peninsula asteroid.

Chapter 1305 1 week

Chapter 1305 One Week

On September 23, EXO officially released their new album "PROLOGUE: ON," targeting the European and American markets. The album contains eleven songs, including the title track "ON." In addition to five new songs, the other six are international adaptations of EXO's previous hit singles, with new lyrics and arrangements.

The album title was jointly decided by SM Entertainment and New Vision Records, and was finally set as "PROLOGUE: ON" – which can be interpreted as "Prologue: The Beginning". The title is very artistic and cinematic, suggesting that EXO's journey to the United States is just the beginning of a grand story, leaving endless suspense while also echoing the title track.

This also represents SM Entertainment and New Vision Records' high hopes for EXO.

On the day of the album's release, the music video for the title track "ON" was simultaneously featured on the YouTube homepage, thanks to the company's efforts. Fans who had been waiting online were also very enthusiastic, and with repeated viewings, the music video garnered over 12 million views on its first day.

It was as if a behemoth called Kpop had officially stepped into the vast battlefield of North American music.

However, the high-starting point did not continue as expected, and the subsequent progress gradually revealed a somewhat unsatisfactory, yet predictable, situation.

…………

"...Have you guys listened to EXO's US album?"

In the practice room of the JYP building, the Twice members, who had just finished practicing, huddled together drinking water. After Park Jihyo finished her drink, she suddenly asked a question.

"I heard it. There's been a lot of discussion about it online these past few days, hasn't there?"

Nayeon puffed out her cheeks and shook them, swallowing the water she had been holding back before saying in a clear voice, "However, many of the songs on this album are remixes of EXO's old songs with new lyrics, which is similar to their Japanese album this year. I've heard these songs before, so I don't feel much for them."

After saying that, she seemed to remember something and added with bright eyes, "But the title track 'ON' is quite interesting...it's really cool!"

"Vest! Unnie and I are the same!"

As soon as Lim Nayeon finished speaking, Son Chaeyoung next to her immediately nodded repeatedly, wiping her mouth while her eyes lit up: "I love 'ON' so much. The backup dancers and choreography are so cool, and the military music is absolutely amazing. I feel that this is EXO's coolest dance track, the coolest of all their songs."

"And Jingyuan oppa's few distinctive shots are also very handsome."

Son Chaeyoung sounded very excited. After speaking, she couldn't help but put down her water glass, stand up, and twist a couple of times, covering the choreography in "ON," which was obviously something she had practiced.

"The dance was really cool~ That mirror-wiping move, and that getting up... Eh oh! Come on, I'm here for..."

As soon as she said that, Sana Minatozaki chimed in, mimicking the gesture by raising her arms and humming the chorus in a clear, crisp voice.

Not only her, but Hirai Momo next to her also got excited and stood up to cover the chorus choreography of "ON" with Son Chaeyoung.

Although it's a song by that annoying fireworks guy, the powerful energy, the high level of difficulty, and the cool dance are really to her liking, so she can only ignore his face and watch it... although to be honest, he is actually quite handsome in this MV.

Judging from her familiar expression, she definitely wouldn't be this proficient after only watching it once.

"Is it that exaggerated?"

Park Jihyo, who started the conversation, looked at Son Chaeyoung, Hirai Momo, and Minatozaki Sana, who jumped up immediately, and couldn't help but mutter something.

Hearing her ask this, Chou Tzu-yu, though not speaking, nodded in agreement, a slight smile playing on her lips as she looked at the latest photos of Mr. Chi on her phone.

Regardless of whether EXO's US album title track "ON" is good or not, Mr. Ji is really super handsome in the music video.

Because he was in the center position and got a lot of screen time, several amazing photos were released from just one music video, and his fans online went crazy and kept licking his screen.

While Chou Tzu-yu wouldn't go so far as to lick the screen, it certainly made her feel good... not to mention that she even managed to harass the original owner by getting several completely private, non-public photos.

"But I heard that EXO's results this time weren't very good?"

As they were discussing, Kim Da-hyun, who had been mostly silent, quietly spoke up.

Dahyun's words immediately cooled down the previously lively atmosphere.

Because she's right. Anyone who knows about EXO and the album's recent situation and data in the US knows that things aren't going as well as they'd like.

But some people don't know this.

"Huh? I saw that the music video for 'ON' has already reached nearly 30 million views on YouTube in less than a week? Isn't that a good result?"

Hirai Momo looked over with some surprise: "And I see there's a lot of discussion about it online, both on foreign websites and in Japan, it's generating a lot of buzz."

From her perspective, EXO's album has always performed very well. The number of views for this music video alone is astonishing. Coupled with its online popularity, how could it not be good?

She had been internally complaining for a long time just a couple of days ago because she felt the fireworks guy had succeeded again.

"It's not just about this. The MV views are all manipulated by fans. You know how capable XO's fans are at generating data... there's a lot of inflated numbers."

Kim Da-hyun kindly explained, "It mainly depends on the charts in the US, but ON's ranking on the Billboard chart is not good. I think it's only in the fifties this week?"

"Fifty-something isn't good enough? I think it's already pretty good if we can even make the list~" Hirai Momo retorted.

"That depends on who it is. XO's 'Boy with Luv' used to reach the top 20, but this time, the album that was specifically launched in the US only reached this position in its first week, and the level of discussion in the US doesn't seem to be very high."

Sana Minatozaki, who had sat down again, looked down at the data on her phone and said, "I checked it out. It says that this ranking is not high, which may mean that the company's promotional investment is not proportional to the market return, and the song has failed to truly enter the mainstream audience's field of vision."

"The results were mediocre and did not meet expectations."

“Indeed, it seems that the mainstream American market doesn’t really accept K-pop.” Yoo Jeong-yeon nodded and interjected.

"How did you know?" As soon as she said this, Lim Nayeon and the others around her couldn't help but look over.

"I overheard Sangmin oppa talking to the company's Korean representative today, saying that EXO's attempt to enter the US market might fail this time."

First, she explained, then Yu Dingyan lowered her voice and revealed with a strange expression: "And it seemed like Representative Han and the others were quite happy about this..."

poor!

Although he was a high-ranking executive in her own company, Chou Tzu-yu immediately curled her lip and cursed inwardly.

JYP Entertainment, which has always had great ambitions for the US market but whose capabilities have not matched their ambitions and which have repeatedly failed, is very concerned about EXO's large-scale foray into the US market. They are paying close attention to almost all news about EXO in the US, from songs to promotions.

If they succeed, they can learn from the experience and create a plan for their own company's artists to break into the US market. If things go well...

They could also shake their heads with schadenfreude, muttering to themselves, "As expected, it didn't work," to console themselves for their company's previous failed attempt to enter the US market.

Almost a week after EXO's album release, JYP held an internal meeting yesterday to discuss the matter. Ultimately, most people concluded that EXO's US expansion project was likely to fizzle out, just like their past ventures.

"I think 'ON' is incredibly cool, from the costumes to the choreography to the backup dancers..."

Son Chaeyoung shrugged, still a devoted fan of the song: "After watching the MV, I texted Kyungwon oppa and said it was the coolest boy group MV I've ever seen!"

"what did he say?"

He said thank you.

"...How polite."

"Ah~"

Nayeon sighed, suddenly feeling somewhat discouraged: "If even EXO can't help, then there's really no hope."

EXO is already the absolute pinnacle of K-pop. If they can't even break into the US market, then who else can K-pop rely on?

"I think it's probably because there hasn't been much publicity yet?"

It was Kim Da-hyun who spoke up. Although she doesn't talk much in private, she clearly knows a lot: "I checked these past two days and I haven't seen EXO on any American variety shows. There's not much discussion about them on music forums either. It seems like iTunes and The Voice haven't been promoting them much either."

"Is that so? What did Kyungwon oppa say?"

Several people looked at Chou Tzu-yu simultaneously.

"..."

Chou Tzu-yu stuck out her tongue slightly and shook her head: "He doesn't know either."

"what?"

"He's not in the United States."

…………

"Whoo~"

After a flight of more than ten hours, the plane finally landed. Chi Jingyuan felt exhausted as his feet touched the ground and took a deep breath.

He's finally back.

To be honest, the timing of this album release conflicted quite a bit with his personal schedule, and it overlapped somewhat with this year's Spring/Summer Milan Fashion Week.

Although the group's album is important, as GUCCI's global ambassador, and one who has just been promoted, it's impossible for him not to make an appearance.

So just a few days after the album was released, on the 24th, he flew to Milan to attend Milan Fashion Week.

However, this Milan Fashion Week was quite lively. Ji Kyung-won ran into Bae Suzy, Bae Joo-hyun, and Oh Se-hun, who had gone there before him and returned earlier.

They were all invited by GUCCI as new brand ambassadors. Bae Suzy had been there once or twice before, but it was the first time for Bae Joo-hyun and Oh Se-hun. Especially for the young lady, it was clear that she was very happy to be able to attend such a high-profile event in the fashion industry. At least when Ji Kyung-won saw her, although she was a little shy because it was her first time there, he could feel a strong enthusiasm and excitement for her work.

With the help of GUCC designers and cody, she wore a modified suit that somewhat concealed her shorter stature, and she looked quite beautiful.

Although the flashbulbs were going off non-stop, to be honest, not many people in Milan knew her; many didn't recognize her, and reporters were asking for her name.

However, Bae Joo-hyun is still very motivated... After all, it's a step-by-step process, and everyone goes through this.

The opportunity to showcase herself here already surpasses that of most female artists on the peninsula.

Moreover, due to Ji Kyung-won and the increasingly heated luxury market in Peninsula, many brands invited more Peninsula artists this time. Ji Kyung-won saw Jung Soo-jung, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and even her sister.

But they only met briefly and exchanged a few words; they didn't talk much more.

Although many artists from the peninsula came, and SM even had a party here, the real protagonist was still Ji Kyung-won. His global brand ambassador, Tilte, was far ahead of other regional brand ambassadors.

The treatment from the brands was also significantly different. On his first day, he was invited to a private dinner with the president, Pizza. At the GUCCI show, the other Peninsula artists did not have seats in the front row. Even Bae Suzy was in a slightly back position. Ji Kyung-won, on the other hand, was sitting in the middle of the first row, next to the chairman and his wife of Kering Group.

He was also one of the main characters at the banquet after the show, and this preferential treatment made those familiar people quite envious. That night, he received a complaint call from Bae Suzy and Bae Joo-hyun.

However, he had already gotten used to these treatments and the attention he received. For Chi Jingyuan, the biggest gain from this fashion week was receiving formal contact from several luxury brands.

Among them, LV and Bulgari are the most sincere and eager. Both brands have been observing Chi Jingyuan for a long time since GUCCI signed with them. They have been watching GUCCI's revenue in the Asian market rise day by day and are already impatient to sign with him.

This time, she finally put aside her reserve and took the initiative to contact Ji Kyung-won and SM's management team to discuss the possibility of cooperation.

Chi Jingyuan was not surprised by the initiative of these two brands. He knew that they had been observing him, and in fact, they had already made contact last year.

Chi Jingyuan wouldn't object to having more top luxury brand endorsements, but he still needs to communicate well with GUCCI. Moreover, he doesn't plan to accept them all; he still needs to consider choosing the more suitable ones to avoid diluting his personal commercial potential.

He prefers LV because of its brand value.

LV and Bulgari are relatively normal, but what surprised Chi Jingyuan was that Chanel also took the initiative to contact him this time, and seemed to be very interested in him. He was invited to this fashion week and even had dinner with Karl Lagerfeld, who is very famous in the fashion industry, and they exchanged some views on the market.

...Although Ji Kyung-won often complains to his manager in private that he doesn't wear women's clothing, of course he would never actually say such a thing to the manager's face.

LV and Bulgari have officially started negotiations, and both sides are very sincere. Chanel, on the other hand, is still in the initial stages of contact. Whether they will try to steal GD's job or not depends on how the negotiations go.

Chi Jingyuan discovered that he was indeed very popular with high-end luxury brands in Europe. In a way, he could be considered a fashion icon. In the unique terms used in the peninsula, he should be called the human GUCCI, the human LV, the human Bulgari, and the human Chanel!

...That sounds so unlucky.

Chinese stars dazzled at Milan Fashion Week! SM artists gathered at the shows, where haute couture and Eastern charm sparked new fashion trends.

Suzy made a stunning appearance in a custom-made gown, becoming the most eye-catching Asian face at the fashion show.

Red Velvet's Irene invited to sit in the front row at Milan Fashion Week; her fashion sense receives high praise from brand executives.

Yuan Shines at Milan Fashion Week, Accompanied by Kering Chairman

In the van heading to New Vision, Chi Jingyuan sat in the back, scrolling through various news from Peninsula on his phone. News about Fashion Week was currently dominating the trending topics on Peninsula Entertainment News.

He glanced at it and saw that it was all just marketing press releases with no substance. He put down his phone and asked the agent who was driving:

What's the situation in the US right now?

“Not very good…”