Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 106



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Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter Episode 106

106. Welcome to NYC

In fact, the popularity of ‘Life and Death’ could be predicted to some extent through the reactions to the previous trailer video.

Even back then, the public was crazy about the 3 minutes of splendid action scenes and the heart-pounding opening song that encompassed those 3 minutes.

However, I had no idea that it would become this popular.

[Oricon Weekly Chart]

5. (New) Life and Death – ソンジュン (Seongjun)

Who would have thought that it would go beyond the daily single rankings and enter the weekly chart TOP 5!

“her.”

Even Sotozaka, the chief director of ‘Muportable’ who directly adopted Sungjun’s song, let out a single exclamation as if he was amazed by this absurd phenomenon.

Even though ‘Nahonbul’ is currently the most popular anime in Japan and anime songs are mainstream on the Oricon charts.

I never dared to expect that an unknown Korean singer who had never been officially active in Japan would be able to make it to the top 5 of the weekly charts.

It wasn’t a result of riding on the popularity of Nahonbul.

Rather, looking at some reactions from the community, it was not difficult to find posts saying that after listening to ‘Life and Death’, they became interested in Nahonbul.

So, Sotozaka’s conclusion was that the meeting of a transcendent anime and an anime song created extreme synergy.

‘As expected, casting Sung Jun-sang was a stroke of genius!’

Sotozaka, a gambler who had a good time betting on the reverse, clenched his fist in celebration of his victory.

And with that, the weekly meeting of Muportable began, taking place for those who participated in the betting.

This week’s topic is, of course, the viewership ratings and community response for the first episode of ‘I Live Alone’, which started off with the best performance in the second quarter, and trends in competing works.

“The response to the opening and ending songs of ‘Nahonbul’ is also hot. Both songs entered the Oricon weekly chart.”

Not only Sungjun’s ‘Life and Death’ but also the ending song ‘影 (Kage=Shadow)’ sung by Twilight ranked 11th.

While ‘Life and Death’ is a heart-warming song, ‘Kage’ is a ballad with a band sound as its base, but overall it is a calm song.

As the song title ‘Shadow’ suggests, the black and white monotone screen was complemented by vocalist Yoru’s sorrowful voice and lyrics, which again garnered a favorable response by showing off a charm that was the complete opposite of ‘Life and Death’.

‘Nahonbul’ fans enjoyed the piece by listening to the addictive ‘Saenggwa Sa’ and the heartbreaking ‘Kage’ alternately, and thanks to that, the two songs pushed and pulled each other, and were able to rank high on the weekly charts.

This was also a win-win that exceeded expectations.

“We are receiving requests for offline events from the industry and inquiries about performances from fans here and there.”

Meanwhile, the title of the event that the staff brought up was outrageous.

‘Comiket’, widely known as ‘AnimeJapan2024’ and ‘Comiket’.

They are large-scale subculture festivals that attract 150,000 and 500,000 participants each year, respectively.

An event where a huge crowd gathers, and just getting on stage is virtually guaranteed to have a huge promotional effect.

Therefore, most of the guests at performances hosted by the organizers so far have been so-called ‘high-level’ singers.

But this year, invitations were sent to the two teams that sang the anime song ‘Nahonbul’ as ‘high-priced’ guests.

As a music portable, I couldn’t help but be delighted.

In addition to the external events mentioned above, there is also the ‘Nahonbul Matsuri (Festival)’, which is held in the summer as an in-house event.

A truly bountiful summer.

“Please check the schedule and pass it on to Junsama.”

“Hi.”

The staff responded vigorously to Sotozaka’s instructions.

Ah, ‘Junsama’ is a new nickname for Seongjun.

It wasn’t something that the Muportable staff decided on out of respect, but it was something that was being called that in the community at some point.

It is named after the nicknames of old Hallyu stars, such as ‘Yonsama’ and ‘Byeolsama’.

Meanwhile, the younger generations also called him ‘Jun-chan’ in a more friendly way.

This interest was not limited to music portables and anime nerds.

Rumors were quickly spreading in the Japanese music industry about a menacing alien species that had appeared out of nowhere and was shaking up the Oricon charts.

Some of them went beyond searching the Internet and YouTube for the invasive species and asked questions to band siblings who had direct contact with the invasive species.

“Yoru-san, you appeared on a survival program with Jun-sama, and also on a Korean variety show, right? What kind of singer was Jun-sama?”

“Yoru-chan. Is Jun-chan really that handsome like he is on YouTube? I’m so curious!”

“There are rumors going around that he is of Japanese descent… Is that true?”

The Twilight siblings were peppered with curious questions from their fellow singers as they prepared for their concert tour.

And that question mark had many meanings.

Anticipation, envy, jealousy, yearning, caution, interest, etc.

“well.”

Yoru was cautious in answering,

“Sung Jun-sang, in person, he’s even more likable. And what about his live performance? He’s overwhelming. He’s completely ‘rock’.”

Hikaru excitedly told the story of Seongjun.

Although Sungjun was the one who was better, his older sister just shook her head as she saw her younger brother answering while feeling more proud.

When so many eyes and attention from all over the archipelago are focused on Sungjun.

A new bait was thrown at them.

– DMLC? Nani Gore? Junsama’s new song?

MXM Entertainment was keeping an eye on the release schedule.

The Japanese version of ‘Drink me like Coffee’ has been released.

*

At that moment, Jun-sama,

“Wow… Hye-yoon is crazy.”

I was reading the lyrics that Seol Hye-yoon sent and was in awe with my mouth open.

Seongjun’s eyes read and reread Seol Hye-yoon’s lyrics several times.

The level of completion is far superior to what I expected.

Verse So much so that your imagination will naturally start to expand as soon as you read the first line.

– Cherry blossom road with pink rain falling. You also fell into my heart gently.

– The world is dyed in spring at your brushing fingertips.

The image of a couple or lovers walking shyly, their fingertips brushing against each other, on a street lined with cherry blossom trees is vivid.

It was the first time that my heart started pounding just from reading letters.

It certainly seems to contain a unique sensibility that only women possess, something that men cannot 100% imitate.

[Lyrics] As someone who achieved level 10, I can say this with confidence.

Seol Hye-yoon has a natural talent for writing lyrics.

“Well, anyway, I guess we should change the title.”

The original title was ‘Cherry Blossom Trip’.

Rather, the ‘Cherry Blossom Road’ that Seol Hye-yoon has written now fits the mood of the song better.

Also known as ‘Cherry Blossom Road’ in English.

It feels so much better.

Anyway, there is no need to touch the lyrics any further here.

So, all that remains is the official recording.

“Hey-yoon, when is a good time for you?”

I immediately called Seol Hye-yoon to check her schedule.

The place where recording takes place is none other than one’s own studio.

Seol Hye-yoon is also a popular YouTuber named ‘SHYine’ with 1.5 million subscribers and is affiliated with MXM Entertainment’s MCN division, so she has free access to the company and decided on the location that way.

“By the way, the lyrics are really good. Is this by any chance Hye-yoon’s personal experience?”

For some reason, there was no answer to the subsequent questions.

But I think I also heard a faint sigh that said, ‘Well, then that’s right.’

“Hello? Hye-yoon? Can you hear me?”

When I asked again with a puzzled look on my face, only then did Seol Hye-yoon answer.

Leaving out the answer to the question of whether it is a personal experience.

– I hear you. So, what part of the lyrics did you like?

“Oh, the part I liked was-”

The two people started talking about the ‘cherry blossom road’.

*

If March was a busy month with domestic entertainment schedules,

There were several overseas schedules planned for April.

Sungjun arrived at the airport to complete his first schedule.

The moment I opened the van door and stepped into Incheon International Airport Terminal 2,

Click click-

Flashes of light burst out from all directions.

Reporters and fans of the cast visited the airport after hearing the news of the ‘Begin One More’ team’s departure.

Ah, so that’s why we put so much effort into coordination today.

“When it comes to airport fashion, all black is the way to go!” she said, matching a loose-fitting hoodie with a black leather jacket and black jeans.

A scream of joy bursts out from the mouth of ‘My Star’, who was holding a cannon camera at that chic yet boyish appearance.

“Seongjun oppa, you’re crazy in person!!”

“Oppa!! Let’s go and tear America apart with busking while we’re at it!!!”

“Let’s go Grammys!! Let’s go Coachella!!!”

Seongjun raises his hands and greets fans who cheer him on.

After entering the airport gate, he headed to the counter assigned to him for the ‘Begin One More’ team group check-in.

“Oh, Seongjun is here.”

“hello.”

Sungjun greets the main PD Byun Sangwoon and the staff who will be leaving the country today.

Meanwhile, a camera was attached.

He is the dedicated VJ who will be following Sungjun around from the airport entrance today and throughout his entire US schedule, filming only him.

Just when I was starting to feel pressured to prepare my own portions before my seniors arrived, the cast members arrived one by one right on time.

Ryu Young-seok and Haram, who are usually close friends, walked side by side.

Then, Hyo-ryun and Hong Gwang-woo also gathered in front of the counter.

When celebrities, especially famous celebrities, stay in one place for a long time, it is a nuisance to other departing passengers.

After quickly completing the formalities and checking in my luggage, I spent some time in the lounge before boarding the plane.

Since it was a program starring JBS’s mainstay, ace Byun Sang-woon, it seems like the production cost was quite solid.

All cast members were given business class seating.

I know that business class tickets to the US on Korean Airlines are quite expensive.

Anyway, it couldn’t be anything but fortunate.

If I had been sitting in economy for that long, my back would have been sore.

As I sat down on the comfortable chair, suddenly,

I remember an interview with a senior who is the CEO of SMP, one of the top 4 entertainment companies known as the powerhouses of idols, and is also a current singer, saying that he always works on songs in business class.

‘Well, should I give it a try?’

It takes approximately 14 hours to reach the destination, New York.

It’s enough to produce one or two demo songs.

No, let’s just write one song and not fuss about it.

Besides that, there was quite a bit to do on the plane.

You also need to understand the overall schedule and route of the filming that will take place over the course of a week. You also need to memorize the song selections that were discussed in advance. You also need to eat the two in-flight meals and one snack that will be served. There is a mountain of work to do.

First, we recorded the sound of the plane scraping along the runway and the noise of the plane taking off into the sky.

The song we will be making with these sources is a ‘male idol song’.

Since I was composing in the sky, I thought I would try a new genre that I had never tried before.

It was also an opportunity to use the knowledge I had acquired from [Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Chapter 2: Popular Music by Genre].

‘The title should be… ‘1000km/h’.’

I thought of it as the speed of an airplane, 1000 km/h, and came up with a typical concept of ‘I’ll fly to you as fast as an airplane’.

After that, I put on my headset and focused on my work.

Ryu Young-seok, Ha-ram, Hong Gwang-woo, and Hyo-ryeon, who were nearby, looked surprised at Seong-jun’s appearance.

Even working on a song on an airplane.

What kind of workaholic, passionate musician is this?

That was the look in his eyes.

Of course, the four of you weren’t just resting.

Each person was making a business call about their personal schedule before takeoff, and like Sungjun, they were looking into their schedule after arriving in the US.

However, the only one who took the time to focus on ‘composing’ was Seongjun.

“He’s my junior, but I respect him.”

“Sungjun is really… I felt it during ‘Who’s the King’, but he’s not an ordinary kid. I’m sure he’ll do something during this shoot too. It’ll be fun, just wait and see.”

Ryu Young-seok agrees with Haram’s words, sticking out his tongue, and shows a hint of anticipation.

Then he looked at Hyo-ryeon and asked playfully.

“Oh, by the way, Hyo-ryun was a member of SMP, right? Originally, didn’t ‘Su-myeong’ work on songs when he got on an airplane like Sung-jun? You don’t?”

“Senior… You know it’s not easy to follow PD Park…”

CEO and producer of SMP Entertainment.

Hyoryeon, who thought of ‘SMP’ and ‘Park Su-myeong’, shook her head.

Anyway, Sungjun’s in-flight composition was a great stimulus to all four of them.

Ryu Young-seok and Haram began to have in-depth discussions about the song composition and arrangement direction for each day of this busking.

Hong Gwang-woo once again memorized the lyrics of the song he was going to sing.

Hyoryeon took the place of the VJ and filmed the members, including Sungjun, engrossed in composing music with her own self-cam.

So, after traveling halfway around the world, I arrived at New York airport.

It was a 14-hour long-haul flight, but I didn’t feel too tired thanks to the comfortable business class seat.

After finding my luggage, I went out to the departure lounge.

But what the heck.

“Wow, what’s up with the people? Why are there so many of them?”

The crowd is huge.

As he was dragging his carrier, thinking that it must be because the United States is such a large country, something suddenly caught Sungjun’s eye.

A foreigner holding a placard welcoming someone.

There was a familiar, slightly forgotten word written there.

[WELCOME to NYC D.VOICE]