Chapter 107: Album Style

ong Xue, I'm from Xia Guo, and I'm also a JYP trainee... ahhhh.... It's EXO's Yuan! Kim Tae-hyung! He's real! Oh my god..."Kong Xue first introduced herself, and then because her emotions were too ex..."Source score 0."

"Sales score 863 against 0."

Now, on the live broadcast of "Music Bank," the final crucial moment for the ranking has arrived. This week's two candidates for first place are "LUV" and "Follow The Flow." Standing in the front row of the stage, positioned to the left and right of the two MCs, both groups are nervously watching the screens displaying the scores, one by one.

Seeing this 'sales score 0', it really made the hearts of several members of EXO's X-O feel a little ridiculous. They had always been crushing it in the sales score on music show rankings for ages, almost getting full marks every time. But now, they were surprisingly brought down to '0 points' and became an absolute weakness.

Today is the second week of EXO's winter single comeback on Music Bank.

Because both *M! Countdown* and *Music Bank* are currently off-air, they only participated in three major music show stages last week. As for the new music show *[Show Name]* which premiered this October, groups like XO, who are already very popular, generally don't go on shows that haven't gained much traction or viewership yet.

At least right now, it's mostly rookies or companies that don't have many resources and struggle to get on major TV shows. It's also where idols who have been around for a long time but haven't won an award yet might try their luck. It's also the best place for third- and fourth-tier idol groups to get their first number one win after debuting.

This is a dream come true.

That's just like Apink, led by Jung Eunji. To be so shameless! I think her thick skin might be contagious. She's already incredibly popular and successful lately, but she still insists on appearing on "Music Bank" to compete for first place. Since December, they've won two first places there, their performance is really impressive.

Even if they couldn't beat 《LUV》 and get first place with this winter single, Chi Jingyuan and his team wouldn't even bother going.

Today's Music Bank is EXO's first music show appearance since their comeback, and Lee Seung Hwan just relayed the company's plan in the practice room. They will aim for two more stages this week at most. If they don't get first place this time, they'll try again once more. But if they win, they'll wrap things up.

Under everyone's tense gaze, the final score was finally displayed on the screen:

"Final score, 0."

Congratulations! This week's Mutizen Award on Music Bank goes to EXO with "Let Me In"!

Ribbons and sequins shot up into the sky, instantly enveloping the entire stage. A wave of excited screams rose from the fans below, and EXO members themselves looked surprised, almost disbelieving.

Actually, including Ji Jingyuan, everyone feels that this winter single probably won't get first place. The song 《LUV》 is indeed quite popular, but relying on a ballad might not be enough to beat the competition.

I didn't expect to actually grab one from the hands of someone who was already on a winning streak with Apk today.

Captain Kim Jun Myeon received a trophy and smiled happily while giving a speech of thanks.

While Ji Jingyuan turned to look at Apk, who was bowing and preparing to leave the stage beside him. He exchanged glances with Jung Eun-ji, raised a handsome eyebrow at her, smiled, showing his teeth, and gave her a thumbs up before turning away without giving her a chance to respond. He then walked past with a bright smile and bowed to thank the others.

Very pleasant.

Nine people happily finished the encore stage, all singing along. Although their singing wasn't perfect and a bit off-key, the heartwarming atmosphere captured on camera was truly touching.

After getting back to the lounge room later that day, as soon as he glanced at his phone, he saw a message from Jung Eun-ji: "Don't get cocky, you guys will definitely crash tomorrow!"

Chi Jingyuan laughed at once, without replying, he put his phone away directly.

As there was no need for his response, ** quickly announced the end of EXO's winter single promotions, focusing their time on other schedules and preparations for the year-end stage.

** and EXO know that Apk is currently very popular, making it difficult for them to compete. So they snatched a #1 spot from Apk and then immediately called it quits, patted themselves on the back, and left.

As expected, the next day after the news came out, he received a text message from Jung Eun-ji: "I ￥%……*%……”

He could feel she was starting to get hysterical, and Chi Jingyuan couldn't stop laughing, he just got happier the more he laughed.

Show off!

Although the winter single "Go with the Flow" has a short promotional period and hasn't been released as part of an album, its chart performance has surprisingly exceeded expectations. Since its debut, it has consistently remained at the top of the charts.

The girls might really love this winter song that speaks to their hearts. Since the audio release, they have been crazily listening and charting it. Plus, the special stage at MAMA also attracted many passersby to listen. This song stayed at the top of the Melon chart for the past week, helping EXO win its first Melon Weekly Chart crown since their debut in 2012.

Because of public awareness and perception, boy groups have generally average digital music chart performance. Even with a large fanbase, their initial surge in streaming numbers can be strong, but the lack of sustained momentum causes their songs to drop in rankings quickly. Achieving a weekly chart topping position is extremely difficult for most boy groups, except...

Last year EXO's "Growl" became a huge hit, achieving surprisingly good digital sales and ranking high on the year-end charts. However, it never reached number one on any weekly chart.

Before, fans used to brag about the eight-week charting success of "so", a collaboration between Ji-sung and Suzy, but since it wasn't achieved by EXO as a whole and they had to share the honor with someone disliked, it felt a bit awkward. But now things are much better.

This time, being able to win the championship and grabbing a first place in Apk's singing competition is beyond expectations, it's a perfect ending.

And on the 12th, besides winning an award, the highly anticipated workplace drama "Unborn" which started preparations back in August also wrapped up filming today. Besides Ji Chang Wook and some voice-over work left, the production team officially disbanded.

Now that it has aired up to the 17th episode, only one week remains until the grand finale of the 20th episode.

They didn't even have a celebratory meal after wrapping up filming because the success of "The Untamed" propelled the main actors to new heights in terms of popularity and critical acclaim. They all reaped significant benefits, and everyone has been inundated with work recently, keeping them busy. After the final day of shooting, they simply exchanged greetings and went their separate ways.

However, it's possible that the cast will reunite in a couple of days. The viewership and influence of "Our Beloved Summer" are undeniable. Whether it's tvN's own event or awards related to television dramas, they would definitely be invited and wouldn't be able to avoid it.

After leaving the drama set, Ji-sung immediately returned to EXO and participated in the Sino-Korean Music Festival on the 14th with the whole group.

This is a gala event held annually by both sides to connect emotionally and exchange cultures. Many popular singers from both sides participate, jointly organized by the official television stations of the two countries. It is broadcast live on both sides' television stations simultaneously, considered a performance with strong political implications.

I'm not sure about the situation in Xia Guo, but over here on the peninsula, a lot of people are watching. Many people are interested in news and performances about Kpop going international.

This year's gala, after its conclusion, sparked quite a stir on the Peninsula side due to the unusual lineup. With so many seasoned, popular, and prestigious singers from both countries participating, it was EXO who ultimately took the stage for the finale. This performance order has caused quite a bit of controversy.

This time, EXO was the second-to-last act to perform at the event. However, the final stage featured a group performance by all the artists, not individual performances. Therefore, the weight and importance of Ji Chang-wook and his group's participation this time were truly significant, marking a genuine finale.

and online, it's more a matter of bewilderment and curiosity than outright controversy.

On the peninsula, EXO has been in a state of turmoil with members leaving one after another. This has caused quite a stir and had a wide impact. Many people who weren't particularly interested in boy groups found themselves negatively affected by the news and rumors circulating at the time. They thought the group was no longer popular. It was therefore surprising to see them perform as the finale act in such a formal international setting.

"Didn't EXO already debut How are they still making a final appearance"

"Yeah, isn't it said that after three consecutive members left, the fans ran away I don't see how their popularity is still so high. The cheers when they appeared were huge."

"The finale act What about all those senior singers Why are they chosen EXO, I remember they only debuted two or three years ago"

Facing these questions, many black fans who disapprove of EXO and constantly belittle them don't know how to answer.

At this time, EXO's fans will naturally come out to explain:

"Compared to May and June, it's definitely less crowded, but even then, it's comparing EXO to itself in the past. Even now, they aren't a group that other groups can easily compete with."

"The fact that all the members of Xia Guo le have left did have a big impact, but I heard that XO is still the most popular boy group in Xia Guo. Those new generation boy groups are not even on the same level."

These LIs felt a mixture of pride and self-deprecation, seeing so many people think EXO had gone defunct. Their feelings were indeed quite complex.

I heard that fans in mainland China saw the discussion here and came over to help explain: "It's okay if they leave, we still have a lot of love for Elly (Nine) here, and the number of Source Music fans is the largest among all K-pop idols. This kind of song wouldn't get any views normally, only when XO appears will it become popular and have high viewership. It's normal for them to be the last performance."

Unknowingly, it attracted many people to start discussing this topic.

Some people believe that no matter how many members have left, EXO is still the most popular boy group on the peninsula. Their fan base proves it, and they are still far ahead of other ordinary first- and second-tier groups.

There are also many people who have presented data proving that EXO's popularity has been declining, including the number of active fans in fan clubs, which has decreased compared to before. The most compelling evidence is that this comeback faced Apk and it was so difficult to get a first place ranking. It's almost like the best proof that EXO has fallen from its pedestal.

They were all once recklessly bold.

It's really interesting how a song with average viewership unexpectedly sparked widespread online discussions about EXO. Suddenly, many people are debating whether the current 9-member EXO is still great or not.

……

Even EXO, who has already been considered to have "fallen from grace," has finally confirmed its comeback schedule for next year.

In the afternoon of the 15th, several managers brought all the members to a planning meeting. The company also officially announced all the plans for this regular second album.

Next year, EXO will release a single album every month. Each single album will feature one title track and one B-side track, totaling four releases. In the fifth month after all four singles are released, they will be compiled into one album and two new songs will be added to form EXO's second studio album, which will be officially released.

This regular second edition directly uses EXO's official fan name as the album title, 《EXO-L》.

And the four singles albums are respectively 《E》 , 《X》 , 《O》 and 《L》。

As the must-have opening act, the title track of the first installment, 《E》, is confirmed to be 《baby》. This is a very important first title track for EXO's comeback. To achieve sufficient promotional effects, the plan to shoot promotional videos in ten cities around the world has also been confirmed.

For this comeback, ** definitely invested a lot of resources. Just the concept for this promotional video is completely on another level compared to those smaller company boy groups. EXO will be traveling to ten cities around the world that have a history of UFO sightings for the filming. Nine members will each go to a different city, and finally, they will all come together in one last location.

And these ten city names, when their first letters are put together, spell out "baby".

Following 《E》, the title tracks for 《X》, 《O》, and 《L》 were set as "(Spring Day)", "lht", and respectively. Other included tracks include , 《黃金城》(Golden City), 《取向狙擊》(Targeting Sniper) and several other high-quality songs selected by ** from their music library.

Besides "Spring", which leans towards lyricism, the other three title tracks, including some included songs, and the final main track "< >" all have unique choreographies. More than half of the songs will be filmed into music videos, and the styling for each comeback single album will also be distinct. This entire project truly opens one's eyes. The company has put in its best effort on this XO comeback to try and recover its stock price.

Besides assigning the choreography of both songs to the company's dance team and Ji-seong, they will also hire renowned choreographers from Europe and America to choreograph two of the main tracks. Lee Soo Man will personally take on the role of the overall producer for the entire album. In addition to him, several companies and famous producers from Europe and America will also participate, and Ji-seong will also be involved.

The specific return date is tentatively set for the beginning of March, April, May, or June. The exact date will be determined at that time based on the concrete progress of the album preparation.

The company might have already finalized the plan's process a while ago. The reason why it's only being announced now is because they have been continuously conducting preparatory work. Now that everything is almost done, after today's meeting, EXO can officially begin preparations for their next comeback.

Actually, most of the members who worked on the regression model had heard some rumors beforehand. However, nothing was confirmed yet, so there were both worries and expectations. Today, it was finally decided. During the meeting, everyone looked at each other excitedly when they heard the news.

Besides confirming a series of implementations for the return, the company also specifically talked about the network web drama "My Neighbor is EXO," which is produced by Le and co-produced with **.

This TV drama is a web idol drama that ** has been planning for a long time. The members of EXO directly star in the drama as XO, playing themselves. It tells the story of a girl who has never been in love, who suddenly discovers that her idol EXO has become her neighbor. The series revolves around the hilarious and romantic events that unfold after this surprise encounter.

It's a very fan-service oriented web drama.

As early as July of this year, EXO had already released a promotional video for the drama during their concert. ** had already begun preparations and communication at that time. Now, the specific shooting schedule and process have been confirmed, and it will be simultaneously aired on networks in multiple Asian countries.

The choice of actor had been discussed, originally both the partners and ** itself leaned towards the most popular, Park Ji-hoon, for the lead role. However, as Park Ji-hoon's career has progressed so well recently, with "Weak Hero" receiving such acclaim, taking on a fan-based drama might not be suitable. It wouldn't just be Park Ji-hoon himself who might disagree, ** would also feel it was a waste.

After careful consideration, the male lead role was given to Park Chan-yeol. The other roles with more screen time were given to D.O., Baekhyun, and Sehun – members the company is intentionally pushing towards acting careers. As for Kai, his focus remains on EXO's comeback this time around, with a brief cameo appearance being sufficient.

This meeting went on for quite a while. After it adjourned, Lee Soo Man specifically called up Ji Sunwon to his office and they talked for a good while about this album project. They discussed everything from choreography and production to style design. Both of them were very engaged in the conversation, talking all the way until dinner time. Lee Soo Man glanced at his watch, then took the initiative to suggest that they go have dinner together nearby and continue their discussion.

After joining the company, Lee Soo-man would often invite Ji Sung-won to his office for a chat. When it was time, he would sometimes invite him to the cafeteria or a nearby restaurant for a quick meal as a gesture of care and closeness. This wasn't anything unusual.

However, he hasn't been coming to the office much lately due to family reasons.

After the crew wrapped up filming, Ji Jingyuan's biggest task every day was gone. Anyway, there were no evening activities, so he readily agreed. Li Xiuman's assistant had already gone to get the car. He and Li Xiuman walked out of the office, took the elevator to one floor, and followed each other one by one at a leisurely pace towards the side door, while discussing the style of this comeback:

During the "XOXO" era, our overall style was still centered around school and youth vibes. After incorporating some middle-school concepts, we created a feeling that was both cool and pure, with youthful energy.

"This year's "Addiction" style has undergone a major transformation, shedding much of its youthfulness. Both the styling and choreography carry a stimulating, charismatic vibe. Though Mini Two has moved past adolescence, it hasn't fully matured, but rather embodies the most aggressive and intense period."

“This time for I think our overall style should take another step forward. Although the title tracks of the four singles albums have different styles, the overall tone should reflect 'maturity' and 'progressing within maturity'. It needs to be a clear change from previous styles, showing growth... And next year will also be EXO’s third anniversary since debut, which is also a time when idol groups start to transition.”

Pool Kyung-won, wearing a baseball cap and carrying a single-shoulder bag, gestured with his hands while explaining his understanding of EXO's album style over the past two years. Lee Soo-man listened attentively as he walked forward, occasionally nodding in agreement.

"Jingyuan, you're right. I agree with that too. EXO does indeed need to start transforming step by step, and there's a reason why these songs were chosen as the title tracks this time." Li Soo-man smiled kindly and stopped near the side door, patting Ji Jingyuan on the shoulder with a look of satisfaction and happiness.

Smiling, he still didn't forget to remind: "The choreography for this song is according to the idea you told me last time..."

"Ms. Lee, General Manager, ni Annyeonghaseyo..."

"Anyahaseyo..."

At that moment, a faint female voice suddenly came from behind, followed by a series of greetings, each with different voices, male and female.

The two people, deep in conversation, couldn't help but turn their heads back when they were interrupted. Their eyes swept over the scene and paused on Chi Jingyuan. Five or six idols had walked up behind them at some point and were now standing about four to five meters away, bowing towards them and greeting them. He immediately noticed the four people who were standing at the front.

And out of those four, at that moment, while bowing, Park Ji-hyun was looking at him with a surprised gleam in her eyes. Their gazes met in the air.

First published by Traditional Chinese Novels Networkto start working.Although s has gradually adjusted EXO's activity focus and begun to put some energy into the Japanese market, the company, especially Lee Soo Man, still attaches great importance to t...