Chapter 41: Live

o contact him, and chat with him.It's really upsetting to be rejected when you're the one who reaches out. The way they smiled and refused, then walked away without looking back, keeps replaying in my...Actually, since the release of 《x》's audio on April 1st, some discordant voices have already begun within EXO's fandom. However, as time fermented and the heat spread, these voices finally became increasingly intense in the last two days.

The reason was that Wu Shixun's fans discovered that their idol had very little personal time in the title songs "callbaby" and "Chun" from EXO's recent comebacks. They specifically created videos that statistically analyzed the personal part time of EXO members in the two title tracks and posted them on forums, YouTube, and fan clubs.

The video clearly statistics the time allocation for each member's solo singing part in every song, excluding the group chorus parts.

In 《callbaby》, Jin Jong-dae has the longest personal part at 33.8 seconds, followed by Park Jiung with 29.7 seconds.

And the last-placed Wu Shixun only had 8.3 seconds, which is about one fourth of that.

But it's even more outrageous in "Spring Day," with the first part by Bian Baekhyun lasting as long as 48 seconds, and the second part by Ji Kyung-won also clocking in at 45 seconds.

While Wu Shih-hsuan remains last place, with only 5 seconds.

In "", he only rapped for three lines throughout the entire song. Although this song has a lot of rap parts, they were almost all divided between Park Chan-yeol and Lee Jong-hyeon.

The second-to-last Kim Jong-in and the third-to-last Kim Jin-seok didn't do much better either, both only lasting about seven or eight seconds.

On one side, they sing and show their face throughout the entire performance. On the other side, they can't sing even a sentence or two in an entire song. At first glance, the contrast is extremely stark.

Actually, EXO's song part distribution has always been quite uneven. Almost every song's main parts are taken up by the four main vocalists: Park Chanyeol (who gets most of the rap parts), D.O., Baekhyun, and Kai. The rest of the members mostly get crumbs.

This is still the case when the title track is a pop dance song. If it's a ballad, it's even more extreme. For example, ballads like "December Miracle" and "Let It Be," the main vocals are almost always the four main vocalists, and other members like Kim Jun-myeon might only get two lines. The rest of the members basically just stand on stage watching for the entire performance, they don't even need to bring microphones.

This time, the more lyrical "Spring Day" still focuses on the lead vocalist. While the part distribution isn't as extreme as previously excluding other members entirely, the significant difference in length between the first and last parts is quite noticeable.

Such a stark and comical contrast immediately caused some members, especially Wu Shixun's fans, to lose their composure. They directly posted online, tearing into S for favoring certain members unfairly, and stated that if S continued to be so biased and disrespectful, they, as fans of the mistreated members, would refuse to buy EXO's upcoming album.

Besides the tear company, Kim Jong-dae, who has the most parts, and Beomgyu are also targets of yin and yang attacks. The entire interior of Ailee became a mess of chaos, with people going back and forth, attacking each other.

"Why is there so much for Berkhyun's part Even as the main vocalist, it feels like too much. Are the other members completely useless then I don't even know what Sehun and Xiu are doing on stage with mics."

"Every time for x's albums and charting, we X-fans aren't without participation, but the result is a 50 seconds, a 5 seconds. The company is too biased this way, isn't it Seeing this comparison, my heart really feels cold. So many parts, popularity is not going up, always at the bottom. Isn't this just a waste Can't you give others a little bit Anyway, if it's still like this, I won't buy the next single."

“Why are you scolding us It's not that he allocated it himself, but the company did. Do you think we, fans of Chungha, are easy to bully because there are fewer of us Yuan’s parts are always second or third place, just a little bit less than first. He is still the album producer for the group and has a say in distributing parts. Maybe even Wu Sehun's five seconds were allocated by him. Why don’t you go scold him”

Because they know yuan's fan base is countless times larger than theirs, they can't possibly win, it's hilarious.

"Because yuan is the album producer, songwriter, and most popular member, having more parts is understandable. Even so, he's not the one with the most lines. Compared to Baekhyun, why"

"To say all this, aren't you still bullying the weak and fearing the strong"

Who doesn't know Yuan is royalty

"Take us yuan away, thank you. You guys rip apart your own part and don't drag us into this kind of thing. Yuan fans are already very satisfied with the current situation, we barely have time to help Oppa chart and brush up on straight shots."

Actually, members like Wu Shixun and Kim Jinwoo have had very few parts for a long time. Fans have been unhappy about this for quite a while, and this time they finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

The past two days have been really intense, it's considered the most severe internal conflict among EXO fans since last year's Han exit, even briefly making headlines and attracting a lot of attention and gossip.

However, in terms of its actual effect, it's not very significant.

Such a large corporation wouldn't change its internal plans and settings for EXO just because of some fans' dissatisfaction. How the members of EXO should be planned, which direction each member leans towards, how the styling looks like every comeback, who looks stunning and who is average, how many kill parts are given in each song, who is the main push and who is protected, etc., they all have their own set of procedures and plans internally. Even with his aura, Ji-seong mostly follows the company's arrangements.

Although these drafts may change due to certain circumstances, it is highly unlikely that they will change because of fan dissatisfaction.

And since has been floating around the music scene for many years, they understand these fans best. Although they look very resentful and threaten the company with things like "stop paying" and "stop supporting," on the surface, it seems like they are determined to fight to the end. In reality, it's all talk. As long as the next title track gives a few members a little more weight, and then they release something like a calendar, merchandise, or even hold a fan signing and concert, they will definitely be hating iron for not being steel while complaining that the company finally got its act together, all while being more enthusiastic than anyone else, emptying their wallets faster than anyone.

Fans, if you don't tease them a bit, how can you keep them loyal How can you get closer to your idol

By next time, fans will only think this:

'Look, Sehun is already so miserable. Every time he goes on stage with a microphone, all he does is introduce the group by saying 'EXO'. What else can he do if we don't support him'

They saw through it ages ago.

However, this kind of fan infighting won't affect the company's planning, but it will affect the atmosphere within EXO. Some big fans, rich fans, or station sisters have contact with the members, and the members also surf the internet, so they are very clear that their fans and others are fighting.

Although members like Wu Shixun and Kim Jinwoo who have always been in the group but rarely get parts have gotten used to it, even though they definitely feel annoyed, no one brought it up before. Now that someone has brought it up and made such a fuss about it, seeing such a clear and ironic contrast, they must surely feel very uncomfortable inside.

So the atmosphere within EXO hasn't been particularly good these past few days. It's not exactly a conflict, but it feels a bit strange.

……

Your fans have already released protest manifestos, saying they'll be demonstrating outside the company in a couple of days. You're still acting all aloof

After reading a scathing post by Wu Shih-hsien's die-hard fan on the forum targeting s, Chi Jingyuan savored the fiery language and somewhat clunky prose. He smacked his lips, feeling both speechless and contemplative. Then he elbowed Wu Shih-hsien sitting next to him.

"Oh..."

> It's possible you've already seen this post. Wu Shih-hsuan let out a deep sigh, his tone and expression clearly complex, with a mixture of joy and relief, but also dissatisfaction and anger, along with a hint of bewilderment.

It's certainly heartwarming to have fans, but...

It is this afternoon, April 6th. EXO, who just finished their comeback week promotions, are in the guest resting room backstage after recording for the KBS variety show, “Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook.”

Nine members sat scattered around the room, each holding a stack of papers and looking over the general script and question-and-answer flow that the program staff had just handed out. After a while, when they were almost done memorizing it, they started chatting quietly among themselves.

"Heh..."

Hearing what Chi Jingyuan said, several members nearby couldn't help but chuckle softly.

In recent days, the hottest news about EXO, besides the unexpected rise in the sound source of "Spring Day," is this fan fight.

However, the past two days were the most intense, and within the team, it was actually difficult to bring up this topic. After all, part allocation and popularity are closely related, and this involves personal interests, so it's not easy to say anything that might stimulate some people. But today, although online discussions are still quite heated, the emotions of the involved members have eased considerably.

"That's it..." Chi Jingyuan feigned thought for a few seconds, as if struck by inspiration, he snapped his fingers: "Why don't we suggest to the company that when 'boywithv' records later on, you use your female voice to sing a parody in the chorus"

"Get lost! Die!"

Facing this obviously facetious and unreliable proposal, Wu Shih-hsuan unceremoniously cursed and gave the middle finger.

"Haha..."

A burst of laughter erupted again. The atmosphere, which had been quiet and solemn just moments ago due to the perusal of data, now buzzed with excitement. Kim Jun-myeon, hearing this, put down the script in his hand and inquired curiously, "By the way, Kyung-won, have you decided whether to collaborate with someone for '' or sing it yourselves When are you planning to start recording"

As for the production of the song, only Ji-sung is currently involved as a producer. The other members are only occasionally hearing some news and don't yet know the latest developments.

"Haven't decided yet, still discussing... I'm leaning towards us singing it ourselves, after all, we haven't had anyone do a feat with us since our debut."

Chi Jingyuan shook his head, recounting the general course of the last production meeting. Then he thought for a moment: "It should probably wait until the results come out to record. We haven't really practiced the dance for this song yet… Plus, we haven't filmed the two music videos for 《o》 yet, and there's also the concert coming up. Things have been quite hectic lately."

"I remember Brother Chenghuan mentioned last time that this "Spring Day" singing session will be shorter, not like "callbaby" which lasted a full month."

"It should be..."

After chatting for a while, the other guests who were participating in the recording today also arrived at the other resting room in the back. Under the guidance of their managers, several EXO members took the initiative to say hello.

"Greetings, senior..."

As it happens, the guest on today's recording of "Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook," Ji Chang Wook, is quite familiar. He recently met with Park Jin Young not long ago.

"Goodness gracious, you guys have been on fire lately!"

Park Bo-young greeted everyone with a smile, walking alongside American-Korean singer Jessi. When she reached Ji Chang-wook, she even patted him on the shoulder as a sign of closeness.

"Brother Zhenying, this...are you going to release a song"

Seeing the two of them looking like partners, Ji Jingyuan blinked and asked curiously.

"Yeah, the album will be released on the 12th."

Park Jin-young nodded in acknowledgment, then furrowed his brow and looked over. "Didn't we already make an announcement a few days ago, Gyeongwon You don't even care about your hyung at all"

"Hahaha..." Jessi started laughing, and Ji-sung also pretended to be innocent and laughed along with the other members.

Who cares about your return

JYP is really heartless.

"By the way, about the 《sixteen》 thing, we've already discussed it with your company. We'll send you some materials in a couple of days, and we estimate that recording will start around the end of this month."

After making a couple of jokes, Park Jin-young remembered the main point and happened to bump into Ji Sung. He proactively brought it up, and seeing the other party nod in understanding, he didn't say much more. After squeezing out a smile and chatting with the other members for a bit, they bid farewell to each other. EXO then went to have a few words with Yoo Hee-yeol in advance before returning to the waiting room to wait for the recording to begin.

"Lee Hee-je's Sketchbook" is a music talk show where several guests are invited to participate in conversations, live performances, and audience interaction every episode. Viewers who attend the recording can directly resonate with the performers and guests.

Many talk shows have become somewhat formulaic, but what sets this show apart is that the guest's live performance on stage isn't just playing pre-recorded music. Instead, they collaborate with a live band during the show. Coupled with a high-quality band and sound equipment, this creates a unique stage presence that differs significantly from typical singing programs, resulting in a more genuine and captivating experience.

The highlight of this program is the excellent live sound effects. The stage performance, especially the ballads, is great if performed well, with a fantastic live effect.

Therefore, the average age of the audience for this program will be older, with many viewers being adults in their twenties, thirties, and beyond.

Generally, music programs on the three major television stations have viewership ratings around one percent, with most falling below that figure. 《柳熙烈的寫生簿》, however, typically sits between 1-2%, making it a standout music program with both critical acclaim and decent viewership.

"There is a clear distinction between sketchbooks and music programs featuring popular singers that are frequently aired recently..."

"After seeing this question, I thought about it carefully."

In a gray suit, Lee Hyeri walked onto the studio stage. Facing the 200 to 300 audience members participating in the recording, she didn't make any heart-pumping opening remarks. Instead, she casually started talking like they were just having a chat.

"Setting aside the issues of mainstream versus non-mainstream, or whether music is difficult or not, we strive to introduce as diverse a range of music as possible. 'Can we bring some comfort to everyone after a busy week' We really prepared with this in mind."

"Okay, today's first guest performer...is someone who's being introduced to the sketchbook for the very first time."

Yu Xi Lie said, looking up and smiling at the audience, and the audience on-site also responded with a timely cheer, as if they already knew which guests were coming today.

Among young people, if you don't know this group, in our common words, they would be considered cave dwellers... Their popularity has truly reached that level.

In the music market of the peninsula ballad genre, it has sold one million copies again after eleven years.

"Now, XO is an international idol who has burst out of Asia and is widely loved around the world... XO's performance."

“Ah…”

Amidst a restrained cheer, five members including Ji Jingyuan walked onto the stage. After standing in the center, dazzling lights unfolded behind them, and a familiar prelude that resonated with audiences of all ages followed:

"Yeah, okay!"

"sexy."

As soon as the prelude began, a cheer erupted that was much louder than before. Even some of the audience members who hadn't reacted much earlier couldn't help but look surprised.

Besides the performance of "Spring Day" later on, we chose to open with "Growl" because the audience for this program tends to be a bit older. EXO's other title tracks might not be as familiar to them, and to date, the most widely circulated and popular song among the general public is still "Growl".

At the beginning, the audience down below actually started to sing along, taking turns with each other. It made the studio, which had seemed rather quiet before, feel more like a concert venue.

The melody of 《咆哮》 is really catchy and well-known.

"Your breathing is always quick, you walk towards me."

Chi Jingyuan held the microphone and sang the first line. After hearing his own voice through the earphones, he understood.

During the rehearsal before the recording, he discovered that the stage effects of "Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook" were indeed quite different from those of music shows. With the live band accompaniment, the vocals sounded very clear and delicate, and you could clearly hear many details, such as breathing sounds. Even a slight change in breathing could result in flaws. The overall sound quality was exceptional, making the singing voice seem to surround the entire stage and studio, creating a feeling of fullness throughout the room.

Under such sound effects, if you have enough skill, it's indeed very easy to immerse yourself and enjoy it greatly.

This performance of "Roar" focused mainly on singing. Due to the limited stage size and the handheld microphone, which made it difficult to move freely, there was some restraint and perfunctoryness in the dancing. The movements weren't particularly standard.

"If you don't retreat, even if you get hurt, it doesn't matter."

In the cheering, nine people struck their final end pose, concluding their stage performance.

"Annyeonghaseyo, I'm Baekhyun from EXO..."

“...”

"Annyeonghaseyo, I'm the maknae Yuan from EXO."

Two staff members quickly brought up nine chairs on both sides. Exo sat in two rows, and under the guidance of C-Liu Hixie, they officially started the conversation segment.

"This is XO's first time on our sketch show stage... Oh my, it was really hard to get them here." Yoo Hee-yeol sat beside him, glanced at the people next to him and let out a sigh, then turned to the audience: "Do you know how many times we invited s before they finally agreed"

"Three times"

"Four times"

The audience in the front row were all raising their hands guessing, a few girls' expressions and states were very excited, it felt like they might be EXO fans who came specifically to see them.

"It might be even more than you think, it's really hard to find…" Liu Xi Lie didn't say it explicitly, he just waved his hand and said with a smile, "Now EXO is really popular, it has surpassed Hallyu and is really popular throughout Asia..."

After showering some praise, Liu Xi-lie's painting style shifted: "However, in fact, among people over thirty, there may be those who know the name and have heard of it, but don't want to delve into the details..."

"Inside."

Kim Jun-myeon smiled wryly and nodded, confirming the statement.

The main fan base of the Peninsula boy group consists of female students in their teens and young women in their twenties. This age range has the highest percentage of fans, and once they reach their thirties, the number drops sharply. Even with EXO's current fame, many older generations only know their names and some song melodies. Many people even don't know what they do.

"Among people in their thirties, who do you think is the most popular" Ryu Hee-ryeol followed up.

"Hmm..."

Several members looked at each other, then unanimously pointed to Chi Jingyuan sitting beside the second row. Facing the camera, Chi Jingyuan did not deny it, squinting his eyes with a smile and smiling tacitly.

"Are you yuan"

"He's very popular, especially among office workers in his twenties and thirties. He's been really busy lately because he filmed a few TV dramas before this. " Kim Jun-Myeon nodded and explained.

"The Untamed!"

Because it was a KBS program, they couldn't directly mention the name of the TVN drama. However, the fans and viewers below didn't have such reservations and all laughed and shouted out the name of the drama.

“Oh, I really like watching it too. The acting is really good.” Yoo Hee-yeol nodded in understanding and also gave a compliment. Hearing this, Ji Kyeong-won quickly thanked him with "Kamsahamnida" and smiled again. Then he said, “TV dramas are another way to do things, so today we'll take this opportunity to use an excellent stage to really capture the attention of people over 30, 40 years old. Today, we will proceed step by step.”

"Okay, so now we're officially dissecting exo. Let's ask a very simple question."

"Okay."

"What does 'exo' even mean" Yoo Hee-yeol seemed to be acting like many viewers who were first introduced to EXO during the 3rd or 4th generation, asking with a confused and curious expression.

"Well... it means a name from exo."

"An exoplanet"

"It, therefore, takes the name of an exoplanet—a planet existing outside our solar system. A new star from a world unknown, something that has never been heard of on Earth..."

Jin Jun-mian made a circle in the air with his hand, imitating the shape of a planet, and while gesturing, he earnestly explained something that sounded like ancient scriptures. The audience couldn't help but burst into laughter.

After showcasing some awkward and shy displays of superpowers and chatting about other topics, the conversation segment came to an end.

The focus of this program isn't the chat, it's still the live stage with a band performance. That's what attracts the audience the most.

As the lights dimmed, Liu Xi Lie went offstage to listen from the side. Stagehands quickly rushed up and moved nine chairs around, spacing them out on stage. When the lights came back on, the nine members sat individually on the chairs, holding microphones and lightly covering their earpieces.

The band at the back of the stage began to play appropriately, and "Spring Day" 's unique prelude rose slowly.

Without choreography, stage effects, or K-pop, a variety of poses and rich camera language were used. The live band performed with the singers, showcasing for the first time ever the original version of "Spring Day" on a live stage.

Peninsula Asteroid

First published on the Traditional Chinese Novel Network.ibly popular in China and specifically arranged things this way to receive the desired response and effect.But the excitement generated by the just-lit atmosphere didn't last long. After EXO and Girls...