The korean music show experience

Are you in a Kpop fandom? How do you support your favorite Kpop artistes during their comeback promotion?

Don't know what I'm talking about? No worries.

fandom:  the fans of a sport or famous person.

Kpop fandoms (as with other pop artistes' fandoms I suppose) are very elaborated, with fandom names, fandom colours, fandom wars...

kpop comebacks:  Comeback-when an artist 'comes back' with a new song/single. It's different from a debut because that's when the artist/group is formally introduced to the public with a new song.

Initially, I thought a comeback means an artiste coming back to the stage after retiring or a long hiatus. But in kpop, nope. 

TVXQ! had their comeback with TENSE , their 7th full length Korean album this January. Something was the title song.


The whole TVXQ! thread at the forum was abuzzed with activities. With a comeback followed lots of promotion activities, so the pages at the thread moved extremely fast. Then came the steep learning curve for us newbie fans: Music Shows.

We are talking about the weekly music shows at the major broadcasting stations in South Korea - Music Bank, Music Core, Show Champion, Inkigayo, M Countdown... Pardon me if I get any information wrong. I am NEW! Though I won't blame an experienced fan for making mistakes regarding this very complication promotion system either.

Anyway, a bunch of us amateur fans quickly realised the significance of these music shows. Artistes fight to WIN on these shows. Ok, actually they don't, the FANS do. There are various criterias that the singers have to score in to win.

Broadcast points, digital sales points, physical sales points, viewers' votes, global i-fans' (international fans. K-fans = Korean fans) votes, SNS points (Youtube views, Twitter trends), live votes etc etc.

Different shows have different criterias and point systems. Refer to here for a VERY SIMPLIFIED guide. There were specific instructions on how to trend a hashtag for it to be counted, how to watch the official MV on YT for it to be counted, how to stream on various music sites for it to be counted, how to vote, how to make passwords to vote more...

It was mind-boggling to say the least. Scratch that. It was one of the most complicating thing I've ever done. Even after the whole thing was over, I still had absolutely no idea if my hastags, YT views, streamings etc were counted.

 

Why bother, you may ask? Erm, I am not entirely sure. But it's their 10th anniversary album so we all wanted them to have a glorious comeback. Especially when some fans from other fandoms were calling our boys has-beens. HAS-BEENS???????

SAY. THAT. AGAIN.

 

Anyway, we dilligently played Something on YT day and night. Many left their PCs on overnight just to stream. Stream the whole song, they said. Volume has to be at least 80%, they said. Do not use a playlist, they said. Only playlists work, others said. Do not use auto refresh, some said. Stream on incognito mode, some said. Stream with a different ID after every 10 plays.  Oh. My. Gawd.

We watched the YT views like watching a stock market. Realtime updates were swift at the forum thread. We all rallied together to stream and vent our frustrations that the views were going up too slowly. We also gathered information from all over to help in our cause. Some scoured the net for more reliable instructions, some asked the K-fans for helped. A bunch of us formed the Streaming Team where we made multiple passwords to buy streaming tickets with the help of a K-fan, so we could stream from the Korean music sites too.

There were translators, information providers, mood uplifters, tech help and a lot of confused fans. Day after day, we exhaust our energies trying to boost up Something's points so they could win. Once, I streamed outside and busted my Data plan limit. Oops. 

Then SM dropped the bomb and gave us missions. Reach 3 million YT views by this deadline and they would release a mystery video. Many times, the view count would hang and only go up by like 5 to 100 in 2-3 hours. It was darn frustrating. I remember posting this gif to express my disbelief and anger at YT.

 

By the way, I wasn't really angry with YT. And I didn't really feel like shooting the other fans when they scorned Yunho and Changmin. All these bitching in the Kpop fandoms are in good harmless fun. Well, there is a small minority of fans who take things too seriously but not me. Generally, being a TVXQ! fan has garnered me friends, online or physical; I now have a community to 'hang out' with; it has made me feel young and fun again. And since the boys are such role models, they have positively influenced my life. Serious.

Anyway, we streamed like crazy and DID IT!

It's hard to describe the feeling. Although all of us were  streaming alone, but as the deadline drew near, I could feel the collective anxiety. We were all high on adrenaline and anxiety. So when we finally hit 3 million views a few hours ahead of the stipulated midnight, everybody cheered online like crazy!!! There were fireworks, popping of champagnes and lots and lots of cyber group hugs.

I never imagined I would say this but, it was fun. Really really fun. 

Of course, it did not stop at that. We had another mission to hit 5 million in a week's time. That we failed. :( The boys did go on to win, I don't know, 7 or 8 times for the comeback though.

Oh I need to mention that the Caasiopeias, ie the K-fans of TVXQ! are pretty siao-on. They bulk bought the albums to boost TVXQ!'s physical sales ranking. I'm not talking about 10 or 20 copies. These fans bought in boxes. Hundreds of copies. That's just madness to me.

Sometimes, I would turn on the live streaming of the music shows to watch the boys. Then wait with bated breathe for the results. When they won, we congratulated one another online and on whatsapp (for my local fan friends).

There were 2 shows where live votes were counted. We gathered information on how i-fans could contribute to the SMS votes. There were 3 numbers that we could send our votes to. Information was posted on the thread and someone who had connection would announce when it's time for us to vote.

I remember I was down at the playground with the kids, totally oblivious that it was already voting time. I casually checked my Whatsapp and there was Bobi urgently telling us it's to VOTE NOW. I fumbled through the korean characters 동방신기 and tried out all the numbers. After a frantic 10 minutes, my sms finally got through.

Fancy that! I just sent a live sms vote to South Korea! Bobi and Bliss's votes got through too. So exciting!

We saw the boys win again and again...




There was a week where they swept all 4 trophies. Proud. Anyway, I'd have been proud even if they did not win. Their live performance is top-notched. They are still at the top of their game.

They did not win for Spellbound which was to be expected. I didn't work hard for it frankly. Because I knew there wasn't a chance. Erm, hello SNSD and 2NE1? Nevertheless, the boys still gave us some pretty awesome Spellbound performances, here and here.

Right now, I just want Yunho's leg to heal completely before he starts rehearsing for their TREE Japanese tour.

MIssing Catch Me. Hongkong.

19012013.That was a good day. Such a good day.

When will I get to see the boys perform right in front of me again? You can read my fan account here and here and see the second set of pictures I took here. Right now, I will just post some of my favorite pictures of mine that night.

Ah, at least I got to take pictures of them. Me, with MY camera, with my very own hands. 

So glorious.

Let's not cry when we draw

I love doing art and crafts with my kids. Doing art can be very therapeutic and since you never know how the piece will turn out, it is exciting at the same time. The rush of pleasure when you complete a good a art piece is very very satisfying.

My kids enjoy drawing a lot. Well, most of the time. My girl is a perfectionist. So although, she's been praised for her drawing skills at home and in school and even selected for an interclass art competition, she still lacks confidence. The other day, she requested we draw a cat together. Just 5 minutes into the activity, she started crying. The body shape is not nice enough, the legs are too skinny... The eyes are not pretty... The ears are uneven... and oh it's SO HARD to erase and redraw. My gawd, she kept crying over every little thing.

It was frustrating not only for her, but for me too and I gave her a piece of my mind. Art is supposed to be enjoyable! Why must you insist on every line being perfect? Just continue with your best efforts and the result might surprise you! What is the use of CRYING???

She just couldn't accept imperfections. And went into her room to sob on her bed.

I felt like I was too mean to her and was guilty. Then I suddenly thought of... YUNHO! Haha.

I told my girl who looked up to Yunho, that once he had to draw a rhinoceros and failed terribly at it. He didn't get upset, instead he laughed at himself. Sometimes, your drawing just won't turn out the way you want it. Like Yunho's.

"Did you laugh too mama?" she asked. "Oh yes I did! I laughed A LOT. It was sooooooo funny. You would laugh too." I went on saying Yunho's failure at drawing one picture doesn't change my admiration and respect for him at all.

I let them watch Running Man ep 27, the drawing relay mission. Have you seen that episode with TVXQ? It was hilarious. And it was the first time I saw Yunho and Changmin. If you haven't and are planning to, you should probably not watch this clip of Yunho's famous rhino. :p

(spoiler alert)


I was serious when I said this episode is hilarious. I have watched all the Running Man episodes save for a couple. Only a handful got me in stitches. It's because of this darn rhino. Haha. So so so funny. Watch the full subbed episode here.

The kids guffawed at many instances. My girl shook her head, pointed to Joongki and said "This guy.. or is it a girl? He really cannot draw." Damn right. :p

She commented that Changmin was good but Yunho was pretty bad. Hahaha. We went on to finish the episode. I could tell the girl was full of admiration for the boys because she would exclaim how good their dance moves were, how they never made any mistakes, how strong they were, how quick Yunho was etc.

We had a good time chuckling togther. I hope she got the point in the end.

Spellbound goodbye stage

So fast.

We already knew this promotion was going to be short but it was cut even shorter due to Yunho's ligament injury. Awwww poor thing. He was last seen in a wheelchair, foot in a cast. Which I approve! I mean, Yunho being Yunho. He'd have to be forced to rest or he'd just move around too much and aggravate his injury.

They cancelled all music show appearances last week but we still have this goodbye stage at Inkigayo because it was pre-recorded before the injury happened.

They looked so darn happy here! Which made the stage all the more fantastic. And I'm loving their attire and hair here too!

Enjoy!

Spellbound on Show Champion, Musicbank, Music Core and Inkigayo (week 2)

So TVXQ! had just finished their second week of promotions for Spellbound. Here are the stages on the 4 music shows.

Show Champion 5/3/14

 

M Countdown 6/3/14



Musicbank 7/3/14


 
Music Core 8/3/14


 
Inkigayo 9/3/14


Music Shows in Korea are serious business! Because of TVXQ!, I got to learn about how much effort is put into the production of these weekly programs. Every show has its own PD who will direct the shots and positions. The boys typically have to record for up to 2 or more hours just for one song. There was once they did something like 15 or 16 takes. *gasp* They sing and dance, and sing and dance.... AND sing and dance.

After early morning recordings, they stay for the live. And then, sometimes there is post recording. And they still have to go for fansigns after that on some days. Once, they only slept for 1 hour in between 2 music shows.  *gulpz*

The stage setup is also impressive. If you'd watched the most recent Inkigayo episode, you will see the elaborate stages set up for each individual artiste or group. Most notable are of course 2NE1's, SNSD's and TVXQ!'s. If you don't know yet. A head to head girl group battle is happening RIGHT NOW between 2NE1 and SNSD. (I actually prefer to call them Girls' Generation but SNSD is easier. Hehe.)

I am rooting for SNSD because I cannot stand the way 2NE1 sings. I mean, technically, SNSD is way better. That is irrefutable. And 2NE1 has this slang, this elaborate and deliberate vibrato at the end of a phrase when they sing, which is alright since it can be stylish and cool. BUT it seems very pretentious when ALL of them sing in that same exact style. Except for Dara I guess. Plus, all that 'swag' thingy is a huge MINUS for me. Though I must admit Come Back Home is a pretty good song. I don't mind the beat drop that much if it's not CL's voice. Haha.

Check out SNSD's Mr Mr stages too. The song is growing on me.

Of course, these few weeks' music shows are also exciting because there is CNBLUE too! And NELL!!!!! Though I think they didn't promote much. Nell I mean. CNBLUE's Can't Stop is nice.

Oh, times like this are also very exciting for fans because whether their favorite artistes win or not depend a lot on the fans' efforts. And ya, the public of course. Will write another post about how we worked hard to give our boys an all kill (4 wins in a row, and then some) during their Something comeback. This time round, well, all spotlight is on the girl group battle. So I'm chilling out. Haha.

Spellbound MV #2

OMO.

The new Spellbound MV is daeeeeeee~bak!
Do you like it? I LOVE IT!

Spellbound on Music Bank, Music Core and Inkigayo (updated)

There you go. TVXQ! never disappoints with their live performances. I truly enjoyed them. But still, check out their official MV, won't you? *blinks*  

Music Bank 28/2  

Music Core 1/3

Watch the official Inkigayo Spellbound performance here if you can. (It is not available for Singapore) If not, here's their very captivating stage. Enjoy.

SBS The Show 4/3

These 2 boys, they really work very hard. Respect.