A small report meeting was being held in the president's office of YG's top executives. President Yang Hyun Suk was carefully listening to the various preparations made by his departments for Big Bang's comeback.
After 2ne1's incident, YG ran into some problems. Winner, a new boy group that quit last year, had a very good and impressive debut. However, for some unknown reasons, YG not only did not let Winner continue to release songs while the iron was hot to stabilize their popularity, but instead
Apart from a few fan meetings and small tours, there are no plans for their comeback throughout this year.
Another new boy group is preparing for its debut, and the company's revenue now has to rely on Big Bang, which has been around for almost ten years, to support it.
After debuting for a long time, seniority and seniority will naturally increase, but this is not only a good thing, the five members of Big Bang have completely changed compared to their former selves after debuting for such a long time, because of their personal maturity and the expansion of their network.
, now the group has not only become very difficult to manage, but often needs the company to clean up some of their scandals, and what's more, their thoughts are no longer on idol's career.
However, YG has no choice. Of course, the pillars cannot fall. Especially at this time, both YG and SM have been set up to some extent. The two top boy groups, the old and the new, no matter who will face them this time.
Losing face in a battle and losing face are actually trivial matters, not to mention that the resources invested previously were wasted. The series of chain reactions will really seriously affect the image and status of the group and the company's huge income.
In addition, YG was very confident about BigBang's comeback in May, but was unable to compete with EXO, which made Yang Hyun Suk very disappointed. Now that more resources have been invested, it is even more difficult for the final battle in June.
Determined to win.
"In addition to the TV station, we have invested a lot of resources in publicity, including music advertisements on video websites and homepage promotions on audio source websites. After the official release of the audio source and MV, a large number of relevant press releases from the media will also be published.
hair……"
“We have also notified and organized several large fanclubs in BigBang to carry out planned rankings...”
"At the same time, we have also done a lot of pre-heating in Xia Guo. The large-scale promotion of Penguin Music's homepage has begun to take effect. We also purchased several mainstream social media platforms' homepage hot searches for three consecutive days through our cooperative companies. After three days, there will be more
Hot searches for terms and categories for a consecutive week will be ranked at the top of the rankings and in the most conspicuous position."
"A large amount of resources have been invested in all aspects accordingly, and we are fully prepared."
A director of the publicity department stood up, took the information in his hand, and began to report very familiarly. His words were clear and the regulations were clear, making him look like a company elite.
"Well..." Yang Xianshuo didn't look too happy. He wore a black baseball cap and nodded your head gently: "Where is the market feedback?"
"The popularity this time is very high. Discussions, searches, entries and other related data are even higher than the previous comeback in May. It has been at the forefront of the entertainment section's hot searches for a week. According to our statistics and analysis
, because the great success of "M" has increased the enthusiasm of fans and passers-by, and more than 89% of the listeners who received statistics expressed that they have more expectations for this time's "A"."
"However, after increasing investment, there has been no significant growth in pre-sales but a slight decline. As of today, the 29th, it has reached 60,000, and it is expected to reach 70,000 before the official release."
"According to the usual practice in the United States, the continuous release of singles will cause a certain amount of fatigue among listeners. Under normal circumstances, the first album will usually have the highest sales, and then decline successively, so according to the analysis of the marketing department, this is a normal data decline. At the same time,
Also because single albums contain too few songs and are poorly configured, they are not favored by the people. Local people still prefer to buy regular albums that are well-produced and contain more songs."
"In addition, Xia Guo's promotion has also been very effective. On Penguin Music, more than one million people pre-ordered the new song "A" in just one day."
"..." Yang Xianshuo also had the same document in front of him. He listened and read it at the same time. After the room chief's voice fell, he thought silently for a while before speaking again: "Where's it over there?"
He didn't mention his name, but several people in the office knew he was talking about SM and EXO.
"Although there is no accurate data, according to the corresponding feedback, SM, like us, has invested a lot of effort and corresponding resources in various aspects. At the same time, because of the huge size of EXO's fan base, it is not inferior to us in terms of popularity."
"Where's the data?"
"As of today, pre-orders for EXO's fourth single album "L" have reached 590,000, which has exceeded the final figures of the previous two "X" and "O" and is expected to be on par with the first release of "E"...
…”
"That is to say, their four single albums combined have sold more than two million copies?" Hearing this number, Yang Xianshuo directly interrupted the report. The wrinkles on his face under the brim of his hat trembled and he frowned.
, with an expression of surprise and surprise.
"Inside..." The room manager responded first, then turned the page of the information in his hand. After hesitating for a moment, his voice became lower: "Including this pre-sale of "L", the current accurate number is 224
Ten thousand."
"Hey, Yixiba, these idiot fans are crazy, are they giving up their lives just to buy a special life? Is the total sales of physical albums in 2015 worth 7 million..."
He tapped the table with his fingers a few times, and Yang Xianshuo looked very unhappy.
They are obviously just a few young idols with no characteristics, their music style is also very ordinary, and they have no personal personality at all under the management of the company. They are idols that can be produced like an assembly line.
It's just that they may be a little more handsome, and some of the members are quite talented. How can fans support it like this? It feels like it is not affected by the market at all. Every time Xiba's sales figures are different from others.
In terms of painting style, even the popularity among passers-by has begun to improve a lot now.
It must have been mixed up by SM themselves...
After spending dozens of seconds suppressing the irritable emotions in his heart, Yang Xianshuo raised his chin and motioned for the other party to continue.
"SM has also carried out relevant layout and promotion. Although the EXO-M team is no longer active, due to its deep involvement in the mainland market for many years, the number of returns in these few returns has shown an increasing trend. At the same time, in the digital singles of Penguin Music
Advance pre-orders for the song have also reached 940,000."
"The popularity, discussion and audience on both sides are currently the same, so in the final analysis it still depends on the quality of the music. We have already obtained EXO's album in advance through the store where it is distributed, and have already listened to the main song
The original song and its analysis.”
"This time EXO's title song is still a relatively ordinary dance music model, but the music style has undergone some changes. In addition, the lyrics contain some interactions and thanks to fans. We feel that the acceptance of the MV by ordinary passers-by will not be very high.
The filming location is also relatively simple, and overall there is still a certain gap between it and "bangbangbang"."
"Is this so?"
Yang Hyun Suk still believes in the elites of his company. This time, YG itself is very confident in BigBang's "A", and it was even more reassuring to hear what the other party said.
"Let's continue to prepare accordingly. At least the popularity in the first week must be maintained at the highest level, and the sales...forget it, the sound source must give full play to our advantages. If we don't get the first place, we will fail."
After discussing other aspects of things, Yang Xianshuo finally made a summary. Finally, he remembered something:
“Bring EXO’s new album over later and let me listen to it.”
"yes!"
…
After the two groups released their respective trailers, the company and the fans started a turbulent battle. In a short time, it was back to the time at the end of April and the beginning of May. Various forums were full of news about the two boy groups.
There are endless discussion posts, analysis posts, and language posts, and there are even performance report posts that have been completed.
After the first competition and the company's increased investment, this time the momentum and popularity were obviously much higher than before. Some passers-by who didn't know the situation only felt like Kpop after visiting several forums.
At that time, only two boy groups, EXO and BigBang, were left.
Although they have not officially returned yet, the popularity and discussion space of several other groups that returned at the same time have been squeezed out by most of the time. Even once-popular groups such as Shinee and Kara, which were in their hot singing period not long after they released their songs.
It is no exception. The eyes of passers-by are attracted by the boss and the second child. They have to wait for their turn before they can take their turn. Even some fans of these groups are already a little weak-minded.
Two days passed by in a flash, and on the afternoon of the 29th, we were in the MC lounge backstage at KBS's "Music Bank."
"What are you looking at?"
Chi Jingyuan, who had just woken up after taking a rest and was in a daze for a while, came back to his senses, only to find that Pei Zhuxuan, who was sitting next to him, had been looking at him with a pair of eyes. His eyes seemed to be looking at his hair. He rubbed
He rubbed his slightly red eyes, turned his head and asked.
Although the momentum and popularity have been built up, and the company and members also attach great importance to this return, EXO still has important concert schedules to arrange before June comes. After the second version of the trailer was released on the 28th, the EXO team
I took a plane and rushed to the Magic City of Xia Kingdom, where I participated in several interviews and performed in advance.
Due to his personal schedule, Chi Kyung-won flew back to Seoul alone with his manager after flying to Shanghai for a day. After participating in the promotion of the two brands, he went to KBS to record "Music Bank".
After finishing the recording today, he has to fly to Magic City overnight. The teacher said that flying back and forth as a trapeze artist is really tiring, especially for someone like him who is afraid of heights. Fortunately, the flight distance between the two places is only a short distance.
After more than two hours, he was able to breathe a little.
Chi Jingyuan just finished reading the script and took a nap for a while. He just woke up not long ago.
"I was wondering what you would look like up close when you dyed your hair blue." Pei Zhuxuan blinked and looked at him with a smile in her eyes, looking very interested.
She had obviously watched the trailer of "Boy with Luv", and her eyes at this time expressed her extremely strong interest in the blue-haired Chi Jingyuan who compiled the MV.
"Oh, it's okay, that's it."
"Give……"
Chi Jingyuan exhaled after hearing this, and while speaking, he sat up from the sofa and took off the sleep mask that was still hanging around his neck. Pei Zhuxuan just took it out of the bag and put it on him personally and handed it back to him.
she.
It is a style with light white and pink lace, and it looks very feminine. The soft eye mask is lifted up, and when it rubs across the bridge of the nose, a fresh and sultry fragrance quietly surges up, even after a few seconds.
There is still an aftertaste lingering around.
"Is it just okay? I feel like you don't like the look of this hair color very much." He took the eye mask, folded it and put it into the bag next to him. At the same time, Pei Zhuxuan took the time to glance at him curiously: "There are so many of you on the Internet now.
Fans are discussing XO’s trailer and comeback. Especially the last shot of you looking back in the second trailer is extremely popular. There are even fewer people scolding me..."
Obviously she is very dissatisfied with Ai Li, and even in private chats, she would quarrel with her from time to time.
"I think it's just average..."
Chi Jingyuan was also a little puzzled that fans were so excited about this hair color. He felt that it was far less beautiful than the smoky gray last time.
"By the way, do you want to listen to it first? I have the audio source on my phone." As he said that, Chi Jingyuan picked up the phone next to him and shook it.
"Um... don't!"
Bae Zhuhyun thought about it briefly and then flatly refused: "It would be more interesting to wait until then and watch the MV by myself."
"Okay." Seeing how interested she was, Chi Jingyuan chuckled, waved his hand and said casually.
"However, I think your blue-haired scene in the trailer is really handsome."
As he said that, Pei Zhuxun glanced up again, with a little sparkle in his eyes, and looked at him generously with a smile.
"That shot is not finished, there is still a little bit behind it."
"What...don't tell me I'll go and watch it myself...but do you want to dye your hair blue the next time you record a show?"
"It's so troublesome, dreaming!"
"Dye it..."
She is obviously a senior sister born in 1991, but she insists on pretending to be a little girl to act coquettishly. While gently shaking Chi Jingyuan's arm with her hand, she blinks at her with a pair of big eyes.
she.
Huh~~
…………
The mainland premiere of EXO's second tour was also held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai on the 30th and 31st. Nearly 30,000 spectators attended the two concerts as scheduled, completely heating up the atmosphere of the entire venue.
The explosive atmosphere created by the fans when they lost to Seoul Station.
This is the first time EXO has held a concert in mainland China since all members of the national line withdrew last summer. Due to the turmoil during that period, the fan groups were divided and hated each other, and Team M stopped activities, etc., SM and the co-organizers were not sure about the current situation.
EXO is a little worried about its popularity here, fearing that the venue is too big and the tickets won’t be sold.
Therefore, the two performances in this magical city did not open the entire area, and only more than 14,000 seats were opened for the full capacity of 18,000 people.
But what makes the company overjoyed and a little regretful is that their worries are completely unnecessary. Ai Li in the mainland is not like those on the peninsula. Although there are many things like supporting people and rankings, the opportunity to see their idols is not
A lot less. Fans here can only see the news about Chi Jingyuan and the others online, and they are already a little bit disappointed.
As soon as the ticket window opened, it was sold out in less than a second. Some people were just stuck for a moment and lost the opportunity to grab tickets.
Some of the seats in the front row were sold to more than ten or twenty times the previous price by scalpers who didn't know where they got the tickets. However, there were still many fans who happily took over.
It can only be said to be true love.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that there were many celebrity artists present at these two performances, and some came to the backstage to take photos with EXO through connections.
In the past two years, Kpop has become very popular in the mainland. The Korean wave of film and television dramas has also swept across Southeast Asia, causing many people in the mainland, and even celebrities, to pursue Kpop stars very much.
Of course, the top ones are the ones who are sought after, and no one cares about the bad ones.
The most popular among them are BigBang and EXO. In the past few years, BigBang has attracted a large number of celebrity fans in the mainland with its extremely unique music style and GD's unusual fashion outfits. In the past two years, EXO has suddenly emerged and is extremely popular.
The high exposure brought by their huge number of fans has also caught up with them. In addition, Chi Jingyuan relied on "The Heirs" and various parties and endorsements to gain recognition, so they also gained many artist fans, including
Just like GD for BigBang, Ji Kyung-won is the most popular among EXO.
Among them, there is a baby artist from Hong Kong Island who is the most enthusiastic. She once revealed on the show that she is a loyal fan of Chi Jingyuan. She has supported EXO on her scarf more than once and also bought album photos and autographs on the po. This concert also
I came to the backstage through the organizer and happily took a photo with Chi Jingyuan and others.
In fact, some people don't really like Kpop that much. It's just because there are many people who like it and it's more popular. They say this specifically to create a personality and show off their style. Not only can they win the favor of those fans, but they can also gain popularity by the way.
But regardless of whether he was a true fan or not, Chi Jingyuan certainly expressed his sincere thanks and flattered him for being so favored.
The concert was held for two consecutive days, and even though the MV and sound source were released at midnight, EXO still performed in Shanghai on the 31st. Fortunately, there were no singing shows or important events in the first few days of June.
Their first stage will not be until the "M! countdown" on the 4th, so there is no rush. As long as they go back to promote and record some shows before the 2nd, it will be OK.
While Chi Jingyuan and EXO were extremely busy preparing for their concerts and return to the stage, other acquaintances and familiar people couldn't help but start discussing in private because of the trend and high popularity online.
"Who do you think will win?"
In the practice room of one of the "sixteen" groups on the third floor of JYP, Park Jihyo asked the two GOT7 members JB and Bambam who came to visit with interest.
The members of "Sixteen" have been a little more relaxed recently than before, because considering the feedback after the show was broadcast and the popularity of each trainee are very important to the design of the scenes and the editing and deletion of the scenes, the program team
It’s already been said that the progress of filming has slowed down a lot. Before, they would shoot one episode a week, including preparation and practice time. Now it’s been so long, and they still haven’t filmed the next episode. They are busy with various classes and exercises every day.
Enhance your own time.
In the afternoon, just after practicing and sitting there to rest, JB and Bambam came over to visit each other. This kind of walking is quite common. Many people in Got7 and "Sixteen" were very familiar with each other when they were trainees.
We have collaborated many times during our time, not to mention that now that we have become seniors who have made their debut, many people would be very willing to maintain the relationship and keep in touch.
Park Ji-hyo and Lin Na-yeon were the most familiar with them, so they started laughing and chatting at the door. Zhou Ziyu, because they were not familiar with each other, said hello and sat there with her ears perked up to listen.
After a few people casually chatted about their current situation, they naturally discussed the hot topics in the music industry recently. The hottest topic in the past two days was naturally the upcoming comeback of EXO and Big Bang, which was everywhere online and privately.
When it came to publicity and discussion, the girls immediately became interested, and Park Jihyo asked directly.
After all, they are still trainees. Even though they are considered insiders, they are still ignorant about many things. I think they should know a lot of things if they have more contact with debutants like Bambam.
But compared to the curiosity and enthusiasm of the girls, the two male idols seemed a little absent-minded when talking about this topic. They didn't seem to have much interest, and they didn't pay any attention to who lost and who won among the two boy groups.
They are not women, they are interested in male idols. They are of the same sex, and they are also in a male idol group. Seeing their popularity so explosive, and the overwhelming discussion, they are miserable on their side. Since their debut, they have not been shy or popular.
It’s been more than half a year since I returned, so it’s strange that I can calm down under such comparison.
Just facing a few beautiful girls who looked at them expectantly, the two of them still had to hold on even if they felt a little unhappy.
"I think it should be Big Bang. They have too many casual listeners and their sound source is great. You will know after your debut that the sound source is really important..." JB thought for a moment and expressed his judgment.
"But XO's sound source is also very good. Whether it's "Call Me Baby", "Spring Day" or "Orientation Sniper", the sound source results are all excellent." Yu Dingyan retorted slightly, and then looked at it like a conditioned reflex
Lin Nalian came over and smiled coquettishly.
"EXO... is okay, but compared to Big Bang, it's still a bit inferior. Their words rely more on their fans. Their fans are really too many, and they are crazy enough."
"I haven't had much contact with BigBang...but I don't like EXO very much." At this point, bambam interjected.
"Why?" Several girls looked over immediately. They asked about gossip and insider information from bambam's tone. This kind of thing is the most interesting.
"Because of Jealousy"
"I feel a bit too arrogant. Sometimes when we greet each other backstage, we just nod casually. After all, my popularity is too high..."
Of course, it was impossible for him to tell the truest thoughts in his heart. He curled his lips and glanced at Lin Nayuan on the left. He immediately acted like a debutante and casually told something about a meeting with EXO backstage. Finally,
He also added a special sentence: "Especially maknae Yuan, he is the most popular in EXO, and he is also the most disgusting... I remember going to their lounge to say hello several times, and he was leaning on the sofa playing game consoles.
Ignorance is like not even looking at you..."
"Although he looks so bright every time he smiles, he is actually a businessman. Many relatives told me that he is quite difficult to get in touch with in private... And I see that every time he smiles, he seems to have something else in mind, so I give him
It feels like they look down on you completely."
"Ah, jinjia?" Saka Minatozaki didn't say anything but just listened, while Yu Jeongyeon and Park Jihyo exclaimed with interest, and started asking questions in a flurry of questions whether they believed it or not.
But Lin Nalian's eyes lit up, she blinked and immediately agreed: "Wow, do you think so too?"
"..."
Regardless of whether it is true or false, this kind of private matter in the circle can arouse people's interest, and the discussion suddenly becomes lively.
Zhou Ziyu, who had been sitting next to him, quietly glanced at bambam sideways when he heard what he said, and then quickly turned back to look at the floor in front of him, with the corners of his mouth slightly curled up at the same time.
Tsk, don’t I know who Chi Jingyuan is?
She was a little unhappy and scratched the ground with her hands a few times, as if this could seal the mouth of the noisy male idol.
Suddenly, she remembered a topic about appearance and jealousy that she had casually talked about when she was chatting with Chi Jingyuan. She remembered what Chi Jingyuan said at that time:
"Especially in the industry, many male and female artists have the greatest hostility towards those of the same sex who are good-looking and outstanding, especially those who are more popular than them. This is because envy, jealousy and hatred are at work, and those who are not as good-looking and popular as themselves are
Having the greatest tolerance is just to improve yourself and at the same time join the group to keep warm."
"how do you know?"
"Because I am very tolerant to you..."
"You...are annoying."
Thinking of the casual chat, Zhou Ziyu couldn't help but blink, raised his head and glanced at the bambam who was still arranging Chi Jingyuan and EXO, and saw that his face was probably full of makeup because he was here to visit, and
Her bangs, which covered most of her forehead and most of her eyes, and swayed deliberately from time to time, hummed in her heart, lowered her head and laughed.
…
At around 11 o'clock in the evening, a few girls who had just returned to the dormitory and lined up to wash up sat on the sofa with some anticipation, took out their mobile phones with their legs crossed, and made dots on it.