Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 363



Only Noblemtl

Episode 363

Painting, music, dance, sculpture, architecture, song.

There are many fields of art in the world, and there are formats for expressing that art.

What is the most recently created artistic format?

It’s a music video.

The new format, which combined music, song, dance, and video, heralded the beginning of what is commonly called the MTV era.

There was a great artist who was with us during that brilliant beginning.

Michael Jackson.

1983’s ‘Beat It’ was a song of great symbolic significance in the history of popular music.

Not only was it a hit, but “Beat It” also created the concept of the world’s first dedicated choreography created for a single song.

Music, song, and dance began to be thought of as one.

It was the birth of a dance singer, an artist skilled in both dancing and singing.

Looking at such a phenomenon, an American man thought this.

“If only.”

The man spoke to his friend across from him in a very serious tone.

“There’s a band. They’re all handsome, they sing well, they dance well, and they have a great fan service spirit. The handsome guys dance and sing on stage, and they’re incredibly kind to their fans. And they make amazing music videos. What do you think?”

The friend answered in amazement.

“Where is such a thing? Could such a thing even exist in the first place?”

The man snapped his fingers.

“This is the answer I was hoping for.”

Legendary American producer, Maurice Starr.

He gathered some good-looking kids as he saw fit and had them practice dancing and singing.

When the good-looking guys were first called to him, they asked him this:

“Can we make enough money to buy a scooter?”

A group of young people in their teens who thought they would like a scooter, or if possible a motorcycle.

They won awards at the American Music Awards, toured the world like it was nothing, and climbed the Billboard charts like it was their home.

Every time they got off the plane, tens of thousands of people flocked to see them.

The world called them idols.

But the idol craze in Western society did not last 20 years.

It did not disappear completely, but it never regained its former glory.

There was no star to advance the genre.

A small number of successful idol bands only extended the lifeline of the idol format.

At that time, a man in Asia thought.

Jeong Ho-hwan said to his friend Nam Hong-beom.

“There are boy bands and girl groups.”

Jeong Ho-hwan said with a very serious tone.

“Can’t you change that a little bit and put it out there?”

“What did you see in Japan? You pro-Japanese bastard.”

“no…….”

Jeong Ho-hwan was not sure even as he told this story himself.

“The dancing gets more difficult and flashy, the singing gets really high-pitched, and the fairy-like kids start dancing to the latest dance moves.”

“Latest dance?”

“I’m talking about hip-hop.”

“How do you do that? Do you have an eye for the future Michael Jackson? You’re just gathering a few people who can do that? Talk about something that makes sense.”

“I need to practice.”

“Will it work with practice?”

“That’s why you have to start doing it from a very young age.”

“Ugh, let’s stop talking.”

Nam Hong-beom, who was eating his noodles in silence, laughed heartily. He said playfully.

“Should I make her wear a white one-piece dress and dance hip-hop? And sing a high-pitched ballad?”

Jeong Ho-hwan snapped his fingers.

“This is incredible.”

“… … ???”

Something happened that no one expected.

In a country that the world only saw as ‘somewhere between China and Japan’, the spark of idols was about to come alive.

And now, the flames rose high into the sky, threatening to turn the world upside down, beyond just coming to life.

“ah.”

Jung Ho-hwan, who was watching the opening medley of the Girls’ League, couldn’t hold back his tears.

It is a sight to see a seed that one had planted grow into a giant tree in a completely unexpected place.

It’s only the first song.

No, it’s only the first song so the audience can cheer so loudly.

Thousands of fans cheer wildly for the Girls’ League on stage. Every gesture and every step they take swept the audience away.

People familiar with the video could not help but be amazed by the aura of the real thing.

“ah…….”

Inconsistent with the enthusiastic excitement sweeping the audience, Jeong Ho-hwan sat in his seat and let out an unconscious exclamation.

The admiration was directed at the Girls’ League, but it was also admiration for Korea, which created this kind of scenery.

This is a sight we could not have imagined 20 years ago.

‘at las.’

Korea is a country with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

They tried obsessively to follow the developed countries.

Culture was no exception.

A country of imitators who have been clumsily imitating American pop music since ancient times and desperately trying to catch up with it.

‘We’ve finally made it here.’

Korean music, which used to be like that, has now reached a level that rivals pop music in terms of technology.

These results were achieved by people who could not grow up in poor soil without sufficient nutrients.

Producer Park Sung-pil, composer Jeong Ji-eum.

And the countless back-office assistants who supported them.

Jeong Ho-hwan applauded them.

Thank you for growing up so well.

* * *

As soon as he heard the intro of ‘No’, Lee Seon-ju got goosebumps all over her body.

I remembered the first time I heard ‘No’.

A photo I found by chance on SNS. The photo showed Jang Ha-yang sitting and resting in the practice room.

With just that photo, Lee Sun-joo decided to support Jang Ha-yang and the Girls’ League, even though she hadn’t even debuted yet.

The reason I came to like the Girls’ League was, as expected, very trivial.

‘Because it’s pretty.’

Such pretty sisters came out and said ‘No’.

Since it was a small agency, I didn’t expect much from the quality of the song and choreography. However, it exceeded my expectations.

Lee Seon-ju loved the Girls’ League so much that she was proud to be a ‘citizen’.

‘I’m crazy… … .’

Lee Seon-ju waved her cheering stick while crying.

‘I left the girls I liked since I was a trainee and focused on K-Us… … .’

I couldn’t see the stage well because of the tears.

Although she couldn’t see them very well, Lee Sun-joo was confident that they would show a perfect performance.

The Girls’ League has always been like that.

Whether Lee Seon-ju is happy, sad, angry or angry, she always stands in the same place with the same appearance.

Even if you look at Lee Seon-ju for a moment and then look at her again, she shows the same familiar appearance, doing her best. And she speaks warmly.

‘You’re back? It’s good to see you here.’

The highlight part of ‘No’ unfolded.

The members take turns taking the center stage and show off their own performances.

Rika stood in the center and performed a different performance from the original. She smiled brightly, then spread her arms as if she was running towards her fans and blew them kisses.

Lee Seon-ju felt like her heart was going to break.

Because Rika was pretty, cute, and so lovable, and it reminded me of what she said during her V Live when she first debuted.

‘I’ll make you proud to be Atashi’s fan!’

Rika seemed to ask again.

‘I’m here because of you all. Thank you! Now, are you proud?’

Lee Seon-ju responded by roughly wiping away her tears and cheering.

‘I’m proud. I’m so proud to be your fan.’

First single album’s initial sales of 10,000 copies.

First mini album sales of 20,000 copies.

Pre-order sales of the first regular album reached 120,000 copies.

Music video ‘No’ surpasses 70 million views.

HPT Music Awards ‘Long Four’ won the main prize.

And the second year since debut.

‘I’m happy to be your fan… … .’

3 consecutive performances at Olympic Hall.

Total audience: approximately 10,000 people.

* * *

As soon as ‘No’ ended, the song changed to ‘Tingle’. The performance continued without even a moment’s rest.

“Wow, wow, wow, wow… … .”

Yoo Yong-tae just kept spitting out such exclamations.

I didn’t even think about shaking the cheering stick I paid a lot of money for. Sometimes, I would think about the fact that I had to follow the cheering method, but I unconsciously ignored it.

Right now I’m just enjoying it.

Rather, it would have been rude not to do so.

“wow…….”

The ‘Tingle’ performance was very different from the colors that the Girls’ League had shown.

Yoo Yong-tae had seen the Japanese version of ‘Tingle’ music video and performance, and he secretly didn’t like it.

‘It’s so different from the Girls’ League colors. Did you go with this style because it’s your debut in Japan?’

Sensuality to the Girls’ League?

Although less explicit than ‘Long For’, which was entirely about love, ‘Tingle’ felt like it was too blatantly seductive, which I didn’t like.

Clearly, the lyrics express the excitement and courage of a new beginning, but with the singer wearing a tight one-piece dress and dancing to seductive choreography, it felt absurd.

But I didn’t even put ‘Tingle’ on my playlist because I thought, ‘This isn’t the Girls’ League I knew.’

“Wow, uh, uh… … .”

When I saw ‘Tingle’ in person, all those thoughts disappeared.

To be honest, as soon as Yoo Yong-tae saw ‘Tingle’, he felt an indescribable sense of shame.

It was revealed to my coworkers that I was a serious idol fan, and at some point my teammates found out too.

At that time, Yoo Yong-tae said this.

‘I’m just cheering them on! The kids are working hard!’

But the first thought that came to mind when I saw ‘Tingle’ was, no, that feeling was shameful, but it was a feeling of satisfaction as a man.

The sight of a beautiful woman with flowing movements and a thrill of excitement asking him to go with her was incredibly captivating to Yoo Yong-tae.

The second thing that impressed me was that there was no logical reason for it.

Yoo Yong-tae was simply amazed by the performance of the Girls’ League.

At the fingertips that shyly stretch out toward a new beginning, at the thrill of approaching provocatively and then withdrawing, at the dual temptation that is both pure and devilish.

Yoo Yong-tae was fascinated by the complexity and subtlety that was difficult to express in one word.

And Yoo Yong-tae was able to understand why his old self did not like ‘Tingle’.

‘It took time.’

The Girls’ League lacked the skill, or rather the time, to express this complexity.

I needed some experience as a human being.

For them, ‘Tingle’ was fast. It’s a song with a lot of emotions and twists that need to be expressed. It was a performance that expected more than what they had.

But not anymore.

‘In just a few months… … .’

The Girls’ League was able to express girls and women in a mixed way. The thrill of walking that line was making Yoo Yong-tae’s heart beat.

The Girls’ League’s ‘Tingle’ had overflowing potential.

It was just waiting for an explosive torrent of beauty to overflow, something that a performance unfolding under rational calculations could not contain.

Their songs, dances, and performances were provocative, excessive, and unconventional.

That doesn’t mean I frown.

That’s a given.

Because what they expressed was overflow, excess, and youth.

Beyond the days when they were immaturely innocent, they were oozing youth from their entire bodies.

“and…….”

Yoo Yong-tae is possessed, no.

I looked at Baek Seol-ha (25 years old) with fascination.

Snow White’s performance of ‘Tingle’ following ‘Ani’ left her forehead and neck covered in sweat.

It seems to embody the effort of youth. Like an athlete who endures bone-crushing efforts with only his eyes on the finish line.

Yoo Yong-tae didn’t understand why people used words that imply that expressiveness in dance can be measured.

‘I get it now.’

It was clear that the Girls’ League’s expressive power had grown.

“Brother, why have you been making strange noises since a while ago?”

“Isn’t that amazing?”

Lee Seon-ju looked at him strangely for a moment, but soon nodded and focused on the stage.

The Girls’ League is catching their breath while striking an ending pose. Among them, Yoo Yong-tae focuses on Shin A-reum.

‘Beautiful.’

When I first saw him on the subway billboard, I thought he was just a kid, but he’s grown up so much already.

Yoo Yong-tae sent his support to his favorite Shin A-reum amidst the cheers of thousands of people.

Just as one grows older and becomes an adult, Shin A-reum has also been building up her skills over the past two years.

“uh?”

Yoo Yong-tae, who was reflecting on the years he spent supporting Shin A-reum as a fan, was startled.

A familiar melody entered his ears and stuck.

The heart-pounding bass and the piercing electronic sounds. Yoo Yong-tae couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

“Again, again?”

The audience threw their cheers down on the stage.

They liked it, but at the same time, they worried about it, like Yoo Yong-tae.

From the difficult performance of ‘Ani’ to the expressive ‘Tingle’, you immediately go on stage again?

“Seonju, is this right? If you do three songs in a row, won’t you get exhausted or something? Can you do it… …”

At that moment, the cheering stick in Yoo Yong-tae’s hand emitted a red light like a heartbeat at a regular pace.

* * *

Red light was regularly reflected into Shin A-reum’s retina.

‘I only did two songs.’

Shin A-reum desperately held her breath.

It’s so hard that I can barely move my fingertips.

It’s hard to even control your body.

But there isn’t even the slightest hint of fatigue in those eyes.

Her eyes were like a variable star that blinked and flashed with the aspirations of three thousand people. The passions of thousands of people erased the pain and fatigue from her eyes and filled them with only the light of the great stars.

‘It’s strange. Why is it so hard?’

A languid, pleasant fatigue that comes with the spring sunshine.

Shin A-reum thought it was a stimulant.

Happy pain races through every vein.

‘I need to conserve my stamina.’

Dozens of dancers who had been waiting in the aisles of the audience are seen rising at once.

The red flag they are holding flutters beautifully even in a windless room.

‘… … You’re saving it?’

The light from thousands of cheering sticks and torches grows stronger and stronger.

It’s as if the flames are speaking to me.

Woof, woof, woof, beautiful waves of light.

Shin A-reum’s heart began to resonate with the light.

‘no.’

Shin Areum crouched down and stretched her legs out in front of her, pressing them against the ground.

The members took that as a signal and quickly released their ending poses to prepare for the next stage.

Everyone was in a similar state to Shin A-reum.

It was obviously harder than rehearsal, I was flustered, and yet I felt the ecstatic emptiness after pouring everything out.

No, it won’t work.

Not yet.

‘That’s not right yet.’

It’s not at the stage where you can feel satisfied.

it’s tough.

But I can’t afford to get caught up in such a reasonable calculation of saving my energy for the next stage.

‘Squeezing to the limit.’

Can you go further?

Shin A-reum didn’t bother asking.

Because we were moving forward together.

* * *

The cheering stick lights up to the beat of a heartbeat.

The bass and drums of the band session thump in unison.

thud.

thud.

thud.

Immediately after, the audience also stomped their feet.

thud.

thud.

thud.

thud.

Dozens of backup dancers, waiting in the audience aisles, ran toward the stage, waving red flags.

The sight of dozens of people rushing in line at the same time was spectacular.

It is as swift as military action.

The dancers took the high ground of the stage and waved flags as if predicting victory.

Red lights flashed across the darkened stage. The fog machine blew out thick vapor, obscuring the figures of the Girls’ League.

The red fog was illuminated and turned blood red.

“Can you do it?”

Lee Seon-ju opened her mouth with excitement.

At the same time, he showed the cheering stick he was holding to Yoo Yong-tae. He proudly showed it to him as if the light it was emitting was proof.

“The Soviets can do it?”

The cheering stick’s beat gets faster and faster.

The beat of the bass and drums also gets faster.

The audience’s feet, excitement, anticipation, everything swirls together, heightening the anticipation.

The dancers thumped the flag on the floor.

A sudden gust of wind blew away all the fog that had been hiding the Girls’ League.

In it, the Girls’ League rose up.

There were girls who pledged to fight in front of dozens of flags.

They took off their jackets and were wearing sleeveless blouses and black slacks that revealed all the lines of their bodies.

It was a battle uniform as an idol.

An outfit that strips away all the bothersome stuff and is designed solely for moving the body.

Baek Seol-ha, standing in the center, stomped the floor with her walker. In response, the dancers split to the left and right.

“I really will… … .”

The intro of the song, which had been repeated endlessly, finally moves forward.

“I’m really going to do it… … .”

Yoo Yong-tae’s heart was already beating so fast that he couldn’t stand it.

The question ‘can I do it’ was no longer important.

Everyone did it, and everyone knew it.

Their insanely fast pace proved it.

Bass, drums, stomping, and heart.

The passionate beat made the fans’ blood boil.

As if to signal the end, the members of the Girls’ League simultaneously extended their fists forward.

Fans also extended their cheering sticks forward.

The cheering stick’s light flashed redder than blood.

The entire concert hall.

[Arabesque]

Engulfed in flames.

The screen showing the burning city streets went out. The audience was shocked when it came back on a few seconds later.

What appeared on the screen were not close-up shots of the Girls’ League members.

This is the audience seating.

The Girls’ League stands against the backdrop of the audience, where thousands of torches rise, like revolutionaries at the forefront leading the crowd.

[Go]

As Baek Seol-ha recited, the Girls’ League stepped forward. Not just them, but with thousands of people standing behind them.

The Federation moves forward.