Chapter 98 The First Stage Competition (3)
Until the end of the performance, there were still many people shouting Originore's name.
The camera quickly cut to LEVELUP on the side of the stage as they were about to go on stage.
Hearing the cheers of the audience, Min Zhengyu was secretly shocked.
"We won't lose."
Kim Hyun-jae's expression was firm, and his slender back was straight.
Looking at his bright eyes, Min Zhengyu suddenly smiled, "Yeah."
Although Originore performed well, they also had enough confidence.
After all, their vocals are their weapons.
The moment their eyes met, the members' fighting spirit was high!
[LEVELUP is here! My treasured vocal group!]
[Kim Hyun-jae, Kim Hyun-jae, Kim Hyun-jae…]
[After waiting for so long, our upgraded version finally appears.]
[It's time to show your true strength!]
[Go LEVELUP!]
Amidst warm cheers, LEVELUP walked onto the stage.
Different from Originore's casual and natural energetic street style, all members of LEVELUP wear navy blue suit uniforms, just like campus princes in idol dramas.
Although they are not as unrestrained as the first three groups, they also have their own unique aura.
LEVELUP performed their latest song, a song they had recently returned to the country. They had often heard it in shops and streets when they had been to Country K before, but this was their first time seeing it performed live.
LEVELUP is worthy of being a vocal group. The moment they opened their mouths, all the audiences online and offline were involuntarily attracted by their voices.
The treble is both high-pitched and thick, as well as bright and sharp like a metal core, the mid-range is gentle and comfortable, and the bass is rich and round. The voice configuration of the LEVELUP members has been carefully selected by the company. When combined together, they not only complement each other but also achieve the ultimate harmony in listening, achieving the result of 1+1 being greater than 2.
What’s even more amazing is that even when they were singing and dancing, their voices were not affected at all.
Backstage, everyone was watching their performance intently.
At this moment, the one with the most pressure is FOREVER who will appear next.
Even though the two parties' markets did not overlap before, now that they are on the same stage, it means that they will inevitably be compared by the audience.
They also debuted last year and also won the Best New Artist award in their country, but LEVELUP's performance did not show any newbie's awkwardness. Their voices sounded like five mature solo singers.
Even if I don't want to admit it, I have to admit that they sang really well.
Compared with them, I still have many shortcomings.
For example, the vocal conditions of the members.
In LEVELUP, even the non-vocal members have voices that are as good as those of the vocalists.
And this is something they will never be able to achieve.
With LEVELUP’s heavenly sound in front of them, what should they do next to avoid being outdone?
The sound can convey the singer's emotions. Even through the screen, the audience in the live broadcast room can feel the powerful sound pressure of LEVELUP.
The moment the chorus bridge ended, Kim Hyun-jae and Lee Jae-hee brought the song's emotions to a climax with one's high-pitched and bright chorus and the other's deep and solid harmony.
In an instant, the atmosphere on the scene exploded!
[Holy crap! That high note! That harmony! Awesome!]
[Oh my god, these two guys can sing so well!]
[I have goosebumps all over my body right now.]
[It's like hearing heavenly music, and the high notes are amazing!]
[I finally understand why so many people like K-pop. This vocal skill is simply amazing!]
[However, not all K-pop groups have such vocal abilities. Ours is just a small upgrade.]
[Yes, K-pop hasn't been doing well these days. Bad money drives out good. Fortunately, there are still a few decent groups that are still around.]
After watching LEVELUP's performance, even Cai Shumin and Luo Xinyi, who were not familiar with them, couldn't help but widen their eyes.
It is undeniable that LEVELUP’s live singing ability has reached a terrifying level.
It’s hard to believe that they’ve only been in the industry for less than a year.
Sure enough, every popular group has their reasons.
Besides being shocked, the two of them couldn't help but feel their blood boiling.
That's how it should be.
This is the wonderful stage they want to see.
They are already looking forward to the performances of the next two groups of idols.
The camera then turned to FOREVER who was making preparations backstage.
The five people who had just enjoyed the wonderful performance of LEVELUP could hardly laugh.
At the scene, FOREVER's fans had already begun to loudly call out their names. Jiang Xincheng took a deep breath and then stretched his slightly stiff body.
"Brother Cheng, are you nervous?" Song Keyu asked.
Jiang Xincheng did not deny his inner uneasiness, but just nodded slightly.
"It's hard not to be nervous when you're behind such a strong opponent. But at this point, we can't back down."
Lead singer Liu Yuan patted the two on the shoulders and said, "Don't be nervous. We've practiced this song so many times, there will be no problem."
Hearing this, Jiang Xincheng calmed himself down and said, "You're right. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just perform as you practiced."
On the stage, the host's voice came -
"Next, let's welcome FOREVER!"
After the first four groups’ performances, the atmosphere at the scene has been pushed to its highest point. Faintly, you can hear FOREVER’s group fans and individual fans shouting:
"Come on! FOREVER!"
"Liu Yuan! You are the best!"
"Jiang Xincheng, charge!"
At the same time, the barrage in the live broadcast room was also lively.
I'm starting to get nervous for them. How are they going to beat the previous group who can sing "FOREVER" so well? The vocal difference between the two teams is too big.
[We fans are not bragging, but if we only consider the group's overall singing ability, Xiaojiejie can definitely be ranked first among the six groups.]
[After all, our Little Shengzhang is a well-known choir in the K-pop world. They are not afraid of singing a cappella at all. It is not shameful to lose to them.]
[Although, FOREVER hasn't even started yet, why are so many people saying it's bad?]
[This isn't pessimism; it's seeing reality clearly.]
As idols, FOREVER naturally has no major flaws, but next door LEVELUP, their performance has reached the level of professional singers. With this level of vocal ability, even if they disband now and pursue solo careers, they have nothing to worry about.
When the gap in hard power between the two sides is too large, anyone can guess what the outcome will be.
Since their debut, FOREVER has been known for their youthful, energetic sound. Their songs are mostly about youth and energy, and they seemed to maintain their established style even during this performance.
It's not that this style is bad, but the previous performances were either full of hormones, or the strength was burning, or the stage design was ingenious and full of ingenuity. Against the backdrop of these performances, if their performance was still the same as usual, it would seem a bit lacking.
Just when everyone thought that FOREVER's performance would be crushed by the previous group, an unexpected reversal occurred.
As participating actors, the FOREVER members naturally knew about the audience's concerns.
In fact, they had already realized this before the competition.
Because the group's own style is limited and the overall vocals are not as outstanding as those of other senior groups, this time they also chose to rely on stage design to win, just like Originore.
Unlike the former who made comprehensive adaptations in arrangement, dance and stage design, they focused more on dance choreography.
It was difficult for the five of them to create a complex and varied formation, so they learned to make use of their movements and inserted fresh props into their original dance moves.
Because the song they chose happened to be a sporty, youthful piece, they devised a basketball-like pattern for changing formations, making up for their vocal shortcomings with engaging choreography.
In order to make the props blend in more naturally, they spent a lot of time in the practice room during this period.
Now, the opportunity to be accepted in front of the audience has finally arrived.
After calming down, the members were no longer afraid.
As the stage lights came on, five athletic teenagers in white clothes leaped out from the lift platform with full energy.
Holding basketballs, they danced across the stage like nimble fish.
Except for the vocalist, the other members' vocal abilities are not amazing but are pretty decent.
Compared to the vocals, their choreography is the highlight.
They perfectly integrated the dribbling and catching techniques of basketball games into their dance, without any sense of deliberateness.
For singers and dancers, both singing and dancing are crucial, especially for idols. When your vocals aren't top-tier, good choreography can significantly enhance your performance. After all, we're no longer just listening to music; the rise of short videos has already allowed stage performances to blend seamlessly with music.
Knowing that their vocal abilities have shortcomings, FOREVER wisely chose to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses.
This also helped them win back a game.
[It turned out to be better than expected.]
[Although their overall singing skills are still not as good as the previous group, they clearly put a lot of thought into their choreography.]
[Where's that person who just said that FOREVER would definitely fail and be crushed to the ground? Why isn't he shouting anymore?]
[While they didn't fail, their performance was just so-so. They were nowhere near LEVELUP or SEXYcode. They couldn't even compare to a draft group.]
[I'm really impressed. You just blindly criticize any Chinese entertainment group you see. While FOREVER isn't exactly the best, they're not as bad as you're saying.]
[I ordered it, and you still say it's not as good as the mine. Doesn't the mine also rely on fancy choreography? Aren't the songs they sing just some refreshing summer hits?]
[Don't drag us into this. We've only released this single, having debuted less than a month ago. What else should we sing?]
[That's right! We've completely re-arranged the music and choreography, not just the stage design. Hey, you haters out there, hide yourselves!]
[Alright, stop arguing. We're all Chinese, what's there to argue about? The important thing is for us all to stand united against the outside world.]
[I clicked on it. Personally, I think FOREVER isn't bad at all, it's just that it's being held back by the style set by the company.]
[Why is it a drag? It's normal for a group of high school boys, whose average age is in their teens, to have such a youthful campus style.]
The noise on the barrage does not affect the live performance.
At the end of the song, the members took a slight breath and bowed deeply to the audience.
There were no mistakes and they completed the performance perfectly.
The heart that was hanging in my throat returned to my stomach.
As for the final voting results, it no longer matters.
Backstage, the five Freez members who had been sitting in the waiting room silently applauded.
Then, they all stood up and went to the stage to wait under the guidance of the staff.
After waiting all night, it was finally their turn to perform.
As a truly international celebrity group among all the participating guests, as soon as Freez appeared on the stage, the live broadcast room was instantly flooded with Freez's fans, and the previous quarrel content was completely invisible.
Freez is a singer-songwriter boy group. Although they have the sharp dance skills that all K-pop idols have, it is their songs that really pushed them to the position of the number one boy group in K country today.
Since their debut, the members have been writing their own songs.
It is also because of this that their lyrics deviate from the love themes often used by traditional K-pop idols and are more inclined towards self-expression.
In their songs, the subjectivity of "I" is very clear from beginning to end.
Regardless of gender, the "I" in the song can be anyone: anyone who is troubled by reality, anyone who is desperate to pursue their dreams.
In their songs, listeners hear their own voices, and it is precisely because of this that their songs are able to resonate strongly with fans.
Although their music source performance was not very good at the beginning, after three years of precipitation, they finally ushered in a period of comprehensive explosion, truly achieving success both domestically and internationally.
This is what it means to accumulate strength and then release it.
To be honest, Freez has now moved away from the category of traditional male idols, just like SEXYcode.
They are more like a group of musicians who also perform singing and dancing on stage.
Compared to SEXYcode, Freez lacks the strong hormonal atmosphere and does not have the down-to-earth affinity of Kansai men.
They are not as youthful and energetic as FOREVER, nor do they have such a strong vocal advantage as LEVELUP.
But they possess a powerful aura that none of these people have.
It's like a young man who has overcome all obstacles and finally ascended to the throne.
He is reserved and calm but not overly serious, gentle yet distant.
In addition to making them more mature, time also makes them more at ease.
They are the kings of the stage, and they capture the attention of all the audience as soon as they appear.
In the end, they did not disappoint the audience's expectations and put on the most exciting performance of the show.
As if they wanted to tear the stage apart, burning out their souls and lives, they used their music to make a powerful cannonball and smashed it hard at all the audiences online and offline.
They used their own strength to declare to everyone what it means to be a top boy group.
This stage is like a letter of challenge, silently declaring to everyone——
If you don’t agree, come and fight.
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