi driver Forde, 33, better known as “Bush”, was shot during an altercation in The City early yesterday morning. According to police, Forde, of Ruby Park, St Philip, was at the Mad Pub Bar at the junction of Combermere Street and Bay Street. They said they received a report from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital around 5:50 a.m. that an injured Forde had been transported there. A ZR conductor who gave his name as Michael, said he was with Forde, who usually plied the No. 10 Silver Hill route, when he died. “I left there early. I didn’t even spend an hour over there [Nelson Street] ’cause I feel a funny vibe. As I come down in a van this morning a man tell me, ‘You hear ‘Bush’ get shoot in he belly last night twice?’,” he said. “I said, ‘Bush got shot? But he isn’t anybody that looks for trouble’. I couldn’t even believe the man when I heard it for the first time,” he added. Michael said his PSV colleagues too were shocked. None of them wanted to speak on the tragedy. “He was a cool and irie man. He wasn’t a man that was disrespectful in any way unless you pushed him. He was always irie. Nice yute man; he was never a harsh person,” Michael continued. “Right now it’s harsh on ‘nuff’ people; that’s why people don’t want to talk that sort of way. If he was here right now, I could guarantee you he’d be here drinking a brandy or a whisky because he’s that kind of person.” Family members declined to comment when the NATION visited Forde’s residence. (DN)

MAGISTRATE: PROSECUTE THOSE WHO VIDEOTAPE COPS – A Bridgetown magistrate says the time has come for people who videotape police to be prosecuted, as he cautioned the public about trusting the videos that were circulated on social media. Magistrate Graveney Bannister’s comments came as a video of an incident in the Nursery Drive Terminal, allegedly involving accused Travis Tremaine Brathwaite, of Sealy Hall, St Philip, and Constable 2077 Dennis Murray, went viral last week. The video showed the constable kicking and cuffing Brathwaite before the lawman was pulled off the accused by another constable. Brathwaite was subsequently arrested and charged with obstructing, assaulting and resisting Murray, as well as damaging Murray’s police shirt which belonged to the Crown, all on May 3. Brathwaite’s attorney Shamar Bovell had said he would be instituting a private prosecution against the lawman on behalf of his client. “I think we need to prosecute people for taping policemen,” said Magistrate Bannister, who heard the matter against Brathwaite and fellow public service vehicle operator James Anthony Andrews, of Apple Hall Terrace, St Philip, in the Bridgetown Traffic Court on Friday. Stressing that he knew about cameras, having worked with them previously, the magistrate said such videos did not paint a true picture of events which transpired. “I know about cameras. They’ve got trick cameras. You can select what you want to select and delete what you want to delete,” he said. “The videos paint a picture of what people want to see. They are not there at the beginning. Sometimes they are halfway, sometimes they are edited. You cannot rely on them alone,” the magistrate said, as he advised members of the public to go willingly “when an officer is trying to arrest you”. Brathwaite and Andrews, who each faced four charges, were both remanded to HMP Dodds for 28 days. They return to court on June 1. (DN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 238 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles #dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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gritgirl · 7 years

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HOW BTS & RICH CHIGGA RECONTEXTUALIZE ASIAN MASCULINITY IN AMERICAN AFTER “GANGNAM STYLE”

Until earlier this year, PSY’s “Gangnam Style” had held the position of most viewed video on YouTube for almost five years.Today, it has 2.96 billion views. It was the first Asian song to successfully cross-over to the American market, making it to #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and even being featured on numerous talk shows and even the NFL. However, without the polished glamour and sex appeal of other pop songs, PSY’s success begs to answer the question: Why did so many Americans watch “Gangnam Style”?

While most people would attribute the song’s success to its comedic absurdity, others believe that there are more negative and nuanced reasons for an Asian entertainer to skyrocket to the top of the charts. Michael K. Park suggests that one reason for PSY’s popularity is rooted in how his performance reinforces the emasculated Asian male discourse in American media. In “Gangnam Style”, the men are unattractive and clownish (PSY, Yoo Jae Suk, and Noh Hong-chul are all professional comedians) while the women are hyper sexualized (e.g. 4Minute’s Hyuna, the women doing yoga, and female dancers in tight outfits.) According to Park, this juxtaposition emphasizes how Asian men are not only sexless but how that lack of masculinity is supposed to be funny. In addition, when PSY was featured on mainstream American television (The Ellen Show, SNL, and the Today Show), he was often not given the opportunity to introduce himself as an entertainer, and usually delegated to performing his comical horse dance repeatedly. Like how minstrel shows would entertain at the expense of African Americans in the early 19thcentury, Park argues that PSY joins William Hung, The Green Hornet’s Kato, and The Hangover’s Mr. Chow as Asian characters that are laughed at for who they are more than anything else.

Despite Park’s scathing analysis of America’s perception of Asian male entertainers, there are two Asian male musical acts that are gaining traction in the American music market: K-pop boy group BTS and even more recently, the teenage rapper Rich Chigga.

A hip-hop/R&B idol group originally marketed to Korean teen girls, BTS has exceeded expectations by becoming popular internationally and breaking numerous records for a K-pop group in Asia and the Western music market. Some of their greatest accomplishments have been: the Mnet’s Asian Music Awards (MAMA) 2016 Artist of the Year, Korean Consumer Forum’s Brand of the Year Award’s Artist of the Year and most recently, having 1 million copies of their new album “Her” pre-ordered. In the American music market, they won Billboard’s 2017 Top Social Artist award and sold-out their five-stop US tour earlier this year. The New York Times even published an infographic based on Youtube views from January 2016 to April 2017, that places BTS as the 44th largest music fandom in America. The fact that BTS sold tens of thousands of tickets from New York to Chicago in a matter of minutes shows that the group is certainly popular—but for a different reason than their Asian-American predecessors and PSY.

As a fan of BTS myself, I attest their popularity in America to the same reasons that K-pop idol groups flourish in South Korea. People enjoy listening to their music, admire their performances and learn more about their personalities through variety show and livestream appearances. In an industry saturated with company produced love songs, BTS distinguished themselves by being able to pull off the norm, but by also championing their self-composed songs about more controversial topics that affect young adults. The song “No More Dream” encourages their young audience to follow their true dreams, rather than those of their parents and society. Member Suga’s self-produced mixtape “AgustD” addresses his own experiences with depression and social anxiety. Their music video for “I Need U” depicts the members dealing with mental illness, violence and loneliness, as well as the joys of being in the moment, reckless behavior and friendship. Another music video, “Dope“, brags about how hard the boys have worked to get to their position as top artists and has reached 221 million views as of today.

Apart from the topics they sing and rap about, BTS have also differentiated themselves from the electronic pop songs that dominated the late 2000s (e.g. SHINee’s “Replay”, BIGBANG’s “Lollipop”, Super Junior’s “Sorry Sorry”, etc.) with their musical style by debuting as a hip-hop/R&B group. Hip-hop originated from minority-dominated American neighborhoods in the South Bronx rife with poverty. Since the 1980s-1990s, rap music has been associated with gangsters, crime, and violence–– qualities that are also associated with black masculinity. By crafting rap as their own, BTS highlights their own manliness and rough qualities in a similar fashion. Though their lyrics do not focus on the same topics, some of the imagery associated with American hip-hop has been adopted by the group: The chorus of “We are Bulletproof part.2” features the members singing “click click/bang bang” while they perform choreography that mimics pointing guns at the audience. BTS’s musical style is not only reflected in their music but also in their stage outfits. In their first performances, the group wore black shirts with gold chains, bandanas underneath snapbacks and basketball shoes (though still wearing eyeliner and stage makeup.) A performance trailer shows the members marching in formation, wearing military uniforms and dancing to heavy metal music with gunshots in the background. Even their marketing includes masculine imagery: “BTS” stands for the romanization of their Korean name, which translates to “Bulletproof boy scouts”, their official fan club name is A.R.M.Y., and their light stick is in the form of a bomb.

However, BTS (like many K-pop groups) usually changes their concept for every comeback; in terms of message, musical genre, styling–– and because it’s the topic of this post, even their masculinity. They appeal to multiple audiences for not only embracing their tough hip-hop image, but by also fitting typical beauty standards and boyish qualities expected of idols. Their fan club name A.R.M.Y. actually stands for “Adorable Representative M.C for Youth”. They partake in what some would categorize as effeminate: they wear makeup, sport brightly colored contacts and hair, and have performed in choker necklaces and scarves. And despite how this may clash with their rough, hip-hop image, their looks matter. This is because idols’ appearances and their objective attractiveness to their fans is an intrinsic part of K-pop: it is typical for a group to a have a designated member(s) who are “in charge of visuals”– the conventionally good-looking members of the group. It is expected of idol groups to perform cute actions called aegyo, sexy dances or even have their shoulders measured for broadness to appeal to fans. Commenters on YouTube videos of K-pop performances and online forums such as Reddit and NAVER mention the song quality and dancing just as frequently as they do on how idols look. In fact, when BTS attended the May 2017 American Billboard music awards, one of their “visual” members, Jin, grabbed attention for his good looks: viewers unfamiliar with the group labeled him as “the third member from the left”, which became a trending topic on Twitter. The group’s ability to straddle the lines of gender norms is a shift from the strict views that Americans have towards masculinity, mainly because in the K-pop industry these expectations are absent. What’s more is that fans from all around the world are loving it: Amazon and a Sony subsidiary have allowed pre-ordered or stocked BTS’s new album, their most recent single “DNA” has reached the #67 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of Oct. 14. as well as other success on the World Album and World Digital Song Sales charts.

BTS’s rise to popularity in America, while record-breaking for a K-pop act, was based on grueling pratice and promotion since the members were teenage trainees. This is completely different from another Asian male musician to recently break into the mainstream market: an eighteen-year-old Indonesian rapper named “Rich Chigga.” His song “Dat Stick” has 69 million views on YouTube since its debut in early February 2016, went on to sell at least 500,000 units and lead to a nation-wide tour.

Though “Dat Stick” is a legitimate rap song, the track was originally only “half-serious.” Brian Imanuel, Rich Chigga’s real name, had been posting comedic videos on Vine and Twitter starting from age eleven and still wants to purse comedy as his long-term goal. In the music video, Imanuel wears a pink polo shirt and a fanny pack and is surrounded by three friends as they drive around, show off alcohol and hang out. In a reaction video that helped “Dat Stick” become viral, rappers (including popular artists such as Desiigner and Ghostface Killah) comment on the juxtaposition between the tough rap song and the fanny pack; presumably because a fanny pack is more often associated with someone’s middle-aged father, rather than an up-and-coming hip-hop artist. One reactor, 21Savage, comments “[The song]’s aight. Yeah. The music don’t match him, though.” Another rapper named Cam’ron says “This kid’s like 16. His voice is mad deep, he don’t look nothing like he sounds. It was dope though.” Despite Imanuel’s appearance, the rappers unanimously end up positively reviewing the song.

As it became a viral hit through Facebook newsfeeds and YouTube, “Dat Stick” gave Rich Chigga the achievement of being the first good Asian rapper to break into mainstream American music market. And though Rich Chigga was “verified” by other rappers, it can’t be said that the popularity of “Dat Stick” is solely due to his rapping abilities. First off, his name “Rich Chigga” immediately brings attention to race: not only his Asian heritage (even though he is Indonesian) and but also because it references the n-word. Many of the YouTube comments on “Dat Stick” are racist jokes that poke fun at how Rich Chigga differs from the Asian stereotype.

A big factor in “Dat Stick”’s appeal is the irony that Imanuel doesn’t look or act like the typical American rapper: but to determine whether or not his popularity is due to his race being used as a spectacle or his skills as a rapper are taken seriously is difficult to say. Could audiences enjoy “Dat Stick” because they think it’s funny to see what they perceive to be an emasculated Asian man spit hyper-masculinized rap? It’s possible. But it certainly isn’t as strong of a case for neo-minstrelsy like PSY in “Gangnam Style.” While Rich Chigga’s deep voice and lyrics are hyper masculine, this masculinity isn’t emphasized visually. But he isn’t emasculated either (unless you count wearing a pink shirt): there are no over-sexualized women and none of the boys do anything outwardly funny. Rich Chigga’s subsequent releases have followed this trend, with “Glow Like Dat” and very recently, “Chaos” having 25 and 5 million views respectively. It will be the success of these and future songs that will give more insight about what Rich Chigga symbolizes to his audience.

Unlike other Asian performers in the American entertainment industry, such as JabbaWockeeZ and Far East Movement, who have distanced themselves from their Asian identities by using sunglasses or masks, neither BTS and Rich Chigga attempt such precautions. Perhaps this is since they are from different countries where Asians make up most the population and did not grow up with the nuances of racism understood by Asian-Americans.

Neither Rich Chigga or BTS have reached the astronomical success of PSY, but they also do not match the emasculated Asian male stereotype as much as he does. BTS frequently highlights their masculinity in their performances, while Rich Chigga’s raps continues to attract millions of views. The popularity of both musicians could imply a changing American perspective about Asian masculinity for the better. “Gangnam Style” was released only five years ago, and these younger male artists’ entire careers have been made in even less time—if times are changing because of a new generation that challenges stereotypes, it could happen sooner than we think.

#k-pop #bts #asian masculinity

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