Chapter 90: Battle of the Idols
This stage competition variety show was finally named "Battle of the Idols".
On the day of their promotional trip to Country K, Wang Qingyun told them that the show was still in the works, and even the name hadn't been decided yet. Unexpectedly, upon returning to China after their overseas promotional trip, the company received a notice asking the members to pack their bags and prepare to film the show.
Such a quick turn of events was beyond the members' expectations and made people a little uneasy.
Is this show reliable?
With a faint worry in his heart, Sheng Yanyu looked at Wang Qingyun across the conference table: "If I go to the recording of the show now, what will I do about the next album? Isn't this show almost completely closed?"
Wang Qingyun pushed up his glasses and said, "Don't worry about that. The album preparations will be carried out simultaneously with the recording of the program."
"According to the program team, apart from the first performance, all subsequent performances will require the performers to perform new songs. Therefore, the company plans to use this program to gradually unveil the new songs. They will be promoted in a pre-release format."
"Once the show is finished, the new songs you performed on the show will be compiled into an album and released together."
After hearing Wang Qingyun's explanation, the members were shocked.
You can actually play like this?
Mo Bei wasn't too surprised. Similar promotional methods had been used in Europe, America, and Country K many years ago. Singers would first perform at a concert or release a single online, then compile it into an album for sale.
However, using a program to have the members practice and perform their new songs is a novel approach. Fans can get a behind-the-scenes look at the singers' preparations, while also heightening expectations. It can be considered a form of marketing.
"'Idol Battle' is just what the name suggests. It's a stage battle among idols, where contestants compete for the throne of victory and the title of champion."
"Unlike previous domestic stage competition shows, this one doesn't feature bands, solo singers, or even choirs. All contestants are either rising idols or influential, long-running idol groups, both domestically and internationally."
"It can be said that this is an international competition for singing and dancing idols."
Wang Qingyun paused and explained, "The performance will be broadcast live throughout, and the audience will vote online to decide the winner."
"Besides you guys, the other known contestants from China include FOREVER, the boy group launched by Zaoxing Entertainment last year."
Having said this, she glanced at Sheng Yanyu calmly. Seeing that the other person's face did not show any shock, anger or dissatisfaction, she continued to speak -
"Over in Country K, we have Freez, who have won the Best Male Group of the Year award for three consecutive years, and LEVELUP, who also debuted last year and won the Best Newcomer award."
"Freez's stage presence is more mature. Not only are they talented in singing and dancing, but many of their members are also songwriters. LEVELUP, on the other hand, is positioned as a sound-driven boy group. The vocals of all the members are very strong, and the songs the company arranges for them are all very catchy and enjoyable."
"Over in Country J, the production team invited SEXYCode and Kansai Men."
"One of them is a 'migrant worker' boy band, and the other is a traditional 'J-N'es' boy band."
"In terms of stage singing and dancing skills alone, SEXYCode is stronger. However, migrant boy bands generally have separate singing and dancing. That means the vocalist is only responsible for singing, and the dancer is only responsible for dancing. When they come to participate, I don't know if the production team will let them continue with their original performance style."
"As for Kansai men, they tend to be more attractive in terms of appearance and charisma. Many of the members had already appeared in hit TV series before their debut. In Japan, their popularity is relatively higher."
"It's fair to say that all the competitors you've faced are very strong. Some are strong in skill, some in popularity. Some even have many fans supporting them in China. And you debuted the latest of all the contestants, and you have the fewest works."
Wang Qingyun said this with a serious look towards the members, "I'm not saying this to deliberately put pressure on you, nor to boost others' morale and destroy my own prestige."
"As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. Before you officially step onto the competition stage, you need to know who your opponents are and what they are good at. Only then will you know how to proceed."
"Of course, you don't have to feel too much pressure. Even though I'm not your agent, from an objective point of view, you're no worse than them."
"You just lack the opportunity to prove yourself to the outside world."
"I believe you will be able to prove yourselves on stage and impress the audience with your performance!"
Unlike his usual capable and cold appearance, at this moment Wang Qingyun's eyes were burning with fighting spirit.
Looks pretty hot-blooded.
Noticing the slightly surprised looks from the members, Wang Qingyun seemed to realize that he had said too much. He coughed and said, "Anyway, you must perform well this time."
Zheng Xingye grinned: "Don't worry, Sister Qingyun. We will definitely win!"
“That’s right!”
Cui Junxi and Xu Tingchuan followed suit and said in unison.
Afterwards, others also expressed their determination to win the championship one after another.
Wang Qingyun was very satisfied with the members' ambitions and nodded: "Very good! I will look forward to your next performance."
Pineapple Headquarters worked very efficiently and quickly began promoting "Battle of the Idols".
[Official Weibo post from "Idol Battle": Have you ever imagined the world's most popular idols performing on the same stage? Have you ever longed for the soul-stirring moment when idol artists from all over the world collide through music? Now, your imagination has become reality.
The new international stage competition variety show "Idol Battle" is about to premiere. Idols from three Asian countries will gather here to compete for the title of King of the Stage.
Representatives from Country K: Freez, who won the title of Best Male Group for three consecutive years, and LEVELUP, who won the Best Newcomer Award from Country K last year.
Representative of J Country: SEXYCode with overflowing hormones, a Kansai man with great stage and personal charm.
Chinese representatives: FOREVER, who has won the hearts of many female celebrities in China, and Originore, a monster newcomer who emerged from the talent show "Youth Project" this year.
Who will finally win the title of "Idol Battle"? What kind of performance will they bring? Let's wait and see!
The Weibo post immediately topped the trending search list, with hashtags related to #IdolBattle# instantly dominating the homepage. Fandoms of idol groups both domestically and internationally were in an uproar.
Before fans could question whether this was fake news, they saw that the official accounts of several idol groups mentioned in the blog post that were confirmed to participate in the program all retweeted the relevant Weibo, Twitter or Instagram immediately.
For a moment, all the fans who originally thought it was fake news were stunned.
They had heard rumors about their group being invited to the show a long time ago, but before the show was officially announced, no one was sure it was true. It wasn't until they saw the official account of their group reposting it that they confirmed it was all true.
It's no wonder fans don't believe it, after all, the lineup of participating guests is simply too amazing. The idea of the three most popular and top idol groups from Asia gathering together to compete on stage sounds like a fantasy.
But after the shock, the fans were instantly ecstatic.
Because there are new variety shows to watch. Stage lovers are ecstatic!
The fans of each group and the group are happy, and the fans of the idols from all walks of life are also very happy.
As expected of a wealthy man like Pineapple, he actually gathered his ex, current lover, and those who are watching on the sidelines in one variety show!
Forget FOREVER and Originore, both debuted less than a year ago in China. Freez is currently the hottest boy band in Japan—no, even overseas! Their songs have even peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart! And LEVELUP, who won Best New Group in Japan last year, has also garnered rave reviews from professional music critics.
And the two boy bands from Country J.
Kansai Boys, the hottest new-generation boy band in Japan, attracted a total attendance of 800,000 people at their concert tour last year. SEXYCode is the only group to debut 10 years ago. At its peak, they were among the top two in Japan. While not as popular as they were at their peak, their annual dome tours continue to sell out.
The program team was able to bring together the most popular and talked-about idol boy groups from three Asian countries, and let them carry the national honor to compete for the final winner. This operation is not only showy, it can even be called a miracle!
Even though the program has not officially been launched yet, they can already imagine how fierce the verbal battles will be among the fans on the Internet when the program is broadcast in the future.
The second half of the year’s meal-matching variety show is booked!
Even passers-by who don't follow idols will inevitably become curious when they see such extensive publicity from the program team and fans.
After all, there are too few variety shows of this type.
Even if the production team ends up pooping out a big pile, they still have to click in to taste how salty it is.
[Little Blue Orange: It doesn't matter who wins or loses. All I want to say now is that the production team is awesome!]
Did Zaoxing Entertainment close down today? Pineapple is awesome for even hiring Freez! Even if you're not into K-pop, you've probably heard their "Live Ordie."
[Miners love to dig coal: Wow, I can actually see the former and current actors in the same frame! It turns out that if you live long enough, you can see everything.]
[Kwon Min-woo's official girlfriend: (covering her face) It's over. I'm so worried now I'm starting to worry about who to vote for.]
[Wei Ai Freez: @Kwon Minwoo’s official girlfriend, please take a look at your ID. Are you worthy of Kwon Minwoo?]
[Kwon Min-woo's official girlfriend: Do you want me to tell you if I'm worthy of him? You're meddling in everyone else's fandom. How ridiculous! You have no idea how much I've spent on autograph sessions and concerts over the years!]
[Donut Lover: Ordered it. People have already said it's a big deal, but it's too much to morally blackmail others into only liking Kwon Minwoo just because of an ID.]
It's human nature to dislike moral coercion, but fan circles are often filled with idiots who embrace it. For example, if you don't raise money for your fan's birthday, you're saying you don't love them; if you don't boost sales, you're saying you don't love them. This kind of PUA is comparable to a cult leader disciplining his followers.
But the purpose of chasing stars is to make oneself happy. Once the act of voluntarily dedicating time, energy and money is turned into a KPI that must be completed by the fan circle, can one still be happy?
For a time, the war of words between rational and broad-minded fans and extreme fans of only one person started again in an extremely incredible way.
Fan circles have been fond of quarreling for a long time, so there is no need to get involved in everything.
So even though there were some arguments, most fans were busy promoting the show and had no time to argue with others. After all, the show hadn't even started yet, so there was no point in searching for enemies in the void.
This is especially true for fans of K-pop and J-pop performances.
When it comes to the stage, none of them are afraid. With the exception of LEVELUP, which debuted last year, each of the remaining three groups has experienced touring. SEXYCode, who debuted 10 years ago, has toured hundreds of shows and possesses extensive live performance experience.
While these two domestic idol groups, which debuted less than a year ago, may not be as seasoned as their foreign predecessors in terms of stage performances and touring, they do have their own unique strengths. They have outstanding looks and interesting, unique personalities, and most of the individual members are quite talented on their own.
As a result, there appeared a scene on the online platform where domestic entertainment fans and neighboring K-pop fans and J-pop fans recommended each other.
In the past, such a situation would have been rarer than seeing a giant panda in the wild. After all, it is well known that idols from foreign entertainment industries look down on those from domestic entertainment industries.
The outside world stereotypes that most idols in the Chinese entertainment industry aren't very talented. After all, they rarely perform on stage throughout the year. The idol profession is merely a stepping stone for these people to become actors.
However, there is a saying that goes, beauty is justice.
No matter how much you dislike domestic idols, a handsome face is always innocent.
After the miners shared their beautiful photos of the mines, many people became curious about the Originore group.
Apart from anything else, Bai Li and Jiang Mo Nan's faces are definitely the favorites of Japanese entertainment fans. One is the traditional flower boy that J.N.Y. fans love most, and the other is so exquisite that he looks like a two-dimensional character that came out of a comic book.
Lei Lie and Sheng Yanyu are the favorites of domestic K-pop fans. The former is a mixed-race, handsome man with a strong stage presence, making people call him "husband". The latter is the team's main dancer, who has practiced for many years and has strong skills without any shortcomings, making her a perfect match for K-pop fans.
In addition, the other members of the Originore group also have their own characteristics and their own ways of being handsome, so even if you have just joined the pit, you will not feel face-blind at all.
When people learned that Originore's captain Sheng Yanyu was a trainee of Zaoxing Entertainment and even almost became a member of FOREVER, some passers-by began to learn about the group FOREVER.
Naturally, marketing accounts, sensing the potential for traffic, seized the opportunity and began fabricating stories about the "love and hate" between Sheng Yanyu, FOREVER, and even Zaoxing Entertainment. This naturally sparked dissatisfaction among fans of both sides.
FOREVER fans were dissatisfied with Sheng Yanyu's association, so they mocked Sheng Yanyu, saying that he was kicked out of the debut group by the company, and asked the other party to stop sticking to the company and FOREVER.
Sheng Yanyu's fans said that it was clearly the other party who was lingering around, and they became unhappy and made trouble when they saw that Originore was now more popular than FOREVER.
Fans from both sides fought to the death, and the marketing accounts also earned traffic.
The only person outside the situation is the protagonist of the topic.
The members were unaware of the online fan war, as they were currently driving to the neighboring city of Yujiang to prepare for the recording of "Battle of the Idols."
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