sbdcsierra Chapter 1427 Live Broadcast
Chapter 1427 Live Broadcast
Chapter 1427 Live Broadcast
For EXO, SM Entertainment, and Avex, the year-end stages at Peninsula Entertainment don't actually take them too seriously. After all, they've participated in them too many times. Peninsula Entertainment is EXO's home base, so no matter how well they perform, there's not much difference.
For them, the most important thing right now, and the one they've prepared for the most, is actually the red-and-white battle on the last day of the year.
The status and importance of the Red and White Battle in Japan, which is analogous to the Spring Festival Gala in mainland China, need no further explanation. Even with EXO's achievements this year, it is not an easy thing to be able to appear on the Red and White Battle.
Every September, NHK forms the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) judging committee, which selects singers and groups to perform on the Kohaku Uta Gassen based on three core criteria: "annual popularity," "social influence," and "suitability for the program."
Avex received informal communication from the committee in late October. The committee first inquired about EXO's performance intentions and schedules, and their attitude was quite cautious.
...Moreover, according to information gathered by Avex, there has been a long internal debate about whether EXO should appear on the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle). Many people feel that although EXO is quite popular in Japan this year, their achievements are not particularly groundbreaking, and their Japanese album's "Electric Kiss" is not considered a hit song.
The song that truly played a decisive role was Ji Kyung-won's "Uchiage Hanabi." As a promotional song for Osaka's city tourism, the song's popularity far exceeded its original meaning. In less than half a year after its release, it became one of the most popular songs in Japan in recent years.
It's even, to some extent, completely linked to a summer festival like the 'Fireworks Festival'; whenever fireworks are mentioned, the song "Uchiage Hanabi" comes to mind.
EXO's ability to perform at the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) actually owes a lot to Ji Kyung-won.
Following informal communication in October, NHK formally extended a written invitation in early November. The two sides then entered a period of intensive coordination, repeatedly confirming details such as the performance repertoire, stage format, costumes, and camera positions.
In mid-to-late November, NHK held a press conference to announce the lineups for the Red and White teams, with EXO and Twice both selected.
EXO is the first Korean boy group to appear on the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) in many years since TVXQ.
When EXO and Twice performed together on the Kohaku Uta Gassen, it had a huge impact both on the Korean Peninsula and in Japan.
The news caused quite a stir in both South Korea and Japan. Some questioned NHK's excessive introduction of overseas groups, arguing that it was damaging the local character of the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle); others were curious about this cross-border stage collaboration and looked forward to seeing a different kind of performance.
Fans were already in a frenzy, with social media filled with celebratory comments.
After confirming his participation, SM Entertainment and Avex immediately joined forces with the NHK directing team to begin intensive communication.
The stage design had to balance visual impact with the aesthetics of Japanese audiences, the music arrangement had to be adapted to the live performance, the costumes had to match the atmosphere of the song, and even the positioning of each member, the timing of camera cuts, and the sound system had to be finalized.
Regarding the song, Ji Kyung-won's "Uchiage Hanabi" was immediately confirmed for the stage. As for the group, since EXO's Japanese album "Electric Kiss" wasn't very popular this year, after discussion, they chose EXO's most popular song in Japan, "Boy with Luv," as their performance song, and they have been practicing it recently under the company's arrangement.
After arriving in Japan on the 26th, they started working immediately without much rest, and the rehearsal pace was at full speed.
The NHK rehearsal hall was always bustling with activity, with artists from all walks of life moving about, and the air was filled with a busy and tense atmosphere.
EXO's rehearsals were scheduled for the afternoon. The members practiced their positions and vocals repeatedly, and the director would occasionally stop them and point to the monitor to offer suggestions for adjustments.
During rehearsal breaks, they would often encounter all sorts of local Japanese artists. Some were veteran musicians who had been in the industry for many years and would come over to say hello, as well as younger singers and some big names with various 'national treasure' titles who would bow to them from a distance.
Compared to the relaxed atmosphere on the peninsula, the atmosphere in Japan felt much more tense and oppressive.
On the second day of rehearsal, Ji Kyung-won and his group ran into Twice, but the two groups' rehearsal times happened to be different, so they could only exchange a quick glance in the corridor.
…………
While Ji Kyung-won was busy rehearsing for the Kohaku Uta Gassen with his team in Japan, his name was still being frequently mentioned in South Korea. Apart from the impact of the Gayo Daejeon, this was mostly due to the subway song "Horizon of Events," which he hardly promoted.
In an ordinary record store in Hongdae, Seoul, the glass door rattles softly in the cold wind. Inside, the stereo plays "Horizon of Events" on a loop. The textured melody, mixed with the faint smell of record ink, lingers in the store, attracting attention.
A girl with a backpack was looking for the latest trendy posters and albums in front of the display case when she suddenly heard singing. She listened for a few seconds...
Then I just stood there and listened to the whole song.
"Boss, what song is playing right now?" The girl walked straight to the cashier, her tone clearly full of curiosity.
The boss, Lao Jin Dali, was tidying up records when he heard this. He looked up and smiled: "This is Yuan's new song, 'The Horizon of Events'."
"Yuan? EXO's Yuan?"
Chi Jingyuan's name has long transcended the limitations of a boy band idol member; even non-fans would look at him differently. Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes lit up, instantly captivated by the name, and she immediately asked, "Where's the album? I can't see it?"
As she spoke, she turned around and glanced at the posters hanging at the front, muttering, "When did Yuan make a comeback? I haven't heard anything about it... and there's no publicity for him at all."
"Forehead……"
The shop owner shook his head helplessly: "No, this song is a digital single, there's no physical album released."
Disappointment instantly crossed the girl's face: "Oh, I see..."
She pulled out her phone, quickly opened a music streaming app, and started searching, muttering, "What a pity, such a beautiful song..."
As soon as she finished speaking, two young men who were browsing records nearby came over: "Boss, whose song is playing right now? Is there any hope?"
"..."
The boss shrugged, repeated what he had just said, shook his head, and sighed with a smile, "So many people have asked about this song these past two days. Several groups of people come to ask about the physical copy every day, but... there really isn't one."
After a few customers left, the owner looked at the music player next to him. He was getting annoyed by being asked about it so often these past few days, and he hesitated whether to cut the song off the playlist.
But after hesitating for a moment, he shook his head and gave up the idea.
Even if you can't sell albums and make money, you can still attract popularity... Even without albums, it's okay to buy a few Yuan posters and merchandise.
And this song...
He shook his head in response.
It actually sounds really nice.
Ji Kyung-won was busy with overseas schedules and had no time to pay attention to these things. However, his song "Horizon of Events," released on December 22, unexpectedly achieved a comeback. In addition to many celebrities in the industry spontaneously promoting it, the melody of the song gradually filled the streets and alleys of Seoul.
On the evening of the 28th, Jung Eun-ji was bored in her apartment, so she decided to start a live stream on her phone.
She enjoys interacting with fans through live streaming, and her straightforward and witty personality always makes the atmosphere in the live stream very relaxed.
In the footage, Jung Eun-ji wasn't wearing elaborate stage makeup, just a light layer of lipstick, yet her skin still looked great, radiating a healthy glow.
She was wearing a loose, dark sweatshirt, sitting at the table, placing one phone on a selfie stick to start a live stream, while casually swiping her other phone, her posture relaxed and carefree.
Where is Unnie?
Jung Eun-ji saw a comment and casually replied, "I'm at home. I don't have any schedules today, so I just wanted to chat with you guys."
"Why is unnie so beautiful?"
Jung Eun-ji deliberately put on a stern face, pretending to be reserved, and calmly said, "Because I'm wearing makeup."
As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.
"I can smell the perfume on her even through the screen."
Upon seeing this, Jung Eun-ji became a little smug and couldn't help but say, "Hmm... haha~ but I won't tell you what perfume I'm wearing."
She was trying not to laugh.
It's much nicer for his own fans to say things like that; they're much nicer than Ji Kyung-won, who always calls people "country bumpkins."
Jung Eunji glanced at the live stream data and was surprised to find that there were an unusually large number of viewers today.
She hadn't streamed for over a week. Before, she usually had a few thousand viewers, but today, she had only just started streaming and already had over ten thousand viewers, and the number was still rising.
what's the situation?
Am I on fire?
Looking at the ever-increasing number of people, Jung Eun-ji was somewhat surprised, feeling as if something had happened that she didn't know about.
Jung Eun-ji was surprised, but continued the live stream, interacting with viewers and comments:
Full of questions, she continued to interact with her fans.
"Can Eunji unnie sing?"
One comment asked.
"Let's sing later, let's chat for a bit first."
"Unnie's new song is really good."
"Unnie, your songs are getting better and better!"
Seeing several comments about her 'new song', Jung Eun-ji was taken aback: "My song?"
When did she release a new song?
"The Horizon of Events"
The next second, comments started flooding the screen, all with the same song title.
Upon seeing it, she immediately realized what was happening and waved her hand with a smile: "Oh my~, that's Yuan's song, I just sang a feature song."
"but……"
Despite saying that, Jung Eun-ji also really liked the song, and was somewhat surprised by the comments: "Are the results good now? I haven't been paying much attention these past few days~"
She took out her phone, logged into the melon rankings, and was immediately stunned: "Omo, I'm already fourth on the daily rankings?"
"Nobody's paying attention?"
"How come no one is paying attention to such a great song?"
"Unnie is so arrogant!!"
Seeing that Jung Eun-ji's performance didn't seem fake, a bunch of teasing comments immediately flooded the live stream.
"No, it's because Yuan has been busy with overseas trips lately, and I've been filming these past few days."
After reading the comments, Jung Eun-ji quickly offered an explanation.
Actually, she paid special attention to "Event Horizon" for two days when it was first released, because she really liked writing this song and felt it would be a hit.
However, she didn't expect that the song wouldn't even make it into the top 100, and SM Entertainment didn't seem to be promoting it at all. After two days of watching it go by without making a splash, she felt helpless, but she didn't dare to ask... After all, Ji Kyung-won himself must be unhappy with the poor results, and he had just gone through what happened with Kim Jonghyun.
And this is actually a song by Ji Kyung-won.
Unexpectedly, after only a few days of not paying attention, this song made a comeback and became popular without anyone noticing. In less than a week, it went from not even making the charts to fourth place on the daily charts.
What is the range of this leap?
She couldn't help but scroll down to read the comments section, and the reviews seemed quite positive as well.
"The concept is amazing! Yuan and Eunji's voices are a perfect match, the contrast between their cool and warm tones is so touching!"
"The best song during Christmas."
"I clicked in as soon as I saw Chi Jingyuan's name, and it certainly didn't disappoint. It's even better than I imagined!"
"Oh my god, good news!"
Jung Eunji glanced at the list, then took out her phone and started sending messages: "He probably doesn't know yet, I'll let him know."
Jung Eun-ji spoke naturally, and she did not shy away from her close relationship with Ji Kyung-won, which was also known to most of her fans.
"Damn it, what does Yuan oppa's song have to do with you?"
"Can those unknown celebrities please stop trying to piggyback on our Yuan's fame?"
At this moment, several unfriendly comments appeared on the screen, with harsh and sharp words, and their general content could be guessed at a glance.
"Are you a new fan of Yuan? Which old fan doesn't know the relationship between Yuan and Eunji? They collaborated on their first drama together and have been good friends since their debut."
"EXO's fans are like this, they're mostly young... but it's gotten a little better this year because little girls are all becoming fans of Wanna One."
"Exactly! Even if Eunji and Yuan are photographed walking together in the street, fans won't suspect they're dating!"
Upon seeing the last comment, Jung Eun-ji's lips twitched involuntarily.
Even though the fans are speaking up for me, why does it feel so awkward?
“Unnie, tell me something about ‘Horizon of Events’, I love that song.”
Jung Eunji sent two text messages to Ji Kyung-won, but did not reply, probably because he was busy. She focused on the live broadcast and read out a message.
"I especially like the song 'Horizon of Events'."
Jung Eun-ji also became interested, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "I really like it. When I first heard the demo, I thought, wow..."
She smacked her lips twice, looking completely absorbed: "So refreshing, it's totally my style!"
"Why is it called 'Horizon of Events'? The concept and lyrics of this song are somewhat obscure and I don't understand them at all?"
Many people asked this question.
Haha, this one?
Seeing these questions, Jung Eunji forced a smile: "Actually, I didn't quite understand this at the time, and I asked you guys the same questions. It was only after Kyungwon explained it to me that I roughly understood."
The song title 'Event Horizon' mainly revolves around an astrophysical phenomenon called 'event horizon'...
Jung Eun-ji has a deep impression of the background of this song. Many of the stories were told to her by Ji Kyung-won himself, while others were found out by her afterward.
"And this concept becomes even more interesting when extended to love and interpersonal relationships. When a relationship comes to an end, you no longer contact each other and can no longer perceive each other, as if you have been sucked into a black hole."
"Although you can no longer meet across the event horizon, you know she is still there, and your feelings and memories will not disappear. Accept this ending with equanimity and sincerity, wish each other well, and carry your cherished memories across the event horizon to continue exploring your universe..."
She spoke eloquently for a while, and finally exclaimed with admiration: "This is the song title, and the theme and concept of the lyrics have a certain physical metaphor and philosophical contemplation."
"Oh my god, that sounds really profound."
"How romantic! Using the phenomenon of black holes to describe the relationship between people?"
"I feel like my soul is trembling."
"Yuan is really amazing. This kind of concept is something that those assembly-line idols could never come up with."
Jung Eun-ji glanced at the number of viewers, which had risen to 30,000, and then at the comments that flooded the screen, which were mostly filled with amazement and praise. For a moment, she felt a sense of pride.
"Don't you think this song is amazing?"
Jung Eun-ji continued with a smile, her big mouth grinning, and a hint of pride in her eyes.
With these memories tinged with emotion, she earnestly boasted about her friend: "These are all things that Jingyuan told me personally, and they were all designed by him. When I heard them, I was a little stunned. I didn't expect a song to be so interesting."
"Wow, do you know what I was thinking when I heard that?"
She gaped, somewhat exaggeratedly, and said, "My immediate thought was: 'No wonder he's from Yonsei University, how did he come up with something like this? I've never even heard of it before!'"
"That's really impressive. Yuan even knows astrophysics?"
"I feel like this explanation elevates the song to a whole new level... even though it was already a great song to begin with."
"Yuan's academic qualifications are among the best in the entire entertainment industry, right?"
"Oppa, it's already amazing that you were able to participate in this song! Keep it up!"
"...Why did you collaborate with Yuan on this song?"
Jung Eunji looked at them, chose one to read aloud, and at the same time, she instantly recalled the scene of the two of them drinking together.
After thinking for a moment, she smiled and said, "It was something he told me when we were having dinner together once. He said he wanted me to sing a new song as a feature... As for why..."
She covered her mouth and chuckled twice, saying with a touch of demureness, "kkkk, unnie is also very good at singing."
"Drinking? Yuan and Eunji were drinking together?"
Why are you two drinking?
why?
Because he was in a bad mood.
Upon seeing these comments, Jung Eun-ji recalled Ji Kyung-won's somewhat tired appearance at the time.
Especially those words spoken when drunk, filled with grievance and confusion.
By the way, did he apologize to that girl later?
Jung Eun-ji suddenly started having some divergent thoughts.
There probably isn't any, that guy...
Hard to say~
She gently shook her head, suppressing her thoughts, and said casually, "Drinking among friends is a normal thing."
A barrage of intrusive questions immediately flooded the screen, such as "How's Yuan's alcohol tolerance?", "Do you drink often?", and "Who else drinks with her?", but Jung Eun-ji completely ignored them.
"Will there be a live performance?" She found a serious comment and read it aloud.
Jung Eun-ji looked up, thought for a moment, glanced at her phone which hadn't yet received a reply to her text message, and shook her head:
"I don't know about that."
You should ask him directly.