Chapter 278

This week’s buddy self-content.

I was checking those comments.

─Ah, everything’s a hit without missing a single one.

─Seriously, Chiyo is the type that belongs to the highest risk 1st crew at her agency; she just does whatever she feels like, lololol.

└Chiyo isn’t even trying to be funny; she just speaks her mind, and when everyone else laughs or is confused, she’s just like ㅇㅅㅇ, lololol, for real a true lunatic.

─Honestly, today I wondered if Do-hee ate something weird lololol her mode was totally “La-hee” lololol.

SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1U2JzRHFseHM5OExYRWlDREwrWXA5TWVBUXFvRjFDYmxXQmdESnhvYnhBKw

─For real, teasing each other is the basic chemistry of the dorks… In the meantime, Ms. Raym makes some lame jokes, and when Do-hee gets a bit flustered, it’s so cute when she shrugs her shoulders all alone after being teased all day, lololol.

─I mean, I think Na-eun is fascinating; seriously, I get that she seems to absorb energy from these kinds of people, but how is she so energized? How did she adapt to this? Is this what it means to be a leader?

─Ah, in this self-content, how many nicknames did we create? lololol Woo-ah has probably gained over 10 nicknames now.

─Today, why is Woo-ah such a lovable cutie? lololol She usually has a laid-back and cool vibe, but today she’s so affectionate and seems comfortable with the camera; it feels like her true self is showing, lololol, so cute.

Even though there were some natural moments mixed in, it was somewhat an artificially made concept self-content, so I had my doubts.

The editing was quite well done.

“The reactions are good.”

Of course, I knew that.

If the self-content showing the members having fun and looking good becomes a hot topic, it’ll be a huge help in easing the atmosphere itself.

But in the end, it’s a temporary fix.

“Now we should make some songs…”

Fundamentally, idols start as singers who need to release songs and promote, so the outcomes and responses from the next album determine the direction in every aspect.

Group dynamics.

Fandom sentiment.

Public perception.

All of it.

That’s why what my unni and I will have from now on is a song camp.

There was no need to go somewhere special.

Our dorm was enough.

It was a chilly autumn night in September.

*

“First of all, unni, you must’ve heard from the Director, but the next album is almost confirmed to be produced by us.”

“Yup, yup!”

“Sure thing.”

“Got it~”

The unnies gathered around Na-eun, who was slicing fruit, and bit into it while staring at me.

“When it comes to composing, there’s not much to it… We just gather like this during free time to chat and have fun. We might as well eat together at the same time.”

I handed each unni a piece of paper as I spoke.

“Yeah, the method is simple. If a melody that fits the concept on there comes to your mind, just hum it out. If I like it, I’ll take it and polish it.”

The paper briefly outlined the concept for our next album, the number of songs, and the timeline I had pre-decided.
Hint paper.

“Well, we’re going by the genre written there.”

Of course, it’s a pre-planned concept.

I wasn’t just notifying my sisters.

“Why this concept? Why this timeline? Why this idea? You’re curious, right?”

I said I’d do it my way.

But that meant I wouldn’t hide my intentions any longer.

Just because I excelled doesn’t mean I’m looking down on others.

“Before explaining the reasons, I’m going to talk about my composition style.”

I planned to start logically.

“I’ll give you a quiz.”

Yeah, the intro.

“Hey, you’re not going to do that strange multiple-choice quiz again, are you?”

“…It’s subjective.”

The intro is like that.

This will be good.

“Based on facts and evidence, when do you think the idol culture we’re currently thinking of originated?”

Honestly, there are diverse answers.

From the first-generation idols, when K-pop fully emerged.

To Michael Jackson, the emperor of pop known as Cheonma.

To the Beatles, who gained global popularity.

Or even Franz Liszt, often regarded as the first idol.

Everyone could be a different answer.

“I’ll phrase it differently. What kind of person becomes a star?”

But the answer I wanted was a bit more historical.

“If you get this right, 10 points.”

“Me! Me!”

Except for Na-eun Unni, who instantly raised her hand, the other three.

It was a meaningless point, but it was cute seeing them act so childish.

“They’re unique and cool!”

“Someone eye-catching, of course. Literally, they have star quality.”

Those are certainly correct statements.

“Someone like Do-hee~”

This is…

“First of all, Woo-ah Unni gets 100 points.”

“It was my mistake to take Do-hee’s words seriously.”

“Crazy Do-hee.”

“Let’s not speak ill of Chiyo Unni…”

“Right, let’s not curse Chiyo, okay?”

“…Sorry.”

Anyway.

I think that a star isn’t just an outstanding person.

They just appear because the era wants them to.

“In other words… it’s simply that someone lucky enough to match the era’s requirements became a star.”

“Really?”

“Um…”

I didn’t expect a positive reaction from the start.

Just now, my statement brushed off the years of hard work and practice from the older sisters who became idols as mere luck.

But my thoughts remained unchanged.

I was planning to give a case as an example.

“But I asked when idol culture began. I think the answer is this.”

“After youth culture became prominently part of popular culture.”

“The very meaning of the term ‘idol’ itself means ‘icon’.”

“Then, another question arises. If so, when did youth culture emerge?”

“This one’s simple too. It was when teenagers became consumers. Culture arises from those who spend money.”
This simple dialogue allows us to say that this is the time when idols, as we know them today, emerged.

“So, during World War II.”

“Huh?”

I don’t suddenly intend to study history with my older sisters.

To know a clear target audience, one must understand the historical purpose behind it.

“World War II was a war where the current hegemonic country, the United States, participated directly, unlike World War I.”

Knowing or not knowing sets the direction.

“Suddenly?”

“But this is important. It’s the reason the U.S. military industry faced labor shortages.”

“Uh-huh, and so?”

“And so, to secure workers, the U.S. government introduced a policy: it paid teenagers equal wages to adults.”

“Ah~ that’s why teens got so much money?”

“Correct, Na-eun Unni! Now that they have money, what do they do? They spend it. But what happens when they spend money? Teen culture develops. And what’s integral to that culture? Music.”

“Oh… this is getting interesting.”

“I like history, you know?”

“But where did Do-hee study that stuff?”

“It all comes out if you read books hard. Anyway, but if you were my older sister, would you listen to the music your parents listened to?”

“I listen to 70s and 80s songs, you know? There are many classics.”

“Ah, I want to do trot, Do-hee-chan. Trot is fun.”

Oh dear.

Will Kimchi actually release a trot song later?

“Right, there are many classics from back then, and trot is fun, but what I’m saying is that times are different now.”

Sighing, I sat down at the piano in my room.

And I played ‘Summer time’ for a bit.

“Oh? I know this. I’ve heard it a lot!”

“So have I.”

“Right, most people have probably heard it. It’s a song by George Gershwin, the renowned American pianist and composer who encompassed popular music like jazz and classical in the 1920s and 1930s.”

A popular piece centered on 32 bars.

“But the type of song Gershwin is known for is called Tin Pan Alley.”

“Huh? I think I’ve heard that too.”

If it’s older sisters, they’ve probably heard it at least once in a school class.

Since they all attended arts high schools and majored in practical music.

“There’s a saying too: without Tin Pan Alley and jazz, there is no American popular music. As for what exactly Tin Pan Alley is, I’ll look it up later.”

Anyway.

“The reason I brought this up is that the music is indeed good. But what I’m saying is that the majority of mainstream songs from that time had this kind of vibe. But think about it. Would typical energetic teens mostly listen to these songs?”

“True… most would listen to upbeat, lively songs.”

“Exactly. So what came to the forefront at this time was what is commonly referred to as rhythm and blues (R&B). To put it simply, blues, as the name implies, is sad, a bit calm and quiet, and music based on acoustic instruments. R&B adapts to the noisy, vibrant urban atmosphere with electric instruments, becoming more lively, faster, and louder.”
“Now the instruments are heading towards electric, becoming livelier, faster, and louder.”

“Oh…”

Seeing the unnis nodding, I honestly find it a bit amusing.

I think I could have been a teacher?

I also feel like I could have done well producing idols?

“But I mentioned that I got into R&B, right? There’s a genre that mixes R&B with a bit of country feel, and that is…?”

“Rock n roll baby?”

“Oh~ Kim Seo-yoon.”

“…What? Kim Seo-yoon?”

In that moment, I really thought I was a teacher.

I guess I slipped into banter, heh heh.

“No, she said it wasn’t her first time, remember last time she declared she would do whatever she wanted? Since then, her words have been getting shorter and shorter!”

“Seo-yoon Unni~ Slip of the tongue~”

“Wow, wow, look at that expression! Hey, Na-eun Unni, can’t we seriously scold her once? What is this, the hierarchy of the group?!”

“You also talk back to me…”

Yeah, just because I made one slip of the tongue, eh?

I could say a bit of banter is okay after seven years.

“No, this is because of Do-hee!”

“It’s okay… I’ve long decided to accept you guys as you are.”

“No, what…?”

Yeah, yeah. Since Na-eun Unni says it’s fine.

Moving on.

“Anyway, so Seo-yoon Unni, why did rock and roll become so prevalent in the 1950s?”

“……”

“What do you think, Unni~?”

“Pu-hu… Teenagers had more money, and they became interested in rock and roll.”

“As expected, Kim Seo-yoon Unni is so smart~ Awesome.”

“Hey, cut it out.”

“Okay, so Unni, at that time in American culture, was there another new trend?”

“What? What’s that?”

She was acting a bit prickly.

“Of course, the existing radios evolved, and TVs became common in households. This was the time when music stages began to be broadcasted.”

“Do-hee-chan, please tell me quickly! I’m so intrigued…”

But I must say, Chiyo Unni’s desire to learn deserves some praise.

“Alright, alright. But at that time, what was the issue with teenage culture?”

“Why this time?”

“Well, the genre of blues was originally black music. The R&B that evolved from it and rock and roll ultimately were mainstream black music.”

“Oh?”

“But back then, America had way more severe racial discrimination than now, right? But they had to broadcast the stage while all the singers were black.”

“Oh…”

“So the broadcasting companies started to panic. At that time, the largest age group was teenagers, and they were also the biggest consumers of culture. So they absolutely had to capture those teens, but if they broadcasted, all the performers were black? Wow, they needed to find some white rock and roll singers!”

“Oh?”

“And that’s when the world’s first rock star appeared. Even if you don’t know their songs, you surely know their name.”

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