#number 2 and 3 from idol producer also in this ep

[wanghedi]

All these idol guys next to wang hedi. All i can says is u are nothing. As trixie katya say gorgeous devours cute 🥴

#number 2 and 3 from idol producer also in this ep #so are number 2 from qcyn2 and like number 6 from chuang2020 ... the produce 101 shows in china birthed so many mini celebs lmao #wang hedi #sidney talks shit

[yehet-me-up]

Zhang Yixing 张艺兴 (LAY) 🐑 Overview

Zhang Yixing, known professionally as Lay Zhang or simply Lay, is a Chinese rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, director, dancer, actor, author, and brand ambassador. He has been listed on Forbes list of the top 100 Chinese celebrities since 2017, at 20th, 11th, 5th, and 6th respectively for the subsequent years. In 2012 he debuted as a rapper, singer, and dancer with EXO. Please join me in celebrating EXO’s 🐑

Yixing is also an accomplished film and television actor, and has been active since his first role at six years old in the 1998 Chinese drama We The People. He later began his career as a child star after winning third place in a competition organized by the Hunan-based television show Star Academy in 2005. In November 2015, Zhang made his film debut with a supporting role in the Chinese romantic comedy movie Ex-Files 2: The Backup Strikes Back, which was a box office hit and garnered 2 billion in sales within 10 days of its release. The Mystic Nine series that he starred in placed first in television ratings and has accumulated over 12 billion views in total. 

In 2015, he founded a personal agency for his solo activities that serves as a management firm, and in 2020 Zhang established his own group of companies in China, called Chromosome Entertainment Group, and began the process of recruiting trainees from all over the world. His autobiography, Standing Firm at 24, was a best-seller in China, breaking several sales records. Yixing has additionally served as a mentor, producer, and presenter for numerous singing and dancing reality shows in China. Zhang also currently tops the list for K-Pop idols with the most endorsement deals, partnering with over 30 companies.

"Monodrama," written by Lay and co-composed and arranged with Divine Channel, broke records by staying at number one on YinYueTai's V Chart for five consecutive weeks. In 2016, Zhang released his first EP, Lose Control, in South Korea and China to commercial success; it peaked at number one on the Gaon Album Chart and number four on Billboard's US World Albums chart. His first studio album, Lay 02 Sheep, broke five records on QQ Music: Gold, Double Gold, Triple Gold, Platinum and Diamond Record. Lit, his third studio album, had pre-orders of over 1.5 million copies within seven minutes; Lit went on to sell 2.5 million records, making Lay the best-selling artist in China in 2020. 

Lay is involved in much of the production of his albums as a producer, and is often personally in charge of the composition, arrangement and writing of every song – as well as translation of the lyrics himself into other languages, including English, Korean and Japanese.

This post is part of an effort to celebrate the accomplishments of EXO over the past 10 years and to provide tangible avenues for supporting these artists in 2022 and beyond 🖤 On 8 April 2022, Lay announced that he would be departing from SM Entertainment after the conclusion of his ten-year contract with the company - we look forward to his future projects, both as a solo artist and as a member of EXO 💕

*Due to time/energy levels (not because I don’t love Yixing!) I won’t be including links this time, but this should be a thorough summary of his projects, music-related and otherwise :) His songs and albums are all available to listen on Spotify and Youtube, and his albums are for sale at most major retailers!*

🎵 Individual Music 🎶

🌔 Lose Control (2016) 1st EP/mini-album 🌔

1. Lose Control (失控) 2. What U Need? (你要什么) 3. Tonight 4. MYM 5. MYM (Acoustic Ver.) 6. Relax (守望)

❄️ Winter Special Gift (2017) 2nd EP/mini-album ❄️

1. Goodbye Christmas (聖誕又至) 2. Can You Feel Me (你的感覺) 3. Christmas Love (聖誕的愛) 4. Gift to XBACK (小小禮物) 5. Goodbye Christmas (English Ver.) 6. Goodbye Christmas (Instrumental Ver.)

🐑 Lay 02 Sheep (2017) 1st Studio Album 🐑

1. Sheep (羊) *Alan Walker re-lift version ∴ Lollapalooza 2018* 2. I Need U (需要你) 3. Peach (桃) 4. Hand (匕首) 5. Boss (老大) 6. Shake (摇摆) 7. Too Much (太多) 8. Mask (面罩) 9. Director (导演) 10. X Back (兴迷)

🌲 Namanana (2018) 2nd Studio Album 🌲 *2 Disc CD - first side is Chinese versions and second is English versions

1. 集结号 (The Assembly Call) 2. 梦不落雨林 (Namanana) *also a single remix in 2020* 3. 爱到这 (Give Me a Chance) 4. 催眠术 (Lay U Down) 5. 爱的引力 (Save You) 6. 坚持 (Hold On) 7. 幸福上瘾 (Thing for You) 8. 麻婆豆腐 (Mapo Tofu) 9. 香水 (Flavour) 10. 快门回溯 (Don't Let Me Go) 11. 贝壳女孩 (Tattoo)

🍯 Honey (2019) 3rd EP/mini-album 🍯

1. Honey (和你) (English version) 2. Bad (坏的) 3. Amusement Park (游乐园) 4. Honey (和你) (Chinese version)

🐲 蓮 LIT (2020) 3rd Studio Album 🐲  *Was released in two parts, each with 6 songs

1. 蓮 (Lit) 2 玉 (Jade) 3. 鷹 (Eagle) 4. 水 (H2O) 5. 飛 (Fly) 6. 靈 (Soul) 7. 沸 (Changsha) 8. 妈 (Mama) 9. 蹦 (Boom) *also Boom R3HAB remix* 10. 唤 (Call My Name) 11. 夜 (Late Night) 12. 愿 (Wish)

🎼 Producer (2021) 4th Studio Album 🎼 

1. Joker 2. 愛蓮說 (Love Lay) 3. 小城姑娘 (Flipped) 4. 十面埋伏 (Ambush) 5. 略過 (Stay With Me) 6. 馬 (Horse) 7. 炎黃子孫 (Descendants of the Dragon) *also has a remix* 8. 癡 (Obsessed) 9. 湘江水 (XiangJiang River) (Ft. 功夫胖 (Kungfu Pen))

🌄 東 EAST (2021) 4th EP/mini-album 🌄

1. 飛天 (Flying Apsaras) 2. 三昧真火 (Samadhi Real Fire) by LAY & GALI 3. 苦行僧 (Ascetic Monk) 4. 牧童 (The Shepherd Boy)

🚀 Singles and OSTs 🚀

⇢ Spectrum (2012) SM The Performance group single ⇢ Because of You (2013) Non-Album Single ⇢ I'm Coming (2014) Hunan TV special performance ⇢ Alone (One Person) (2015) Ex-Files 2 OST ⇢ Happy Youth with Jiang Wen and Li Xiaolu (2015) Oh My God OST  ⇢ Monodrama (2016) SM Station single  ⇢ A Man Thing with Royal Treasure cast (2016) Royal Treasure OST ⇢ Pray (2017) Operation Love OST  ⇢ Dream High (夢想起飛) (2017) SPD Bank Theme Song ⇢ When It’s Christmas (2018) Non-Album Single ⇢ Youth Day (theme song) (2018) ⇢ Everything Like You (2018) I'm Around You OST ⇢ Let’s Shut Up & Dance with Jason Derulo + NCT 127 (2019) Non-Album Single ⇢ No Man's Land with Anti-General and Jasmine Sokko (无人之域) Non-Album Single ⇢ Lovebird with Far East Movement (2019) Non-Album Single ⇢ I'm Not Well (我不好) (2019) Non-Album Single ⇢ Grandma (外婆) (2019) Non-Album Single ⇢ Love You More with Steve Aoki and will.i.am (2020) Steve Aoki's Neon Futures IV ⇢ Clear Sky Ballad with Panta Q (晴空谣) Non-Album Single ⇢ Gluttony (2020) Non-album Single ⇢ Bee With You (2021) Non-Album Single  ⇢ Dawn to Dusk with 24kGoldn (2022) Single Album ⇢ Jiu (酒) (2022) Non-Album Single 🌌

🎭 Acting Roles 🎭

⇢ (1998) We The People tv show - Huan Huan ⇢ (2015) Oh My God movie - Le Yi ⇢ (2015) Ex-Files 2: The Backup Strikes Back movie - Lee Xianghe ⇢ (2016) Royal Treasure movie - self ⇢ (2016) To Be A Better Man TV show - Xiao Cai (Cai Mingjun) ⇢ (2016) The Mystic Nine TV show - Er Yuehong ⇢ (2016) The Mystic Nine Side Story: Flowers Bloom in February web movie - Er Yuehong ⇢ (2017) Operation Love TV show - Yan Xiaolai ⇢ (2017) Kung Fu Yoga movie - Zhu Xiaoguang ⇢ (2017) Cars 3 movie - Jackson Storm (Chinese dub voice) ⇢ (2017) The Founding of an Army movie - Lu Deming ⇢ (2018) The Island movie - Xiao Xing  ⇢ (2018) Tomb of The Sea TV show - Jie Yuchen ⇢ (filmed 2018, release ?) Unexpected Love movie - Han Bin ⇢ (2019) The Golden Eyes TV show - Zhuang Rui ⇢ (2019) Empress of The Ming TV show - Zhu Qizhen ⇢ (2021) Faith Makes Great TV show - Xiong Dachen ⇢ (2021) Crime Crackdown TV show - Lin Hao ⇢ (2022) Challenges at Midlife TV show - Ning Shu

*TBD release - No More Bets movie - main role

📺 Other TV Credits 📺

⇢ (2014) Star Chef reality show - contestant ⇢ (2016, 2018) Happy Camp reality show - guest ⇢ (2019-present) Go Fighting! variety Series - main cast ⇢ (2018, 2019) Idol Producer reality show - main mentor, presenter ⇢ (2018) Rave Now reality show - mentor ⇢ (2019) Youth with You (Idol Producer S2) - main mentor, presenter ⇢ (2019) Roast reality show - guest ⇢ (2020) I'm CZR II reality show - singer-songwriter ⇢ (2020) We Are Young reality show - main mentor, presenter ⇢ (2020, 2021) Street Dance of China reality show - team captain ⇢ (2020, 2021) Let's Chat variety show - main cast ⇢ (2020) Dance Smash - team leader ⇢ (2021) The winter dream promise (TV Special) Self ⇢ (2021) Youth and Melody - Producer ⇢ (2021) Back to Field variety show - main cast

🏆 Awards 🏆

⇢ Awards and nominations complete list! 

🕺🏻 Fashion + Brands 🕺🏻

⇢ Zhang attended a Samsung event held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China as the ambassador of Samsung Galaxy A8s and performed on-stage alongside ASAP Ferg and Steve Aoki. ⇢ Zhang attended the 61st Annual Grammy Awards as its promotion ambassador on the red carpet event and live ceremony. ⇢ Yixing’s third wax figure was revealed in Madame Tussauds Hong Kong in 2019, following his wax figures in Madame Tussauds Shanghai and Beijing. ⇢ Zhang is a brand ambassador of over 30 brands, including Converse, MAC Cosmetics, Chaumet Paris, Ray-Ban, Milka Chocolate, H&M and Perrier. ⇢ In 2019, he was announced as Calvin Klein's first Chinese global spokesperson for Calvin Klein's underwear and jeans lines. ⇢ As an ambassador of high-end fashion brand Valentino, Zhang has attended multiple fashion shows and events in Asia and Europe, as well at the annual Met Gala wearing a custom-made suit titled "Time Traveller" designed by Valentino Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli. ⇢ He served as a promotional ambassador for Huawei Nova smartphones from 2015 to 2018. ⇢ Since 2016 Zhang has served the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) of Changsha as a publicity ambassador, the first celebrity to hold such title. ⇢ In October 2017, Zhang signed a contract with the vice president of Tencent Music Entertainment Group and became a member of "Music+ Plan" (Music+ 计划) alongside TFBoys, Wang Leehom, and more. ⇢ In September 2018, Zhang signed an agreement with Easy Entertainment in which his personal studio will collaborate with Easy Entertainment to create a new team to manage Zhang's promotional activities.

🌟 Miscellaneous 🌟

⇢ Grand Line: The First Concert (2019) Solo concert ⇢ In 2015 Zhang's autobiography, Standing Firm at 24, was published. The book documents important events throughout his life and broke several online sales records with 400,000 copies sold within six months. He took the fourth place on the 10th Chinese Celebrity Writers List, becoming the youngest celebrity author to enter the charts. He was also the champion of the 2015 installment of the Annual Celebrity Book Sales and took the top spot of Asia's Best Books twice during its monthly ranking and six times on the weekly chart.  ⇢ At CCTV’s Spring Gala Festival in 2017 he sang a duet alongside Chinese actor Jing Boran ⇢ Goosebump music video (2017) Kung Fu Yoga OST featured dancer ⇢ 2019 20 January, Zhang attended a Samsung event held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China as the ambassador of Samsung Galaxy A8s and performed on-stage alongside ASAP Ferg and Steve Aoki, respectively new level and boom shakalaka ⇢ On the 2011 SHINee world tour he was a stand in for Jonghyun, who was briefly unable to participate in the tour ⇢ Zhang performed a Chinese New Year song alongside Dilraba Dilmurat, Phoenix Legend, Wallace Chung, and Zhou Dongyu at the 2019 CCTV New Year's Gala. ⇢ Zhang attended the 2018 CCTV New Year's Gala where he performed a dance collaboration stage with Huang Bo and William Chan. ⇢ Yixing is also a talented songwriter and composer of most of his own solo music, as well as the song "Promise" from the repackaged edition of Exo's second studio album, Love Me Right. He also wrote the lyrics for the Chinese version of the song, while the Korean version was co-written by Chen and Chanyeol. Apart from Karen Mok, he holds composition credits to songs released by Yu Quan, MC Jin and Show Luo. ⇢ He participated in the national anthem and its music video for Youth Day in China in May 2018. ⇢ Magazine Covers listed here

⇢ Follow Yixing on Instagram @ layzhang, on Twitter @ layzhang, and on YouTube at LAY

Thank you for supporting EXO Yixing 😘

And if you want to help spread this post to folks who haven’t experienced the magic of Yixing yet, please reblog this and tell me what your favorite Yixing moments and performances are! ✨

#exo #exo yixing #exo lay #lay #yixing #zhang yixing #kpop #cpop #sheep #lose control #namanana

[potteresque-ire]

🏳️‍🌈 Rec post!! A queer film + a queer TV series from Hong Kong ~

1) Twilight’s Kiss (叔·叔) (Dir. Ray Yeung 楊曜愷; 2019)

Twilight’s Kiss offers a very realistic depiction of two elderly, in-the-closet gays in Hong Kong, who have dedicated their lives building a conventional family before unexpectedly falling in love with each other. It is a quiet film, and the romance is told in the same subtle manner as love is expressed (and not expressed) in their generation. The actors were phenomenal at playing regular Hong Kong men of their age (Pak mentioned he “came to Hong Kong”, ie, he was a refugee from Mao’s China, as the vast majority of his demographics was), which added to the resonance of the story ~ they could’ve been anyone, and anyone could’ve been them. 

The director of the film, Ray Yeung, is an openly gay man.

(Long review: Hollywood Reporter) Streaming link to film (with English subtitles; pls ignore and close the pop-up window)

2) Ossan’s Love (大叔的愛) (2021)

The unlikely (and hilarious) love triangle between Muk (Left), Tin (Center) and KK (Right) in Ossan’s Love.

For those who found the name familiar, it’s because the series is a (faithful) remake of the popular 2018 Japanese series of the same name. The Hong Kong version is longer (15 episodes; ~ 40 min each) compared to the Japanese original, and its mood is cheerier, sweeter, and also ... more BL, with the lead characters Tin (Haruta in the original) and Muk (Maki in the original) played by two idols, Edan Lui 呂爵安 and Anson Lo 盧瀚霆, from the very popular local boy band MIRROR.

(Being idols didn’t prevent them from kissing. Not in Hong Kong, 2021.) (Yes, they kissed, and hugged and fought and bantered...)

Ossan’s Love is culturally significant in that it became the first gay drama to be aired primetime in Hong Kong, and by extension, in China. Beloved by the locals, it was also very much discussed—hk-queers expressed their (surprised) joy that finally, they got to see a respectful, dignified presentation of who they are and how they love. More importantly, they got to see HKers, older generations included, glued to the TV for their kind of love story, rooting for the lead male characters to get together. 

This signifies a broader acceptance of LGBT+ in the city than previously assumed; this is very important and comforting to the community in June, 2021, when the future of LGBT+ rights in the city is very uncertain. After the 2019 protests, pro-democracy leaders have been arrested and jailed in large numbers; newspaper that advocated for freedom has been shut down. Meanwhile, during the airing of Ossan’s Love , the (in)famous pro-Beijing politician, Junius Ho, claimed the series to have violated the city’s much feared, much abused National Security Law—the law that officially aims to catch “traitors”, but has been used as a “catch-all” excuse to arrest political dissidents and suppress the freedoms of the city. Ho was of sufficient prominence that his words could draw the attention of officials who have been sent from across the mainland-HK border to do Beijing’s bidding.

Also, Ossan’s Love was produced not by the powerful, once popular TVB (local TV station), which, with Chinese investors becoming its major shareholders like many other HK press and media companies, has become very pro-Beijing and conservative. The series was produced by ViuTV, a much smaller station preferred by young, pro-democracy Hong Kongers ... which means the future of the series, of its stars (MIRROR’s members are once-contestants of a ViuTV talent show), of even the station itself is also uncertain.

Hence, I’m recommending Ossan’s Love now ... even if the official version doesn’t have the best English subtitles. The full series is on Youtube (links below); the soundtrack is in Cantonese and (Traditional) Chinese subtitles are available, but English is only available via Youtube’s built-in Auto-Translate function. 

For those who would like to catch a short scene of two cute HK boys in love, the last 5 minutes of Ep 11 would be a nice place to watch. You can see how comfortable these two bandmates were with each other—Edan (Tin) had played two supporting roles before this series, while Anson (Muk) had never acted before. Edan and Anson have claimed that being close friends in RL meant their intimate scenes were easy to film (BTW, Anson is gay, Edan isn’t).

Edan Lui (Left) & Anson Lo (Right), Harper's Bazaar HK, May 2021. Edan was a uni student before joining hk-ent. Anson was a dance instructor.

(You can also see why, when I watched the Gg + Dd Happy Camp episode very, very early on in my turtlehood, I assumed Gg and Dd would have ample opportunities to work together again, to play and be happy in front of the camera ... just like how I remembered on-screen couples from my days in HK—the couples, the CPs of the time, would collaborate repeatedly after having demonstrated chemistry and become commercial success—in film and TV projects, in variety shows, in awards ceremonies as presenting guests etc etc. This multi-project collaboration was, and still is, viewed as a Very Good Thing, and not only for commercial reasons. The inter-personal fate (緣份) to play on-screen couples repeatedly, per the tradition of HK-ent, is something of a blessing, talked about as a small-scale version of having the destiny, the luck to be together across multiple lives, multiple incarnations. Actors treasure this kind of collaboration and the HK audience celebrates it, regardless of the marital status of the actors in RL. Entertainment news dedicate articles about it.) (There’s actually an example of that in Ossan’s Love: Kenny Wong 黃德斌, the actor who played the titular Ossan, KK, and Rachel Kan 簡慕華, who played his wife Francesca, had already played husband and wife three times before. Rachel had retired from acting in 2017 and moved to Canada; she told reporters that she returned to shoot Ossan’s Love primarily so that she could play Kenny’s wife again).

* Below is a small warning for Ossan’s Love ~ *

The humour of Ossan’s Love is often wild and zany, especially where it adapts from the Japanese original. Some of it, i-fandomers may find uncomfortable. Notably, the titular Ossan (Japanese, meaning “Older Man”) was Tin and Muk’s boss; and he and Darren, another superior of Tin and Muk, were also part of the romantic story line.

One can argue, therefore, that Ossan’s Love contains a *very* “Me Too” situation; however, this is also why I find Ossan’s Love interesting beyond being a Chinese-speaking gay drama—it is clear that the production team of this series meant no disrespect, and from the series’ reception, it’s also clear that hk-queers and other more progressive members among the audience didn’t see disrespect in the product. This series therefore offers a glimpse to the answers of some questions I’ve had: how does Hong Kong of 2021 translate respect for queers (as well as for older men and women) into day-to-day words and actions? How do these culturally-specific habits in speech and behaviour compare to the norms in, for example, the United States (that I’m familiar with)?

“Political incorrectness” was also found in some of Tin’s internal monologue. However, I thought, perhaps, that was why the series has proven to be disarming to the general audience both in HK and Japan, places with a tradition of homophobia stemming often not from malice, but from ignorance, from sex being considered taboo for so much of the places’ history. Tin, as someone who haven’t seemed to have spared a thought about homosexuality before the story had taken place, spoke the minds of the audiences who aren’t familiar with homosexuality. Muk, meanwhile, presented the perspective of someone who already understood what being gay was and wasn’t about. Tin, therefore, led the audience towards Muk and his views step by step, all the while without being judgemental—how could he be? He was one of them too during his journey. He was the student, and he was also the protagonist who everyone—and I mean everyone—loved (in a rather funny manner :D). 🌈

(Long review: BLwatcher)

Links to Ossan’s Love, official version uploaded by ViuTV: EP 1 EP 2 EP 3 EP 4 EP 5 EP 6 EP 7 EP 8 EP 9 EP 10 EP 11 EP 12 EP 13 EP 14 EP 15

ETA 2021/09/16: Streaming with English subtitles is available here.

#pie metas #pie recs

[sinceileftyoublog]

Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 Preview: 15 Can’t-miss Acts

black midi; Photo by YIS KID

BY JORDAN MAINZER

While yours truly won’t be attending Pitchfork Music Festival this year, SILY contributor Daniel Palella will be covering the actual fest. If I was attending, though, these would be the acts I’d make sure to see. 5 from each day, no overlaps, so you could conceivably see everyone listed.

FRIDAY

Armand Hammer, 1:00 PM, Green Stage

Earlier this year, New York hip hop duo Armand Hammer released their 5th album Haram (BackwoodzStudioz) in collaboration with on-fire producer The Alchemist. It was the duo’s (ELUCID and Billy Woods) first time working with a singular producer on a record (though Earl Sweatshirt produced a track), and likewise, The Alchemist actually tailored his beats towards the two MCs. Haram is the exact kind of hip hop that succeeds early in the day at a festival, verbose and complex rhymes over languid, cloudy, sample-heavy beats, when attendees are more likely to want to sit and listen than dance. And you’re going to want to listen to Armand Hammer, whose MCs’ experiential words frame the eerie hues of the production. “Dreams is dangerous, linger like angel dust,” Woods raps on opener “Sir Benni Miles”, never looking back as he and Elucid’s stream-of-consciousness rhymes cover everything from colonization to Black bodily autonomy and the dangers of satisfaction disguised as optimism. (“We let BLM be the new FUBU,” raps Quelle Chris on “Chicharrones”; “Iridescent blackness / Is this performative or praxis?” ponders Woods on “Black Sunlight”.)  There are moments of levity on Haram, like KAYANA’s vocal turn on “Black Sunlight” and the “what the hell sound is this?” type sampling that dominates warped, looped tracks like “Peppertree” and “Indian Summer”, built around sounds of horns and twirling flute lines. For the most part, Haram is an album of empathetic realism. “Hurt people hurt people,” raps Elucid on “Falling Out of the Sky”, a stunning encapsulation of Armand Hammer’s world where humanism exists side-by-side with traumatic death and feelings of revenge.

You can also catch Armand Hammer doing a live set on the Vans Channel 66 livestream at 12 PM on Saturday.

Dogleg, 1:45 PM, Red Stage

It feels like we’ve been waiting years to see this set, and actually, we have! The four-piece punk band from Michigan was supposed to play last year’s cancelled fest in support of their searing debut Melee (Triple Crown), and a year-plus of pent up energy is sure to make songs like “Bueno”, “Fox”, and “Kawasaki Backflip” all the more raging. Remember: This is a band whose reputation was solidified live before they were signed to Triple Crown and released their breakout album. Seeing them is the closest thing to a no-brainer that this year’s lineup offers.

Revisit our interview with Dogleg from last year, and catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Subterranean with fellow Pitchfork performer Oso Oso and Retirement Party.

Hop Along, 3:20 PM, Red Stage

Though lead singer Frances Quinlan released a very good solo album last year, it’s been three years since their incredible band Hop Along dropped an album and two years since they’ve toured. 2018′s Bark Your Head Off, Dog (Saddle Creek), one of our favorite albums of that year, should comprise the majority of their setlist, but maybe they have some new songs?

Catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Metro with Varsity and Slow Mass.

black midi, 4:15 PM, Green Stage

The band who had the finest debut of 2019 and gave the best set of that year at Pitchfork is back. Cavalcade (Rough Trade) is black midi’s sophomore album, methodical in its approach in contrast with the improvisational absurdism of Schlagenheim. Stop-start, violin-laden lead single and album opener “John L”, a song about a cult leader whose members turn on him, is as good a summary as ever of the dark, funky eclecticism of black midi, who on Cavalcade saw band members leave and new ones enter, their ever shapeshifting sound the only consistent thing about them. A song like the jazzy “Diamond Stuff” is likely impossible to replicate live--its credits list everything from 19th century instruments to household kitchen items used for percussion--but is key to experiencing their instrumental adventurousness. On two-and-a-half-minute barn burner “Hogwash and Balderdash,” they for the first time fully lean into their fried Primus influences, telling a tale of two escaped prisoners, “two chickens from the pen.” At the same time, this band is still black midi, with moments that call back to Schlagenheim, the churning, metallic power chords via jittery, slapping funk of “Chondromalacia Patella” representative of their quintessential tempo changes. And as on songs like Schlagenheim’s “Western”, black midi find room for beauty here, too, empathizing with the pains of Marlene Dietrich on a bossa nova tune named after her, Geordie Greep’s unmistakable warble cooing sorrowful lines like, “Fills the hall tight / And pulls at our hearts / And puts in her place / The girl she once was.” Expect to hear plenty from Cavalcade but also some new songs; after all, this is a band that road tests and experiments with material before recording it.

Catch them doing a 2 PM DJ set on Vans Channel 66 on Saturday and at an aftershow on Monday at Sleeping Village.

Yaeji, 7:45 PM, Blue Stage

What We Drew (XL), the debut mixtape from Brooklyn-based DJ Yaeji, was one of many dance records that came out after lockdown that we all wished we could experience in a crowd as opposed to at home alone. Now's our chance to bask in all of its glory under a setting sun. Maybe she’ll spin her masterful remix of Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” from the Club Future Nostalgia remix album, or her 2021 single “PAC-TIVE”, her and DiAN’s collaboration with Pac-Man company Namco.

Angel Olsen; Photo by Dana Trippe

SATURDAY

Bartees Strange, 1:45 PM, Red Stage

One of our favorite albums of last year was Live Forever (Memory Music), the debut from singer-songwriter and The National fanatic Bartees Strange, one that contributor Lauren Lederman called “a declaration of an artist’s arrival.” He’s certainly past arrived when you take into account his busy 2021, releasing a new song with Lorenzo Wolff and offering his remix services to a number of artists, including illuminati hotties and fellow Pitchfork performer (and tour mate) Phoebe Bridgers. Expect to hear lots of Live Forever during his Pitchfork set, one of many sets at the fest featuring exciting young guitar-based (!) bands.

Catch him at a free (!!) aftershow on Monday at Empty Bottle with Ganser.

Faye Webster, 4:00 PM, Blue Stage

Since we previewed Faye Webster’s Noonchorus livestream in October, she’s released the long-awaited follow-up to Atlanta Millionaires Club, the cheekily titled I Know I’m Funny haha (Secretly Canadian). At that time, she had dropped “Better Distractions”, “In A Good Way”, and “Both All The Time”, and the rest of the album more than follows the promise of these three dreamy country, folk rock, and R&B-inspired tunes. Webster continues to be a master of tone and mood, lovelorn on “Sometimes”, sarcastic on the title track, and head-in-the-clouds on “A Dream with a Baseball Player”. All the while, she and her backing band provide stellar, languorous instrumentation, keys and slide guitar on the bossa nova “Kind Of”, her overdriven guitar sludge on “Cheers”, cinematic strings on the melancholic “A Stranger”, stark acoustic guitar on heartbreaking closer “Half of Me”. And the ultimate irony of Webster’s whip-smart lyricism is that a line like, “And today I get upset over this song that I heard / And I guess was just upset because why didn't I think of it first,” is that I can guarantee a million songwriters feel the same way about her music, timely in context and timeless in sound and feeling.

Catch her at an aftershow on Saturday at Sleeping Village with Danger Incorporated.

Georgia Anne Muldrow, 5:15 PM, Blue Stage

The queen of beats takes the stage during the hottest part of the day, perfect for some sweaty dancing. VWETO III (FORESEEN + Epistrophik Peach Sound), the third album in Muldrow’s beats record series, was put together with “calls to action” in mind, each single leading up to the album’s release to be paired with crowdsourced submissions via Instagram from singers, visual artists, dancers, and turntablists. Moreover, many of the album’s tracks are inspired by very specific eras of Black music, from Boom Bap and G-funk to free jazz, and through it all, Muldrow provides a platform for musical education just as much as funky earworms.

Revisit our interview with Muldrow from earlier this year.

Angel Olsen, 7:25 PM, Red Stage

It’s been a busy past two years for Angel Olsen. She revealed Whole New Mess (Jagjaguwar) in August 2020, stripped down arrangements of many of the songs on 2019′s amazing All Mirrors. In May, she came out with a box set called Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories (Jagjaguwar), which contained both All Mirrors and Whole New Mess and a bonus LP of remixes, covers, alternate takes, and bonus tracks. She shortly and out of nowhere dropped a song of the year candidate in old school country rock high and lonesome Sharon Van Etten duet “Like I Used To”. And just last month, she released Aisles, an 80′s covers EP out on her Jagjaguwar imprint somethingscosmic. She turns Laura Branigan’s disco jam “Gloria” and Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance” into woozy, echoing, slowed-down beds of synth haze and echoing drum machine. On Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s “If You Leave”, her voice occupies different registers between the soft high notes of the bridge and autotuned solemnity of the chorus. Sure, other covers are more recognizable in their tempo and arrangement, like Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell ballad “Eyes Without a Face” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young”, but Aisles is exemplary of Olsen’s ability to not just reinvent herself but classics.

At Pitchfork, I’d bet on a set heavy on All Mirrors and Whole New Mess, but as with the unexpectedness of Aisles, you never know!

St. Vincent, 8:30 PM, Green Stage

Annie Clark again consciously shifts personas and eras with her new St. Vincent album Daddy’s Home (Loma Vista), inspired by 70′s funk rock and guitar-driven psychedelia. While much of the album’s rollout centered around its backstory--Clark’s father’s time in prison for white collar crimes--the album is a thoughtful treatise on honesty and identity, the first St. Vincent album to really stare Clark’s life in the face. 

Many of its songs saw their live debut during a Moment House stream, which we previewed last month.

The Weather Station; Photo by Jeff Bierk

SUNDAY

Tomberlin, 1:00 PM, Green Stage

While the LA-via-Louisville singer-songwriter hasn’t yet offered a proper follow-up LP to her 2018 debut At Weddings, she did last year release an EP called Projections (Saddle Creek), which expands upon At Weddings’ shadowy palate. Songs like “Hours” and “Wasted” are comparatively clattering and up-tempo. Yet, all four of the original tracks are increasingly self-reflexive, Tomberlin exploring and redefining herself on her terms, whether singing about love or queerness, all while maintaining her sense of humor. (“When you go you take the sun and all my flowers die / So I wait by the window and write some shit / And hope that you'll reply,” she shrugs over acoustic strums and wincing electric guitars.) The album ends with a stark grey cover of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone’s “Natural Light”; Tomberlin finds a kindred spirit in the maudlin musings of Owen Ashworth.

Get there early on Sunday to hear select tracks from At Weddings and Projections but also likely some new songs.

oso oso, 2:45 PM, Blue Stage

Basking in the Glow (Triple Crown), the third album from Long Beach singer-songwriter Jade Lilitri as Oso Oso, was one of our favorite records of 2019, and we’d relish the opportunity to see them performed to a crowd in the sun. Expect to hear lots of it; hopefully we’re treated to new oso oso material some time soon.

Catch them at an aftershow on Saturday at Subterranean with fellow Pitchfork performer Dogleg and Retirement Party.

The Weather Station, 4:00 PM, Blue Stage

The Toronto band led by singer-songwriter Tamara Lindeman released one of the best albums of the year back in February with Ignorance (Fat Possum), songs inspired by climate change-addled anxiety. While the record is filled with affecting, reflective lines about loss and trying to find happiness in the face of dread, in a live setting, I imagine the instrumentation will be a highlight, from the fluttering tension of “Robber” to the glistening disco of “Parking Lot”.

Revisit our preview of their Pitchfork Instagram performance from earlier this year. Catch them at an aftershow on Friday at Schubas with Ulna.

Danny Brown, 6:15 PM, Green Stage

The Detroit rapper’s last full-length record was the Q-Tip executive produced uknowhatimsayin¿ (Warp), though he’s popped up a few times since then, on remixes, a Brockhampton album, and TV62, a Bruiser Brigade Records compilation from earlier this year. (He’s also claimed in Twitch streams that his new album Quaranta is almost done.) His sets--especially Pitchfork sets--are always high-energy, as he’s got so many classic albums and tracks under his belt at this point, so expect to hear a mix of those.

Erykah Badu, 8:30 PM, Green Stage

What more can I say? This is the headliner Pitchfork has been trying to get for years, responsible for some of the greatest neo soul albums of all time. There’s not much else to say about Erykah Badu other than she’s the number one must-see at the festival.

#pitchfork music festival #live picks #armand hammer #dogleg #hop along #black midi #bartees strange #faye webster #georgia anne muldrow #angel olsen #st. vincent #tomberlin #the weather station #yaeji #oso oso #danny brown #erykah badu #jeff bierk #triple crown #saddle creek #memory music #fat possum #warp #chase macinski #parker grissom #jacob hanlon #mark quinlan #vans channel 66 #retirement party #varsity

[goldstarnation]

JULY 2020 GOLD STAR MEDIA SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn 3 points each (up to 6 points) for writing, by the end of August 7 KST:

A solo para of 400+ words based on their monthly schedule (does not count toward your monthly total).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) based on their monthly schedule.

Threads do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule for the month and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated throughout the month if new information needs to be added.

Reminder: June schedule posts are due by the end of July 7 KST. Please do not post schedule posts in the fmdschedule tag.

OVERALL COMPANY

All Gold Star idols are scheduled for a meeting with upper management the day before the news of the upcoming base Culture Complex is leaked to the media. They’re given a more detailed rundown of plans for the facility than the public is, although not all the details are made clear. In the meeting, everyone is informed Gold Star has partnered once again with BC and Dimensions to fund the construction of a new building in Gangnam meant to become the ideal location in the world for fans of idols. The building will include a museum with exhibits dedicated to the history and music of each group and soloist, a handful of theatre venues for intimate concerts and company-sponsored musical productions, a merchandise mall, a cafe, and many other fan experiences. (admin note: For reference, imagine something similar to SM COEX Artium —with over three times the budget.) The idols won’t spend much time there even once it’s finished being built, but content starring them is critical to the financial success of the venture, so the next several months leading up to its opening will have all three companies’ idols working hard to make its opening a success. This month, that mostly involves producing photo shoots: all idols will attend a photo shoot session this month where three categories of photo will be tacked: profile pictures for the artist wall (grayscale, professional and serious tone), images for life-sized cutouts of each idol (wardrobe will consist of jeans and a single-color top for each idol, fun and bright tone with fanservicable poses such as here and here encouraged) and 3D imaging for 3D-printed figures of each idol.

Important dates:

July 5: base Culture Complex briefing meeting.

July 12-July 31: Photo shoots for base Culture Complex, as individual muse schedule allows, at unspecified photo studio in Gangnam (admin note: muses may encounter idols from other companies while there).

GOLD STAR SOLOIST 1

Now that “Blueming” promotions are complete, it’s time for her to prepare for her concert tour. The set list includes her latest songs as well as older favorites. This month, the focus is making sure she has the performances of each song down with hours spent in the practice room, with extra time and focus spent on the ones that involve back-up dancers.

Important dates:

N/A

GOLD STAR SOLOIST 2

Now that her concert tour is done, she’s been granted a vacation from the company. She’s allowed to schedule her vacation as she wishes throughout the month (she may travel abroad if she wishes, with or without a manager), though she will need to be in Seoul a few days out of the month to listen to demos for potential new songs as Gold Star has been throwing around the idea of a holiday release at the end of this year for her.

Important dates:

N/A

GOLD STAR SOLOIST 3

The release of his English-language album approaches and as the track list has now been finalized, he’ll be expected to spend long hours in the recording studio this month to finish laying down the final vocal tracks on the album before he heads into the final stretch of album preparations next month.

Important dates:

N/A

SILHOUETTE

On their tenth anniversary, they receive a rare video by way of their manager’s phone from CEO Bang Sunyoung herself congratulating them on ten years. In it, she gives encouragement for their comeback and thanks them for their dedication to the company for ten years. On the same day, they host a mini outdoor fanmeeting for fans in honor of the occasion. Their new comeback releases on the third and it seems Gold Star’s marketing of a reinvention of Silhouette for their tenth anniversary worked, as the song climbs up the charts to a Gaon number one in its third week

Important dates:

July 1: Ten year anniversary mini fanmeeting.

July 3: Release of “Sixth Sense” & Sixth Sense album, music show promotions continue through August 3.

July 6: Guesting on MBC FM Starry Night radio show.

July 13: Guesting on SBS PowerFM Youngstreet radio show.

July 15: Radio Star appearance filming (to be aired: July 22).

ARIA

Aria finishes off music show promotions mid-month after a busy schedule of music show promotions. Before that, they make an appearance on School Attack, where they’ll visit a middle school. At the beginning of filming, they’ll split themselves up into pairs of their choosing and be given a mission where they pick three Korean consonants and must find a food with at least two of the consonants in it in order to eat before they leave for the school. If they fail, they have to walk to get to the school instead of riding the bus with the rest of the members. Once they are all at the school, the members must find clues to lead them to start the school attack performance for the students. They’ll also be filming the first two episodes of Queendom on July 16 and July 30 (the latter date also happens to be their debut anniversary), and they’ve been asked to prepare a performance of their representative hit song, “Ah-Choo”. Full details of Queendom filming for this month can be found here.

Important dates:

July 6: School Attack appearance filming (to air: July 13).

July 15: End of music show promotions.

July 16: Queendom episode one filming (introductions).

July 30: Queendom episode one & two filming (representative hit song stage).

ORIGIN

July is a month of filming for Origin. In total, five music videos will be filmed for their comeback this month, though only three will consist of the full group. Those three videos will be filmed while Origin is on a trip to California from July 21 to July 27 and will include their “Black Swan” music video, to be filmed at The Los Angeles Theatre, their “On” Kinetic Manifesto, to be filmed near the Sepulveda Dam, and the week-long filming of their official “On” music video, to be filmed at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park. The members will continue to practice their performances while abroad.

Important dates:

July 8: “Shadow” MV filming (lead rapper only).

July 16: “Ego” MV filming (main dancer/rapper only).

July 21-July 27: “On” Official MV filming in Agua Dulce, CA, USA.

July 21: “Black Swan” MV filming in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

July 22: “On” Kinetic Manifesto MV filming in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

IMPULSE

Before Impulse makes their comeback at the end of the month, they need to shoot their comeback teasers along with the music video for their comeback. Shortly after they make their comeback, they’ll need to return to the dance studio to record a name tag survival dance practice for fans in addition to their standard dance practice, which will be filmed before their comeback.

Important dates:

July 1: Comeback teaser photo shoot [2] [3] [4].

July 7: “You Calling My Name” MV filming.

July 27: Release of “You Calling My Name” & Call My Name album, music show promotions continue through August 27.

FUSE

Their comeback date is finalized for the end of next month, meaning they have to begin to wrap up preparations this month. In addition to fittings for outfits that are quite a change from their “Zimalabim” and “Umpah Umpah” concepts, they have the album photo book to shoot and, near the end of the month, the music video. Fuse’s creative team and management begin to feel more pressure for Fuse’s comeback to do well after the company sees the success of Silhouette’s comeback, which could threaten Fuse’s place on Gold Star’s priority list, and the pressure management is feeling is evident as their own comeback gets closer.

Important dates:

July 6: MV and stage outfit fittings.

July 15: Album photo book shoot.

July 25: “Psycho” MV filming.

ELEMENT

To keep fans entertained while Element is away from activities, Gold Star will have them shoot a video for Youtube of them playing a game of Mafia in the first half of the month. For their third anniversary, Gold Star has planned a day of livestreams for Element to interact with their fans. Each member will be asked to do a solo thirty minute to one hour livestream some time when they’re available on July 19 before 6pm KST, at which point, all four members will hold a one to two hour group livestream where they’ll talk to fans and play games and reflect on the last three and a half years since they released their first pre-debut single.

Important dates:

July 10: Mafia Youtube video filming.

July 19: Third debut anniversary VLive.

FEMME FATALE

Femme Fatale only have concert dates in one city this month (as they continue to film for their video diaries series), which is a change from all of the traveling they’ve been doing since the beginning of the year. While they’re in Seoul, they’ll lay down the needed vocals for the upcoming release of the Japanese version of their Kill This Love EP, but other than that, they’ll have some downtime this month, though they’re still busy enough they won’t get a true vacation.

Important dates:

July 17: Femme Fatale In Your Area World Tour concert at IMPACT Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

July 18: Femme Fatale In Your Area World Tour concert at IMPACT Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

July 19: Femme Fatale In Your Area World Tour concert at IMPACT Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

#fmdschedule #queued post

[v-le]

Kmusic: JTBC’s 슈퍼밴드(Superband) Review

Foreword: SUPERBAND WAS AMAZING AND IT WAS EVERYTHING I NEVER KNEW I NEEDED IN MY LIFE. yup

--

After binge-watching this entire program, I knew I had to write something about it. This show literally took my breath away, this show filled all my senses with overwhelming excitement, appreciation, and respect for every single participant, and the music, THE MUSIC, that came out of this show will forever be some of the most amazing songs I have ever heard in my life. But above all else, this show filled a void, an emptiness, a traumatizing, painful longing in my heart that has been needing some intense healing for a while now.

With all the things that have happened with my singer, Superband coming into my life and being the show it was, with all those amazing artists doing what they did, it was a literal blessing and I just……. I just cant believe they did THAT. They did it and it was AMAZING.

First off, whoever thought to make an audition program for MUSICIANS, SINGER-SONGWRITERS, ARTISTS, PRODUCERS, and just instrument-playing people AND VOCALISTS…….. you are a fucking genius and I am so glad that this idea never died in the shadows and was allowed to come to life on the screens.

What I found so poignant about this show from the get-go was how GOOD THESE AUDITIONS WERE… these people came in being REALLYYYYY good at (presumably) one thing like the guitar, or singing, or the violin. These people each had their specialty, they were exceptional music-making people. No one was quite mediocre or “rookie”, each person had some pretty credible expertise or experiences with music, and that in itself, the fact that we got to start off with these sorts of contestants, is something ive never seen before.

I don’t want to compare to other singing shows or the Produce series or whatever else countless audition programs Korea has been churning out over the past years, but since Superband began with this concept, it was already a show that I knew I would LOVE. For the 2 times ive watched Produce, I was always so perturbed by these prepubescent pretty boys frolicking around on stage, barely being able to even pull off a simple note. I just thought so many of them were so TALENTLESS…. But who am I to judge.

I think it really just comes down to preference, and even though I knew very well that idols and k-pop are not even things I enjoy anymore, I forced myself through programs like Produce. But now, with Superband, I felt so HAPPY and glad to be watching and discovering such talented musicians…THIS IS WHAT I WANTED ALL ALONG.

Even with the very first audition with Ha Hyunsang… OMFG UGHhHhh THAT BOI IS SO FLUFFY but so good at the same time… I feel like each time I see him, I ACTUALLY just want to give him a hug :’-(( the emotional depth in his singing is beyond describable and im SO PROUD TO HAVE WATCHED HIM GROW !!!!!!

That’s another thing I really really realllyyyyyyy loved from this show........ it was the process of watching these people develop, mature, change, grow with show. Some contestants went through some major growing pains, but it was so heartwarming to watch them improve, not that they were even bad to begin with. And the reversals!! Or the expansions?? The turnarounds?? The CONMEN!!!

AHHhhHHhhh okay im still very obsessed with the infinite amount of talent some dudes had, but before I get to that, let me continue on with those stellar auditions, aka the three genius guitarists, too ;_______; they. Are. So. Amazing. I love them a lot. I think I completely fell for them. And I hate myself. I hate to admit it a lot because I used to ALWAYS shit on dudes younger than me, I disliked basically every contestant on produce that was younger than ‘99, I thought they were all useless young children… but 김영소, 이강호, & 임형빈, were a completely different story. I LOVE THEM!!! I always had a bias toward a man that could play the guitar well… but these guys holy moly, they blew me away… they are so exceptional at what they do and the fact that theyre still so YOUNG… good lord…..my poor heart was so conflicted but ultimately so happy to have discovered them.

To watch these guys be thrown into that first 1:1 perf, and literally tearing up the stage and setting the bar VERY HIGH from the very beginning of the competition… phew… my goodness…. The talent with these kids… o my…. Okay yeah, nope im never gonna get over it. The ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ stage will always be an iconic one from this program, and we all know it. Who knew a pure acoustic, musical performance, no vocals included stage would be so amazing…. I LOVE THEM!! Have I mentioned that yet?

Going back to the reversals/scamming thing... I guess this goes with watching some people grow……. I want to give a holy and blessed shoutout to probably my favorite contestant out of this entire show: 신광일….. he was such a dark horse. In fact, I don’t even remember his audition tbh because he was THAT not-memorable in the beginning LOL (or also.. I believe they never showed his audition to begin with)… but he quickly caught my eye as the eps went on because he came out of nowhere and whipped out all (or maybe not even all…) his skills like secret weapons, stage after stage.. he came in as a vocalist, picked up the bass for two the performances after that (all while still singing, too), although having never played the bass formally... and then once joining hands with Juhyeok and Yechan, he just miraculously becomes the drummer, because they ultimately decided that they needed percussion in their songs. So from thereon after, since ‘Hold Back The River’, Gwang-il, to me, was literally GOD(신) Gwang-il, as he played the drums and SANG TOO…..and may I add, hes not even that old?????? HES FRKING ONLY 2 YEARS OLDER THAN ME WTF;__; the boy got all these crazy blisters while perfecting the drums, but he didn’t let anything stop him and he was sucH A SOLID BAND MEMBER ALL THROUGHOUT, AHHHHHH MVP GOES TO SHIN GWANG-IL, YALL….(also I just found out that hes a trainee from Mystic Story, aka Yoon Jong shin’s agency aka the agency that I’ve been following for many many MANYYYY years now bc a lot of my favorite artists have come out of it…. Wow what is this fate)

And special recognition goes to Im Hyung-bin aka one of the 18 yr old genius guitarists bc he … oh my…. He frking became the pianist and singer by the end of the show…. Omfg… yall.. HE is also another infinitely talented soul. AND HES EXTRA FRKING YOUNG…

Besides these two though, there were many many many manyyyyy other people as well that took up multiple instruments throughout the show, or even began singing, or just did EVERYTHING….I was so mindblown by this, im still honestly not over it at all.

Because like, is this normal?? Isn’t that so unprofessional?? Its already so crazy that this show already starts us off with NON-amateur musicians and artists. But then some of these dudes have never done any other things formally before they got thrown into it; they came into this show “specializing” in something completely different, yet they jump onto the stage and do what they needed to, HELLA FRKING WELL…… so many of these dudes, you wouldn’t know that was his first time playing the bass, playing the drums, first time playing that piano, or first time being on the keyboard AND being a vocal, you wouldn’t know any of that unless they mentioned it, unless you watched the show and saw their story.

Because they all pulled it off THAT well.. these people that did these things for the first time ever while being on Superband, they executed their roles so well and showcased such wonderfully exhilarating talent…. IM SO BLESSED TO HAVE DISCOVERED SUCH AMAZING ARTISTS….

That was one of the biggest feats of Superband for me. The limitless talent that came out of it. I LOVE watching people like this. Their passion for music fuels such undeniable skill and fervor, and when they step onto that stage, they are literally unstoppable. They made music that stopped my time, stopped my heart, in the moment, but literally MOVED me...i applaud these people so much. I really do.

Thinking back to it now, the number of stages that came out of this show was like…. Countless…. Like… A LOT…. Since episode 1, each stage was very well-produced and I truly enjoyed watching each one from the start. This show was just so jampacked overall, although I admit that sometimes it was arduous due to the GRIND that these people were on, presenting stage after stage after stage, and then listening to LOTS of feedback from almost each judge over and over and over, but it was still nothing short of musical masterpieces out there. I really appreciate how STUFFED, how FILLED TO THE BRIM, this show was with dynamic, enjoyable, exceptional performances (and words of valuable opinions & evaluations, too)

I can re-watch many of them, every day, for days on end. I loved it. And can we just talk about how impressive these dudes are for pulling off something new, for taking on a brand-new challenge with a brand-new set of members, time and time again, stage after stage, week after week, until we came down to the 6 solid bands in the last 3 episodes? They constantly had to work with new people, match their music preferences, fill spaces in their music where they didn’t exactly have someone they may have needed. They had to compensate, compromise, and ultimately DELIVER, at the end of it all. Multiple times. I don’t even remember how many rounds they did… was it 4? I think they had 4 rounds of eliminations before they settled into their official bands. But still... its crazy impressive to think about how driven and flexible a lot of these artists were, to be creating, producing & then performing despite all the different teams they were getting put into week after week.

ANDDDDDD, despite all the odds up against them like the time crunch, the new collab of members each time, the potential lack of a missing instrument or sound, SO many of these teams still came out with self-written and self-produced songs!!!!!!! I mean, even for the cover songs alone, many were already re-arranging everything & basically turning them into new tracks. BUT WITH THOSE SELF COMPOSED SONGS??????????? Some teams literally started from scratch each time, but busted out some amazing tunes and lyrics and executed very very very impressive stages and IM JUST AKFJAKJFKJBSN how…. Are they….. so…. Talented…… I still ask myself each time.

By far, the combo that took my heart and kept it for good….. LUCY ;_______;. I never expected to like Juhyeok’s voice tbh, it was a little TOO weird for me in the beginning… but watching him perform with Yechan and Gwang-il and Wonsang really brought to life his vocal potential for me… that team is literally a combination made in heaven, they have all the right pieces to make ARTWORK… their signature sound was so prominent from the very beginning and i was SO HAPPY when I saw that they stuck to the same exact members once the finale came around.

Before the winner was announced, I told myself very honestly that I didn’t even care who won because the two teams left over, Hoppipolla & Lucy, were already my two all-time favorite combinations of artists from the entire show, and I was already MORE than satisfied with all the wonderful music and stages that everyone had delivered up until that point anyway. But even with that, I was still thoroughly shocked when they announced Hoppipolla as the winning band LOL I gasped aloud. I thought that Lucy at least had a chance. Or like I guess, in my heart, I assumed that Lucy actually won.. LOL but they didn’t.

And in terms of the finale in general, I really would also like to address how I purposely tried really hard to avoid any spoilers and rewatching of performances on youtube before actually finishing the entire series. I tried like reallyyyyy hard, because I wanted to watch the program as thoroughly as possible without spoilers. I HATE SPOILERS. But oh the irony. It was in all in vain anyway.

Once I finally DID finish all 14 episodes, when trying to look for more information/reactions/articles/videos (initially searching in English), I actually struggled SO HARD LMAOOOO bc there was like NOTHING OUT THERE……..i should have known better; this show was definitely NOT catered to the intl. audience (yet?), especially because its in its first season still. There were probably like 2 articles max in English about Superband & it was just about its upcoming premier. Nothing about winners nor results nor anything else i was wary of, anyway. LOLLL THE INTL COMMUNITY DOESN’T CARE; or at least the intl population that DOES care about Superband, is probably reallyyyyyy small……a reddit thread I found was the most substantial discussion I could find, comprised of a few comments max.

And so that brings me to how I always see a lot of comments begging for English subs and everything, but honestly…….. all I have to say to yall is: LEARN KOREAN IF YOU REALLY WANT TO WATCH THE SHOW THAT BADLY !!!

If after all these years, I could pick up Korean to an extent where I can watch things raw, im sure others can do the same as long as they put their mind to it. Ive been really appreciating how far my skills have taken me LOL not trying to be THAT person, but I just know that if I COULDN’T read or listen & comprehend or type in Korean like I can now, I would be missing out on a WORLD of amazing stuff. E.g. superband. And if anything, I would like to think that this show helped me practice my vocab skills a lot more. Listening to the judges’ evals after each stage was really enjoyable: I learned plenty of valuable words out of THEIR words.

This show was phenomenal in that all the contestants had total musical freedom. It was soOOOOO refreshing to watch. They got to choose all their music & their teammates in a fair manner (maybe not so much their competition), but seeing them take their passions & what THEY wanted to do with music and laying that all out onto the stage, was so compelling!!! This freedom allowed for countless, ICONIC AF transformations and growth journeys for soooo many of the artists too!!!! I really realllyyyyyyyy loved watching some of them stepping WAYYYY outside of their comfort zones / the image that they originally came in with (e.g. HONG ISAAC HAAAAHAHHA, Jisang, Hyunsang!!), and also watching alllllll those multitalented “scam characters”!!! HAHAHA, without this program being as open as it was, it would’ve been impossible to be able to see such a myriad of sides to so many different people. I appreciate, I really do.

And I really really realllyyyy enjoyed watching all the behind the scenes of each performance as well!! Of course, its normal to give viewers some background story before each stage, but in Superband, we got to see some very raw sides of music-making….. these dudes literally lived like hobos in the recording studios, all disheveled and sleep-deprived human beans, but ceaselessly making music because that’s what they love. I liked watching teams try out a lot of different songs & styles as they searched for THE right one. And then we got to see the final result on stage after the countless discussions and trials behind the scenes. And these processes repeated for months on end. All the contestants are so commendable in this right. The grind was real, and the show didn’t try to hide that. I enjoyed this very realistic approach !!

At this point, after drowning myself in this show for a few days straight… (those episodes are LONGGGGG, close to two hrs each) ive literally spent every night, and basically day, too, watching all the cuts that jtbc uploaded on youtube over and over and oVERRRRR….. ive also been watching some Superband concert clips, from when the entire final 6 bands went on a domestic tour and performed together for several concerts!!

THAT OPENING STAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BLESS THOSE PEOPLE THAT CAUGHT IT ON CAMERA BECAUSE IT IS LITERALLY SUCH A PIECE OF MUSICAL HEAVEN, omfg the energy on that stage IS SOMETHING ELSE… IF I WERE THERE IN PERSON I PROBABLY WOULDVE CRIED INSTANTLY……. lee juhyeok, kevin oh, chae bohoon, im hyeongbin, kim youngso, ha hyunsang, lee chansol, and kim woosung, all the guitarists/ vocalists lined up in the front… (hearing each vocalist sing a line each made my HEART HURT....I LOVE THEM SM) then the bassists, lee jonghoon, kim hyungwoo, kim hajin, jo wonsang, clustered up AND HAVIN A TIME all by themselves, and the three epic electric guitarists, yang jiwan, kim junhyeob, and Zairo, literally held SUCH stage presence… on the drums: kang kyungyoon all the way to the right, and red haired hwang minjae in the middle, and the super in-sync, traditional drum banging bois, choi youngjin, shin gwang-il, a-il, & jung gwanghyun, all 4 of them bouncing up and down in the back like intense oompa loompas LOL THEY LOOKED SO CUTE, and the string bois!!!!! Shin yechan & benji on the violin next to hong jinho on the cello; yechan and benji started off sitting down but as the song goes on they literally WENT AT IT HAHAHA as expected of two of the most high-energy musicians. On the piano, lee na-woo, the classic icon himself starting off the entire intro, and next to him hong isaac the transformation legend himself on the keyboard + his super distinctive voice!!!!!! And of course, d-pole with his much-expected little music break in the middle….. in fact many of them got ICONIC solo time: kang kyungyoon’s drumming part, kim hyungwoo’s super duper solid bass, minjae’s powerful beats, kim hajin’s LOUD ass bass, lee jonghoon’s legendary slap finger bass playing, jo wonsang’s super ting-y, classic bass section, and yang jiwan’s loud ASS ELEC GUITAR TOO, omg they were all so cute, pointing to each member & hyping them up as it was their few seconds to shine….AND THOSE COLLECTIVE VOICES???? HEARING ALL THE VOCALISTS SING TOGETHER ONE BY ONE… OH my gosh it was soooooo GOOOODDDDDDD.... just watching all those dudes literally have THE TIME OF THEIR LIFE on stage (literally an ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME), the energy was off the charts… I loveeeeee seeing them so happy, making eye contact with each other, jumping up & down, rocking out, laughing with each other, all while playing their instrument, so fervently, all 27 people on the stage, connected by one song…. Theres SO MUCH OVERFLOW of talent in one freaking place, that song sounded SO MASSIVE just thru the video I cant imagine….. if I were actually there omfg… that’s an actual BAND Like A HUGE FRKING BAND… AHHHHHHHHHH a really legendary stage.. the finest of finest……I can literally watch this opening on repeat without getting bored because I just loveeeee the concept of all of them being together like that :”)))

After watching member after member, team after team get eliminated, seeing them like this on one stage with such happy expressions and making a beautiful piece of music like that o MANNNNNN…. This show…… has really done something to me…

I appreciate every contestant SO MUCH and I wish I could watch everyone be together FOREVER….because knowing how artistically talented each person is on their own, to watch them join together is like the avengers times 72737446352 or something, its just talent & skill plus talent & skill stacked onto even more skill & talents and just an INFINITE amount of potential AND THAT…IS LITERALLY.. THE POWER…. OF A BAND………and of great ass music.

This show was GENIUS TO combine so many musicians from so many different backgrounds…but watching them work together to make pure art, that is so frking rewarding and heartwarming and I feel so blessed to have witnessed it all.

The genres and potential were literally limitless……I think this is what encompassed Superband for me, this is what made me enjoy it SO damn much…. I think ive finally run out of things to say… this piece of text is quite a mess, not very polished….. but I was hasty in recording my thoughts & emotions before they left me, so I tried my best.

My biggest regret with this show is that I didn’t watch it sooner. (what is really ironic is that it took me FOREVER to start the first ep, despite having tonssss of time on my hands... I had it open on one of my tabs for the longest time, but I lowkey grudgingly, eventually, forced myself to finally start it LOL..(thank god I rly did tho) I watched it 2 months after the finale, which is… kinda late? If I had watched it while it was airing, all while I was still in korea, I feel like I would’ve been EVEN MORE in love, even more fervent and passionate about everything. Digging thru old vids & watching things from contestants before they came out onto the show, seeing the artists they were, I could’ve easily gone and seen them myself probably… goddamnit I probably could’ve gone to the superband finale live show, if I had known.. I COULDVE VOTED IN REAL TIME... not that I could’ve brought myself to do it anyway, probably lol….. but basically, if I had known of this show WHILE I was there with them… I don’t know, I could’ve been a lot more active as a fan, I feel like..

Now im back to my original roots: crying in front of my laptop screen and tap-tapping away at my keyboard as a I rant to no one but myself. Being in korea made my appreciation for all kinds of artists, all my beloved ones, EVERYONE, a lot more tangible.. but being back in America… it all becomes hidden into the depths of my heart, once again…

PHEW……I think now is a good time to mention my favorite stages… as I mentioned before, the Lucy AND pre-Lucy lineup will always hold a really special place in my heart so basically all my faves include their stages LOL

‘Swim’ cover by LUCY(신예찬, 이주혁, 신광일, 조원상)

‘Hold Back The River’ cover by 신예찬, 이주혁, 신광일

‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ cover by 조원상, 김영소, 이강호, 임형빈

‘누구 없소’ cover by 케빈오, 박찬영, 신광일, 강경윤

‘선잠’ by LUCY

'Castle on the Hill’ cover by 아일, 하현상, 노마드, 홍진호

‘1000x’ cover by 아일, 하현상, 홍진호, 김형우

‘One More Light’ cover by HOPPIPOLLA(아일, 하현상, 홍진호, 김영소)

‘Cry Bird’ cover by LUCY

‘Viva La Vida’ cover by 하현상, 홍진호, 김영소

‘Flare’ by LUCY

‘Find You Again’ by People on the Bridge(이찬솔, 임형빈, 김준협, 강경윤,  김형우)

My favorite funny moments:

“이게 무슨 짓이야!!?” - mellow kitchen (the stealing of the 3 kiddo guitarists)

“okay let’s be honest, you can’t even hear the bass” - shin hyunbin 2k19

울보 팀

Hyunsang’s fam: 아일 the mom, 홍진호 the dad, 김형우 the hyung

“idk if im allowed to say this but it looked like zombie movie” - yoon jongshin, as they all gathered around the cello man

“I thought to myself, isn’t that cello expensive tho..” - yoon jongshin as youngso slapped & tapped jinho’s cello for percussion

Ah-il’s iconic castle on the hill pose

Zairo’s luck with member choosing lmao

HONG ISAK’S DANCING in ‘Time of My Life’ LOLLL IT GETS ME LAUGHING EACH TIMEEE (& all his nicknames, like eungalchi lmaooo)

Benji’s “YO-RO-BOON HAM-KAY HEY-YO” during ‘Woo-ing’

Gwanghyun’s “do-doom-tak”

Gwanghyun calling Gwang-il’s drum skills equivalent to that of a middle school band’s LOLLLL

**I watched Mone’s radio appearance on Arirang Radio where Benji is the host, and they were an absolute MESS LMAOOOOOO THEY WERE HONESTLY ALL REALLY FUNNY THOUGH.. they kept roasting the crap out of each other and laughing their asses off and man… it was gr8 time and it was really cute to discover that Hong Isaac is now a part of one of Benji’s radio shows too!

One important question I have for this show though: where tf did all the females go? Why was there no female presence at all in this show, I have no clue…… :/

At the end of the day, this show reminded me once again, how to feel happy and excited because of music. how to let great music fill my life with undeniable joy. Being able to look forward to listening to these songs every day, definitely had lifted a small part of me that has been down for all too long. I really appreciate, I am very grateful for, I just… im so thankful to have discovered this show & all its wonderful masterpieces & the beautifully, magically, PASSIONATE artists behind it all………. I needed this in my life at this point in time, I really did. 

Thank you for coming to be, Superband.

#kmusic #jtbc #superband #super band #슈퍼밴드 #rant #;________; #a real ass rant #SUPER LOVE FOR SUPER BAND #anyone else that has watched this plz share ur thoughts

[stan-x1]

my top 10 trainees as of ep. 4 and why

*these are my opinions only. no particular order, the numbers mean nothing

1. Kim Yohan (Oui Ent): I can see him going far. Regardless of his lack of experience, I think Yohan is talented. He dances well, he has a good base in rap, and he has a killer stage presence. He’s motivated, he works hard, and I think he has a shit ton of potential. Bottom-line, I like him a lot, and I predict he’ll remain in the top 10 rankings for most of the show. 

2. Kim Sihun (Brand New Music): He’s ready to be an idol from my standpoint. He presents himself very well on camera and onstage, he has a versatile stage presence, and he is a consistent dancer and rapper. He’s also provided some of the best reactions to other trainees during group battle and auditions. Not to be controversial, but I think he should have been X1-MA center over dongpyo...I really hope the vote benefit keep him through this next evaluation because I feel like he could really shine in later evaluations. 

3. Choi Suhwan (Individual Trainee): He is hands down one of the most talented trainees in this competition but he ends up being overshadowed by editing and *cough* taller trainees. He’s a stable and talented vocal, he’s a great dancer, and he’s versatile in concepts. I think he could pull off a cute or dreamy concept just as well as a heavier concept. I think he also knows his ability very well and chose to be a center for lullaby when he easily could have been main vocal. He also shows good leadership and teamwork in practice clips. I hope he is able to keep going. 

4. Yoon Junghwan (Brand New Music): He is a powerful vocal for this season, and I have a feeling that he’s going to be looked over this season and it’s sad. 

5. Kim Hyunbin (Source Music): He’s motivated, he’s got great energy, he’s enthusiastic, he’s talented, he absolutely saved No More Dream. My one critique is that he may have outshined the rest in the team. I don’t know if that’s on him or other team members but he didn’t bring a lot of balance as a center. 

6.  Lee Wonjun (E Ent): Nothing gets me more than when an idol glances at a side-angle camera and homeboy did it. Since his audition, I think he’s got a lot of potential and we’ve already seen two vastly different concepts from him. I think he would be great in a large idol group 

7. Song Hyungjun (Starship): Okay...his attitude has totally done it for me. I think he’s an extremely hardworking, dedicated kid with a good sense of leadership and a strong desire to help others succeed. But other than dance, I don’t know if he would succeed in a large group. I don’t think he has the stage presence to stand out among 10 other guys

8. Kim Dongbin (MLD): Homeboy has gotten so much better since season 2 that I think he has the potential to improve even further through this season and debut. He has a unique look and controls his face well. I think he would do great in a produce group. Also, having the courage to come back and try again shows he’s resilient. I like it. 

9. Yoo Geunmin (Million Market): idk, he was 101 during ep. 1 and I felt for him. I think he’s cute. 

10. Won Hyuk (E Ent): I think he was the stand out of Adore U team and I like him a lot. 

#some of these are more detailed than others #let it happen #there are too many to pick 10 #i can barely pick 10 #i have like a top 5 #choi suhwan #kim yohan #kim sihun #song hyungjun #kim dongbin #yoo geunmin #won hyuk #lee wonjiun #yoon junghwan #kim hyunbin

[tigerintokyo]

IDOLiSH7 Producers’ Letter #17 (EN translation)

Below is the translation for the producers’ letter for i7. The original letter in Japanese can be found here: https://idolish7.com/topics/info/2019/8486/

The translation is under the break.

[Game Announcement] Producers’ Letter #17

To all who are supporting IDOLiSH7…

This is the first Producers’ Letter of 2019. Part 4 started to be released from last February. Are you enjoying is so far? We are very happy to be able to spread their story and music.

Again, thank you very much for coming to visit us at the Fan Thank You Festival. It was the first real event since the 1st LIVE, but once again, we are motivated by the overwhelming support.

At last, summer is coming. We hope you are able to enjoy new “Ainana” contents from now on while also taking care of your health.

Today, we would like to tell you about the new contents to come.

[About the project as a whole]

◆About group anniversaries

Up until now, group anniversaries have been as follows: TRIGGER on September 18th, Re:vale on April 15th, and ŹOOĻ on August 31st.

July 7th is the anniversary day of the IDOLiSH7 project as a whole, so we thought we should set a proper anniversary day for the group IDOLiSH7.

After all, June 10th was the day that we introduced everyone to IDOLiSH7 for the first time [1], so from this year, IDOLiSH7’s anniversary will be on June 10th!

This year will be the first time to celebrate IDOLiSH7’s anniversary, so we would like you to celebrate as much as you want with a lot of excitement! We would be happy if you could remember that June 10th is IDOLiSH7’s anniversary.

◆About Part 4 Part 4, which started being released last February, will continue to be updated. We started with the phrase “Wanting the strength to help you pushed me forward.” [2] Following that message, how would the world change after taking one step of courage, for yourself and also for someone else? This is what we would like to express. We hope you can continue until the very end.

◆About Music New Part 4 songs will continue to be released one by one! Please look forward to it. 『RADIO STATION “Twelve Hits!"』singles for the 12 members of IDOLiSH7, TRIGGER, and Re:vale as well as solo songs for ŹOOĻ birthdays are being released. Are you having fun planning for 2019’s birthdays? We are very happy to be able to deliver these songs on special days for each of the members. We hope you can join us all the way to the end of the year.

◆ Anime『IDOLiSH7 Vibrato』Blu-ray & DVD Release! The Vibrato series is currently available on YouTube, and as a whole, the episodes have surpassed 10 million views! We are glad so many people are enjoying it. Blu-ray and DVD sets of all 8 episodes will be released on August 27, 2019. Please check it out!

Episodes 1 and 2 『TRIGGER–before The Radiant Glory–』can be watched on YouTube without a premium membership.

Ep 1「TRIGGER -before The Radiant Glory-」前編 - https://youtu.be/VDFVny2_hzI Ep 2「TRIGGER -before The Radiant Glory-」後編 - https://youtu.be/4sMI8gCxgW0

You can watch the rest of the episodes (6 episodes) with a YouTube Premium membership. Ep 3・4「A Man Involved」 Ep 5・6「PARTY TIME TOGETHER」 Ep 7・8「NATSU☆SHIYOUZE！」

◆ About animated MVs IDOLiSH7：Orange TRIGGER：TRIGGER Re:vale：TROYCA ŹOOĻ：ufotable The above studios are diligently working on the animated MVs for all of our groups! Please wait for the release.

◆ About the Fan Thank You Festival Thank you for joining us for the Fan Thank You Festival Vol. 4『Welcome！Ai na Night！』 We already mentioned this, but we were able to feel the excitement from everyone. We are also grateful to everyone who came to the live viewing. Thank you. Also, Fan Thank You Festival Vol. 5 will be held in on December 14, 2019 in Osaka! It’s a new adventure for our first event in Kansai, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone.

◆ About IDOLiSH7 2nd LIVE『REUNION』 At the start of this project, 「1st LIVE『Road To Infinity』」was just a dream. After seeing the view from the LIVE, all of the staff wanted to be able to meet that scenery again as soon as possible, and this thought was put into the name 『REUNION』. Thanks to all of you, all four groups, IDOLiSH7, TRIGGER, Re:vale, and ŹOOĻ will be able to meet in one place and hold a LIVE on that big stage. With the cast and staff, we hope we can show you the next scene on the infinite road that was shown at the 1st LIVE. We’ve also expanded the number of live viewing theaters, so we look forward to spending time with many managers, including managers located overseas.

◆ About efforts with other businesses This has already been announced, but the idols from IDOLiSH7 have been recruited for advertising roles for Sanrio, DHC, and JR Tokai Tours. [3] Thanks to everyone’s support, we are grateful to continue to receive various offers. From now on, we will be report to you about their activities in more ad roles, so please look forward to it. As for the OFF Tabi, we will be having an event in the app. We hope that the trip they all take together on their off day will grasp your attention.

◆ About comic & novel adaptations From the trilogy showing the rise and indies period of Re:vale, the regular and special editions of『IDOLiSH7 Re:member』2 will be released on August 5, 2019. The limited special edition will include acrylic stands illustrated by Tanemura Arina.

[About the game]

The total number of managers nationwide has topped 3 million! [4]

We will have five campaigns in the app from May 17th (today) to May 27th to commemorate breaking 3 million people!

1. If you log in during the period, you will receive 30 stellar stones as a special login bonus!

2. A special free 7-round audition (with one guaranteed SR!), including past limited costumes, will be held daily!

3. A limited rare audition to commemorate 3 million downloads will be held! It will include a Nana Colle from which you can choose a limited SSR costume! ※ The audition can only be drawn once with paid stones.

4. Reprint limited rare audition (with one guaranteed SSR!) will be held! ※ The audition can only be drawn with paid stones.

5. Confidence rating UP campaign! The confidence points you receive from lives is tripled, so please put it to good use to read Rabbit Chats and watch RabbiTVs. ※ Please see the in-game announcement for details of the campaign.

[About the game adjustments and additional specifications from now on]

◆ About the big story event set for release in Fall 2019

At the Fan Thank You Festival, the costume designs from the latest in the series including 『MECHANICAL LULLABY』and『Star Tour Observer』was revealed. Were you able to see it?

"Those who have lived for ages - Youkai -”

“A fellowship of humans - Swordsmen -”

“Belonging to neither group - Beast Whisperers -” 

Please look forward to the active story to come.

◆ About the servers After the last long maintenance, the server has settled down now. From now also, we will be conducting maintenance regularly and will be careful to prevent extended maintenance times.

◆ About bugs In May and April, bugs were noticed in the app, and we are sorry for causing worry. With regard to the bugs and to event content, we will be working with G2 Studio to reflect on issues and become more manager-oriented from now on.

◆ About the app The main contents of 『IDOLiSH7』 are the story and the lives. We will continue to apply measures so that both can be enjoyed. The app will soon reach its fourth anniversary Now as well, we will continue to work with everyone in mind.

◆About opinions/suggestions to the game If you have something to tell us, please use the inquiry window from the official homepage. https://idolish7.com/contact/

Thank you for reading thus far.

While looking forward to real events, such as LIVEs and Fan Thank You Festivals, the anime’s 2nd season, animated MVs, and Part 4, we will improve administration, so that the app can connect with your daily life. Also, from here on out, we look forward to your continued support. Let’s AINANA SHIYOUZE ! [5]

T/N

IDOLiSH7 was first announced on June 10, 2015, and started their official website and official twitter account on that day.

This phrase is displayed on splash page of the official webpage for Part 4 of the game’s main story.

This section is actually phrasing it like IDOLiSH7 are talent they are managing as opposed to using the normal language of “collaboration” or “illustration” that’s normally used for these types of things. –> Yes, a very meta move on their part.

Since the game is only available domestically, they use the word “nationwide,” though yes, I think we all know this is “worldwide.”

As in, NASTU SHIYOUZE!

#idolish7 #i7 #ainana #my translation

[theunit-mbti]

Watch KBS The Unit with Eng Sub

It’s still not too late to support the idols who worked so hard on The Unit.  Here’s a list/guide to all the episodes so you can catch up.  You don’t need to watch them in order!  Personally I skipped all the audition episodes and started straight at the cover stages, only to go back to the audition episodes later to get a little more background on the people I didn’t know.

Please enjoy and support all these fantastic idols!

Episode 1 - Intro to show, some first auditions - “The Reboot”

Episode 2 - More auditions - “Reappraisal”

Episode 3 - “The second chance” - more auditions

Episode 4 - “Tears of a true friend” - more auditions

Episode 5 - “Girl crush” - more auditions

Episode 6 - “The Gateway to the spotlight” - they sort themselves into 1st teams (the competitors all meet each other for the first time)

Episode 7 - “Dancing on the Edge” - first mission part 1

Episode 8 - “Beginning of the Twist” - first mission part 2 and conclusion

Episode 9 - “Restart part 1″ - Position battles, start of cover mission (girl stages)

Episode 10 - “Restart part 2″ - cover mission stages continued (girl stages)

Episode 11 - “Restart part 3″ - cover mission stages continued (boy stages)

Episode 12 - “Restart part 4″ - cover mission stages continued (boy stages plus all cover stages results)

Episode 13 - “What I am made of” - Rankings, position (vocal/rap) battles, groups chosen for position group covers (e.g. vocal groups, rap groups, dance groups) also Rain and Jo Hyunah visit some of the dorms and have really cute conversations.  ALSO most importantly, the crying fist segment starts in this episode - where competitors air their anger at each other.

Episode 14 - “The first farewell” - crying fist segment, first set of eliminations (be prepared for a lot of crying)

Episode 15 - “Produce myself” - first batches of self produced second mission stages, i.e. vocal teams, rap teams, performance teams battling against each other. (boys stages)

Episode 16 - “Belief and doubt” - next few stages from self production mission (girls stages and boys stages)

Episode 17 - “Ideas make the stage” - more self production mission

Episode 18 - “Emotional roller coaster” - more self production mission + overall results of self production mission

Episode 19 - “Decisions, decisions” - sorting themselves into teams for next mission, ranking announcements.

Special Episode 1 // Special Episode 2 Christmas radio specials and extra content and interactions

Episode 20 - “The Crossing Fate” - finishing the rankings, centre position auditions, elimination results

Episode 21 - for some reason, this episode is also called “Decisions, decisions” lol - original song mission preparation, first few performances of original song mission / 4th mission (boys stages)

Episode 22 - “Unit B All Day” - more original song mission (boys stages) and boys results

Episode 23 - “Girls on Top” - more original song mission (girls stages)

Episode 24 - “Be cute or sexy” - more original song mission (girls stages) and girls results, end of 4th mission

Episode 25 - “The lucky number 18″ - results and who gets into the final, plus appearance at a Gag concert

Episode 26 - “Here on after” - preparation for the final, being sorted into teams for the final

Episode 27 - The Unit Final Part 1

Episode 28 - The Unit Final Part 2 (FINAL RESULTS AT END OF THIS EP)

#kbs the unit #the unit #nugu idols #kpop tv show #the unit eng subs #kbs the unit end subs #euijin #jun #donghyun #timoteo #hotshot #unb #uni t #uni.t #yebin #hyunjoo #nca #feeldog #bigstar #hojung #kpop #k-pop

[yolokonde]

my top 11 from pdx101 as of ep 6

disclaimer!! these are just kinda...the people that are sticking out to me, not necessarily the 11 people i think would make the most cohesive group. i watched all the episodes in one day so i took in so much info about 101 people...so i’m still trying to sort it all out in my brain (also they’re not really in order)

1. song yuvin - i think he is so talented vocally and honestly i just have a big crush on him i think. i’m excited to see his performance in ep 7 because i missed him this week

2. yun junghwan - my vocal king. KILLED IT during brand new’s audition and also during twit. i wish he would’ve been able to shine more in lullaby (tbh i didn’t even know he was THERE) bc i think his rank would be much higher

3. kim sihun (sihoon?) - writes, produces, and choreographs things himself? legend...also has definite leader potential. i’m annoyed that his rankings are always so low but hopefully he’ll skyrocket because he SHOWED OUT during finesse

4. lee jinhyuk - i don’t really know anything about up10tion so this is the first time i’m seeing him and idk what it is about him....but i stan ! his confidence is cool and he’s also kind of intimidating but then he goes and calls jinwoo his son and then i’m like ... ok he’s so CUTE

5. song hyeongjun - speaking of sons....he is My Son. so cute and him saying that he couldn’t make eye contact with the trainees who weren’t gonna get in bc he felt bad ... and then sobbing ... literally made me sob. he works so hard and dances so well and he’s SO YOUNG i can’t wait to see what he does next!!! (also they gave him veneers? is that a normal thing on this show? lmao)

6. son dongpyo - also another Child. seungwoo’s son. same as hyeongjun, so cute but also has so much potential. i want to protect him from any harm that may ever come his way

7. kim wooseok - pretty much the same thing as jinhyuk minus the jinwoo thing (actually .... that can still stand). so much confidence it makes me believe in him even though i really don’t know anything about him. i think he’s for sure gonna be in the final 11

8. hwang yunseong - he struggled a little bit but when he found his confidence ... he was On It. also so handsome. the only thing is i just wish he was a little more ... like ... positive? maybe? i feel like i haven’t gotten a lot of like ~~smiley happy vibes~~ from him so i think if he fixes his attitude a lil he would have it all

9. koo jungmo - he’s so handsome and the number 9 thing is actually a little strange lmao. i think he definitely has the potential and he looks like an idol already (his facial structure reminds me of sangyeon from the boyz) and i feel like i just need to see a little more from him. but i was for sure impressed with him going for the X choice in episode 6

10. lee hyeop - UMMMMM.....was not on my radar until episode 6 but he literally killed it. i was so impressed with him and i’m so glad he had the chance to show that. hopefully his ranking will go up because his vocals are incredible!!

11. lee midam - incredible singer. also gives me ... baekhyun vibes (in looks and in vocal talent) *hides* i think he deserves to be way higher than he is and hopefully the twit performance showed that off!! 

i realized that i gravitate towards the vocalists because i think i only have one primary rapper on here (jinhyuk)? but i think sihun can rap too. also it was a tossup between midam and nam dohyun (looks like a baby but doesn’t rap like one) for 11th place sooooooo...we’ll see what happens in episode 6 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

lmk if you agree with me!! i know i left out some of the most popular members (mingyu/yohan/wonjin/jinwoo etc) but i feel like i still need to see more from them before adding them here

#pdx101 #song yuvin #yun junghwan #kim sihun #lee jinhyuk #song hyeongjun #son dongpyo #kim wooseok #hwang yunseong #koo jungmo #lee hyeop #lee midam

[beihonglin]

22 Questions!! 

tagged by miss @chaozesgf and miss @tanqram ♡ 

1 - Name: vivi 2 - Nickname: also vivi jksadhflksjd  3 - Star Sign: taurus 4 - Gender: f 5 - Sexuality: ??? honestly not sure about labels anymore just Not Straight  6 - Favorite colour: spring up yellow & space violet aroha coming through  7 - Time Right Now: 1:02am 8 - Average Hours of Sleep: ranges from 2h to 16h depending on whether i need to wake up for something  9 - The last thing I googled: 邵夷贝 lyrics jdhfkjasd i swear i’m going into this is banana a tangram stan but i’m gonna come out a shao yibei stan i lov her 10 - Number of Blankets: one??? 11 - Favorite Fictional Character: marco alisdair from the night circus 12 - What are you wearing right now: sleep shirt, shorts  13 - Favourite Book: the night circus!!!!! but also the age of innocence 14 - Favourite Musician: jj lin!!!!!! hands down!!!!!!!!!  15 - Dream Job: fam at this point im not sure anymore but maybe something in advertising  16 - Number of followers: ~2k?  17 - When did you create your account: oof my main @/naiichas was in 2011, this one end 2017 before ip was supposed to start  18 - What do you post about: it used to be idol producer but now it’s just a cpop dumping ground + mostly tangram anyway!! 19 - What made you get an account: KDJHFKJASHD MY MAIN WAS CREATED FOR GLEE but this one because mare convinced me to watch idol producer and i’ve been stuck in this hole ever since  20 - When did your blog reach its peak: jdsfkh most of yall came around the last few eps / finale of ip  back when i was still posting translations for those kids i think kadjshfkj i didn’t follow qcyn closely + none of yall stan swin so it was probs around back then??  21 - Do you get asks on a daily basis: jdsahfkj no i’m too rude for that  22 - Why did you choose your url: love of my life, my angel, softest, sweetest boy in the entire world i have a lot of other canons hoarded (hmu if you want some) but i’m never changing it from this one rip i love him w my entire soul

tagging @thetakethecanyon @megan-oppa @jarpark @mr-linmo @linyanjunjun @manmubo !! 

#tagged #thank u nini and mirfie!!! #also no pressure to those tagged!

[insomniac-soup]

TXT: Thoughts on Bighit’s new group, the future of BTS (and Bighit)

March 4 was the day Bighit Entertainment, the entertainment company that manages the worldwide famous Kpop group BTS, released the MV for their new group. I watched the teasers, curious what this new group would bring to the table; after watching the MV, I think it’s worth reviewing what the future may hold, since there’s a lot going on. This post is quite niche in its content so feel free to keep scrolling if this ain’t your cup of coffee. This is a fairly opinionated and extensive take on the topic of the groups mentioned (and Kpop as a whole), so read at your discretion.

[I do not own any of the images, gifs, or videos used in my posts; these visuals are used only for entertainment.]

[Rant #1: Group Comparisons]

PREFACE: to those unfamiliar with Kpop, it’s a genre of music originating in South Korea, placing great focus on the aesthetics of group members, music videos, music shows, and dancing. It originated in the 90′s, drew inspiration from North American music, and evolved to becomes its own genre. Groups or soloists are managed by entertainment companies (as opposed to record labels), so many (but not all) lack autonomy and/or control over their music, general say in the group’s plans, wardrobe, etc. Some groups are more experimental than others, but the industry and genre is quite eye-catching and unique.

So I’ve been keeping up with BTS almost from the moment they debuted, and it’s been great seeing them grow as a group, produce great music (solo mixtapes from the rappers; absolute fire), and get the recognition they deserve. They’re all talented, unique, and have great personalities; that isn’t to say other groups don’t share these traits, but it’s no question that BTS is the most notable for such traits at moment (internationally speaking). The fans supporting them have sparked more debates as the fans increase in numbers, and it can really go either way depending on the fan you meet. Either way, I like BTS, and understand those who don’t. The reason I bring up BTS is because I can’t talk about TXT without mentioning BTS, as BTS is now TXT’s senior group. Now, onto TXT.

TXT, the short-form for Tomorrow X Together, is the new group consisting of 5 members (Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai), who just debuted with their EDM-esque EP The Dream Chapter: Star , with the title track ‘Crown’. My thoughts?

1: On the debut title track, I think it’s nice; I don’t think it’s revolutionary or an instant bop, but I do enjoy it. It’s perfect to walk to, the minimalist aesthetic is nice, and they all seem to have personalities. By that, I mean there’s energy from them. That seems pretty typical to expect from any Kpop group, and I’m sure other Kpop fans know that’s given. But there are many groups I’ve listened to whose tracks or debut tracks lacked a kind of ‘punch’. The simple and somewhat cute aesthetic of the MV may not have the actual punch, but I get the feeling the idols themselves are engaging. I appreciated that it was simple, because to be honest, if a debut track is too good, all succeeding tracks can seem underwhelming. With this track, as well as the other songs (Cat&Dog is really catchy not gonna lie), they can work their way up to more complex tracks. This is a quick edit, but after listening to the track a couple more times, it’s kinda catchy. Plus, the lyrics are actually nice, in that it’s not all that different from other songs describing someone’s love changing them for the better, but different because of the word choice.

2: about the group name, I think Bighit favours the acronym-style name, which I do like. This is just a random observation and less so a serious point. Everyone knows BTS are generally referred to just that name, but their other names, Bulletproof Boy Scouts, and their more recent meaning Beyond the Scene, have meaning. I think this can actually make TXT more memorable, because it’s more than just a name. BTS still refers to themselves in the abbreviated form of ‘Bangtan’ (recalling the group’s name in Korean) through songs like ‘Anpanman’, so it helps create an identity. Of course, they aren’t the only group to use acronyms (take AOA, or Ace of Angels), but I make a point of this because they’re not a group from the Big 3 (JYP, YG, SM). EXO and SNSD (although they do go by Girls Generation) are SM groups that both use acronyms (EXO more lucidly), but their name partly has that impact because they come from a notable entertainment company. In the same way that BTS made their name iconic, I can see this working as well for TXT (it also seems really wholesome). My personal interpretation is a theme of unification and obviously togetherness. For each new day, for the future that holds ‘tomorrow’, we can be together, and united in both senses. That might be a bit of a dive, but considering BTS’ naming had similar significance, it would be a nice, wholesome, message to project.

3: They have a really interesting motif with their Introduction Films and group concept, and the members are versatile (in a general sense of the word). Each member has a representative animal and flower associated with them, somewhat reminding me of the different songs sung by the vocalists of BTS (Euphoria, Serendipity, Singularity, and Epiphany). It also kind of reminded me of VIXX, another group that developed their niche as a concept group (meaning each album or EP has a particular theme and songs that match that theme; their latest album EAU DU VIXX has the perfume motif, which implies alluring and scent-related themes and lyrics). This motif, however, is really unique and engaging in its own right, aside from BTS or VIXX. The Introduction Films each dedicate short clips that showcase each member, and the general Intro Film shows them just having fun. Keep in mind that they’re all fairly young, the youngest member being born in 2002. The cute aesthetic may fool you into thinking they’re just another generic boy group (I was kind of tricked into that mentality at first), but like their senior group, this group is building a story with their representative animals and flower. The short story illustrating the boy with horns in their debut showcase was compelling and really interesting; many were quick to point out the wings motif tracing back to BTS’ 2016 album Wings. I see that as well, and I do hope that leads to a good relationship between the Bighit labelmates (I’ll go into detail on that). One of the members, Hueningkai, is the first mixed idol employed in the company (half-Korean, half-American with European and Brazilian ancestry). 2 other members are also good at English, which is really helpful in the market today; what’s helped Kpop groups connect with international audiences is bridging the language gap, so this also means TXT is a group people could understand more (and I wouldn’t say that everyone should speak English and their success is defined by that, but that is the reality in this market). As a brief side note, their dancing seems to be pretty good, which is clear in their dance practice video.

4: as a group on their own, they seem to have potential, but I worry about how they might be compared to BTS. I admit, I compared them at first, but having seen the MV with discarded preconceived notions, I can now say I appreciate TXT in their own right. I am excited to listen to more of their music and give them a chance like I would any other group, and like I mentioned before, they do seem interesting as personalities. I think the problem now is that because they are the brother group to BTS, they will likely seem underwhelming and lacking the ‘it’ quality. I think there are some comparisons worth making that aren’t inherently bad, as well as ones that can be problematic;

Take BTS’ debut MV ‘No More Dream’ compared to ‘Crown’. They are two very different collectives of personalities, and BTS is a lot more aggressive with their darker, b-boy aesthetic. TXT is bubbly and super cheery in comparison, but that’s not a bad thing. That means the groundwork is ultimately different.

As a continuation, TXT is at a different stage as a boy group than BTS when BTS debuted. Bighit was on the verge of bankruptcy, had some scandals (those do exist), and weren’t very rich. BTS’ success decided the survival of the company, but TXT isn’t a group that’s in jeopardy. The company isn’t make-or-break anymore, so considering the circumstances, it’s okay to compare them but not to a large extent. I think it’s okay to compare debut MVs, since that’s fairly harmless, as long as that’s being perceived without the idea that TXT needed to meet the standards of BTS’ debut (and let’s be honest, BTS didn’t have the most revolutionary, amazing tracks to start; some were okay, some are pretty notable for misheard lyrics, others potentially problematic, but they didn’t win awards with their debut songs).

TXT have less members than BTS, so that might have been a marketing strategy; 7 is fairly standard for the number of group members to have, but 5 allows audiences to know everyone faster ‘cause it’s still two less members.

If people can give BTS the benefit of the doubt, then TXT deserves the same courtesy if we are comparing the two. Like I said, BTS gradually progressed as a famous, best-selling group, so TXT should be compared only in the sense that they’re a new boy group under the same entertainment company.

Once I listened to the debut track ‘Crown’, the rapping style greatly differed from BTS’ rap line. They’re more in-tune with melodic rapping over RM, J-Hope, and Suga’s fast-paced, hard-hitting rapping style. Even in ‘No More Dream’ (Jungkook when he still rapped), they’re much more intense compared to TXT’s rappers. You can compare them, but it’s not fair to say anything along the lines of TXT’s rappers being less than compared to BTS’ rap line, since the styles are almost polar opposites.

What it also boils down to is the fact that TXT is debuting in 2019 and not 2013. 2019 can be marked as a new era for Kpop, especially with all that happened in 2018, and doesn’t border on 2nd generation like BTS did. You could say 2010’s onward is 2nd generation Kpop, while 2013/4 (give or take? I’m a little rough with my years when it comes to Kpop generations and haven’t found a concrete chronology so my interpretation here is mostly speculative) is 3rd generation. This is an unpopular opinion of sorts, but 2nd generation Kpop groups innovated in dance/music styles, and deserve credit for such, helping to usher in popular styles and concepts that comprised 3rd generation groups. BTS is no exception in pioneering and creating unique music styles (they aren’t the standard or exception, but definitely stood out when it counted with notable hype tracks like Dope or Fire and impressive choreographies), but I digress. The point is TXT has a lot to live up to, and not just in comparison to their brother group, but also debuted in an era where Kpop is becoming more widespread, more intriguing to newer audiences, and will be very public (considering the advent of social media).

I will discuss TXT more generally now, as I would like to mention what I think this means for the company and BTS.

1: Hopefully, Bighit will finally let BTS take breaks. We know BTS have toured many times and released music often, and it’s also obvious (with proof) that they’re overworked. They’re so professional, even when they are tired and exhausted (notably Jungkook), which shows how much they care about their fans. Granted, when the company needed revenue, that would be a little easier to judge, but Bighit is no longer in dire straits. Every member of the group is just as human as the next person, and they need to relax; RM himself has stated that they enjoy doing what they do, but still get exhausted. That’s just normal human behaviour. In ‘Burn the Stage’, you see more raw moments that normally happen off-camera, including arguments between members and moments of physical exhaustion. If we are to take these developments as they are and believe every word of it, then it’s fair to say they’re really tired. With that said, I hope TXT is managed well, promoted well, treated well, and given attention as the new group. It means TXT can be maintained and have presence in the industry’s foreground, while also allowing BTS to take time off. I say that without knowing all the technicalities about idol management, but my hope is TXT didn’t debut for no reason and BTS is overworked all the same. I know BTS is releasing a new album in April, which I am excited for, but do worry they just aren’t getting the rest they deserve.

2: BTS will remain popular as TXT breaks in, so I’m not concerned whether BTS will lose relevancy or not. With the hope that Bighit will let BTS get some rest from promotions and touring, I think BTS is comfortable where they stand. There is no doubt about their fame as I mentioned before, and maybe their name might help boost interest for people considering TXT’s music (having a company name that people know is fairly effective, and how I learned about groups like (g)-idle, who are labelmates of CLC, who were labelmates to the former group 4Minute and successor girl group). I mentioned how I was worried TXT would be compared too much to BTS, but I think there are still positives in that relationship. What I would love to see is whether BTS members mentor the new group, like RM or Suga helping with music producing and such (hearing RM’s demos shows how talented he is). A closeness between the two groups would be ideal, which brings me to my next point specifically on the company.

3: Bighit entertainment has a problem, and could potentially become a part of a greater one if it becomes a big entertainment company like the Big 3. This is where I diverge from solely talking about TXT and BTS to run down what this means for Bighit. As I’ve grown up with Kpop, I’ve learned about the good, the bad, the sad, and the ugly. I personally think having that kind of journey is both unique and the kind you need to experience organically; it’s okay to start off as a casual listener in the process of becoming a fan, but it’s still important to recognize at a certain point that the industry isn’t exactly perfect, or that groups can be good without validation or comparison. Some of my favourite groups are managed mostly by the Big 3, all three companies that have their own controversies and problematic programs. JYP overworks his best selling girl group (and best selling group for that matter) TWICE in the same way Bighit does to BTS, but that’s just one of the layers on this problem cake. I won’t go into the details of the scandal, but once upon a time Bighit had a girl group. After such scandals (one member a saesang, another an actual felon) happened, it became a thing of the past and something most people don’t know about. Bighit doesn’t take female trainees, and even in the time BTS trained, they couldn’t interact with the female trainees that were once there. The reason I point this out is because there is no female group in the company, Bighit cannot enter the league of the Big 3. All three have (or had) groups like SNSD, Red Velvet, f(x), Blackpink, 2NE1, Twice, Wonder Girls, the list goes on. The way these groups have and are being treated have its pros and cons, but nonetheless are being managed. This lack of female idols in Bighit is a huge gap in revenue; sure, they might have more money than c. 2012 Bighit, but one group cannot help a company become as influential as SM or JYP. To summarize, the first problem Bighit has is the fact that there are no female idols or groups, which chops down any potential influence in the industry and diversity in music (since girl groups are endorsed differently and allow for concepts that boy groups can’t necessarily try). TXT isn’t bad for being a boy group, but the reason I hope for a good relationship between BTS and TXT is because they will be allowed to interact (that sounds so dumb, why isn’t this a given). Not having a girl group lacks diversity in the sounds, and that could be to Bighit’s detriment.

Next, I wanted to go over what could happen to Bighit now that they have another group to manage. I’ll save a lot of these topics for future posts, but as I said, the Big 3 have had controversies over the years, and even smaller companies have had their problems. Considering the weight loss programs many companies enforce on their groups and general abuse of power (lawsuits from EXO’s former members Tao, Luhan, Kris related to overworking), as well as dating scandals (former CUBE artists Hyuna and E’dawn), being a big entertainment company also generally has connections to problematic incidents. What the concern here is is whether Bighit is inclined to do what other companies tend to do to their artists when they have multiple artists to juggle. Take PLEDIS entertainment as an example; they’re not among the Big 3, but they manage groups like SEVENTEEN, Pristin, the subunit Pristin V, and SF9. Pristin debuted in 2016, and haven’t had any comebacks since ‘We Like’ in 2017. They were given lots of dance practice teasers like Blackpink before they officially debuted as Pristin (some members came from Produce 101 and the one-year group I.O.I), but they’ve basically disappeared as a collective. SEVENTEEN, on the other hand, just had a comeback in January, garnering lots of sales, and continue to promote and write their own music. Granted, SEVENTEEN is slightly senior to Pristin, but it’s easy to see they’re being managed a lot better than their sister group. That’s the sad part, because SEVENTEEN members would even do dance practices with them, and the members of Pristin are quite talented. Problems like this are much easier to find in smaller entertainment companies, and Bighit, with the debut of TXT, are finally entering that ring. That means that they might continue to let their artists have autonomy (ex. RM and Suga), or end up potentially mistreating their idols. I am not saying they will, but only that the concern is now more warranted.

4: The success of TXT will ultimately determine what kind of company Bighit truly is. Here’s the thing. The quality of many entertainment companies are determined by the way they manage, promote, and support their idols. JYP is considered the best among the Big 3 because the idols seem to be close with their labelmates, they micromanage to almost program success, groups are unique in concepts and member diversity (DAY6 compared to GOT7, where both groups have strong English speakers, TWICE compared to older group Wonder Girls and newer group ITZY), etc., but that’s also up for debate. BTS has had a couple problems in terms of lyrics, outfits, comments made in interviews, but have addressed many if not all of these issues. What’s good is that both Bighit and RM will issue apology statements, which means we get both sides of the story and that there is at least a level of respect between the group and CEO. That alone doesn’t reveal enough about the CEO or company though. I’m not saying this to be hypercritical, nor believe everyone should think about this kind of thing when listening to music by a Kpop group; the point is, at least for me, knowing the state the idols are in, because often idols don’t get much control over what they do and could be overworked behind the scenes. They have to pay back the companies for the training and other privileges granted, and even those conditions may not be the best; well-known companies are more transparent nowadays because we see how everyone else is managed, but that’s not the case for BTS or Bighit.

If TXT succeeds in a similar fashion that BTS did, that may open up the playing field for Bighit. Maybe they’ll bring back female trainees, and possibly expand the number of groups they manage if revenue begins to come in steadily. The reason Bighit hasn’t been able to enter the stratum where the Big 3 sit is because they only had one avenue for revenue (BTS), until now. Bighit borders on young as an entertainment company (established in early 2000s), so the company not only lacks the number of years the other ones had to experiment (like SM), alongside the problem of no diversity as a company. To conclude, TXT’s promotions and journey as Bighit’s new group will determine whether Bighit is a problematic company or not, because we will now have another group to see being managed and promoted. We have the precedent of BTS, and I personally hope TXT isn’t mistreated.

Conclusion? This took way too long to write, but I think when I’m considering the prospect of TXT, I’ve considered what it means on grander scales too. The reason it’s worth noting TXT’s debut is for all reasons mentioned; what it means for Bighit, BTS, and TXT themselves. All in all, I’m going to listen to more of TXT’s music and see what the future holds for them, since I see potential in the group’s success and potential for them to be engaging as idols.

#TXT #review #rant #analysis #kpop #kpop industry #music #BTS #RM #Suga #J-hope #Jimin #Jin #Jungkook #V #discussion #thoughts #soobin #yeonjun #beomgyu #hueningkai #taehyun

[rqs902]

28 questions tag

rules: answer the following questions and then tag twenty people!

tagged by: @ziyanqyanq, @caixukunkun, @youchengcheng, @tanqram, @youzhangpang, and @princeruibin i love yall so much ❤❤❤ im sorry im so slow at doing these ;;;

nicknames: annie

zodiac sign: gemini

height: 168 cm

age: 21

time: 9:07pm

favorite bands/artists: I’ll just pick a few?? Idol Producer - Tangram/TRAINEE18, MR-X, Nine Percent, NEX7, 朱星杰, 錢正昊. kpop - seventeen, DAY6

song stuck in my head: ALIVE - Qian Zhenghao!!!! (it just came out, pls support, its a real bop!!) 

last movie i saw: Incredibles 2 (yesssssss)

last thing i googled: “how to cook zongzi” - okAY DONT LAUGH AT ME BUT i havent had one in sooo long and i saw them at the chinese grocery store today and i was like omg i want one!!!! but i didnt know how to cook it (my mom usually steams it in the rice cooker but the directions on the zongzi said to boil it in water or microwave??? I just boiled it in the end lol but also i specifically went out of my way to go to the chinese grocery store today to buy 芝麻糊 bc i ran out but i still love lu dinghao so im still gonna buy more??? I thought this would be a phase and it’d pass but im still very much in love??? 

other blogs:��nope! too lazy to have more than one lol

do i get asks: rather often! but i always wonder if its just the same anon or if its multiple.... pls feel free to just dm me instead bc itd be easier to talk that way! 

why i chose this username: uhhh nongnong snatched me from ep 1 and i havent been able to look back since??? idol producer changed my entire life but i wouldnt have started watching without nongnong so i am loyal to my precious child. Also “nongnong” is being used already lolool

following: 51 (lol i dont follow that many i guess??? but this is actually a huge increase for me, i used to only follow like 20 people LOL)

average amount of sleep: 7!! i try to get 7 a day 

lucky number: 17

what i’m wearing: tshirt and joggers

dream job: something where i’ll feel fulfilled and proud of what I do. 

dream trip: a trip to taiwan! also throughout southeast asia

favorite food: beef noodle soup, bubble tea

play any instruments: piano, used to play french horn and flute (last weekend i actually tried to play Mercury Records on the piano bc Dinghao!! one day ill learn Rock the Show too :))) 

play any sports: i used to dance

hair color: dark brown that fades into light brown bc im trying to grow my natural hair color back LOL but i actually really like my current hair :))) 

eye color: dark brown

most iconic song: 蔡旻佑 (Evan Yo) - 我可以

languages i speak/am learning: english, mandarin

favorite songs: my first instinct was to just go to my playlist and see what my most played songs are: 1. U&I - MR-X (231 plays - lol omg i didnt even realize ive listened to it so much but it was literally the first song that got released after ip so i played it on repeat for days, missing ip), 2. Rock the Show - TRAINEE18 (166 plays), 3. Don’t Wanna Cry - Seventeen (147 plays), 4. ZIGZAG - MR-X (147 plays), 5. Firewalking - Idol Producer (144 plays)

random fact: i am currently eating popcorn??? OH my friend who just started watching idol producer (shes on ep 2) says rn she likes mavericks, banana, gramarie, oaca and yuehua already???? and im like wowoowow you have more favs than i did when i first watched LOOL she liked a lot of them!! my other friend whos currently on like ep 6 likes yanjun, ziyi and xukun hahahhhahaha (im like wow how can you already pick out the winners ???)

describe yourself as aesthetic things: the sky at sunset, fireworks

i tag: @huangjstn, @bufanzi, @itsfanchengcheng, @zhengnongs, @idolprod, @ruibinbin

#friends #oops i didnt tag 20 HAHHA #thank you to everyone who tagged me!!! i love you all omg #i guess this proves firewalking is my fav ip song :D #also that i really like dinghao???? my friend who just finished watching ip was like 'why is your blog titled n0ngnong #your sidebar photo is dinghao and u post like 9999 pictures of dinghao?? this is like mislabeling' and i was like LOOOOL #it was mostly a lot of dinghao posts bc it was dinghaos birthday i swear!!! glances nervously at sidebar photo that has been there since may #im loyal to chen linong i promise

[crewcebr]

Do you know you.will.knovv?

Post by hiphople about you.will.knovv. [original]

Trans by Club Eskimo Brasil.

“Do you know Kimchi?”, “do you know Bulgogi?”, “do you know Psy?”, “do you know  Yuna Kim?” are embarrassing questions that Korean reporters make when they meet foreign celebrities. These days, they’re used as a satire ​of moments when is demonstrated  exaggerated nationalism. ​BTS, which accomplished great popularity in the Anglo-American  region, has become the most recent target of those questions. In this moment when, given the diplomatic matters, the country receives worldwide attention, the question becomes more relevant. So who will be the next protagonist of “do you know”? A variety of things, from food to characters, would be candidates; In the music scene, among the most popular at the moment, you.will.knovv could become this protagonist. They’ve been in full movement since the half of last year, but their true purpose has yet to be revealed. Members already presented to the public are DEAN,​Rad Museum, MISO, Jusén, chekparren, 2xxx!, RE:ONE, entfnun, aw__boy, REI, TABBER​. ​It’s possible that new members come about, being it  interesting for idols in which Club Eskimo has interest to show up as the next you.will.knovv       members. There is not much information, since many things are still in secret. So we’ll take  a look at what we have so far about you.will.knovv  

#1 ALBUM

There are only two albums in which the name You.Will.Knovv appears. One of them  is Rad Museum’s ‘Scene’, which brought a new impact on the R&B scene, and the other one  is producer 2xxx!’s first EP ‘life’. Firstly, let’s take a look Scene. As the title suggests, each  song recalls a different scene. Different genres were added to the point in time and vibe of a  scene. There is a variety of subgenres like a Lo-fi tone in “Dancing in the rain”, or Jazz Rap   in “Birthday”. He also presents a rebel side, like in “​ㅗ매드키드ㅗ” (Mad Kid), where a  Rock&Roll vibe is noticeable. The feeling of solitude and emptiness in offonoff’s “Homeless  Door” is just the tip of the iceberg. Rad Museum, with whom the words “Shining loneliness”  match well, is surely a rising star this year. Abiding the same format is the album “Life”, of  artist 2xxx!, who participated in producing most of Scene’s titles/songs as well as composing  a few songs together with Dean. This album is a compilation, like in a movie, of   conversations between the Club Eskimo members about their daily lives, particularly the ones participating in each song’s creative process. Making use of daily sounds such as a  doorknob, they create, in a natural way, ​sound results for both the songs and their   interludes. As these sounds are very​quotidian​, a message of living itself is conveyed.​In that   manner, different aspects and scenes of life are transmitted and many people can relate to it. Although it’s questionable whether the albums actually had any profound impact, both Rad Museum and 2xxx! showed themselves to be visibly trustworthy through them. 

#2 SYNERGY

The two pieces mentioned weren’t just results os the capacity of each artist. We’ve gone over this already, but most songs were created from collaborations between you.will.knovv members. They already worked together before revealing themselves as  you.will.knovv, and because of that you can feel a solid chemistry, synergy coming from  many of their songs. One of the most publicly acclaimed songs with the participation of  youwillknovv is “Instagram”, which took Dean to the top of the charts at the end of last year.   In the credits, a different name appears; “HighHopes” is a group that consists of MISO, checkparren and 2xxx!. The name also appears in DEAN’s “넘어와” (come over), Suran’s  "1+1=0” and various titles in the competition Show Me The Money 6. In Jusén’s case, in Scene, his participation had as much importance as that of 2xxx!. Of course since there aren’t many results of you.will.knovv as a whole, we can’t say much about its synergy. However, it is interesting to observe in their official and soundcloud releases what kind of   combinations have happened so far.

#3 ALL-ROUND 

The members of you.will.knovv are very versatile. Rad Museum acts not only in the musical aspect, but also contributes with visual art under the name “Campergraphic”. He directed Scene’s Teasers through live sessions made by himself. Miso was the first Korean  woman to be selected for RBMA (Red Bull Music Academy), as well as having appeared in   many Club Eskimo shows as a DJ. Chekparren is also one of the members who participate  as both producers and DJs. Meanwhile, with their keen and unique fashion senses, DEAN and aw__boi (who even attended, actually, in London Fashion Week) are presumably the  members in charge of style in the group. Once, there was a post on you.will.knovv’s instagram account about selling a work of art. At this rate, wouldn’t it be possible that, with  the passage of time, an image of a group that transcends music, reaching other arts as well,  establishes itself? 

#4 WORLDWIDE

You.will.knovv is not only in Korea, but in stages all over the world. As a               representative member, Dean was the first to achieve an international debut, releasing the single “I’m Not Sorry” simultaneously in the US and UK. Just like Eric Bellinger which  collaborated in the creation of this title, DEAN has collaborated with a diversity of  international artists including Mia J, Anderson Park, Syd and Esta. Although they chose the name Club Eskimo, the various performances done by MISO, 2xxx! and Saay did outside of Korea can’t be disconsidered. They performed in Canada, USA, Paris, Berlin and Bangkok  with an impressing number of attendance. They also performed under the name you.will.knovv in the dates of march 18th and april 28th in London, England, and Amsterdam, Holland. At this point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to refer to the tour as worldwide. At the same time they won over the scene on the internet, they also grew local  and nationally, crossing borders.

#5 NEW CONTENTS?

DEAN said in an interview that ‘Just like Soulection, I wanted a team that shared music through means like radio or soundcloud, which are different from the conventional way of the Korean industry’. Although no special activity has been manifested so far, as DEAN’s words indicate, we can expect interesting things for the future - even more so knowing that the members are individuals constantly searching for innovation. If the promises and expectations around you.will.knovv are fulfilled, it’ll be a matter of time until they gain a great                amount of worldwide attention. Maybe a day will come when you find yourself making the question “do you know you.will.knovv?”

#Dean #Rad Museum #2xxx #2xxx! #Jusen #Miso #Saay #Club Eskimo #you.will.knovv #Fanxy Child #Entrevista

[goldstarnation]

AUGUST 2020 GOLD STAR MEDIA SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn 3 points each (up to 6 points) for writing, by the end of September 7 KST:

A solo para of 400+ words based on their monthly schedule (does not count toward your monthly total).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) based on their monthly schedule.

Threads do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule for the month and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated throughout the month if new information needs to be added.

Reminder: July schedule posts are due by the end of August 7 KST. Please do not post schedule posts in the fmdschedule tag.

OVERALL COMPANY

Last month’s photo sessions for the base Culture Complex were a success and it seems like the project is off to a solid start, although some idols may be called back in for reshoots, especially for the 3D imaging, as necessary this month. All of the idols under BC, Dimensions, and Gold Star have been tasked with a new duty for the building this month: filming videos that will accompany some of the museum exhibits. The videos will be once again filmed in a studio, this time in front of a green screen, and the idols will be asked to talk about their feelings about important career events like their trainee days, debut, song releases, and major achievements. They will be given all of the subjects they are expected to talk about beforehand to rehearse their answers, and the director may request different wording or delivery of their answers as seen fit. (admin note: Muns have freedom about the specific topics muses are asked to talk about here within the guidelines given above, but any talk about scandalous or negative occurrences will be avoided.)

Important dates:

August 1-August 31: base Culture Complex museum intro videos filming (admin note: muses may encounter idols from other companies while there).

GOLD STAR SOLOIST 1

She continues to have rehearsals for her upcoming concert tour throughout the month, as well as meetings on things like the tour concept and any updates about the concerts management may have for her. Around mid-month, she’ll go in to have her fittings for her tour wardrobe to ensure all outfits are fit for moving on stage and to narrow down the selections to the final wardrobe set.

Important dates:

August 11: Love Poem tour outfit fittings.

GOLD STAR SOLOIST 2

At the end of the month, she’s returning to KCON, this time on the west coast of the US instead of the east in Los Angeles. She’ll be in the city from August 25 to August 30, with some extra time before the night she performs as Gold Star has set her and her team up to meet with some producers and potential business connections within Hollywood.

Important dates:

August 29: Performance at KCON LA (also performing: Dimensions Soloist 1, Dimensions Soloist 2, Dimensions Soloist 3, and 7ROPHY).

GOLD STAR SOLOIST 3

It’s the last full month before he releases his first English album and makes his comeback, so he’s tasked with fittings mid-month to prepare to shoot his album photos and teasers a week later. At the end of the month, he’s headed out of Seoul to Los Angeles to once again perform at KCON, this time on the west coast. The release date of his album will be announced by then, so he’s expected by Gold Star to promote it as much as he can during the event to let any new US fans he may gain know about it.

Important dates:

August 15: MV and teaser outfit fittings.

August 22: Album teaser photo shoot.

August 30: Performance at KCON LA (also performing: BC Soloist 1, Knight, Alien, and Lucid).

SILHOUETTE

Gold Star is very pleased with Silhouette’s comeback results. They got a weekly number one, earned themselves music show wins, and earned critical praise for both the concept of their comeback and the stage presence and talent it allowed them to show, returning to them some of the glory of their rookie days. A repackage in the form of a special edition album was up for debate a few months ago, but has easily been given the go ahead now and the members will record the additional song and single for the repackage this month. “Cleansing Cream” is a turn in concept from ‘Sixth Sense” as a vulnerable ballad, but Gold Star is putting trust in Silhouette as their most experienced group to pull it off.

Important dates:

August 3: End of music show promotions.

ARIA

Aria is dedicating all of their attention to Queendom this month. They’ll be covering their labelmate senior Silhouette’s latest release “Sixth Sense”, which is a big risk fresh off of the public seeing the original performers make the song a hit, and even with their maturing image over the years, the concept is far from what anyone expects from Aria. Full details of Queendom filming for this month can be found here.

Important dates:

August 24: Queendom episode three & four filming (cover song stage).

August 27: Episode one of Queendom airs.

ORIGIN

Origin makes their comeback with their single on August 14 and they’ll continue to promote the song up until a few days before the release of their album and a new single that will send them through the routine of music show promotions all over again. Origin will be in the US from August 22 to August 26 in order to do some promotions in Los Angeles, including a live radio interview with an audience and content for an appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden, including filming for a Carpool Karaoke video that will be released during “On” promotions next month.

Important dates:

August 7: Release of “Shadow” comeback trailer.

August 14: Release of “Black Swan”, music show promotions continue through September 14.

August 24: iHeartRadio Live Interview in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

August 25: Carpool Karaoke filming in Los Angeles, CA, USA (to air in September).

August 25: Performance and appearance [2] on The Late Late Show with James Corden in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

IMPULSE

August is spent promoting their latest comeback with music show appearances and fan signs, along with an appearance on Weekly Idol. As expected from a group whose fanbase has only grown since debut, their album outsells their last, which is enough to make Gold Star happy, even if they fall victim to the less impressive digital performance of most boy groups.

Important dates:

August 1: Fan sign in Jongno, Seoul.

August 2: Fan sign in Gangnam, Seoul.

August 9: Fan sign in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.

August 12: Filming of Weekly Idol appearance (to air August 19).

August 16: Fan sign in Songpa, Seoul.

August 17: Fan sign in Gangnam, Seoul.

August 24: Fan sign in Gangnam, Seoul.

August 27: End of music show promotions.

        ↳ PULS2

The leader and the maknae are called into a meeting with management on August 3 and are told they’ve been officially confirmed as Impulse’s first sub-unit, which will promote under the name PULS2 (’pulse’, with the S2 stylized as a heart in their logo). It’s possible it doesn’t come as much of a surprise from all of the whispers around Gold Star for the past several months, and the fact both members have been suggested in particular to work on songs together with Gold Star’s producers in the past few months if they wanted to, but the official announcement means they get to know the final track list decided for the album and will get to recording the final vocals for all of the tracks this month.

Important dates: 

August 3: Meeting with management.

FUSE

Gold Star doesn’t arrange anything to officially celebrate Fuse’s anniversary, but it passes with plenty of fanfare from the fans nonetheless. Leading up to the end of the month, the girls are kept busy with rehearsals for their comeback and for two festival performances they’re booked to perform at in the days leading up to their comeback. They make their comeback on the 31st and earn praise for their release this time around, as it seems to be favored by the broader public over “Zimzalabim” and “Umpah Umpah”.

Important dates:

August 25: Performance at Korea Times Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA, USA (also performing: Decipher, Gal.actic, and Unity).

August 29: Performance at Incheon Airport Sky Festival (also performing: BC Soloist 1).

August 31: Release of “Psycho” & The Fuse Festival Finale album, music show promotions continue through September 30.

ELEMENT

After passing their third anniversary, this month, the members of Element are granted a gift in the form of their first official extended vacation since debut from August 2 to August 15. During this time, the members will be freed from any group schedules (any solo schedules will still need to be attended) and they will be permitted to travel abroad if they wish as long as they are accompanied by a manager.

Important dates:

N/A

FEMME FATALE

Their Japanese album releases this month, but with a break in their touring schedule, the Femme Fatale members are thrown into rehearsals and other preparations for a different stage: their first ever fan meeting that they’ll be holding in October. They’ll be performing all of the songs off of their EP as well as “Whistle” and ‘As If It’s Your Last”. Each member will also either be assigned a solo or duo stage as follows

Main rapper/lead vocal: Best Part

Main vocal/lead dancer & maknae/main dancer/lead rapper: “L.O.V.E”

Lead vocal: “Stay”

Important dates:

August 19: Release of Kill This Love -JP Ver.-.

#fmdschedule #queued post

[songofme]

A Non confusing guide to BTS!

@musuak​ @iamwhatyousay​ 

Kim Namjoon (Rap Monster)

Leader of BTS.

KIM DAILY

aesthetic AF

responsible for a lot of BTS’s sound

Nicknamed the God of Destruction because he is very clumsy and breaks things unintentionally. This sadly includes himself as well ;(

Has a IQ of 148! Ranked the top 1.3% in the whole country for grades.

Gives good life advice, writes beautiful posts on the fan cafe

Dimples for days!

a Soft nerd

Owns a somewhat alarming number of stuffed animals (Mainly Ryan and Brown)

Has the least amount of fans :(

Considered ugly ;-; by korean society&somefans BUT THEY ARE WRONG THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED

Has had some problematic moments, but is always trying to improve himself (it has been 2 yrs since our last incident :D )

Key Notes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 , 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Min Yoongi (Suga)

Rapper

AGUST D (TURN ON THE CAPTIONS!!)

Does a lot of writing & producing for BTS

Workaholic 

a true tsundere

Softy, but won’t admit it

a grandpa who just wants to sleep

quick to roast people

Always cheats & denies it during variety show games

released a bomb ass solo mix tape that was really honest about a lot of stuff that people are usually scared to talk about such as his battle with depression, suicidal thoughts, and going to therapy

in love with his dog Holly

#1 J-Hope fan

Has had every hair color known to man

is a dangerous man who must be sued

Key Notes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 , 8, 9, 10 , 11, 12

Park Jimin

possibly a angel?

Great dancer and performer 

Probably has a praise kink

but also has low self esteem :( about his appearance and talent ;-;

shy

hard working

He was born in Busan first!

so caring & considerate 

ready to spill the tea at any moment

charming

Serendipity

Lie

Key Notes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Kim Seokjin (Jin)

Oldest

Responsible, but also really silly

Always making dad jokes

Already a ahjussi

Very handsome. Car Door Guy. Third guy from the left. Worldwide Handsome

Always blowing kisses

Always bickering with the youngest Jungkook

A foodie. Has a Vlive show called EatJin

Husband material tbh

Awake

Laughs through the pain lol

Underappreciated, but with this new comeback he has been getting some shine

#1 Army

Variety Star

I need to get on his confident level

Key Notes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10

Jeon Jungkook

The baby! Maknae on Top

Talented at everything without really trying

the golden maknae

Fearless

Muscle bunny

Jungshook

Bullies his hyungs esp Jimin & Jin. A lovable brat.

a walking meme

Introverted but coming out of his shell

Basically raised by BTS since he was 14/15

anime & overwatch nerd

professional bowler lol

hates being called Oppa

a low key namjoon fanboy

Bad expressing at his feelings but truly loves his bros

A LOVEABLE BUNNY BRAT

Key Notes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9, 10, 

Jung Hoseok (J-Hope)

SUNSHINE

A FLOWER

energizer

Moodmaker

A brilliant performer

Lead dancer

Loud

Low key shady

easily scared

Considered ugly ;-; by korean society&somefans They don’t know what they’re talking about!

currently working on his MIX TAPE, it’s gonna be fire!!!!

Mama 

underappreciated ;-;

tries to always be bubbly and positive for BTS & Army even when he himself is not feeling bubbly and positive

Key Notes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10

Kim Taehyung (V)

A free spirit 

a art hoe. he’s shy about it

a rebel

supportive 

always trying to learn & explore

a fashionista 

EXTROVERT

Social Butterfly

Well loved but underappreciated for his talent. He’s more than a pretty face yall!

Key Notes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

MUST WATCH VIDEOS

House of Army

BTS 2015 HYYH 화양연화 

Weekly Idol 1, 2

Festa 2016, 2017

2017 Home Party

BTS First Daesang

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

2017 Comeback show

Japan Fanmeeting 2017

BTS Elevator Prank

BTS RUN EP 11, 12, 19, 20, 23, 24

YangNam Show

People Interview

Bon Voyage

Rookie King

More Links