Chapter 99 39

er words flowing effortlessly. She portrayed Chi Jingyuan as the most exceptional person in the world, implying that anyone who couldn't see his greatness was simply blind."Mother Cui smiled on the su...Many people were surprised when they saw the introduction to 《boywithv》's song. They discovered that it wasn't a song from the United States, but rather from the peninsula. It was a Korean song afterwards, many people couldn't help but be stunned. Then, many people's first reaction was: 玀

>>>

"PSY"

Nowadays, in America, most people's impression of K-Pop music mostly comes from PSY and his song "Gangnam Style". The popularity of that song and the horseback riding dance two years ago was truly unforgettable.

Even though his popularity has noticeably declined recently, over the past few years, the only Korean singer and songs consistently appearing before American audiences are still PSY and his new releases every year.

For many people, K-pop is synonymous with PSY.

Including Amy, she's like that, once she finds out it's a Korean song, reflexively, she thinks PSY has released a new song.

But she quickly took a closer look and found that the singer's name was EXO. She blinked and recalled it for a moment, suddenly remembering that she wasn't unfamiliar with the name. She remembered that it was a male group from the peninsula, which a friend of hers had recommended to her several times before.

As someone who enjoys and follows popular music, she is aware of some related situations. K-pop and other countries' and languages' musical styles are not mainstream in America, but they all have a certain number of fans. Among them, K-pop has the largest fan base.

She remembers that although EXO, this peninsula group's fanbase wasn't particularly large, it has steadily grown since the past two years and is now one of the most well-known groups in the Kpop scene. Recently, their names can be seen everywhere.

She had just heard about them before but hadn't paid much attention, and she hadn't listened to their songs much either. She was pretty distant from these peninsula groups; their fans had their own circle. She had only heard some things from her friends.

It's said that fans of these K-pop groups, especially this boy group, are very crazy. They love to vigorously support and promote their idols both in real life and on SNS. They recommend them to others endlessly in the comment sections of Twitter and various websites, like flies that you just can't get rid of. Sometimes they can be really annoying.

But being this high on iTunes, it must be pretty interesting, after all, K-Pop songs aren't often seen at the top of the charts.

After skimming the description and recalling it briefly, she still clicked to download for a fee and opened the MV.

Because it's the world's largest hub for popular entertainment, people here in America often have a natural arrogance towards foreign language songs. Many people feel some disdain when faced with music from outside their own country.

Although this type of person makes up the majority, there is also a considerable number of listeners who are relatively objective and have no particular bias; they simply enjoy interesting music. Emily is like this—she doesn't have any other opinions on these matters.

"woo~~woo~~woo~~woo~~"

Soon, a song appeared before her that was very different from the popular music in America today. Its novel style immediately caught her attention.

Especially when she saw the blue-haired boy standing in the middle at the beginning, she couldn't help but nod and move closer. Just one glance and she felt this was a rare Asian face that perfectly matched her aesthetic.

As a Funkpop song, coupled with the unique musical style from that side of the peninsula, the strong rhythm brought by the electric bass and drums, and the impactful and distinct effects created by the pronounced beat are really noticeable. Although I don't understand the lyrics, this rhythm and melody sound very upbeat and feel especially suitable for dancing. After listening to a few lines, she couldn't help but want to start moving her body.

"ohy~y~y~ohy~y~y~"

The female vocal in the chorus is also just right. Her tone, voice, and even her presence are perfect. While it's the most captivating part of the song, she doesn't overshadow the rest. Instead, her addition balances out the nine male members and the overly bright and cheerful mood and aesthetic.

And this English pronunciation is really quite good...

This song's MV style and melody differ significantly from A-mei's mainstream music. The most obvious difference is that the MV places emphasis on the dance portion above all else, aside from the song itself. This isn't something commonly seen in most American music.

This choreography was very distinctive, able to express emotions very convincingly and also looked very cool. The eye-catching dance style was quite novel for Emily who doesn't often pay attention to Kpop.

Watching nine people stand in a line on the screen, either as a surprisingly coordinated group dance, like a single person performing with multiple blades, or as individuals moving differently yet harmoniously, seamlessly coordinating with each other in a mesmerizing way that was hard to look away from. Their movements were incredibly fast, interweaving and shifting like flying, and even the unique expressions and methods of conveying emotion used by the American singers left her feeling a sense of shock she had never experienced before, along with a strong feeling of freshness.

"Wow~"

When the music finally ended and the LOGO appeared, Alice couldn't help but gasp in surprise and clap in admiration.

She felt very happy at this moment, her head had already started to tap along to the beat sometime ago. This is the magic that music brings.

It's rare to find a song and music video that can leave you feeling completely relaxed, uplifted, and even inspire thoughts like "I want to dance!" or "What other songs do they have"

No matter what others think, at least for her, this is a really great song. The melody is good and catchy, and most importantly, the dance is really appealing to her.

No wonder it ranks so high.

She glanced again at the real-time iTunes rankings, and Emily was no longer surprised to see the Korean song there. At the same time, she seemed to understand a bit more about the fans who usually listen to Kpop, especially those who like the boy group called EXO.

Although the styles are completely different, it's perfectly normal to like this type of music and singers.

And I think it sounds better than PSY's songs...

While she was making her own judgments in her mind, she also clicked the play button to start the loop. After a few seconds, she opened Google and typed "EXO" into the search bar, then clicked search.

Looking at the abundance of encyclopedias and search results, and hearing the familiar music prelude again, she couldn't help but feel the passion rising within her. She hummed along:

玀

"woo~~woo~~woo~~woo~~woo~~"

…………

While many were probably outraged at seeing a Korean song so high on the iTunes charts in America, and countless others like Emily, who discovered "boywithv" through various channels, developed an interest in EXO and K-pop as a result, the influence slowly spread. By June 9th...

At half past nine in the evening, Lee Jae-hyo, who was still working in the office, yawned and stared at the recently updated list on his screen. His eyes were drooping with fatigue, barely able to open. He took a sip of coffee from his desk and perked up a little, shaking his head to get back to work.

And several colleagues around him also looked similar, mostly absent-minded.

They are all editors belonging to the entertainment section of a news media company, responsible for reporting on Amei Entertainment news.

American pop music and entertainment news have a dedicated and sizable audience on the peninsula. What they frequently do is, after seeing some American entertainment news, they immediately come to the peninsula, rebrand it, localize it, and then polish and exaggerate it before reporting it. If there's any genuine news related to the peninsula itself, that's even better.

So because of the time difference, I often have to work late.

But Tuesday and Wednesday are the days when the popular music charts update, and on those days they will work overtime to see the changes in the charts as soon as possible, and also write some articles and dig up some news.

Lee Jae-hyuk had merely skimmed through the recently updated list with a lack of interest. Even after drinking coffee, he still felt sluggish. His eyes were half-closed as he slowly moved his mouse down the screen. Although his gaze was fixed on the computer, his mind was already dreaming of finishing work and going home to sleep.

He had only just been looking for a short while, but when he saw a name that seemed somewhat familiar, he suddenly felt like an electric shock. His whole body froze. His eyes, which were already small and squinted together, instantly widened and opened. From straining so hard, the triangular shape of his eyes was directly stretched into an oval.

After being stunned for two seconds, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Finally, he poked his head closer to the screen and after confirming it, let out an uncontrollable shout: "Oh my god, you guys have to see this, you have to see this! The new issue of B-list is here!"

It's so late and the noise is so loud, what are you doing, it scared me to death.

Lee Jae-hyuk's sudden outburst made the people around him visibly uncomfortable. After being startled, they rubbed their ears and frowned at him, not taking his surprise too seriously. They simply glanced at him and casually asked: "What's all the fuss about Did end its reign"

As the theme song for "Fast and Furious 7" and the hottest song in the US and worldwide over the past two months, "seeyouaga" has been a phenomenal success since its release in March. It not only ended UptownFunk's reign at the top but also held the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from April until last week.

During this time, they don't know how many drafts of this song's achievements have been rewritten. The rainbow fart revisions have already become a bit tiresome.

"...It's news, I guess. Not that surprising, though."

As his colleague spoke, he wasn't looking at his own computer. He picked up the coffee-stained thing and wanted to see what surprised Lee Jae-hyo so much.

"It didn't come down, and it has nothing to do with 《seeyouaga》... You can see for yourself!"

Lee Jae-hyo's surprise hasn't subsided even now. He felt his colleagues walking up to him, pointing at the screen displaying the compiled HOT100 chart with a name highlighted.

A colleague came over, pushed up their black-rimmed glasses, and looked closely at the name and ranking displayed on the screen.

Rank 38, Nibsp; Maj, (2014)

Last week (rank): #51Peak (rank): #38Weeks on (chart): 4

No. 39, EXO, "Boy With Luv" (2015)

Last week: -- peak: #39, weeks on: 1

Number 40, Taylor Swift, "Shake It Off" (2014)

Last week: #34 peak: #1 weeks on: 41

He no longer cared about the rankings and names that followed, because his entire attention was drawn to the song title and artist ranked 39th.

EXO

What about 《boywithv》

Hot Singles Chart

Is that really true

"What's up"

His coworker, after reacting, let out a surprised exclamation. Instinctively, he leaned in closer to look at the name again: "Really XO"

He knew this was nonsense, because anyone with eyes could clearly see the singer's name, 'EXO' spelled out succinctly and clearly. And even more so, the song title “boywithv” was right there, the very song that had been echoing around them day in and day out. It was a hit in Seoul, and throughout the entire peninsula, you could hear it everywhere on every street corner. 玀

Now, who doesn't say "ohyyy" these days To be honest, it's getting a bit annoying.

Their cries of surprise instantly drew the attention of the few remaining people in the office. They thought something had happened and, seeing what was going on, put down their work and crowded around.

After clearly seeing the rankings and understanding the reasons, they immediately imitated Lee Jae-hyo's expressions, their faces full of disbelief.

"No, really got on"

I was just joking.

Several people looked at each other, surprise evident in their eyes.

Because EXO and the song "boywithv" are so popular in this region recently, and their usual work is related to American music news, they even discussed whether EXO and the song have a chance to make it big in America in their private conversations. They joked, saying something like, "If EXO's fans collectively storm the charts and endlessly stream the song, they might have a chance to enter the Hot 100."

But everyone knows that's a joke. Being on the Peninsula fire and the American fire are completely different concepts. Those who work in this industry know very well how difficult it is for Korean artists and groups to make it onto such a list. The K-pop market in America has always been niche, with a limited audience who are not widely accepted by mainstream audiences. Moreover, many locals inherently possess prejudices and arrogance towards skin color, music, language, etc.

Those kinds of charts don't really count, they lack credibility. Charts like album charts or Kpop charts, not to mention EXO, many small groups have topped them numerous times. Some charts are specifically designed for these niche genres and don't have many followers.

But Hot100 is different. Over the years, besides the chart-topping PSY, only one other song from the entire peninsula has reached the Hot100: wirls's "nobody," which briefly appeared on the charts and peaked at number 76 for a single week.

This sparked a huge commotion and discussion in the peninsula, pushing wirls' popularity to another level. It also ignited JYP's strong confidence and ambition, paving the way for wirls' unforgettable yet endlessly memorable journey into the American market.

And for EXO, this marks their first time ever on the chart. They haven't done any promotions or appeared on any shows prior to this, relying solely on fans and casual listeners downloading their music. To debut at number 39 with no promotion is already incredibly amazing, even a bit unbelievable for them.

"Are EXO's fans really that hardcore"

"How is that possible It's not that easy to just brush it off! There's no news or any movement. But in the US and Europe, EXO is definitely the hottest K-pop artist besides PSY. Their song *dope* was quite a hit and gained a lot of attention before. In the last two years, their fan base has also grown significantly, surpassing many other groups... However, this ranking is still pretty impressive, I didn't expect it."

Have they not been on any radio or TV shows to promote themselves yet

"No, EXO hasn't been to America recently. I've been following them for so long, besides a tweet, I haven't even seen any official promotions."

"Then they can all make the list, right"

Several insiders, who had been struggling moments before, suddenly found their burdens lifted. They gathered together, chattering excitedly and starting a discussion. From time to time, they would glance at the computer screen in front of them, which had remained frozen for a long time without movement. Their expressions conveyed astonishment mingled with a hint of pride and accomplishment.

Because of various subjective and objective factors, many people on the peninsula are very eager to gain recognition from the outside world, and this is also true in music. Although K-pop has absorbed and learned a lot of musical styles and grown into its own unique style, in fact, whether it's the leaders of large entertainment companies or ordinary citizens, they all hope to be recognized by America, the largest entertainment market in the world.

From ** to JYP, several major agencies have continuously tried to let their groups break into the US market. Unfortunately, despite investing heavily in money, time, and resources, the results have been meager.

After several attempts, it's actually just about making a name for myself and getting some superficial glory.

People in the industry, like Lee Jae-hyo, are all aware that as long as you achieve even a little success in the overseas market and promote Kpop, you'll be hyped up tremendously domestically.

The reason PSY has reached such a high status is due to this.

And this kind of parachute single's hot hundred success, in the United States caused widespread discussion results, even these insiders couldn't help but feel a little bit proud, let alone what kind of response it would cause among ordinary citizens.

“Stop talking nonsense, this news is really big! It's not just EXO fans, even K-pop fans and ordinary citizens will be interested. Let's inform Min Ho hyung and his team immediately and have them work all night to get an article out tomorrow first thing, seize the opportunity…”

"You're right, Barry. We found this so early, if someone had beaten us to it, we would definitely be getting scolded."

Like a bolt from the blue, one word woke up the editors who were working overtime. They scattered like startled birds and began to bustle about in a flurry of activity. The superficiality and carelessness they had displayed earlier vanished without a trace. Each person was brimming with energy, as if it were the very first moment they arrived at work that morning.

"That is..."

Finally, Li Zaixiao and his recent colleagues still looked at XO's various data, smacked their lips and whispered:

"I wonder if XO can still climb higher."

It shouldn't be a week-long trip, right...

……

Actually, Lee Jae-hyo and the others weren't the first to know that EXO had climbed onto the Hot 100. Many Aelis had already discovered this when the chart was updated for the first time.

Many fans from EXO have been closely following music charts in many countries, including the US, since the group's comeback in March. They track every achievement of EXO's new release, such as rankings and debut positions, and share this information promptly to promote their idols and contribute to their success.

There are also many people who have been keeping an eye on the B-list charts, checking them every week hoping to see EXO's name on it. Although this approach is clearly fueled by unrealistic fantasies, their genuine hope is very real.

And today, it's still the same, but what makes these fans so meticulous is that this time they really saw their idol's name on the hot singles list.

After the same astonishment and excitement as Tong and Lee Jae-hyo, many people quickly posted screenshots and other news in fan groups and online forums. While fans were thrilled by the news, it quickly spread and went viral.

After all, it's already deep into the night. It's late, and only a few people know about it.

>Until the next morning, many people took out their phones and opened their computers to check the news as usual, only then did they see the trending topic on top, with a headline in red:

EXO debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, setting a new record for Korean groups and writing a new chapter for K-pop!

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