We first read about this group in a fascinating article in the business section of the entertainment news. In it mainland label Tai Rye talked about the costs of producing the boyband, first spending a year going to various art schools and talent locations in China to select from thousands. Then they picked 50 kids aged 15-17 to go to Beijing and train, eliminating a few each week. Finally, after three years, the group MIC was formed with 6 members, with a long-term investment of millions including choreographers for American artists like Madonna. The only thing they have mentioned in their upcoming lineup however is LG Lollipop phone commercial for the China market, which has emerged recently.
Making of LG Lollipop CF for the China market (with girlgroup f(x))
Vid thanks to urasiansourceCpop.
The LG gig may not be the smartest way to debut since there’s already a boyband called Lollipop already, also with six members, which will just lead to confusion. Furthermore, for the commercial, LG basically rehashed their concept from their Korea market CF, which will probably lead to trigger-happy people accusing them of being rip-offs.
However, unlike some Chinese boybands that have come and gone, they can take the heat. They are with Tai Rye, a big, established Chinese record label, with unique singer-songwriters like Peng Tan and Long Kuan signed. They are also the record label of Li Yuchun (managed by eeMedia if anyone is confused on that point) who, before she starting composing for herself, was provided with great songs by Tai Rye. That means these guys should have good music, and the connection with Li Yuchun would probably win them spots on Hunan TV. And hopefully it means that since almost the entire rest of Tai Rye composes now, these boys will too one day.
China seems to be starting on the “training” method now with their groups. I really hope the market is big enough to return that investment for the companies. Competition is getting stiffer and stiffer in China’s nascent boyband. BOBO and HIT-5 have all pushed their releases to next year.
…btw, I have no idea why this group is being called Boys 6 in other place. The name is officially MIC, but I tagged this with boys6 to clear up confusions with those who might be searching for their info.
Vid thanks to urasiansourceCpop.
Profiles:
For MORE INFORMATION: Join Cfensi Forums!
The profiles were done with google translator because I don’t have the time to really translate now, so it might not quite make sense, but editing will come later. Interestingly, all are from different provinces in China, one is an ethnic minority Yi (the same ethnicity as Zhang Liyin) and another is from Central Conservatory of music.
Wang Hao 王浩 (captain)
Birthday: May 17, 1987
Ethnicity: Han
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Height: 175cm
Weight: 62kg
Features: POPING
Hometown: Liaoning, Dalian
Interests: music, dance, billiards, basketball, swimming
Favorite Weather: sunny, not cloudy, doesn’t like places where there is no light
Favorite Color: green, yellow, white, red, bright like
Favorite Food: Red Apple, barbecue, raw seafood, fried cicada
Favorite Artist: Andy Lau, Odie
Favorite singer: Brian Mcknight, Beyonce, Eric Benet, Ne-Yo, Baby face
Zhao Yongxin 赵泳鑫 (vice captain)
Birthday: August 25, 1988
Ethnicity: Yi
Astrological Sign: Virgo
Height: 181cm
Weight: 70kg
Features: lyricist, composer, piano, guitar, Hulusi, Sachs
Home town: Lijiang, Yunnan
Hobbies: Basketball, Soccer, Table Tennis, Bowling, Skiing, Skating and so on. I would also like to watch movies, DVD collection close to 1000. I Like to go shopping, see something they like it will move no further steps, they are all fantasy with his. Enjoys watching and understanding a variety of folk art and culture.
Favorite Weather: sunny, cloudless
Favorite color: black, white
Favorite food: hot pot, hot pepper sauce and other spicy foods
The most regrettable thing: did not let Grandpa was still alive, see me on television when he passed away, I have not seen his last one, which I think is especially sad … …
A special title: “Small Xin” (all my friends are so call me)
Xiao Shunyao 肖顺尧
Background information:
Birthday: March 23, 1988
Ethnicity: Han
Astrological Sign: Aries
Height: 185cm
Weight: 68kg
Features: Rap, Hip-pop, Krump
Home: Qinghai, Xining
Interests: love sports, basketball, football
Unfortunately, things: did not the army, I really want to have the opportunity to be able to perform the role of the military.
Like the weather: rainy day
Favorite food: Meat
Favorite singer: MJ EMINEM
Favorite color: purple, black, red
Ci Yuehan 池约翰
Background information:
Birthday: July 20, 1989
Ethnicity: Han
Astrological Sign: Cancer
Height: 175cm
Weight: 60kg
Features: choreography, HIPHOP, B-BOX
Home: Zhejiang Wenzhou
Interests: everywhere, comfortable travel, basketball, computer games, adventure
Education: Graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music Department of Middle School Musical
Like the weather: Large sunny
Favorite food: dessert, bread
Favorite singer: MJ Justin Timberlake Usher Chrisbrown Trey songz
Favorite music: R & B POP Hip-pop Rap
Favorite color: blue, black, green
Favorite animals: Dogs (available cards)
Dream that one day to complete his dream and do a great entertainer, wandering in all corners of the world
Unfortunately, things: if my mother did not get to listen to learn a variety of musical instruments, did not let my grandfather to see their success.
Tan Jianci 檀健次
Background information:
Birthday: October 5, 1990
Ethnicity: Han
Astrological Sign: Libra
Height: 174cm
Weight: 58kg
Features: show, Latin Dance
Home: Guangxi Beihai
Interests: In addition to singing and dancing performances, there are basketball, Bing Pangqiu, football, bowling and so on, but everything’s not fine to play, as well as enjoy a variety of food, play online games, single games, watching movies, wear their own like clothes and so on.
Favorite Weather: sunny, cloudy
Favorite color: black, white, blue, yellow
Favorite Food: rice noodles
Favorite singer: MJ
Unfortunately, things: Grandpa’s death had not seen his last one, it is miss grandpa … …
Special title: lot (around 50% of people so call me)
Cui Lujia 崔鲁佳
Background information:
Birthday: August 21, 1991
Ethnicity: Han
Astrological Sign: Leo
Height: 180cm
Weight: 65kg
Features: Performance, B-BOY
Home: Liaoning Shenyang
Interests: basketball, billiards, driving, travel, play games (wow)
Favorite Weather: sunny, light rain days
Favorite Food: Sichuan
Favorite color: white, blue
Favorite Music: HIP-pop, pop, ballad
Favorite singer: MJ, Lee Hom, shakira
The Special Title: Jia Jia
Tags: Boys 6, f(x), M.I.C., Tai Rye Music
December 26, 2009 at 5:43 am
I’m interested… Wish them sucess
I can’t really see how people will make comparisons (especially to the group lollipop)
But yaaa the names are confusing
December 26, 2009 at 5:44 am
I never heard of tai rye before. Is it really that big? What artists do they have?
December 26, 2009 at 5:48 am
Ooohhhhhh I just realized: MIC= made in china
December 26, 2009 at 5:50 am
One of the guys looks like Nicholas Tse. I’m glad to see more Chinese minorities going into the entertainment business.
December 26, 2009 at 5:51 am
It’s pretty big but you don’t know it bc most of the artists are singer-songwriters, or in the case of Li Yuchun, have learned how to compose. It’s promising…maybe they will compose in the future, especially since one is from Central.
As for the confusion/accusations I essentially wrote this post because
1) hits 2) to clear up those really annoying rip-off accusations that seem to be starting even though this is LG’s concept, not theirs 3) insomnia
But they will never replace these cuties in my heart:
http://tieba.baidu.com/f?kz=687191823
December 26, 2009 at 5:52 am
Cfensi, idarklight- you should do a post on chinas entertainment companies. It seems like I find out about a new one everyweek.
December 26, 2009 at 6:02 am
That was f(x) O_o
December 26, 2009 at 6:04 am
agreed with julie.
It seems like there are many new companies popping up.
They look quite interesting..
@Julie
LOL! I didn’t know what MIC stands for until I read your post
December 26, 2009 at 7:18 am
Why is f(x) involved? That’s actually what I’m most intrigued by – is this a sign that they’re going to try a debut soon?
Also, a little personal rant that’s been pent up for a little while…
If M.I.C. doesn’t make something fairly big of itself and prove very talented, I’ll just be vaguely jealous of their fame on behalf of my favorite indie/rock/electronica bands and artists. TC I tolerate because they proved their mettle, and were the first to really break out, but now I’m just personally tired of it all… I suppose I just need more patience, heh.
Rant now over; sorry ’bout that. I have to say, MIC seems quite a bit more… hip-hop, I guess, in the way they have presented themselves up to now – which for some reason, strikes me as being like the Big Bang to TC’s DBSK. But yeesh, the commercial is a bit unfortunate, especially considering that Lollipop is a six-membered band, too. They seem to be going into this with more raw talent than TC, and since they’ve got a good company that has invested pretty heavily in them… If they’ve got the personality to back it up, they’ll probably get pretty far.
Is it just me, though, or does their resident multi-talented musician seems a little… out of place, in terms of interests and musical styles?
December 26, 2009 at 8:40 am
Taihe Rye is a pretty good company. They keep low-keyed and their musicians aren’t always the most wellknown, but they are also well-received and polished.
Sweet Dreams live:
http://www.12530.com/newweb/video/videoplay/i/49047.html
O_O
Their live dancing and singing is really good compared to the other boybands that have came out recently.
Their cover of “Beyond the Game:”
http://tieba.baidu.com/f?kz=685978132
December 26, 2009 at 8:59 am
More intense dancing:
http://www.12530.com/newweb/video/videoplay/i/49046.html
December 26, 2009 at 9:01 am
Hey, that’s funny. The allkpop article on this has “Much love to cfensi for the information” written there. x )
But I kinda like how, on any given day, I’ll complain about some aspect of Chinese entertainment, and just a few months later, something comes along to rectify it. It’s kinda scary how quickly the Chinese music scene is developing. The stuff that has come out over the last six months is practically twice as ‘developed’ as the stuff that came out in the first half of the year.
December 26, 2009 at 9:12 am
wow LG is taking a big risk letting two debuting group (this is like f(x)’s first activity in china) through their commercial. i didn’t think about MIC’s comparisons to the group lollipop, more about Big Bang. Since LG decides to be cheap and merely do a Chinese version of the same concept Big Bang and 2NE1 did for Korea
I hope MIC won’t get bashed by VIPs and Blackjacks, because as a Big Bang fan I am actually kinda of excited for this, if MIC and f(x)’s commercial became a success in China, more Chinese people will want to know about the original Lollipop song, thus increasing BB’s popularity.
P.S. however I don’t know how accepting Chinese people will be for over-the-top colorful MV with simple repetitive words as an ad, BB pulled it off with a success because of their already established reputation and the fact that Teddy is an amazing producer
December 26, 2009 at 9:25 am
i am super excited for MIC, they looks so promising, everything from their name (lolz-much better than HIT-5′s handsome idol something), dancing skills (lol amazing! and they look really polished, unlike other Chinese boy bands), background (good company with solid reputation)…more news about them please! @Neph, i totally agree about this group’s resemblance to BB, crossing my finger – finally a Chinese hip pop boy band!
December 26, 2009 at 9:46 am
@idarklight
Haha I saw their videos already and thought they’re pretty good. I’m trying to put all of them together.
December 26, 2009 at 9:58 am
@idarklight – Well, after seeing the video, if these guys don’t debut as a hip-hop group, I’ll be dang shocked. That was intense, and very hip-hop/b-boy. I think their dancing outclasses EVERY Chinese boy band I’ve seen so far (and by quite a margin), and quite possibly most Korean ones. It’s obvious that Tai Rye spent a lot on this training.
And I wasn’t intending any kind of slam against any company. I’m just personally usually rather slanted towards rock/indie, ‘sall, and a bit miffed that all the attention is currently directed at pop of various sorts. It kinda hurts to hear these guys already getting attention after a few years of training when some of the bands I like have toiled for years out of a love of music, and still don’t even have a shot at the spotlight because their genre isn’t what’s hot in China right now. Not intending to belittle the efforts of pop artists/groups – just wishing for a bit more of an even distribution of fame.
@ curious – I’m hopeful for that, too. If they do, that’ll be the hook that keeps me interested in them, and I think I’m not the only one who’s like that. Also, it keeps them from directly butting heads with TC’s target demographic, which, in this competitive market, is a good thing for both groups. TC’s fans prefer TC to be cute and romantic, and their sound so far as been reflective of that – largely fluff, electronica, and ballad. MIC seems geared towards girls who prefer their idols cool, so I’m expecting a largely BB-like hip-hop/rap-influenced style. Now it depends on their voices (which are probably going to be impeccable) and personalities.
December 26, 2009 at 10:21 am
Is this them? http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/hQnmgIpp1p8
They sound… um, interesting, I guess. Rougher than I expected, but I guess that’s not necessarily a bad thing, depending on the style they’re going after.
And why does everyone do Poker Face…? I have to say that they seem a bit rough vocally; then again, they are singing live in English, so… Also, their looks definitely don’t appeal to the same demographics that TC does – they’re rather more manly, heh.
http://www.12530.com/newweb/video/videoplay/i/48444.html <– Poker Face performance. It doesn't flatter their skills much.
http://www.12530.com/newweb/video/videoplay/i/49292.html <– "Song Written For You" (name from Baidu) rehearsal, and probably the most important, because I think that's their own song. They sing better here, but it's still a bit rough compared to what I was expecting. They don't seem to have any vocal powerhouses, but then again, they may not need one.
December 26, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Great post, cfensi. I’ll blog about this group also to help promote them, and direct people to your blog post for more details.
December 26, 2009 at 1:14 pm
@Neph –
China has tons more of the spotlight for rockers than hip-hop artists. I’m doing a post on XTX soon, who always has lots of coverage. So far…boybands don’t get that much love compared to the rock artists in China and the uphill climb for most boybands is pretty big. But let’s talk about that in the upcoming XTX post.
I edited out part of your comment because it was soooo long and deviated focus…this post was meant to provide info and make MIC’s info easy to find. I’ll put it back up when I do the XTX rock related post.
I just wanted to get this post in quick bc I know people are spreading this around bc of f(x) and I didn’t want anymore uninformed accusations with what happened with other people. I’m still on vacation…won’t have internet access until night.
Allkpop could have linked here. -_- Anyway…they put up the info in a positive manner, so as long as the info’s getting spread like that I’m ok. Less of that bs TC had to face.
@Pauli – Thanks!
December 26, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Hm. Actually, after watching some of their videos, I don’t think they reaaally have a proper sense of rhythm. They follow the choreography well, but it looks like they’d be completely lost if they were to “just” dance. Not that freestyling defines a dancer or anything, but I don’t think most of these guys would make especially great dancers beyond their routines. I think I saw two who were pretty good.
Vocally, they seem, well…passable, but I won’t make any judgments until I’ve heard them sing in Chinese.
And now, let’s sit back and wait another six months~ : )
Although I’d like to think that I’m pretty informed on news and issues about China’s development as a country, I really, genuinely, am surprised at how quickly the Chinese music industry is growing.
Oh, and I think people should view allkpop less as just a blog, and more as a tabloid paper. This: “allkpop has worked with entertainment agencies JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment (Red Queen Media), SM Entertainment, and Flyboy Entertainment,” makes me wonder about their neutrality on a lot of issues.
December 26, 2009 at 2:07 pm
@ CFensi – The indie bands didn’t just spring up. Many were unsought out for quite a while. Some waited around for several years (like The Life Journey and Super VC for… jeebus, five or six, at least) until they got signed, mostly in the boom of 2004-5 (Super VC getting their break earlier in 2001, but they didn’t grow that much until that boom, for that matter). XTX himself started in the business back in 1994, and only blew up more recently, so he’s hardly new-gen.
Just because they weren’t signed doesn’t mean they didn’t exist, which is why some of these bands’ setlists have a large number of songs that aren’t on any albums. Some bands, like Queen Sea Big Shark and Hedgehog, were just fortunate enough to form just at the right time to ride the waves. Personally, I’m just hoping that the momentum from 2005 carries forward, and worried that all this pop inundation will keep it from going where it should, because media outlets are swamped with pop information from all over the place. I guess it’s partially that I’ve gotten a bit invested in some of these bands, and given that even SuperVC’s members are all thirty-ish, I get antsy and worry that the spotlight will pass over a lot of them. Patience is harder to keep when one sees years of obscurity and passed birthdays.
And I hadn’t known MIC was going the hip-hop route; had I known, I probably wouldn’t have had as strong of a gut reaction.
BTW, I tried to comment earlier with links to live performances by MIC, but it said the post was awaiting moderation…? Did I do something wrong?
December 26, 2009 at 2:14 pm
And LOL, I just did it again, didn’t I? I’ll stop ranting randomly now, heh. As for my modded post, never mind – I’ll post the only noteworthy links in this comment.
On topic:
@ Benji – http://www.12530.com/newweb/video/videoplay/i/49292.html <– "Song Written For You", from a rehearsal. Posted it earlier, but my comment got put on moderation. =\
That's them singing in Chinese. They're… really not that good, vocally. I think they're banking on their dancing. Their main vocalist (far as I could tell, from the video) is no vocal powerhouse, and indeed, they don't seem to have one, but given their style of choice, that may be okay. And yeah, their dancing is far less polished sometimes, like their group Poker Face performance, but it's still above most other Chinese boy bands.
December 26, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Oh, whoops, forgot to link this:
http://www.12530.com/newweb/video/videoplay/i/48444.html <– Poker Face performance. It doesn't flatter their dancing skills as much as the earlier ones idarklight posted, so I'm a bit confused as to their actual skill level. They do seem to struggle a bit with either freestyling or perhaps, learning a new dance quickly, which could be a handicap on live shows…
But when they dance well, they dance impeccably, so I'm a little befuddled.
December 26, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Ergh…yeah…I don’t have time to edit out your comment now so whatever.
But bottom line, right now there’s more talent than companies, but the Chinese music industry is popping up with companies all over…much like the rest of the industries of China. Most of it means patience. I don’t think any genre will get “left behind” in the end.
December 26, 2009 at 4:10 pm
allkpop shouldve totally linked you
December 26, 2009 at 4:50 pm
lol im pretty interested right now, do you know when they are going to debut?
December 26, 2009 at 6:21 pm
@L: people say they’re going to debut in february or march.
Don’t know how accurate it is tho.
December 26, 2009 at 6:31 pm
@ Julie:
allkpop has historically never linked to people. Had allkpop linked to cfensi, I would have been totally surprised.
As proof, we recently had three articles written on our site that was heavily featured on allkpop. While they did credit to us for the articles, they never linked us back. We were only lucky to get traffic from allkpop because the videos were linked to our YouTube page, which has links to our main blog.
That’s a douchebag move for allkpop to do that, and I vowed to always credit and link to any stuff that cfensi writes about (like this article) or has more knowledge in (like mainland Chinese artists).
December 26, 2009 at 8:57 pm
this is a random question but with all these new boy bands popping up in China, which one would be considered to be most successfull? o.o?
December 26, 2009 at 9:28 pm
@L: Top Combine definitely
December 26, 2009 at 11:31 pm
i second julie.
December 27, 2009 at 12:34 am
looks like they have talent and if they survive the accusations of being rip-off copycats i think they would do well.
ppl gotta stop saying that all chinese music groups are copying blah blah and blah blah. i mean they aren’t even sued so don’t judge ppl (sorry, i just really need to get it out of my system… ppl r so mean these days)
December 27, 2009 at 12:44 am
Seems like they have talent and as long as they survive the accusations of being rip-off copycats i think they would do fairly well. They shouldn’t have to suffer from LG’s cheapness.
People gotta stop with all the “OMG chinese boy/girl groups are all copycats”. if the companies havn’t sued each other yet then just shut ur trap. (sorry, really wanted to get it out of my system, ppl r quite mean these days… met a few ppl online like this and has been bothering me forever)
btw HAPPY HOLIDAYS (yea i’m kinda late but i just wanted to let cfensi and idarklight know
)
December 27, 2009 at 1:43 am
@ Linny – Merry Christmas! Happy Holiday!
@ Pauli – Thanks! You’re really nice. But to be honest…I am so lazy myself in putting up links (to Sina usually) bc I get so fed up with spending time on the blog that I can’t criticize others for it. As long as the news gets spread without being twisted I’m ok.
@ Neph – Sorry…if your comment awaits moderation (usually bc of >1 link), they don’t notify us by mail so we have to go check the comments section which we do only when we remember. I just approved your Spy thing btw yelei!
I was going to write this later…but I can’t find XTX’s pics anymore. Sorry for editing your comment in the first place – it kinda went against the usual policy of this blog’s “Nothing is OT” so I can’t fault you for ranting.
I know you like the rock groups more, and you sound really really pent up about it. And when I first started this site, I was afraid boybands would edge out singer-songwriters. But look at it from a different perspective.
Back in the early 2000s, there weren’t all these companies. And boybands tried – like Xin Wu Qi – but failed back then, and never came back. At least XTX and Super VC, however slowly, came back and made a name for themselves and some even succeeded.
To be honest, looking at the history of Chinese entertainment, the rockers have received much more welcome than the boybands. And it’s not like all Chinese boybands have just magically gotten fans. HIT-5 certainly didn’t. A-One…are they even going to last?
Boybands have a shorter shelf life than rockers. The entire gameplan has to be get company backup, get famous quick, or you may never last. Whereas…even in markets like the US, many bands get spread through word of mouth and slowly get up.
While I feel like Chinese rock fans have had their opportunities to see Chinese rockers, Chinese fangirls haven’t had boybands until now, so let’s not begrudge them this. This is Asia after all. Maybe one of your favorites may not make it until the companies grow to accommodate all the talent. But the music industry is a lot about right timing and right opportunities. Xin Wu Qi (the boyband with the Oguri Shun look-alike) could have possibly survived if they came out now. As China’s market grows, and it’s growing quickly, it will be more like Japan, where all the genres can coexist – China’s not quite there yet, but it looks like it’s definitely heading there, and soon, so I wouldn’t worry that boybands are going to edge out the rock – not at all.
And now…off to find those HQ Xie Tian Xiao pics! He looked hot moshing.
December 27, 2009 at 2:47 am
they sang a khalil fong song!! yay
. personally i think the styling for this group is pretty good (the outfits aren’t over-the-top and their hairstyles aren’t orange or some other color, thank god). if their songs are catchy they’ll probably do quite well. but i’m kinda confused — is the song from the ad an actual single they or f(x) is releasing?
and umm they’re all younger than me… :/
December 27, 2009 at 3:08 am
I feel bad for Xin Wu Qi, if only they waited a few more years.
I think mic has the least amount of negative comments! I’m super surprised. I can’t wait for them to release something- and the song better be awesome.
December 27, 2009 at 3:28 am
@lehninguh – That’s why there’s always all those hot Chinese actors to fangirl.
@julie – I am really sad about Xin Wu Qi. They really had screen presence and a pretty good name (for a boyband). And I mean, a Chinese Oguri-Shun look-alike! I just…really like Oguri Shun. If there was a Takashi Tsukamoto look alike in that band, I’d be bawling my eyes out.
December 27, 2009 at 3:35 am
I can’t find a lot of info on xwq, but yaaaa one dude really looks like oguri shun. Btw why do you like him so much?
December 27, 2009 at 4:13 am
I’m confused, who’s Xin Wu Qi?
oh, I keep rewording it as “Wu Xin Qi” (Five Star Flag)
December 27, 2009 at 5:06 am
Xin Wu Qi was an old Chinese boyband that didn’t make it even though they had an Oguri Shun look-alike.
When I first started this blog, I thought all Chinese boybands/whomever could make it because the Chinese market was so big, and even a small percentage could mean keeping the band afloat.
But really, China being bigger just means people need to work harder at promotion otherwise, you’re just a one-hit wonder, compared to smaller countries where one hit can make you famous. You see it all the time in the US. There’s tons of bands in the US that don’t make it or stay indie forever. Some are really good and deserve more credit…but that’s how it is.
@julie – Watched some old shows with them on Hunan…when they were pretty much disbanding he cried really hard and I just wanted to give him a hug. Plus he looks like Oguri shun but more proportional, and had a great screen presence.
December 27, 2009 at 5:30 am
@cfensi – No prob. I usually don’t link to the original source for original Chinese-based Cpop news myself (e.g., UDN, tom, Apple Daily), unless a controversial event requires it. I tend to only link if it’s from a fellow member in the Cpop community, like you or urasiansourceCpop, in case our readers wanted to get more info on news or media that’s sourced elsewhere.
December 27, 2009 at 5:34 am
1) WTF?! LG is so CHEAP! it’s an exact duplicate of the BIGBANG+2NE1 Lollipop commercial! GRRRR!
2) Amber looked hotter than all the boys! And even with a mature hair style Sulli still look like a doll. I feel so bad for Victoria, she’s so being used right now; SM need her to expand f(x) into China, but she doesn’t get any attention in Korea. Is SM trying to tie its greed self to Tai Rye, now that eeMedia doesn’t want to have anything to do with them? OMG Go Away!
3) “MIC = Made In China” LOVE IT!
They seem to be going the hip hop direction, but they could still provide some solid competition for TC, which isn’t really a bad thing. Especially with a solid company backing them, helping/teaching them to be independent artists, they have a very good survival chance.
4) @Neph: most rock bands don’t need a solid company backing them to start. Boybands depends on the company’s connections to sell, because (lets be honest most) boy bands are selling their faces and personality when they just debut. And the lifespan of an average boy band is 8 or 9 years, but that takes a lot of unity within the group and solid (not obsessed) fan base. To the companies backing them boy bands are a short term investment, while rock bands are a long term investment. Boy bands comes and goes as the fans grows up, rock bands on the other hand, depend upon their music to attract the fans, company packaging wouldn’t help them much if they can’t make it on the street. And it’s always been like the rite of passage for most rock bands worldwide to start with small coffeehouse gigs.
December 27, 2009 at 1:02 pm
I hope that victoria girl quits too. Sm uses Chinese artists too much.
I’ll be on vacation in like an hour, so you might not hear from me for a few days.
December 27, 2009 at 4:34 pm
@ CFensi – Sorry about the ranting; it’s been held in for a long while, and I haven’t had any occasions to let it out. Part of the reason that until recently, I tended not to follow pop is that I don’t like how volatile the industry is. You can make it in a few days; you could fail in a few days. The span of time makes it seem very much based on luck and marketing, and that bothers me somewhat. I’m certainly not begrudging the fangirls their boybands, because I know that that’s not only something they want and haven’t had for a long while, it’s also something that is probably healthy for the development of Chinese media. It’s just that pop seems to have stifled over rock for the past decade, and it’s only been since 2005 that these rock bands have really come back out. Rock’s always been welcome, but it’s never been big, so while rock slowly builds in the background, pop suddenly stomping onstage is a little… disappointing, I guess?
Never mind. I just need more patience. I had something I wanted to ask you about regarding Modern Sky and EE (and their bit of what the heckery), but I’ve already derailed these comments enough… Should I PM you on TCP?
@ chinkirox -
1) Now that I’ve watched the original, it is a little disappointing how they didn’t bother trying to make it a bit more original, but this is a commercial, not an MV. They need something catchy, easily recognizable, and hopefully proven to work – they have no incentive to invest in making something brand new.
2) Victoria’s condition isn’t that different from Han Geng’s, except that she’s not getting the fame he has in China (yet). If not for Heechul, Han Geng would probably be more ignored in Korea.
3) I’m hoping that this means both MIC and TC will have to step it up. Competition is useful in that it spurs growth.
4) I strongly disagree. Rock and indie artists almost never make it big until they get signed by a larger label. Their job before then is to do the legwork and make themselves known enough to attract the attention of the bigger companies. Marketing is a massive part of any musical endeavor, and that’s why Super VC’s growth was pretty slow for years until Zhang Yadong took them under his wing.
December 27, 2009 at 8:13 pm
omg! yes! chinese hip hop boy band! my dream come true! and i have to say, even as a hip hop dancer myself, their dancing is totally SICK. i just hope their singing/rapping will be as polished as their dancing. i want some up close pictures of the members
it would be super awesome if all their potential talent is also accompanied by eye-candiness! lol.
December 28, 2009 at 2:11 am
this is a great blog
I think they should be long lasting as they have a lot of raw talent, individually and as a group. They seem to be very well trained and they are unique from the other chinese boy bands, going down the hip pop route.
It was very interesting to see them collaborate with f(x). It was a big surprise to me.
December 28, 2009 at 8:06 am
ahhh i’m so excited for M.I.C!!! hahaha I just want to know who is who >.< the guy in the metallic blue jacket is @.@ *drools*
hehehehe.
December 28, 2009 at 3:49 pm
MIC is a catchy name. I can’t see a close-up of the 6 guys in the video. I still think they could have a better stylist to make them look more attractive. The vice-captain’s punky hair makes him look kind of like one of the 2PM guys of Korea.
December 28, 2009 at 7:05 pm
I was reading the Chinese World newspaper yesterday and it said 赵本山is planning to start a group as well. He was mentioning how a country so small like Korea have so many groups, yet no groups in China are good enough.
December 28, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I read that on his blog a few days ago, too, but personally, I think it’s ridiculous. Zhao Benshan, really now… He doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who would know much about the industry.
December 28, 2009 at 10:16 pm
@Neph
I am not too sure. Zhao Ben Shan has been in the entertainment industry for decades. Though you might say that his taste is not fashionable anymore or he is in a different generation from us, but the secret to success is the same in all eras. He produced xiao shen yang, who became a massive successive across China and all age groups.
When Zhao Benshan wants to start a boy group, the paper might not be suggesting him personally training the members but him sponsoring or providing money to train a boy group….cos he is very wealthy lol
December 28, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Well he did say that he wants a more youthful group in China. If he’s comparing the unsuccessful groups to Korea, I think he most likely meant idol groups.. I mean so far Korean idol groups attract alot of attentions.
December 29, 2009 at 12:08 am
BabyVox 3 is selecting another member from China..
http://v.sohu.com/20091228/n269265205.shtml
The title reads“Babyvox3中国正选成员 女版韩庚即将出炉” （BabyVox3 Officially Selects Chinese member Girl version of Hangeng”
December 29, 2009 at 1:22 am
@Neph – Yes. pm me at TCP.
Most of this requires a bit of patience, but it’s never really bothered me. The artists that come later in a developing market will always have it easier, better than those of before. I remember when there wasn’t even this much. I just enjoyed what there was, and I enjoy what China has right now.
Specific artists will fail, that is also certain in a large competitive market and getting attached to artists always comes with a risk no matter where. But as a genre, pop, rock, and even hip-hop I believe will find their niche in China. And I really believe that in 3-5 years, closer to 3, Cpop will be big, as least amongst Asian-Americans based on trends, and how fast it has been developing. I run this blog because I just feel it deserves to be bigger right now, and because it’s fascinating watching it grow. With that mindset, it’s much easier to have patience. This point in time was something I waited for years ago, and now I’m patiently waiting for the next 3-5 years.
And I think Zhao Benshan is really talented and has the business mindset for this. He has his own “Xiao Ping” school, and is said to be a strict teacher. He’s got the money, is motivated – all he needs is someone who can take care of finer details. He might not be the best for it.
Although…really. Why do people keep thinking boybands are anything necessary? Why don’t people look at America and realize that to have a huge music industry, you don’t need them?
December 29, 2009 at 1:34 am
here’s taihe rye’s website if anyone was interested
http://www.trmusic.com.cn/main/index.html
December 29, 2009 at 1:49 am
it also appears that the backdorm boys are signed to taihe rye, thought that was pretty cool
December 29, 2009 at 2:59 am
hey guys, this is dbskholic (don’t like that username anymore ^^)
aniwaiz, i just wanted to put my 2 cents into this. well first of all, after seeing all the videos of the dancing, and i must say i was absolutely suprised, they are absolutely superb, and i just hope that they’re singing is just as polished, since they are actually debuting as singers. goodluck to them and hopefully they will be a successful group as they do seem VERY VERY promising ^^.
with what cfensi said, i do actually agree with her, just as much as i love boy groups i must say that a music industry doesnt necessarily need them to be successful, i guess male or female solos are not so bad after all. but im only guessing that many companies has decided to follow the steps of kpop as creating groups, im not saying its a bad thing as seeing that kpop has been quite successful with their groups, but i do hope that china will be able to come up with something a bit different from kpop. something to differentiate cpop from kpop, as so many ppl now think that cpop is following kpop, which i COMPLETELY do not agree with it.
i must also say that i hope that the chinese tv stations and government actually do lend a hand to the developing music industry. first of all i think that the chinese stations actually need to create programs that allows singers to perform and show off their talent. and also i hope that they actually allow all kind of singers from different companies to be able to perform on tv stations, for example li yu chun hardly gets to go on cctv and even if she does they don’t give her a chance to show her face on tv. i noe cctv might think that she’s not good enough or woteva their reason is but what i think is important is that their should be a stronger bond between china tv stations and music companies, so that singers can at least be promoted throughout china. i also think that they need to create programs which are actually suitable for teens. i personally think that they are focusing too much on the older generation such as programs and dramas. yes they are very good and of very good quality. but i think sometimes they need to think what teens want, and hopefully that could keep the large percentage of teens following other foreign music, drama etc.
oh, and im also gna add that i am EXTREMELY EXTREMELY disappointed with shandong province choosing “RAIN” as their embassador. first of all he’s a foreigner, secondly i don’t think he knows much about shandong province and thirdly i have no idea why the shandong government decided to choose a korean at this time. and most importantly after reading the article on allkpop, i got so damn angry “instead of rejoicing over the fact that the world’s hottie is now in charge of advertising their very own city, the Chinese netizens have been uproar by expressing their furious opinions”, sorry what did they just say? uhh.. no crap (sorry for my language). seriously what allkpop has been posting up lately and just ruined the kpop image even more, im literally gna like create a anti allkpop group on fb. BTW sorry for the randomness of about the shandong province, but i really needed to let out my anger!!!!!!
lol, i just realised how long my post is. sorry for the long post. and this i certainly just my very own opinion ^^
December 29, 2009 at 3:00 am
sorry, i mean ambassador instead of embassador. probs more typos in there. sorry…
December 29, 2009 at 3:19 am
@ CFensi – I’m not used to following a developing market. Patience is something I still need to learn. And yeah, I know that C-Pop will probably be big soon; it’s part of why I bother subbing/uploading for TC – because people overseas seem interested in boy bands, and it’s the first bit of pop I caught on to, not to mention that there are simply way too many solo artists for me to keep up. I’m simply too busy to do the same for anything more unless school and life let up.
Zhao Benshan has the business mindset. It’s just that he made it sound kinda like he wanted to personally oversee the creation of this boy band, which didn’t make sense to me – his funding of a project or general supervision would’ve been more understandable. Xiao Shenyang is more in line with his field of expertise – he’s rather like a multi-talented vaudevillian comedic performer.
As for why they’re necessary… eh. Some variant of them will always be around – it’s just a matter of what genre they fall into. Fangirls (especially teenyboppers) are good for the corporate wallet, and Chinese fangirls seem quite eager to fall into the shininess of boy bands over, say, pop-punk, which is where the US equivalent fanbase had been in the past several years (and have now gravitated to pop-rock from the Jonas Brothers).
@ momo – More shows for teens that promote pop artists…? There seem to be plenty, though maybe it’s just because I’m not as interested in them as you are. Also, vaguely confused at the implication that China needs to do something different from Korea regarding pop groups – it’s not like Korean did anything that different from Japan, which didn’t do anything that different from the US, which got its stuff from Europe. That said, I think each region has successfully come up with (somewhat) distinctive traits in its groups, and China has been no exception.
I definitely agree with you on the Rain thing, though. The heck, Shandong?
December 29, 2009 at 3:38 am
@Neph – well… first of all i am very obsessed with pop artists and secondly it’s probably the amount of tv stations i’ve got tht has limited the number of programs i get to watch, but i think the only tv station that provides pop artists with the amount of promotion is actually hunan station, such as happy camp and tian tian xiang shang, which i love to watch. btw, wot show do u think is out there?
and with china doing something different to korea is just because they didnt do something original doesnt mean that china should follow their footsteps, this would only make the idol groups in china more unoriginal. it takes time for people to take in chinese idol groups and i think they should start out doing something different from kpop groups as ppl nowadays really only noe much kpop groups or at least in the place i live and hopefully this will stop people from calling china copycats which i hate to hear. but, this is just truely my own opinion, and im not saying china is doing anythin wrong.
December 29, 2009 at 3:47 am
@Neph
You should have seen some comments. I seriously thought they were unnecessary. They were blaming China because of the last incident when Sohu framed SNSD = anti, Chinese copying Korean groups = copycaters. Anyways, I think whoever appointed Rain must been thinking on global terms since Rain is an international star, but I think they really shouldnt have done that.
I think having a decent amount of boy/girl groups are okay.. but having excessive number of them is just annoying hint hint *Korea*. I still think Korean groups are overshadowing their solo artists and many of the solo singers deserve alot more attention. It sucks =/
Hmm from what I see, I think China will be different from Korea.. maybe like Japan – a market with varieties.
@Momo
When you said music programs, do you mean something like what the Korea have? It’s easier for them because the country is much more smaller compared to China. As of right now, most of the young adults/teens seem to be really into Japanese artists (besides Taiwanese singers). It seems to me that most Chinese people becomes really critical when it comes to their singers.
December 29, 2009 at 3:52 am
@momo
Western music is really popular, and when Korea does it.. it becomes cool. However, when China trys, everyone instantly gives them a big NO-NO. In order to attract more younger teens to Chinese pop music, I think China has to follow the western music.. but then you have complaining. Ugh. so frustrating.
December 29, 2009 at 3:54 am
@yelei – yeh im saying music programs, and no i don’t really like the korean music programs its just so often that is gets boring. i prefer something like what cctv does like “zhong hua qing” or “tong yi shou ge”, but i just don’t think it happens as often and probably also because that it takes a while to create a stunning stage on those shows ^^. but once agian it’s probably bcoz the amount of tv stations i have
with what the teens in are into now, its just so epic in my area which i live in, btw i live in australia. everyday its like kdrama, kpop, dancing to nobody, dancing the crab dance, dancing the butt dance. its seriously like that everyday. everyone asian in my school is just like over obsessed with kpop, of course part from some. and taiwanese isnt that much popular anymore, considering that most of us are chinese and probably bcoz japanese artists is not that popular in my area is probably because we hardly have any japanese people here.
December 29, 2009 at 3:55 am
@ momo
WTF Rain is ambassador of Shandong?!!! I would really love to slap the idiot who made the decision right now. i have nothing against Rain and i used to have this fangirl crush on him but seriously he’s not even Chinese, and he knows nothing about Shandong. and yes, Allkpop is as bias as it gets and that’s one of my least fav sites right now.
Anyway i actually think music groups can help speed the development of the music industry. Yes they are basically idol groups that requires a lot of packaging but this also allows the members to have a pretty solid fanbase once they go solo. For example many music groups that have talent already sell solo albums even though they are still in a band (e.g BigBang’s Taeyang and G-Dragon and various members of Shinhwa) or after the band breaks up (Kim Jongkook of Turbo and Lee Hyori of Fink.L). In bands and groups each member always has a distinct style or personality aimed at attracting certain types of girls or guys and each member’s fans in turn supports the group and other members simply because it will benefit their fav. member of the group. In short, bands tend to garner more fans and attention that will benefit the members once they go solo and the music scenes.
December 29, 2009 at 3:58 am
@yelei – what?! i did not get that.
first of all im not complaining that china is following western music, its just that some chinese companies are following the steps of KPOP so closely that it’s ridiculous. they hire korean composer, korean teacher, seriously how well do u think koreans will teach chinese trainees, i prefer western teacher, like what tai hye music has done, i think it’s much more promising
December 29, 2009 at 4:05 am
@linny
i agree with what you had said with idol groups. they definitely do create a greater fanbase as different members has different voices, personalities etc that can attract more fans. buuut, i guess it won’t hurt to create a solo peformer and who noes they might just as be famous, considering that mayb chinese people do have different tastes as u can see that the taiwanese artists in china. the famous ones are mostly solo performers such as jay chou and leehom etc.
December 29, 2009 at 4:07 am
I think music programs like what Korea has are really unnecessary. China love to focus on their solo artist and the most famous singers are solo artists while in Korean most solo artists are unheard of and don’t get a lot of attention. Besides, US has a decent music industry w/o much music programs either. It costs a lot of money to build those stages and both China and US are big countries and it would be really hard to organize one.
China’s culture also emphasizes on education rather than entertainment. Teens especially are pressured to focus on GaoKao (exams) and their grades and nurturing their talent. Even when celebrities that have mostly young fans appear on television they almost always tell their fans to study hard and stuff. I mean try to imagine the Jonas Brothers telling their fans to do well on tests and go prepare for SATs. (It’s not a bad thing but i just think this can explain why China’s music industry has a harder time gaining attention).
December 29, 2009 at 4:13 am
@ momo
hmmm… yea it is ridiculous how they’re hiring Koreans instead of westerns but i think Koreans are cheaper to hire. Anyway, Koreans are basically following western hip hop/ rap (which is still relatively new in china) and since they’re more experienced in making/imitating western music it’s probably just easier. Companies that do hire westerns are usually well-established and have more money.
December 29, 2009 at 4:19 am
@linny
lol. that is true. like i said before the stages of “zhong hua qing” and “tong yi shou ge” definitely are VERY costly, even tho i noe cctv has enough money to build like 10 of those stages every week. but i think cctv should just do it more often, its very entertaining to watch!
yeh, i guess koreans are much more cheaper to hire, however sometimes i just don’t think that they actually do their job like i guess how westerners do it, so practically i think sometimes companies are just wasting their money on hiring those korean people.
December 29, 2009 at 4:45 am
@momo
oop i will reword what i said.
December 29, 2009 at 5:04 am
i totally loled at the comment about Zhao Benshan, i have this image of 5 younger better looking xiao shen yang performing jokes, chinese styled songs in groups… (but I am actually one of those rare people in China who don’t find Xiao Shen Yang funny, i think there are much better chinese comedians out there)
i checked out the article in allkpop, *sigh*….
@linny, i also heard about those no-life high school days all chinese students must go thru to prepare for national wide exam, it would be a surprise if any of them (or any of their parents would permit them to) have time to watch tv or attend concerts or listening to any music outside of english studying cds…thus my theory is that unlike the korean market where most of idol fans age would range from pre-teens to twenty-somethings (i.e. G-dragon received a lot of controversy for his concert because a large part of his fan base is teens), the music market for China must aim at 18+ audience. It is only when people got into university, they can take a breather and start enjoying life… there are benefits for having an older audience (they tend to have more $$ to spare), but also their attention tends to focus on different genres…
December 29, 2009 at 5:05 am
@ momo – The Koreans hired Japanese and Western teachers. It’s the gift that keeps on giving (and frankly, I’m not sure if I mean that nicely or sarcastically). Though I agree – you want quality, you oughta hire straight from the source. But eh. That toes the line of truth and propriety, since it’s not like all Western teachers are good, or that Korean ones are all subpar.
Frankly, not all of us are into these music shows, and I’m personally glad that China doesn’t have a huge swath of them. The ones that are on CCTV and Hunan are enough for me, and that’s probably true of a lot of people in China… And honestly, it’s not very intelligent programming. It’s fun fluff, but there’s hardly any substance there (I know, I know, substance in TV shows OMG…). Also, consider that there being more places more emphasis on personality as opposed to musicality. That’s something I just can’t stand for.
And I’m not sure where you’re getting this misconception that there are tons of boy bands and not enough solo artists or whatever. China has heaps of solo artists, and has had them for a while; successful boy bands are a very recent thing (heck, right now, it’s essentially just Top Combine). Frankly, I think we need more exposure for groups, and not just pop groups, but bands, hip-hop groups, rap groups, etc…
@ linny – I dunno, that kind of education/work-based ethic didn’t stop Korea nor Japan from having massive music industries. Nor, for that matter, does it keep intelligent people from liking to follow artists and so forth.
@ yelei – It still defies comprehension – why would you appoint a person to be your PR rep who isn’t even from your country? *sigh*
And as for Korea’s music industry, I totally agree. Who ever heard of Korean rock, outside the pop stuff like The TRAX? People barely know Korean electronica. Not only do a lot of solo artists get overshadowed, but entire genres fall by the wayside. I want China to go the route of Japan, where everything seems to co-exist…
That said, I think teenagers are mostly following Taiwanese and mainland solo artists, though I’m not sure about that. Most of the J-fans I’ve seen on Chinese sites are above twenty.
December 29, 2009 at 5:08 am
p.s. even when idols are featured in happy camp or day day up, most of the fans are older (i.e. 20ish) than the average fans age in korean’s popular songs or music banks (i.e. 14+)
December 29, 2009 at 5:13 am
@ curious – Are you in college yet? ^^; College kids are a pretty poor lot regardless of location, for the most part. The teenybopper crowd, meanwhile, are great at getting money from their parents. Also, for every student that tries really hard to do well on those exams, there are now students who realize that they just can’t make it that far, and would rather pursue other interests. Take a look at TC’s Chinese fandom – it’s primarily under eighteen, mostly around fifteen or sixteen. Above twenty, and people’s tastes start going more diverse.
I think it’s a bit of a stereotype that Chinese kids all work that hard. They work harder on average, but I think people are increasingly realizing that not everyone can reach that high peak of education. Idols, after all, are starting to endorse the whole “think about what you want to do” spiel instead of just “study hard”.
December 29, 2009 at 5:20 am
i love how asian countries do projects together like this
but i also hate it because this is just giving koreans another reason to say that the chinese industry is not good enough without koreas help.
They only use chinese artists because they don’t want to spend extra fees on plastic surgery.
omg wow jk
that was mean jk
koreans have catchy music
December 29, 2009 at 5:26 am
@Neph, i am in college (and desperately needs to find a summer internship right now, thus i have been spending my xmas nights doing research about how to properly write “please take me please” suck up cover letter for Goldman Sachs w/o sounding overly desperate), hmm lol i guess i am influence by media’s stereotypically image of chinese students…
December 29, 2009 at 5:29 am
p.s. i just saw MIC’s cover for lady gaga, and i must say i am not impressed (especially with the rapping), maybe they will do better with chinese songs
December 29, 2009 at 5:33 am
Regarding the GaoKan, many students/families realize gaokao isn’t their only choice. Alot of people are taking TOEFL or studying abroad in another country during their high school.
ANYWAYS, I’m quite confused with my past post too. LMAO. (sorry I was rushing). Basically I was trying to say is that MOST of the kpop fans are really into korean music especially the mainstream because it’s very westernized. I see Chinese kpop fans wondering how come China can’t come up with music like kpop. When China begins doing that (more westernized music in Cpop), people are bashing on the Chinese for being a copycater of Kpop music. I hope this makes more sense =l
Those that left the comments under the Rain article mentions that the Chinese people should be proud to have an international star representing them because he’s bring in more tourism BUT he knows nothing about Shangdong. The first sentence of the article really pissed me off.. “Quite a bit of China is being involved with the k-pop business nowadays, don’t you guys think?” – It’s more like the korean companies want a piece of the Chinese market. -_-
“However, instead of rejoicing over the fact that the world’s hottie is now in charge of advertising their very own city, the Chinese netizens have been uproar by expressing their furious opinions.” – Yeah Rain is hot, but it doesn’t mean just because he’s a foreign hottie, he should be an ambassador.
December 29, 2009 at 5:38 am
@Neph – uhh… i have no idea what you were talking bout in the last paragraph. since when did i say that there isnt enough solo artists in china? all im saying is that china SEEMS to be using groups to break into the international market. i just said that they mayb should try using solo artists rather than groups…
December 29, 2009 at 5:42 am
@curious
I saw the lady gaga’s dance too, but I think that was before when they audition for the show they’re going on. The new show seems pretty exciting because it’s hosted in China and sponsored by some big name artists such as Li Yu Chun, Jay Chou, Khalil Fong, JJ Lin etc. They’re suppose to use what they learn and compete with other singers/groups. All the singers/groups are contestants who will debut soon and most of them are pretty good from what I heard O_O
December 29, 2009 at 5:43 am
@yelei – yeh i get what you’re talking bout now.
and that allkpop article really pee-ed me off. first is was the “so called” copy cats and now this, it just seems that they have nothing else beta to post than those articles that are related to china, and they’re just turning the news around and bashing china, im literally gna slap them soon.
December 29, 2009 at 5:45 am
I just think China have too many solo artists at the moment. Having groups will be good since most of the groups failed in the past. I seem to come across many girl groups which I never heard of – they most likely released an EP and disbanded. I’m really anxious to see EEmedia’s girlgroup *O*
December 29, 2009 at 5:45 am
btw does anyone noe the name of the member wearing blue in the lollipop cf?
December 29, 2009 at 5:48 am
@ curious – LOL, I so deeply sympathize with the internship thing, except I’m trying to get them from any research institute that’ll take me (crosses fingers for one of the National Labs). And frankly, I thought that too, until my last visit to China – my cousins and their friends are pretty typical for Chinese students, and most of them were content to do averagely.
@ yelei – “However, instead of rejoicing over the fact that the world’s hottie is now in charge of advertising their very own city, the Chinese netizens have been uproar by expressing their furious opinions.” – I have never seen a bigger piece of flamebait. Ever. And I’m a friggin’ GameFAQer. It’s like they didn’t even think of how they’d feel if the tables were turned. Heck, this whole “China is copying Korea!” mentality riles me some, but I fear the backlash of fangirls more than that of fanboys, plus this is a more sensitive issue, so I guess I’ll just go toast some marshmallows or something.
December 29, 2009 at 5:52 am
@ momo – I must’ve misread your comments, then. And meh. China doesn’t seem to be trying to grab international attention so far, anyways. The most recent international idol appearance I can remember was Jane Zhang on Oprah, and she’s a solo artist. Boy bands are just to cater to the fangirls in China. If anything, it kinda looks like the indie/rock industry wants to be more known internationally, what with two major companies sponsoring full tours of a few of their artists in the United States.
December 29, 2009 at 6:00 am
@Neph – woteva. doesnt mean if they don’t go on some kind of international appearance they’re not trying to grab international attention…
December 29, 2009 at 6:03 am
this Rain/Shandong thing is weird…who exactly thought it was a good idea to ask him and why the crap did he accept??? and that line from allkpop is just stupid, but they’re pretty low so it’s not like you can expect much. i posted an article about it on AYTD and everyone is also confused. i read comments elsewhere about how chinese ppl should be proud, koreans have bigger celebs, so that’s why, yada yada…
…UM BACK THE F*CK UP. i have nothing against Rain or anything, but he is not a “world star” to begin with, no matter how much they want to believe it. Although he is well-known in Asia, he is not in the US. the officials in Shandong should have asked someone like Gong Li, who grew up in Shandong and is WAY more famous in Asia and the states than Rain.
December 29, 2009 at 6:07 am
@Neph, totally out of topic, about internship, i assume since you are going for a national lab you are either studying engineering / pure science, most of my engineering friends (who doesn’t have money problem) tends to find out about particular lab/professor they want to work with and just email the professor upfront and express their interest, this strategy almost guarantees u a position (my friend just got an offer from MIT for this) but that means they probably don’t have funding for pay/board or anything, another method is that almost all top universities offers research programs (applications are usually not due until end of winter break) and you can apply thru that, those are paid $2000K +/ free boarding, but applications can be kind of annoying and long (a friend of my did 6 weeks for a physics lab @ U of Chicago)
December 29, 2009 at 6:07 am
@ momo – I still hold that doesn’t make sense to think that they would want to target international attention when they’ve barely got a hold on the Chinese market. TC’s success has been hard-fought and continues to be shaky, and all the others have been capsizing. I seriously doubt they have time to think about international fandoms. We’re just here because we care regardless.
As a TC fan, I’d be happy to see them as aiming for international noteworthiness. As a person following the industry… it’s not exactly a very wise business decision. They get international notice as a by-product of the K-Pop crowd, not because of anything they’re attempting.
December 29, 2009 at 6:16 am
@Neph
agreed. Chinese market is still quite weak especially when it comes to pop music so I don’t think going international are most of the companies’ top priority. Top Combine is still building their fanbase in China so there’s really no need to expand right now.
December 29, 2009 at 6:19 am
@Neph – mmm, mayb, if u say so.
im still pretty sure that companies will be looking at breaking into the international market. and its not something that will be done after gaining attention from china, is an extremely long planning process. and im pretty sure that many companies have got their eyes on the boy groups for the international market if not international at least the asian market
December 29, 2009 at 8:31 am
I’m back
I wish the chn gov would just limit Korean entertainment, that should keep trouble from happening. I’m so frustrated, Koreans are bashing china for “stalking Koreans” WTF?!?!?!
Krn entertainment is the one who’s trying to get inside china cuz they’re greedy money hunry pigs. And they’ve failed except for sjm cuz of hangeng.
I hope they keep on failing if that’s how Koreans view china. Can’t wait for the end of the group trend.
December 29, 2009 at 8:37 am
Well, for all anyone knows, Rain could actually have some ancestry from Shandong. A third of all Koreans have some form of Chinese ancestry, and most of the Chinese in Korea are from Shandong province.
Of course, Koreans like to think that they’re some superior, ‘pure’ race…and that Japanese people are short and evil cultural thieves, and that Chinese are dirty, poor and ugly…so the fact that a significant portion of Koreans have Chinese ancestors is something that’s conveniently ignored in contemporary Korea.
December 29, 2009 at 8:41 am
Why are Koreans so racist and think they’re the best?
Seriously? Are they that insecure???
December 29, 2009 at 8:45 am
Sorry. I’m in a horrible mood.
Pure? Then why do they want “western” eyes, clothes, entertainment… Etc?
Ummm no… You’re theculture thief!
December 29, 2009 at 8:52 am
@ Benji
Haha
Of course Chinese people do tend to think of all Asians as really just wayward Chinese folks so I guess that’s a slight arrogance/confidence on our part 
December 29, 2009 at 5:20 pm
@everyone
whoa…so many comments after one night! I’m finally done with vacation, but I lack such motivation in posting
@lehninguh
There are plenty of Shandong/ ancestors from Shandong celebs:
Fan Bingbing
Huang Xiaoming
Gong Li
Kitty Zhang Yuqi
Zhang Zilin (Miss World 07) (born in Hebei)
Jing Dong!!!
Ma Tianyu
Zhang Han (born in Hei Longjiang)
BOBO Fu Xinbo (born in Xi’an, Shanxi)
BOBO Jing Boran (born in Shenyang, Liaoning)
Nie Yuan (born in Guizhou)
@julie
There’s probably some insecurity on the part of Korea, because they are a smaller country in Asia. The Hallyu wave was some of the first real recognition they got – so there’s a bit of trumpeting in that area.
December 29, 2009 at 5:34 pm
*sigh* No one’s any worse or that much better than anyone else. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think that the current wave of boy bands in China aren’t at least influenced by those in Korea. That said, there’s no reason for cries of lack of originality in either direction…
Even if Rain had Shandong ancestry, it still doesn’t make sense to choose him over someone who’s actually Chinese, like one of the people CFensi posted. I think they were just looking for attention.
@CFensi – Tangential, but can I ask a favor? Could you post a little something on Modern Sky’s 12th anniversary party? I can do the translation and whatever legwork necessary, if you want – it was just a interesting article about Modern Sky’s history and its present.
December 29, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Well… Atleast more people know about Shandong now.
But BOBO shouldve totallly be the pr.
Can’t wait foe the hallyu wave to be over
December 29, 2009 at 5:52 pm
They could have chose Zhang Zilin or Gong Li. I’m pretty sure both of them are much more popular than Rain. As much as he’s a hottie, he’s not exactly an international star compared to Gong Li.
December 29, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Trumpeting? You mean over obnoxious, I’m better than everyone else thinking?
December 29, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Haha I’m so biased towards bobo.
Ya, gong li would be the best choice.
December 29, 2009 at 6:23 pm
@cfensi: wow there’s so many good-looking people from shandong.
sorry this is bit off-topic, but can someone tell me about the hunan concert thing? is it for new years? i wanna watch it on tvu but i don’t know the broadcast time.
December 29, 2009 at 6:25 pm
^it’ll probably start at 8 or 9 pm china time on 12/31/09
December 29, 2009 at 6:26 pm
thank you!
December 29, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Zhang Zilin would have been a great choice. She’s already well practiced being an ambassador.
@Neph – Do you want to be a poster on this site? I can set up an account for you, and you can post whenever you want.
Top Combine interview translation, Modern Sky news…etc.
I really want to do more indie posts, but I just don’t have the energy to keep up with everything anymore, and like I said – I’m taking more classes next semester, so I’ll have to cut back anyway.
This goes for anyone else who wants to post.
@julie – I think the obnoxiousness comes from fear of being ignored, or insignificant because it’s such a small country. It sucks because the good opinion of Korea brought on by Hallyu after thousands of years of not knowing what Korea was like, is being quickly eroded and tarnished by those who are so insecure that they have to be obnoxious and diss other countries to promote their own. You can see this happen in China already, and now it’s happening amongst non-Koreans abroad due to sites like Allkpop.
@lehninguh – Nothing is really OT. I kinda tried keeping this one on topic because I figured people would search for MIC after the LG commercial airs, but well, this site just naturally encourages OTness.
I’ll do a post for the year-end shows.Just a quick guage…who’s planning on watching it live?
Jiangsu’s is the most well-done, but Hunan is fun. Dragon TV is just ok, and then CCTV is a bore-fest.
December 29, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Really? I never watched the Jiangsu one before. What makes it the best?
December 29, 2009 at 7:47 pm
They spend the most money on it, and you can tell. There’s a great sound system, great setup, and the guests are awesome because, again, they have the money.
Remember last year’s post:
http://cfensi.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/new-years-all-across-china-and-taiwan/
Hunan last year was crappy in technical details, but I think it should be ok this year because Long Danni is fierce and I don’t think she makes the same mistakes twice.
Hunan’s is still the most fun to watch regardless bc of the youthful energy.
Plus…Supergirls girlband to be announced then? Maybe? They need to get on that ASAP.
And do people really find Rain attractive? I mean…besides the body? I never ever understood it…even when I really liked Kpop, when he was at the height of his popularity, when Korea had soloists. And his voice is so raspy. His dancing is awesome of course, but I don’t have time to watch his dancing 24/7.
December 29, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Hope Hunan gets really really good MICs this time. Lol. Whenever I see the word mic, I think of the boy band. (Random: Yikes= Zeng Yike hehe)
Cfensi, we should have a live conversation/forum thingy when(if) watching the concert live. Or we could take over TCP’s shoutbox again. =)
I hope they dont blow off the girlgroup announcement like they did the MS cast last year.
Rain isn’t that attractive to me either. I guess he just has a good build?
December 29, 2009 at 9:02 pm
thanks for the info guys. i’ll watch the jiangsu one too. ia, we should have a live chat/message board thing going
December 29, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Maybe they didnt pick Gong Li because she became a citizen of Singapore? If I remember correctly many did make a fuzz about it…
I’m really exited about M.I.C btw, I think they are very diffrent from other pretty boy boybands, so I really hope they succeed. I love this site btw, which I always daily check all the time! Always exited to read new stuff.
December 29, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Uhm, why is urasiansourceCpop suspended? I really wanted to watch som videos….
December 30, 2009 at 1:33 am
@CFensi – If you don’t mind my bent towards indie and rock, and how I probably won’t be as active as you and idarklight, I’d be happy to write here and there for the site.
@Everyone regarding New Years – if you guys want, I can double-time it and try to get a simple layout for a forum up by then. Unfortunately, I probably won’t be able to join in on the conversation, ’cause I think I’ll be preparing for/at a party during that time…
December 30, 2009 at 1:51 am
@Neph – Invite to wordpress sent. After you become a wordpress member, then I can add you as an author. Don’t worry, just write what you want. Pimp the hell out of The Life Journey if that’s what you want.
I think you don’t need to get the forum up by then. Most people would have to register, and I don’t know if we’d all do that just to talk about the show. Although if you get a shoutbox it might be easier but if you don’t get it up we’ll just do Open Thread, a la Meteor Shower.
December 30, 2009 at 1:53 am
Sounds good neph! But what’s doubletiming?
December 30, 2009 at 1:54 am
Ohhh nvm. Thread or shoutbox is great too!
January 10, 2010 at 6:53 pm
I have been searching everywhere for info on MIC since seeing them with f(x), but there is nothing anywhere! So thanks for posting this, hope you will post again when more info is released on them ^_^
January 10, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Thanks – we have thread for them in the new forum:
http://cfensi.dramaddicts.com/forum/index.php
January 12, 2010 at 5:37 pm
M.I.C fb page please join thankks http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=281966850405
January 19, 2010 at 11:29 am
Would you give me they pic face with profile?
January 20, 2010 at 7:43 pm
good article! wanna see more of them but what i don’t understand is are the boys all from mainland china? and is their company also from mainland china? thnx!
(sorry for sounding dumb but some people also include taiwan and hong kong as part of china so i’m just asking to clear up the confusion!)
January 20, 2010 at 9:55 pm
^ yes mainland
January 25, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Thnx soo much Julie ^_^
January 4, 2011 at 2:00 am
I would say all those people can become hot is all because the commercial promo with luck without these they cannot be successed after all. Of course talent is part of it as very important..
November 6, 2011 at 10:37 pm
[...] M.I.C.‘s newest video reeks of manliness. Tattoos! Dumbbells! Engines! You know how those manly car mechanics like to run from the police kick back from work by throwing on their most fabulous clothes and transforming into playboys at the club. I swear, one day I’m going to film a music video in which I fill the club with a legion of hot dudes around the female singer. (J.Lo tried a variation of this but the execution…fell short.) All this is to say that I don’t understand what’s going on here. I appreciate the effort to pad the typical club scene with some (sexy) police action, but at the end the boys drive off in the police Hummer without being successfully seductive or arrested. [...]