Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 125



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Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter Episode 125

125. Comeback

Sungjun’s second EP, ‘Music Everywhere’.

The public’s anticipation for the follow-up album, which will be released about five months after the release of the first EP ‘LOVE CYCLE’ on January 1, 2024, is high.

It reached its peak through spoilers that were revealed one after another on Instagram.

“So when is it coming out!”

The latest trending album release time is Friday night at around 6pm.

Because it’s on the Billboard chart.

The Billboard chart compilation period runs from 1 p.m. on Friday to noon the following week, Korean time.

For this reason, K-pop artists with a large overseas core fan base tend to set their release date to Friday evening in order to make the Billboard chart compilation period a little longer.

On the other hand, unlike this, domestic music charts start counting on Monday, the start of the week.

Many singers in genres such as ballads and trot, for whom domestic chart rankings are more important than Billboard, choose to release their songs at 6 p.m. on Mondays.

“When will we release it?”

Sungjun and MXM Entertainment also considered a release date between Friday and Monday.

That would be the case,

“Sungjun, you are now a global singer.”

At the time of his first album, Sungjun was just a rising star in Korea.

At this point, when he is releasing his second album, he has established himself as an artist with a considerable overseas fandom.

In neighboring Japan, she gained fame and a huge fan base by singing the opening song for the popular anime ‘Nahonbun’.

Thanks to this, the Japanese version of ‘DMLC’ rose to the top of the Oricon charts, making them even more well-known to the public.

And that’s not all.

Recently, in the US, it became an issue that top producer George Brown and his group singers Justin Bobby and Ariel Grande followed Sungjun’s Instagram.

Additionally, a viral article claiming that George Brown had secretly contacted Sungjun to recruit him to his new label sparked explosive public interest.

“There’s an Asian singer that George Brown sent a love call to?! Who is that?”

“This is a young man who did some amazing busking in New York. He left the link to the video.”

“HOLY! Sungjun, his voice is amazing. And he has great respect for New York City!”

And around this time, the ‘I wanted to brag a little about a singer that only I knew about now that he’s famous’ type of person appears.

“I already knew Sungjun. He also covered many of Yuna’s songs on YouTube. All the songs on his album, ‘LOVE CYCLE’, are masterpieces that are saved to my playlist.”

“Really? No way, I have to listen to his songs right now.”

The public also took notice of the subject that top American producers were interested in, and naturally, they began to seek out and listen to his album.

The genre that Sungjun mainly uses is band sound pop rock.

It was perfect for capturing the taste buds of American listeners, the home of pop and rock.

Thus, the solid core fandom that was created around the three countries of Korea, the US, and Japan made Sungjun and the A&R team fall into happy dilemma.

“Um… let’s go on Monday.”

At the end of the debate, Sungjun made a decision.

Released Monday at 6pm.

There were two main reasons for making this decision.

“Let’s take a closer look at Billboard next time.”

Although the fandom had expanded globally, Sungjun thought it was premature to enter the upper ranks of the Billboard charts.

Of course, given his current fame, it seemed possible for him to ‘enter the charts’ even if it meant suffering some losses during the Billboard compilation period.

But what Sungjun and MXM Entertainment were hoping for was not just a mediocre chart entry.

The main chart, ‘Billboard HOT 100’ and the album chart, ‘Billboard 200’.

At least be in the top 20 on both charts!

It was quite a challenging goal for Sungjun, who is not a member of an idol group or a singer.

This required proper, well-thought-out preparation.

Another reason we chose a Monday release was simple.

Because I’m only going to be on music shows for one week!

Seongjun, like others, has neither the time nor the reason to fill up 4 weeks with music shows.

Because I have to complete the second half schedule.

It also included big and small events for fans who were disappointed that they could only meet Sungjun once on a music show.

Anyway, in order to do a limited music show for the comeback week, you have to go to each broadcasting station fairly.

If you release an album on Friday, you will miss the music show stages that take place the day before.

A star of Sungjun’s caliber is absent from only one music show?

It was obvious that there would be conflict with the broadcaster.

The album release on Monday was also a measure to prepare for this.

So at 6pm sharp on Monday.

Finally, Sungjun’s album has been released to the world.

And as everyone expected, the chart climb and lining up began immediately.

[Kiwi TOP 100]

1. (New) Music is

2. (New) Ring a Ring

···

It only took two hours after the album’s release for the two title tracks to top the charts.

To others, it was an obvious result.

To that extent, Sungjun’s musicality and brand power were overwhelming.

One, Sungjun, the person involved, cried out with a face full of emotion as he watched his song at the top of the charts over and over again.

“First place is always new! It’s thrilling!”

It was Seongjun who didn’t lose his original intention.

Meanwhile, the music video that was released simultaneously with the album also became a hot topic.

Among the double title tracks, the pre-released music video is ‘Ring a Ring’.

What caught attention was that the sound source was actually made from a cell phone ringtone, vibration sound, or touch sound.

That has already been heavily promoted in the past.

What made fans excited was the female protagonist who appeared in the music video.

“Crazy! Is this casting real? Yuna and Ye Seon Ha are both appearing?!”

Yuna, the true top singer of South Korea.

And Ye-seon Ha, who recently rose to the ranks of top actors.

The fact that two people appeared in one music video.

And this incredible two-shot of the two top stars drew various reactions.

“Sungjun’s connections are no joke!”

“Wow… what a blessing. I never thought I’d see a two-shot of these two in a music video.”

“No, but wouldn’t it have cost hundreds of millions just for the guarantee for two people?!”

As someone said, the actual cost of producing this music video amounted to 10 billion won.

However, the casting effect of the two people was more than that.

The double casting suggested by director Choi Seok-yong simultaneously satisfied the needs of fans who supported the prequel universe and those who hoped for a fresh new face.

And that new face is even Yuna!

It was completely normal for fans to go crazy.

This music video was already a hot topic just with the appearance of the two people, but its content was also quite provocative.

A love triangle romance between the new and old goddesses of the music industry, all obsessed with Sungjun!

This was a juicy plot point that fans with their telephoto lenses would rush to grab.

– I hope Yuna X Sungjun couple

N That’s right. In the music video, Sungjun is happy to receive a call from Yuna.

N It seems like the two of them look better together visually?

– You ignorant guys. In the beginning, it was the pre-selection universe!

N I admit. I’ve been watching you since the last album, so I feel more attached to you

N Whatever it is, Choi Seok-yong is a world-class person! Drawing a love triangle with Yuna and Ye-seon-ha! That’s the idea of ​​a devil, no, a genius!

– Yuna vs Ye Seon Ha voting

n Please recommend Yunafa

n Please recommend a preliminary round

N I can’t possibly choose. How could a mere mortal like me possibly evaluate the goddesses?

N Anyway, both of them are really pretty

The community was flooded with the ‘Ring a Ring’ music video.

Meanwhile, I saw comments about Sungjun here and there.

– By the way, I’m really jealous of Sungjun ㅜㅠ Damn it

n It is clear that he was Admiral Yi Sun-sin in his past life. Otherwise, he will be punished!

n It’s not enough to just tell me to pay more taxes. I have to go to the military twice more.

N crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The men’s anger and jealousy reached the heavens.

Choi Seok-yong, who saw this,

“Seongjun, you’ll live a long life, right? Your life expectancy will have been extended by at least 10 years. Be thankful to me.”

He even made a joke saying, ”

Whatever it was, the polar reactions were wild and crazy.

When the public interest was ripe,

– Oh! The ‘Music is’ music video is out too!

The music video for the second album’s main title song has been released.

People watched the music video with anticipation as they watched to see what kind of mega star would appear next.

However, the expected glamorous star’s face was not visible in the music video.

It contained images of people similar to myself, living ordinary, everyday lives.

A student going to school with earphones.

An office worker taking the subway to work.

A self-employed person who wakes up at dawn before the sun rises and starts a busy day.

Music flows in every store.

In the vacant lot in front of the university, busking takes place, singing songs about youth.

They were happy, angry, loved, and cried.

And they hugged each other, comforted each other, healed each other, and sang songs.

You can see it everywhere around you.

Ordinary daily life and ordinary people.

Seongjun’s voice was layered over their laughter.

“Music is you.”

Everything in the world is music and song.

And the title of that song is you.

The same fierce competition every day to survive.

Burnout from the gap between wanting to get a salary like Lupin but not being able to achieve it, etc.

People living in the 21st century, regardless of age or gender, are tired of their daily lives.

In the midst of this, Sungjun’s song came as a gentle healing to the wounded hearts of modern people.

And sometimes, there are moments when this healing emotion transcends the stimulation of Maramat.

– Ah… I cried on the subway while watching a music video on my way to workㅜㅜ

N You too? Me too! I was listening to it at home and cried out loud by myself. After that, I felt relieved somehow.

n At some point, I just felt like a useless and insignificant person… The lyrics ‘I am the song of this world’ were so touching and comforting.

Yes, that’s right. It’s been a long time since I felt so touched and touched. Haha

– Sungjun, are you saying that your music spectrum is really crazy? No, the two title songs are so different, but you like them both?

n At first, I honestly thought it was just a collection of random songs, so I let my guard down, but I got hit hard in the back of the head.

n The remaining two songs are also great songs, everyone, listen to them. Let’s go straight from 1st to 4th place on the charts.

N Then it would be really annoying

By the way, who participated in the Music Everywhere Challenge? When will the results be announced?

The community that had been bustling with Yuna and Ye-seon-ha was turned upside down in an instant like Othello playing a trick on the corner god, and Sung-jun’s musicality, which had been hidden, began to be reexamined.

And the public began to anticipate the coming event.

– Music shows start this week, right? How about a live performance!

*

The following week, Mimyosonyeo finished their promotions by taking their third #1 with ‘Salgeum’.

Sungjun’s comeback stage has been set.

This time, the music show promotions will only last for one week.

Therefore, the competition among Sungjun’s fandom ‘My Star’ to participate in the few pre-recordings was fiercer than ever.

Kim Joo-hyun, a third-year middle school student who has enjoyed the luxury of winning consecutive games thanks to beginner’s luck.

She also experienced the bitter taste of failure for the first time in Sanok, having been pushed aside by fierce competition.

When I checked the winner announcement several times and confirmed that my name was not there,

“Nooooooooo!”

Kim Joo-hyun cried loudly for the first time since entering the third year of middle school.

In the end, all she can do is cheer on her older brother Seongjun through TV.

“Today, I absolutely have to watch Music Bank.”

Kim Joo-hyun, who had secured the remote control from Dad Pick’s fishing and baduk channels, sat in front of the TV in a pious posture.

When the time came, the music show started.

The first stage was opened with a lively introduction by handsome and pretty older sisters and brothers.

Kim Joo-hyun waited without taking her eyes off him for a moment, wondering when her brother’s turn would come.

And finally, the MCs announced his appearance.

– Yes, this time, it’s someone who has returned to the stage after a full 5 months!

– This song is really hot these days! Music is~

– Our members also sing along to this song every day.

– What would it be like to hear the stage live? Come see for yourself right now!

Following the introduction in a voice as excited as Kim Joo-hyun’s own heart,

Sungjun appeared on stage with a guitar.