Because Kpop’s local market is small and its revenue is relatively low, basically any group with a name and popularity will try to develop overseas markets, and both Peninsula officials and fans are very supportive of this behavior.
With the deepening of development in surrounding areas in recent years, Southeast Asia has become an important part of Kpop's overseas market. If a popular group holds a concert or other activities, there will be enough venues and shares here.
Moreover, fans here are very receptive to Kpop, and they are also very crazy and supportive. However, due to postage and channel-related reasons, fans here do not like to buy albums, and their contribution to album sales is very small.
But they have an unusually persistent interest in things like "brushing data", especially when it has slowly become one of the indicators that combine overseas popularity and performance, and they are even more obsessed with "YouTube clicks".
, is an important part of the clicks of many MVs that are getting higher and higher, and can be called a 'big brusher'.
EXO has never stopped activities in Southeast Asia since their debut. Basically every time they come back, they come here to participate in some variety shows and programs for promotion. Last year’s first tour and this year’s second tour were also held here or are expected to hold many shows. For
The market here cannot be said to be ignored.
Their efforts are also fruitful. The market here is very well managed by SM. The popularity and visibility of the entire group XO is very high. It is considered to be one of the most popular and well-known groups in Kpop here in the past two years. And with this year’s
After making great strides forward with continuous returns, they have completely become a top-level combination, and have begun to distance themselves significantly from the groups behind them.
The popularity rankings among the members are similar to those in Southeast Asia such as Thailand. Among all the members, Chi Jingyuan is still at the TOP level here, with a stable popularity ranking first.
But what’s interesting is that here he is not as dominant in the team as in other markets. Others can only see the tail lights, because Wu Shixun’s popularity in Southeast Asia is unusually high. When it comes to the company,
According to statistical data, although his popularity in all aspects is much lower than that of Chi Jingyuan, it has formed a gap with the third member, which is unmatched by others.
Maybe his face really appeals to Southeast Asian girls.
After the two TOP lines, there are Byeon Baekhyun and Kim Jongin. All the popular local members, such as Park Chanyeol, seem to be quite inferior here.
It can be seen that Southeast Asian fans still have their own standards in terms of aesthetics and preferences, and the popularity of many members has undergone considerable changes here.
Moreover, fans here have unusual support for idols from their own country. They will place a high status on idols from their own country who can successfully debut on the peninsula and achieve some success, and at the same time, they can love their families and their families.
The popularity of the entire group will also skyrocket.
For example, GOT7, the boy group launched by JYP last year, has achieved very average development in the peninsula. Neon's debut did not make much splash. After returning several times in a row, it is still not popular. So far, it has not won a single song, so it cannot be called a group.
What a popular group.
However, because of the presence of Thai member Bambam in the team, their popularity here, which was barely able to compete in the second tier of the peninsula, is exaggerated, much higher than that of the peninsula itself. Among them, bambam has directly become a big star here, in many places.
Everyone can see his billboards, and other members of the same group also have a lot of fans.
It can be said that he has taken advantage of the nationality dividend.
And it seems that they have seen this situation. I heard that some economic companies in the peninsula have also increased the number of trainees in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Correspondingly, the number of people who can debut has also increased.
It's a pity that there are no members from Southeast Asian nationalities in the EXO team. Otherwise, with their popularity and basic base, the popularity of the entire group could be even higher.
In the final analysis, they are still positioned as a men's team from China and South Korea, and they have indeed reaped a lot of dividends from this setting before.
Unfortunately……
The plane landed on the 19th, and the two-day concert on the 20th and 21st was held at the IMPACT Arena of the International Convention and Exhibition Center. The 30,000 spectators in the two days and the large number of fans who stayed outside the venue because they did not buy tickets proved EXO's popularity and commercial value.
.
The number of venues and open seats during the second tour was actually significantly larger than during the first tour. All the venues were full with about 15,000 people. Unfortunately, they still couldn't keep up with the group's popularity.
From the beginning until now, every performance has been exposed with news such as "there are too few seats and fans are dissatisfied", "tickets are sold out in a second and cannot be obtained at all", and "scalpers are arrogantly raising shocking prices".
After the concert on the 21st, Chi Jingyuan did not participate in some local schedules and sightseeing with other members. After completing the performance, he flew back to Seoul with his assistant overnight.
Originally, the recording of "Infinite Challenge Music Festival" was supposed to start after the production meeting was held two days ago, but the program team moved it back two days specifically for his sake, which is considered to be a great deal of attention and respect.
After taking the time to rest for a few hours, I arrived at the studio set up by MBC early on the 22nd to prepare for the first recording session.
"Anihasay..."
Among the guests, Chi Jingyuan came earlier. As soon as he arrived, he smiled and greeted the program team PD and several MCs.
The PD of "Infinite Challenge" is Kim Tae-ho, who is very famous. He is also well-known among viewers outside the industry because he is teased by members for being ugly from time to time. In the past, Na Ying-seok, who relied on "Infinite Challenge" and "Two Days and One Night"
Become two of the most successful and well-known top variety show PDs in the entertainment industry.
However, in the past two years, the variety shows launched by Na Young-seok after changing jobs have become more and more successful, while "Infinite Challenge", which Kim Tae-ho only focuses on, has recently lost some of its glory.
Let’s see if this Ace Special Music Festival can turn things around.
"Jingyuan, I've watched some of your variety shows. I think you don't need to think too much about performing arts, which may not match your positioning and style. Just follow the process and lines in the script, and then
Add some of your own performance and it will be very effective if it is natural."
After saying hello, Jin Taehao pulled him over to chat for a few words. He was very clear about Chi Jingyuan's positioning, and it had some similar meanings to what Luo Yingshi told him before.
"I think so too PDnim." Chi Jingyuan nodded in agreement. It's very natural for him to joke with his friends in private and he can say anything, but he is still not used to being asked to perform any kind of artistic skills on the show, especially
It's the kind of physical comedy that's deliberately ugly, and it's completely inexperienced.
"You must have read the script... You have a very heavy task during this Song Festival..."
The task is indeed very heavy. The program team invited Chi Jingyuan because of his popularity and fans as a top idol, as well as his status as the creator of several popular songs. The combination of the two can have
The huge topic and popularity played a very obvious role in promoting this music festival. For this reason, they even gave up the GD that they had already negotiated.
Chi Jingyuan also knows the complete guest lineup. Although the other guests are good in strength, fame and seniority, when it comes to popularity, it should be him and IU.
However, the song festival brings its own traffic and attention, and their personal performance is actually also very important.
After talking to Jin Taihao for a few words, Chi Jingyuan went to chat with several MCs.
Several of the MCs are all acquaintances. The Peninsula entertainment industry is so big, and many of them are also working part-time in other programs.
For example, Yoo Jae Suk and HAHA have known each other since Ji Kyung Won was on "Running Man".
The one I am most familiar with is probably Jung Hyung Don. "Weekly Idol" is the program that EXO has appeared on many times. We often bump into him by chance on TV stations, and we exchange contact information and can say hello and chat for a few words after meeting.
The MCs of many variety shows are completely different people in private and in front of the camera. Some of them may be crazy in the show, and they can do all kinds of ugly things and have fun at their fingertips.
But this is just for life and work. In reality, it is completely different in private. They return to themselves as soon as the camera is turned off.
Among them, Chi Jingyuan came into contact with some variety show people and found out that some people have very different personalities. The more open they are in front of the camera, the less they talk in private.
Even Liu Jae Suk is one of them. In private, he is not as cheerful as he is on the show. His appearance will be much more serious and his aura will be stronger, but he does talk a lot, and compared to his identity
, quite humble in dealing with others.
At least Chi Jingyuan felt that the other party was quite enthusiastic when joking with him.
The same goes for the other MCs. The most familiar one, Zheng Hengdon, came up and patted Chi Jingyuan on the back, smiling as if he was very familiar with it.
There is also Huang Guangxi. This guy has been claiming to be a loyal fan of EXO since a long time ago, probably since the "Roar" period. He even emphasized his Ellie identity more than once in many programs, and sometimes even covered EXO's dance twice. Every time
Everyone was very attentive when we met.
Regardless of whether it's because of the popularity or something else, it can be considered as a matter of enthusiasm over the past few years.
After saying hello, we started chatting together to get acquainted with each other before recording.
In fact, cooperating with popular idols like Chi Jingyuan, who have a lot of fans, is not an easy job for these MCs, because idols still have to pay attention to their own image, and at the same time, they also have to take into account fans' taboos. There are some scenes and
Speeches cannot be used on them. It may be normal for other artists, but for idols, it can easily cause controversy and even quarrels and siege from fans.
The show crew may be happy to have arguments and raise attention, but the MC himself will never like the feeling of being blasted by fans.
Chi Jingyuan arrived early enough, but there were people earlier than him, such as Hyukoh who was standing nearby, listening to their chat.
Hyukoh is the band that the program crew invited overnight to fill GD's spot.
They are an independent band founded in 1999. Their reputation was average at the beginning, but they quickly became popular in the underground music circle without much publicity. The singles and minis they released consecutively this year also received a lot of praise.
Their songs do not belong to Kpop and are relatively niche, but they have a small but very popular audience.
In fact, Chi Jingyuan didn't pay much attention to them before, but he Naver them specifically for the purpose of filming the show.
The four members of Hyukoh didn't know whether they had never been on the show or something. They didn't feel very talkative. They stood nearby and listened to the exchange between Chi Jingyuan and the MC without interrupting. They took a liking to each other.
It didn't have the unruly and domineering attitude of an underground band as he imagined.
After chatting for a while, the guests slowly arrived one by one.
In addition to Ji Kyung-won and Hyukoh, the six groups of guests include veteran musician Yoon Sang, singer and producer Zion.
No, brother, your company’s stock price has been so miserable recently, do you still have the heart to participate in a variety show?
Have you chosen the people for "Sixteen"?
Of course, these slanders would not be said face to face. Chi Jingyuan smiled and went up to say hello.
All the guests have met in the production meeting two days ago and are not strangers. However, after all, they have not had much contact before. Among them, Park Jin Young and Ji Kyung Won are the most familiar, followed by IU who they have met several times before, and others.
A few of them are a bit unfamiliar.
It's just a variety show recording, so there's no need to be too familiar with it.
Because of Park Myung Soo's absence, the gathering of five MCs, six groups of guests, and several special guests Yoon Jong Shin instantly made the backstage lively. I already knew the process and got the script, so I didn't need to make any preparations. We chatted for a while.
After Kim Tae-ho came over for a brief meeting, after changing clothes, the recording of the show officially started.
This time, the "Infinite Challenge Music Festival" is divided into three stages according to the plan, and seven issues are edited out, which are the beginning of all the guests' appearances, introductions, and their respective performances, and each MC and guest pairing and cooperation to form groups.
, there will be two issues.
Then after being divided into groups, they started shooting separately. Each group started doing some activities in private to get to know each other, discuss song creation together, and everyone got back together for mid-term communication. There were almost four sessions.
Finally, the highlight is the live concert of the music festival. Although there is only one session, it is the most important part.
What we are recording today is the first part. Two issues need to be recorded in one go. It is an arduous task to record so much content. Although it is still early in the morning, we will probably be busy until midnight today.
The camera indicator light came on, and along with the BGM, five MCs wearing masks walked out of the screen door one after another to the rather gorgeous stage that was built.
The theme of the guest introduction this time is 'Masquerade', which imitates the model of 'The Masked Singer', which has been very popular in the past two years. Each group of guests wears masks and disguises, and uses artificial performances and deliberately changed
Sing a song with your voice, while the MC and special judges comment below and guess the identity of the guest, deliberately making some sarcastic and funny comments to create laughter.
"Unlimited challenge!"
Several MCs who wore masks but still had very obvious personal characteristics twisted on the stage for a while. After shouting the slogan of the show loudly, they took off their masks and started to interact. After making a few jokes, Liu Jae Suk finally announced this.
Theme of one program:
"Our vacation has passed! Then, the next step is... the 2015 Infinite Challenge Music Festival!"
"2007, Riverside Road Song Festival!"
"2009, Olympic Road Choral Song Festival!"
"2011, West Coast Highway Music Festival!"
"2013, Liberty Road Song Festival!"
"Oh oh oh..." As the VCR from the music industry over the years began to play on the big screen, several people began to cheer very excitedly.
Then Yoo Hee-yeol and Yoon Jong-shin, who were the special judges, were invited to explain the theme and process of today's 'Masquerade', allowing these two experienced musicians to guess the names of the guests who would appear in each group next.
real identity.
"Actually, later on, at the 2015 Gayo Festival, the people who collaborated together will come out... Now, isn't there a very hot show on Sunday night?"
"Ah~The Masked Singer?"
"Yes, we are going to adopt this model this time, and these are today's judges..."
"So, in 2015, all the preparations for the Masked Song Concert are over and the gorgeous prologue begins!"
"Whoa whoa!!"
Everyone sat at the judging table opposite the stage, and soon the VCR started playing. In order to imitate and make fun of it, the first guest on the stage was nicknamed "Where's the Sheep Mask Singer" and even brought a few special guests with him.
The bodyguard filmed a VCR, and after the presentation, Yoo Jae Suk introduced him to the stage.
Just where he stood, even if he deliberately curled his arms, his tall figure, and his airy singing voice instantly made all the MC judges laugh.
"I've never seen anything so obvious..."
"Are they specially tied to reduce the size of the arms? Can you straighten your hands?"
"Stop hiding it and let's dance!"
The judges Yoon Jong Shin and Yoo Hee Yeol instantly recognized this person as Park Jin Young, and immediately started making all kinds of sarcastic remarks.
"The mask is more handsome than my face."
"If you are the first one to appear... the next guest will be Brother Lee Soo Man, right?"
Hearing these two words from Zheng Junhe, Chi Jingyuan, who was watching the monitor in the background, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
In fact, all the judges know those people and have met each other backstage long ago, but they can still pretend to be completely ignorant and deliberately say some words and jokes that make people think it is very funny.
This show and these MCs are really interesting.
"Even if it's true, please don't make irresponsible remarks about your appearance!"
"Hahaha……"
Liu Zaishi immediately stopped the other party's physical bullying with righteous words, making Chi Jingyuan laugh again.
"Does this person seem to be here to select me?"
After finding out that he was Park Jin Young, everyone was fired up. Huang Guangxi took a microphone and said with a look of disgust, "But I'm not interested in him at all. I won't go anywhere except SM."
Park Jin Young's chest visibly heaved when he was surrounded while wearing a mask, and it was obvious that he had been stabbed heavily.
After finally losing control and taking off his mask, Park Jin Young's first action was to point at Huang Guangxi and yell angrily: "Hey, who said JYP wants you?"
It felt like the previous physical attacks were insignificant, but this sentence really hurt him a bit.
"Hahaha……"
Seeing his anxious look, everyone laughed.
During the official broadcast, there should be some VCR introductions about the guests, as well as judges like Yoon Jong Shin’s opinions and praise for the guests, but these things will be specially recorded and edited later.
"As the president of the three major clubs, is it really okay to come to the song festival?"
"I only participated in the show as a singer."
"JYP!"
The appearance of the first guest Park Jin Young really caused a lot of jokes. He is also a very funny person. Whether it is "half voice and half air" and "Lee Soo Man kicked him out because he was ugly", the jokes were very popular throughout the peninsula.
It is timeless and makes people laugh every time they listen to it.
Moreover, as the president, he also made jokes in the show and recorded them as a whole. Even without post-production such as soundtrack and editing, Chi Jingyuan still found it very interesting watching backstage.
After Park Jin Young's weight was taken and checked, he sat down at the judges' table and acted as a judge, commenting on the next guest together.
In the middle of the shooting, for the sake of effect, the PD would interrupt the recording from time to time, and the writer would temporarily add in any good ideas that came to his mind, resulting in the filming of each guest's appearance taking a long time.
Although everyone took a long time to shoot, most of them took an hour or two, after all, the program was limited in duration, and what would be really broadcast after editing would only be a few minutes.
However, the amount of recording can only be too little and not too much. These variety shows are meant to edit out the most interesting scenes among the numerous shots.
After Park Jin Young, Zion.T, IU, Yoon Sang, and Hyukoh's lead singer Oh Hyuk also gradually appeared.
It was already 1pm after IU finished filming. The PD stopped the recording and went into intermission. After everyone had lunch, the filming started again.
After the first five guests took the stage, it was Chi Jingyuan's turn.