Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 125

As expected, the Japanese media exploded with the news.

– ‘Diva!’ Conquers Billboard!

– J-Pop Miracle! Japanese Girls Take on Billboard!

– Diva(G) Climbs the Charts, Aiming for Billboard Domination.

– Diva(G) Lands at 86th on Billboard Hot 100!

– Johnny, Japan’s Idol Kings, Ride the Wave to Billboard!

Diva(G)’s ‘Diva!’ entered the Billboard Hot 100 faster than anyone anticipated.

This was partly thanks to the G1 band, their opening act, who had since become massive stars. But more importantly, YC Revolution had already established a solid foothold in the United States.

Recent polls showed that 15% of the most active social media users were on YC Revolution.

While that might seem small compared to YouTube’s 80% and InXX’s 70%, it was a significant achievement, especially since they hadn’t implemented targeted strategies like in Japan and Korea.

The Diva(G) account was the hottest thing on YC Revolution.

‘Please Support Diva(G)!’ The drama and anime featured a language-switching function, offering dubbing by voice actors tailored to each country.

This feature resonated strongly in the United States.

Perhaps because the United States dominates global media, Americans often find reading subtitles unfamiliar and inconvenient.

Discovering the dubbing option made Diva(G) incredibly popular with younger audiences.

“Things are definitely changing,” Ichiro mused.

He felt it most keenly with the news that Johnny, Japan’s longest-running and most popular active group, was aiming for Billboard.

Johnny had been a fixture in Japan for nearly 20 years, appearing in dramas and variety shows.

They were the embodiment of established Japanese entertainment.

They also pioneered the tactic of charging for even the most basic music videos.

That might have been acceptable in the past, but the world was changing, and they needed to adapt. Their failure to do so was inevitably causing them to lose relevance.

In any case, the announcement that Johnny, officially recognized as Japan’s top group, was targeting Billboard was a major event.

Consequently, some employees asked Ichiro about it.

“How successful do you think Johnny will be on Billboard?”

Ichiro couldn’t help but grimace at the question.

The fact that even his own employees assumed Johnny’s success highlighted how out of touch some Japanese perceptions were.

Their reasoning likely went something like this:

Even with YC Entertainment’s backing, Diva(G) is still a rookie group, less than a year after their debut.

Before debuting, they were just Japanese girls with singing dreams.

If they’re achieving such amazing results, surely Johnny, Japan’s top idol group, will blow Billboard away.

And Johnny’s own statements reinforced that idea.

“Billboard? We didn’t need to until now. We’re already struggling to repay the love of our domestic fans, so how could we even consider it?”

“But seeing our juniors like New Daisy and Diva(G) doing so well, we had to reconsider.”

“Hahaha. Actually, the president and various media outlets have been pushing us too, which is a big factor.”

In short, Johnny claimed they hadn’t conquered Billboard not because they couldn’t, but because they simply hadn’t bothered to try.

In the past, they wouldn’t have dared to say such a thing.

Many had boasted about succeeding in America only to disappear without a trace.

However, seeing New Daisy and Diva(G), two groups they considered fellow Japanese acts, succeeding on Billboard, they gained confidence and decided to make a move.

That influence seemed to have spread to the employees at YC Entertainment’s Japanese branch.

‘I can understand why,’ Ichiro thought.

Johnny was a media staple during their formative years.

But that’s why Ichiro felt compelled to tell them the truth.

“You’re asking how successful Johnny will be on Billboard?”

“Yes! Yes. Well, even if they don’t reach number one, wouldn’t they at least crack the top 10?”

“Hey, you never know. They’re Johnny, after all! Maybe they’ll even hit number one?”

Ichiro shook his head, realizing that YC Entertainment had indeed lowered the perceived barrier to Billboard, which had seemed impossibly high to many Asians.

‘Actually, the barrier hasn’t been lowered. It just seems that way because of the increased number of K-pop fans due to the president’s influence.’

Diva(G) also gained attention because they were associated with YC Entertainment; otherwise, entering Billboard would have been impossible.

Japan’s language and unique culture are too distinct, limiting their appeal to a niche audience overseas.

Ichiro watched his employees debate Johnny’s potential success and said,

“Johnny’s chance of success is only about 1% if they’re lucky. And their chance of entering the Billboard Hot 100 is ten times lower than that.”

“????”

“!!!”

Ichiro was as surprised as his employees.

Saying it aloud reminded him of the Japanese music industry’s deep-seated problems. The fact that a group at the top for over 20 years, claiming to be the best in the country, was only worth that much was a serious issue.

Moreover, the 1% probability Ichiro mentioned assumed that Johnny’s large entertainment company would leverage its full potential.

Without that, even 1% would be unattainable.

Entering Billboard would require a miracle.

“Come on~. No way. They’re Johnny, after all.”

“That’s right. They’re Johnny, after all. They’re our country’s top group.”

“Johnny’s Takashi starred in a movie that was a hit in America before.”

“Oh yeah, now that you mention it, Johnny’s Ren received recognition in Europe.”

However, the employees struggled to accept Ichiro’s assessment.

They had been exposed to too many exaggerated and fabricated articles from their own company.

“Well, well, you’ll find out soon enough. So stop goofing off and get to work!”

“Ugh. Okay.”

Ichiro, who had worked his way up from the bottom and had experience running a small to medium-sized entertainment company inherited from his father, smiled at his grumbling employees.

He could already imagine their expressions when reality hit.

“Yeah, this is how things change, one step at a time.”

This incident was sure to shock not only his employees but also the entire Japanese pop music market.

He wondered how Johnny’s agency, whose tactics against YC Entertainment had failed and whose momentum had significantly waned, would react.

– Diva(G)’s ‘Diva!’ Soars to 53rd on Billboard!

– Conquering Billboard Upon Debut!

– Johnny Enters the US with New Song ‘Perfect Man.’

– Johnny Sings ‘Perfect Man,’ Entirely in English for the First Time. Shows Bold Ambitions!

– ‘Perfect Man’ Composed by Michael, a Chart-Topping Billboard Artist!

– Domestic Experts Unanimously Hail ‘Perfect Man’ as the Best Music in Years!

– Johnny’s Billboard Conquest Begins!

Soon after, Johnny’s US debut, spearheaded by ‘Perfect Man,’ commenced.

While not on the scale of YC, the fact that the song was by Michael, a Billboard sensation, certainly boosted confidence.

And this represented the 1% probability Ichiro had mentioned.

But the problem was Johnny.

‘Perfect Man,’ which was already dominating music charts in Japan, received virtually no attention overseas.

The media outlets that had followed them, expecting a frenzy of American fans welcoming Johnny, were caught completely off guard.

There were no fans, and no one recognized them.

Some people at the airport noticed them, but only because of the cameramen filming Johnny.

Afterward, Johnny’s agency invested heavily.

They paid Michael a fortune for ‘Perfect Man’ and then spent even more to secure appearances on talk shows.

These appearances were carefully packaged and broadcast as videos in Japan.

However, the talk shows weren’t major national broadcasts.

They were small shows produced by minor broadcasting stations in regional areas, filmed only in exchange for money from Johnny’s company.

Even then, the response was minimal, and the few comments they received were mostly negative reviews of the ‘Perfect Man’ performance, a condition for the payment.

– This program is garbage. They’re even bringing in strange foreign singers to make a fuss!

– What’s with the song? Don’t they have quality control [검수, geomsu] ?

– It was the worst talk show, not just terrible!

– I thought it was K-pop and told my friends to watch it, but I got so much hate [욕, yok]. What is this weird thing!

Johnny, upon hearing these harsh criticisms, initially reacted with anger, but after two weeks, their demeanor changed.

The illusion that had blinded them finally shattered, and they faced the cold reality.

From that point on, even the oblivious could see the stiffness in their faces as they continued their activities.

They also realized why Michael, who had given them ‘Perfect Man,’ had looked uncomfortable throughout the production.

At the time, they had accepted their manager’s explanation that he was simply sensitive about his work, but now they understood the truth.

It was because of their unique accent and their skills, which were shockingly poor for someone who had been a singer for over 20 years.

Unlike Johnny, who were reeling from this harsh reality, their agency began lobbying frantically to salvage the situation.

However, unlike in the past, the lobbying was largely ineffective.

As Ichiro had predicted, their failed attempt to lobby against YC Entertainment had significantly weakened their position in the industry.

They had to pay three or four times as much as before to get things done their way.

However, the agency, having already poured a huge sum into Johnny’s Billboard debut, wanted to cut costs, and as a result, news of Johnny’s disastrous US debut spread even in Japan.

“Wow~. It’s true! It’s just like what the president said.”

“Johnny failed!”

“……Wow, something feels really strange. It’s like something’s been peeled away, you know?”

This even caused Ichiro’s employees, who had expected Johnny’s Billboard success, to shed their rose-tinted glasses.

‘Now the Japanese people will start to shed the filters created by their own country.’

Everything was a miracle born from the efforts made with Diva(G).

The Japanese music market, once solidified by a few large entertainment companies, was finally starting to shift from the ground up.

And the biggest beneficiary of that process was, of course, K-pop.

Due to Johnny’s failure, the K-pop consumption market in Japan grew several times faster than Ichiro had anticipated.

This had a very positive impact on the K-pop market.

As a result, even small to medium-sized idols in Korea began receiving invitations to local events in Japan.

It was a case of settling for second best because the appearance fees of top-tier idols were too high, but it worked out well for both sides.

In the meantime, Diva(G) finished their US activities and returned home.

On this day, it seemed like every media outlet in Japan had descended upon them.

Even winning dozens of Olympic medals wouldn’t warrant such a scene. Diva(G)’s popularity was reaching unprecedented heights.

Ichiro felt genuinely happy about it, but also bittersweet.

As a Japanese person himself, he understood the reason for this exaggerated phenomenon.

‘Disappointment and fear towards Johnny are fueling this.’

The Japanese people’s unique culture of saving face, which involves concealing the truth and presenting plausible lies, was driving this frenzy.

“At this rate, the kids won’t even get any rest.”

There was already talk of them appearing on Kohaku Uta Gassen [a prestigious annual music show on New Year’s Eve], an honor reserved for the most recognized singers in the entertainment industry.

“Huh? We’re going to be on Kohaku Uta Gassen!”

“No way! Is it real?”

Diva(G) looked as surprised as they had when they first learned their music had charted on Billboard.

That’s how significant Kohaku Uta Gassen, which families watch together from a young age, is.

However, Ichiro, knowing they would be appearing on Kohaku Uta Gassen so often they would grow tired of it, simply smiled at Diva(G)’s excitement.

“I wonder how the president’s European tour is going.”

While Japan was in an uproar over Diva(G),

Black Tiger was currently on a European tour, following their US stadium tour the previous year.

Ichiro, aware that the scale of the European tour was even larger than the stadium tour, was both worried and excited.