Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 97

Music Monster Overnight! Episode 88

To call it a shift of tectonic plates was no exaggeration.

In fact, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks in their first year of entering the U.S. market was an unbelievable achievement.

It was even more remarkable considering it was achieved by a rock band from the East, from a country often considered a wasteland for rock music.

Yet, they went beyond that, getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a collaborative song, and then succeeding in writing an absurd history of 18 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Moreover, it was a history written with rock music, which was entering an era of decline.

As a result, the number of people in the U.S. paying attention to rock music noticeably increased.

Not just pop rock, but also genres like heavy metal, which had been sidelined as too classic, were gaining attention.

With things unfolding this way, the music market itself began to stir.

The proportion of rock music, which had occupied a small part of the overall music market, was increasing at an astonishingly rapid pace.

Consequently, those who had laid down their guitars, basses, drums, and microphones to make a living were moving again, seeking to rediscover their passion.

This trend even brought retired legends of rock back to the stage.

In particular, news of famous bands that had broken up due to personality clashes or other reasons were reuniting day after day.

Someone asked them.

Why were they able to reunite?

In response, they all gave the same answer.

“Painkiller!”

They said that after listening to that song, they realized how trivial the things they had thought were important in the past were.

Then, the longing they had tried so hard to deny was revived, and these feelings resonated with everyone, so naturally, the talk of reunion came up.

However, the biggest beneficiary of Painkiller’s success was none other than Blue Rose.

-Blue Rose Succeeds on Billboard Too!-

-New song ‘teen movies’ Enters Billboard Hot 100!-

-YC’s ‘teen movies’ Music Video Reaches 100 Million Views in Record Time-

-Hong Euichan & YC Combination You Can Trust! This Time, Vampires?-

-There Were No Cruel Settings Typical of Vampires. There Was No CG Either. But YC Was the Epitome of an Enchanting Vampire.- [CG refers to computer-generated imagery]

-Due to YC, Who Played a Teen Vampire in ‘teen movies,’ the Vampire High-Teen Romance Boom Has Returned to the United States!-

-YC Syndrome Grips Teenage and 20-Something Girls! Covered in American Professional News Too!-

Blue Rose’s ‘teen movies,’ which received a proper YC boost, continued to break records relentlessly after entering the Billboard Hot 100.

From the 90s, it jumped to the 60s in an instant, and eventually succeeded in entering the top 10.

From this point on, it showed a hesitant climb, but this was truly an amazing record.

This is because it is an almost unimaginable record for K-pop idols.

At first, there was the YC boost, but once such a great record was set, Blue Rose’s fanbase rapidly increased in the United States.

The United States values narrative, and in that respect, Blue Rose’s story was bound to attract attention.

Blue Rose was a group that was often referred to as a 망돌 (mangdol) [a Korean slang term for a ‘failed idol’ group], to the point where even calling them third-rate idols felt insufficient.

But to someone, they were stars.

Perhaps up to this point, it would not have had much meaning.

However, if that one person is someone special, the story changes again.

Everyone already knew that YC had grown up in an unfortunate environment and was a 공돌이 (gongdol) [a Korean slang term for someone who is an ‘engineering student’], which was a stark contrast to his current appearance.

To YC at that time, they were stars who gave strength to his difficult reality.

That’s why YC brought them together and debuted them as Blue Rose.

‘I wouldn’t have done it if they didn’t have talent. That would have made it even harder for them. But from the first time I saw them, I knew. That they were rough diamonds that would become stars that would illuminate the world.’

It was an interview Youngchan gave before Blue Rose debuted.

And Youngchan proved that he was not wrong by making Blue Rose a success.

And that proof was currently unfolding on Billboard.

With such a narrative, it was natural for fans to focus on Blue Rose.

In particular, they were paying attention to Ari and Kim Ayoung.

Ari was attracting attention with a song that seemed to dominate most of the singers on Billboard, and Kim Ayoung was attracting attention with her unbelievably pure appearance.

Recently, in a list of the world’s most beautiful faces selected by a fairly well-known source, Kim Ayoung ranked 4th.

Although it was 4th place, considering that all the other rankings were Westerners, it was virtually a higher ranking than that.

Kim Ayoung had more talent in acting than expected, so she played the female lead in ‘teen movies,’ setting fire to the hearts of many boys and girls in various senses.

If Blue Rose benefited the most in this way, then the NEW DAZE project also benefited greatly, though not to the same extent.

Originally, NEW DAZE was intended to maximize the response in Japan through this project, succeed in Japan, and then be active in Korea.

However, due to the unexpected variable called Painkiller, it became a project that was attracting attention not only in the Japanese archipelago but also in Korea and China.

With fans also increasing in the West, including the United States, they had become an international girl group before their debut.

As a result, the paths of those who were eliminated from the NEW DAZE project were all unusual.

Famous Japanese groups such as the famous A group made offers to them, and members in the mid-to-upper ranks had already signed contracts with Korean entertainment companies.

Moreover, they entered as trainees in mid-sized entertainment companies with decent first-tier idols, not just mediocre small entertainment companies.

Their appearance and skills were not necessarily superior to other trainees, but their recognition was far greater than that of most active idols, so it was understandable.

In the case of the top ranks, they also entered large entertainment companies.

However, the place that was said to be the best choice was separate.

It is a company called Red Sun.

At first, it was regarded as an entertainment company that YC Entertainment cooperated with for the NEW DAZE project.

Then, when industry officials later learned that Red Sun was the Japanese branch of YC Entertainment, many people envied the girls who had signed with that company.

-I don’t know what the criteria are? The first kid who signed was the one in 100th place?-

└Hahaha. Are you talking about Ririna? Are you talking after looking at her face? Honestly, if you only look at her face, she’s a finalist.

└It’s not just Ririna. Yua, who was eliminated in 86th place, also has a crazy appearance and voice.

-I wonder if they’re just looking at visuals too much? But visuals are important for K-pop idols.-

└They also have talent. They’ll improve quickly.

-By the way, Sumire, Rikka, and Nicori are really amazing! They were the ones in 102nd, 103rd, and 104th place. But they ended up going all the way to the final decision!-

└I don’t know who it is, but they have amazing insight. They brought those talents to the main competition with something called loser revival!

└I heard from someone in the broadcasting industry that it was YC’s pick!

└You’re kidding me. How does YC know and pick them out of so many dropouts?

└I agree. You have severe delusions.

The rumor that Sumire, Rikka, and Nicori, who were the center of attention in the NEW DAZE project, were YC’s picks was true, but even the people involved did not believe it.

It would be a different story if YC was free, but at the time, he was busy with his Billboard schedule.

So, even when telling the truth, it was not accepted by people.

That’s how the final decision day of the last NEW DAZE project arrived.

It was broadcast live, and Youngchan also attended the event, creating a huge viewership.

The final NEW DAZE members were selected around the end of Part 1 of the live broadcast, which lasted for more than 2 hours.

Despite having a lot of time left, people were puzzled by the fact that they made the final decision without dragging it out, unlike other times, and watched with bated breath to see who would be eliminated.

“The last member is Sakura!”

“Ahhh!”

Sakura, who was selected as the last fifth Japanese member, let out a scream-like groan when her name was called.

In comparison, the girl named Mei, who was unfortunately dropped, had a surprisingly calm face.

It was a shame that she was dropped, but the members, including Sakura, who were selected in her place were people she could acknowledge.

‘Above all, this is not the end.’

She had already spoken with Red Sun Entertainment, which was known as the Japanese branch of YC Entertainment.

If she was dropped, she would enter as a girl group trainee at Red Sun Entertainment.

‘They said they would debut me within next year at the latest to capitalize on the buzz.’

She had even heard that there was a very high probability that it would be a girl group produced by YC.

If she hadn’t heard this story, Mei wouldn’t have been so calm.

The members who were finally selected surprised even Youngchan.

‘Except for Sakura, who was selected last, they picked all the Japanese members of Black Diamond.’

Youngchan, who was surprised by that fact, also understood it.

In his memory, Black Diamond was a girl group that made its name known all over the world, beyond Japan, more than the current Blue Rose.

There was no way the members of such a girl group would be ordinary.

They had that much star quality, so it was natural for people to recognize them.

That’s how Part 1 ended, and Part 2, which started after a long commercial break, surprised the fans and viewers who came to this place.

-Dum Dum Dum Dum! Da Da Dang!-

Immediately, a highly addictive drum beat began to sound on the stage where all the lights were extinguished.

-Kwaang!-

Then, pin spotlights turned on loudly, and there was a girl in that light.

It was Kim Yuji, the leader of NEW DAZE.

Kim Yuji, who had undergone tremendous management and perfected her hair, makeup, and styling, boasted an amazing beauty that reached almost S-class.

But the really surprising thing was after that.

Immediately, she, who had been paused for a while, began to dance to the returning drum beat.

The audience was so overwhelmed by her amazing performance that it was hard to come to their senses, to the point where it seemed like everything from her hair to her clothes was dancing.

But then, the pin spotlight turned on again, and a new girl appeared. She also presented an amazing girl-crush performance, and in that way, six girls appeared on this stage.

Even though they showed such intense performances, there were not many who were greatly struggling.

Kim Yuji, who appeared first, gathered the girls and introduced themselves.

“Hello. We are NEW DAZE.”

-Waaaaa!-

At that word, people cheered for a moment.

This is because the Korean original members, who had been secretly hidden, finally revealed themselves.

“Thank you for welcoming us. The first song we will play is NEW DAZE.”

-Tadadadadan!-

And NEW DAZE, which started with an addictive beat and synthesizer, was truly a collection of all the girl-crush elements.

The level of performance they showed was all high, but from the viewers’ point of view, it did not feel difficult.

That meant that the NEW DAZE members had perfectly digested it.

-Waaaaaaaa!-

After the song ended, the NEW DAZE Korean members smiled at each other even while breathing heavily.

This is because they intuitively realized that they had finally achieved what they had dreamed of for a long time from the appearance of the cheering crowd.

That’s how the NEW DAZE project ended successfully.

In particular, due to the amazing performance shown by the Korean members who appeared at the end, they were even given the image of being talented, and they immediately showed the dignity of being the top singers in Japan.

The Japanese members, who had been trained through the NEW DAZE project, were able to adapt quickly, and that’s how the girl group NEW DAZE, which was writing a new history in Japan, was born.