mijobooks Chapter 1322 Arrangement
Chapter 1322 Arrangement
Chapter 1322 Arrangement
"However, this time, we are the ones being challenged."
The agent, An Chengyuan, had a serious expression, and his slightly somber tone made the entire conference room quiet down, creating a somewhat heavy atmosphere.
The EXO members around them, including Ji Kyung-won, all had somewhat complicated and strange expressions.
Back in 2015, EXO, who were already incredibly popular, learned about the album release schedule and format of the then top boy group Big Bang. Instead of avoiding it, they deliberately went head-to-head with it. Half of the two groups' comeback periods completely overlapped, making it a fierce battle.
However, it was precisely because of that time that EXO defeated the former top group Big Bang and became the new TOP. No one questioned their popularity and top status anymore. After that, VIP, who had always been on par with EXO-Ls, became much more depressed. Today, EXO dominates the Korean Peninsula market, and a lot of that is thanks to that boy group battle. It can be said that they achieved this status by stepping on Big Bang's corpse.
At this point, Ahn Seung-won's description was quite apt: Wanna One was just like EXO back then, and their actions were exactly the same as EXO's back then—they deliberately bumped into each other.
The challenger...
Unexpectedly, this time it's EXO's turn.
The former challenger has become the current big boss. When his manager said this, Chi Jingyuan felt a sense of novelty. At the same time, he also felt a sense of resentment at being challenged, as well as excitement.
The resentment stemmed from the feeling that the new group was overestimating their abilities and that they were being looked down upon.
And the excitement... goes without saying.
EXO has indeed been the undisputed leader in the Korean music scene for far too long, so long that they've forgotten when they last felt the pressure of a comeback.
However... the other members also looked rather serious.
The company's investigation data is undeniable. Wanna One's momentum is truly strong right now. The popularity and buzz brought by the audition are immense. Their debut album was an instant hit. Even though Girls' Generation stole two music show awards, the fact that a rookie group's debut song won 15 number one spots is enough to prove everything.
In addition, EXO's absence from the Korean Peninsula this year has left the market completely empty. Compared to 15, although they may not have as many works, their popularity may not be much weaker.
This year, EXO has indeed declined a lot in the domestic market, with various dating and scandals, and their situation is almost the same as Girls' Generation in 14. If they were to meet, it is not certain that EXO would win.
More importantly, the two groups are now at different levels. Although Wanna One is popular, they are still a new group that has only been around for less than half a year, while EXO has been a top group for a long time. Fans and casual viewers have different standards for them. If Wanna One ties or loses by a small margin in this comeback, it will be considered a loss for EXO.
The impact of a top group losing to a rookie group is something anyone can imagine.
"..."
Sensing the seriousness of all the members, An Chengyuan looked around and nodded slightly: "It seems you all understand the importance of this album, so what I want to say is that you must take it seriously. Don't think that just because we've opened up the North American market, the Peninsula region is no longer important. This is our foundation."
“Of course.” An Chengyuan didn’t keep pouring cold water on us. He then pumped his fist to encourage them: “The company has already prepared a complete plan. As long as we follow the company’s plan, no one can pose a threat to us.”
Whether the EXO members believed it or not, Ahn Seung-won seemed to believe it. After giving instructions on the preparations and dates for the new album, he brought up the next thing: "Then there are the various stages at the end of the year. We've already received stage invitations, and the information we sent you all indicates that, just like in previous years, we will basically participate in all the award ceremonies and music shows at the end of the year."
"You probably already know all of this... but I have something else to tell you, some good news."
At this point, the manager paused slightly, briefly keeping everyone in suspense, exchanged glances with the members, smiled, and revealed with some excitement: "A few days ago, the company received an informal contact from a producer at NHK in Japan, inquiring about EXO and Kyungwon's potential performance at the Kohaku Uta Gassen at the end of this year."
Upon hearing this, all the members around him looked surprised, and Chi Jingyuan was also somewhat taken aback.
The NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, or "Kohaku" for short, is the most important and highest-rated year-end gala in Japan. It attracts a great deal of public attention and is regarded by viewers as a "signal of the end of the year." Usually, only the most popular singers, celebrities, and other social elites in Japan that year are invited to participate, and being able to participate is proof of popularity and fame.
Although Japanese people don't celebrate the Lunar New Year, you could say it's like Japan's Spring Festival Gala.
However, the Japanese entertainment industry is relatively conservative and xenophobic, especially K-pop. The last time a Peninsula group performed on the Kohaku Uta Gassen was in 11 when the TVXQ duo split up, which was six years ago.
Although EXO achieved good results in Japan this year, they really didn't expect to be able to perform on the Kohaku Uta Gassen stage.
"Although it's just an informal inquiry of interest, it's just a formality. As long as the company agrees, there shouldn't be any problem with the performance... However, strict confidentiality is still required for now."
An Chengyuan quickly explained, "There are two invitations this time. First, it's our XO group, who will be performing the Japanese version of our previously released song, 'Boy with Luv'... According to the tradition of the Kohaku Uta Gassen, the performers usually perform songs released in the past, but..."
At this point, his tone became slightly strange: "But this year's title track of the group's Japanese album, 'Electric Kiss,' was actually a performance of 'Boy with Luv' proposed by the organizers. This song is very popular in Japan, so it was an exception for us."
Upon hearing this, Chi Kyung-won's expression became somewhat tense. Although his manager hadn't finished speaking, the meaning was already quite clear... This year's "Electric Kiss" had only achieved mediocre results and influence, and the organizers didn't think much of it.
"In addition to the main group, there will also be a solo stage performance for you, Jingyuan."
After saying that, An Chengyuan smiled and looked at Chi Jingyuan: "The song is 'Uchiage Hanabi,' I don't need to say more about that."
His eyes also held a hint of admiration... An Chengyuan didn't say it explicitly, but according to the information he heard from the company, NHK actually valued only Ji Kyung-won and "Uchiage Hanabi" the most this time. The initial invitation from Avex was only for Ji Kyung-won alone, not the entire EXO group.
...Although EXO has had a good year in Japan, industry insiders there believe that it was mainly due to Ji Kyung-won's individual success and the explosive popularity of the song "Uchiage Hanabi." As far as the group EXO is concerned, their performance this year can only be described as average, and their title track is not even as popular as their songs from two years ago.
However, after Avex's mediation, they finally decided that since they had been invited, they might as well come along... It can be said that the XO group benefited entirely from the popularity of Ji Kyung-won and "Uchiage Hanabi" and were brought up by the show.
Of course, it would be awkward for everyone to talk about this, so he didn't go into details.
…………
Is this my solo stage?
After nodding to indicate that he understood, Chi Jingyuan teased, "You're not going to pull off another collaboration stage, are you?"
This time at the MAMA in Japan, his collaboration with Sana Minatozaki on "Uchiage Hanabi" made Ji Kyung-won feel a little awkward... However, when he saw Sana Minatozaki backstage at the G100 concert yesterday, he didn't sense any strange looks from her, as if she hadn't heard the news yet.
An Chengyuan thought for a moment: "I haven't gone into details about that yet, but it shouldn't be the case."
After introducing and reminding everyone about the Red and White Song Festival and other schedules for the EXO group, Ahn Seung-won started talking about his personal activities.
Currently, Baekhyun's solo album is the highest priority. His solo album is almost ready, and the release date is being finalized. They are discussing whether to release it before or after EXO's fourth full-length album.
As the second member of EXO to go solo, with Ji Kyung-won's previous solo being a huge success, Byun Baek-hyun was under a lot of pressure, though perhaps more so due to ambition.
However, Ji Kyung-won has listened to all of Baekhyun's solo albums, and they are all of pretty good quality and fit his personal style. EXO's status is indeed different now, and the company has not been stingy with resources for Baekhyun's solo work. Ji Kyung-won thinks there shouldn't be any major problems.
At least they shouldn't be ridiculed like CBX after their debut due to poor songs, style, and performance.
After the meeting ended, as Chi Jingyuan was about to leave with the other members, he was stopped by An Chengyuan, who pulled him aside and stood there alone.
"Jingyuan, the company has already held a meeting to discuss it, and you can start preparing for your second solo album. You can start preparing now, and if there are no unexpected issues, the release date will be next year."
Chi Jingyuan was a little surprised when his manager called him over, because they had just been in a meeting. Why did the manager have to pull him aside and say what was going on?
At that moment, he understood immediately... His solo album was a huge hit this year, and given the company's usual practice and his special position within the company, the launch of a solo 2 project was a natural progression.
In fact, the company had already brought it up at the beginning of the year, before his solo activities had even ended.
However, many other EXO members haven't even had their first solo album yet, while Ji Kyung-won's second solo album has already been approved. Although we're used to the uneven distribution of resources, it's still better not to provoke them in public.
Of course, Chi Jingyuan wouldn't refuse his solo performance, and nodded upon hearing this:
"I understand, brother."
…………
After that, since there was nothing else to do, Ji Jingyuan went directly to his music room.
Upon opening the door, the familiar furnishings and decor came into view. Chi Jingyuan looked around and habitually turned on the lights.
He hadn't been here for more than two months, but the company had people who cleaned it regularly, so it wasn't dirty or messy at all. In fact, it looked even cleaner than he remembered it was before he left.
Chi Jingyuan casually made himself a cup of coffee, flipped his phone aside, and sat down in front of his computer.
We had two meetings today and basically finalized the upcoming schedule. There's a lot to do, especially regarding albums. There are three albums that require Ji Kyung-won's help.
EXO's next American album, Peninsula's fourth full-length album, and his second solo album next year.
The record label in the US has already stated that they need some Korean songs for his next album.
While "ON" achieved great success and helped EXO break into North America, it was mainly due to the choreography and strong style.
However, this kind of gimmick that relies on novelty to attract people may not be as effective the second time. To be honest, he doesn't have a concrete idea of what style to take next.
After browsing through the music library, I didn't feel there was anything that was a good match... I plan to talk to Kang Hyo-shin about it later and also look for some inspiration myself.
Then there's his second solo album. He has a lot of ideas for this album. Compared to his first album, which was entirely in Korean, he plans to add some English songs this time.
For example, the song "Lover" that I wrote on a whim because of Tzuyu's handwritten letter last time, which I hadn't had a chance to bring out yet, can be included this time.
And several songs he wrote during his activities in North America... It's not impossible to try even using an English song as one of the main tracks.
After all, the Korean Peninsula market isn't that big. Ji Kyung-won's first solo album had already hit a ceiling, so his second solo album will definitely be more geared towards overseas fans.
However, he can't neglect his home turf, so there will definitely be a Korean title track in his solo 2nd album. But after looking through the music library for a while, Ji Kyung-won didn't find one he really liked.
...The main issue is that the overall style of the next solo album hasn't been determined yet.
Finally, there's EXO's fourth full-length album, which they're currently working hard on. This album is the closest to release, and relatively speaking, it's the most important thing right now.
But now, Chi Jingyuan suddenly hesitated about this standard four.
The song selection for this album was completed a long time ago. The two main tracks were originally confirmed to be "DNA" and "kokobob". The former is a song he collaborated on with Kang Hyo-shin, while the latter is an original song provided by the company and composed by Ami.
Although the styles are not quite the same, both songs are of good quality. Both Ji Kyung-won himself and the EXO members had high hopes for them and had been practicing for a long time.
Originally, Ji Kyung-won didn't think much of it, but during today's meeting, he suddenly heard his manager mention Wanna One's deliberate attempt to emulate them, and he realized the importance of this fourth full-length album.
Faced with a strong challenge from a junior, although he may appear calm and relaxed, he is definitely more serious and cautious than before when it comes to preparation.
Looking at the song selections of the fourth regular group with a different attitude, "DNA" is okay. In his opinion, it is already a masterpiece among K-pop boy group songs. While "kokobob" is also excellent, its overall reggae-pop fusion style is very tropical, and it sounds like a standard summer song.
...Because when choosing songs, the original plan was to make a comeback this summer, but due to various reasons, it did not happen and was postponed.
As for now, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the release date for the fourth official version will be either at the end of this year or the beginning of next year, in any case, it will definitely be in the winter.
From this perspective, the style of "kokobob" seems a bit awkward.