by YR Choi
Break beats suddenly started blaring out and a man came back-flipping into the room until he reached the group. He then started popping and locking to the music; busted out some moves and then stopped dead still in a freeze. The music cut out and the girls clapped as they exchanged looks of disbelief.
“Thank you, thank you. I’m Yeung-1,” said the man. “That’s just a taster of some of the things you’ll be doing next week,” he said, winking at the girls.
The girls giggled.
“Joking aside, I’m here to turn you into dancing queens. What I like to do with all my new recruits is run through a series of foundation moves together. This helps to ease you into dancing as a group and it allows me to assess your strengths and weaknesses. It worked for the Andre Project, didn’t it guys?”
“Oh yes!” said the guys.
“Let’s get started. What I want you to do is line up in 3 rows of 5. The 5 guys from the Andre project I want you to be in the front row here facing the mirror and then I want 2 rows of 5 girls behind, also facing the mirror,” said Yeung-1.
The Andre Project and Kpop Club lined up in formation as Sebastien and KYM took seats at the front of the studio.
“We’re now going to run through some classic dance moves with music; follow my lead,” said Yeung-1, taking up a position in front of the new dance ensemble.
An Andre Project song started pumping out of the speakers and Yeung-1 guided the group through a series of funky dance moves. The girls started off by practising to pirouette in time to the music. Once they had mastered this they focused on hip movements; Yeung-1 got them to stand with their arms crossed and shake their hips so that the entire focus was on the lower part of their bodies. This was difficult at first but it really helped them to appreciate the coordination required to make the top and bottom halves of their bodies do different things.
Yeung-1 then got the girls to practise switching positions with each other by strutting rather than walking. This proved more difficult for some girls than others. Krystal in particular felt a little silly strutting about, but it got easier with time. Things were then switched up and the girls were asked to leave their comfort zones and do some basic popping and locking. The task here was not only to execute the moves cleanly but also to do so in unison with the others.
The session was very challenging but immensely fun. KYM joined in for the last 5 minutes and really impressed the girls with his moves. Krystal got the sense that all the girls saw him in a whole new light after seeing him dance.
When the session ended everyone was exhausted and dripping with sweat.
“Great work today, guys and girls; that was very promising! Let’s get some water,” said Yeung-1.
Krystal stood still with her hands on her hips, breathing heavily. In the corner of her eye, she spotted Andrew slowly walking towards her. He had taken off his top to reveal the most magnificent “chocolate abs” she’d ever seen. He came and stood right next to her, his torso glistening with sweat under the studio spotlights.
“How did you find that?” he asked, with a cheeky smile.
“It was good fun, thanks. You’re a really good dancer,” said Krystal, instantly regretting it.
“You’re not too bad yourself. I particularly liked the horse riding impression you did to Gangnam Style,” said Andrew.
Krystal squeaked with laughter before going bright red in the face.
“The dancing is tough at first but it gets easier with time. The boys and I were hobbling around for a week after our first session. But, you know, if you’ve ever got any questions about how things work here, let me know yeah?” said Andrew.
Krystal laughed.
“Great thanks.”
There was a slightly awkward silence as Andrew struggled for something to say.
“So, where do you girls live?” he said, eventually.
“We live in Apgujeong.”
“Oh, cool, we live in Seocho so we’re actually pretty close. We should…”
Just then KYM made an announcement.
“Right everyone, please feel free to use the gym and showers, get something to eat from the canteen, if you like. We’re done for today. I’ll send a car for you again tomorrow morning, when we’ll be getting back to the bread and butter of this industry, singing! Andre Project, I’d like a quick word with you; we need to go over a few things in the studio.”
“Yes, hyung-nim,” said the boys.
“Thanks guys and girls – see you tomorrow,” said KYM.
“I guess I’ll have to catch up with you later,” said Andrew, with a smile.
“Sure thing,” said Krystal.
Andrew jogged off to join the other guys leaving Krystal disappointed that he couldn’t finish what he was about to say. What was he going to say? There was no point in thinking about it now she concluded; hopefully she’d find out later.
13
Studio session
There was a real sense of excitement in the van journey over to KYM Entertainment on Friday morning. The girls were so excited that they ran into the offices and wolfed down their breakfasts in a matter of minutes. Delighted by their enthusiasm, KYM decided to take them straight into the live studio.
“As you can see girls, this is the studio. I wanted to bring you here as it’s the heart of KYM Entertainment; this is where you’ll be building your legacy. I could’ve given you this chat in the control room, sat on the couches, but I wanted to give it to you here, standing up. Can anyone think why?” said KYM.
“Is it because things sound clearer in here?” said Maya.
“No, that’s not it, but not a bad answer! Anyone else?” said KYM, laughing.
“Is it because we stand up when we sing?” asked Nadia.
“Very good,” said KYM. “That’s exactly right. You’re going to be spending hundreds if not thousands of hours in here standing up as it’s probably the best position to be in when you’re singing.”
The girls nodded to show they understood.
“You see those men?” said KYM, pointing through the glass at two men that had just come into the control room. “That’s Mr Hong and Mr Lee, our sound engineers. Soon, they’ll be like family to you – your new uncles. They can help you with all sorts of things from getting the mix right in your headphones to making you a cup of tea.”
KYM waved to the men through the glass before turning back to the girls.
“Now, I appreciate that some of you may never have been in a studio. Let’s start with a small quiz - who can tell me what this is?” said KYM, pointing to the head of one of the microphones.
“That’s a pop shield,” said April.
“Excellent, and what does a pop shield do?”
“Pop shields help to prevent pop sounds on bs and ps.”
“Excellent. Let me ask you a more general question - what do you guys know about music production?”
Jennifer put up her hand.
“I know a lot of songs these days are auto-tuned; they sound kind of synthesised. This means that you don’t have to be a great singer to bring out a song.”
“That’s definitely true, Jennifer. Auto-tuning seems to be everywhere these days but just so you know, girls – we rarely auto-tune voices here at KYM. We only ever auto-tune anything for genuine mixing purposes. Does anyone know about any other tools we use for recording?”
Pooky raised her hand.
“My family in Thailand often use a compressor in their studio.”
“Great, yes – and what does a compressor do?” said KYM.
“A compressor helps to ensure that your vocals stand out from the surrounding instruments.”
“Exactly! Well done. Yes, a compressor is something we and almost all studios use nowadays. You’re all here because you can sing, and compressors make sure that people can hear your wonderful voices. Speaking of which, what do you guys know about voice types?”
Maya put up her hand.
“I know that female voices are roughly split between sopr
anos, that are the highest; mezzo-sopranos, kind of in the middle; and then contra-alto, the lowest.”
“Very impressive,” said KYM. “How many of you girls knew that?”
None of the girls said anything.
“That’s fine,” said KYM. “Your academic knowledge of music isn’t important at this stage, although this will develop in time. For your information, I can tell you now that in this group we have two sopranos, Hannah and Krystal. The rest of you are mezzo-sopranos, which is the most common kind of voice. Not common in the sense that your voices are a dime a dozen, but common in terms of your range. In actual fact, it’s very rare to find a real contra-alto and, if we want a contra-alto type voice, you mezzo-sopranos will be able to hit the kinds of notes we need. Just for completeness can anyone tell me about male voice types?”
Krystal put up her hand.
“The highest for males is the counter tenor, then within the modal register the highest is the tenor, then the baritone and finally the bass is the lowest.”
“Excellent, Krystal. And which of those is the most common? What’s the equivalent of the mezzo-soprano for men?”
“The baritone, sir.”
“Excellent. By the way girls, you don’t have to call me sir you can call me oppa or moon.”
“Yes, oppa!” said the girls, laughing.
KYM grinned like anything.
“I’m sure you’re dying to learn about your first single - am I right?” said KYM, calling Mr Hong over.
“Yes!!” screamed the girls.
Mr Hong entered the room, said hello to everyone and passed a stack of papers over to KYM.
“These are the lyrics to your first single, Plastic Eyes,” said KYM, handing the girls a sheet of paper each. “Have a read and we’ll talk about them in a minute.”
Krystal quickly focused in on the lyrics.
I’m real, the real deal
I want you to show me how you feel, feel, feel
Are you for real, real, real?
Been around the world
Seen trouble all around
Seen superficial lies
In plastic eyes, your plastic eyes
I’m the real deal, the real real deal
I’ll show the world how I feel
No superficial lies
No plastic eyes, no plastic eyes
Feeling down and blue
Loves lost on you, if you let it leave you
Love yourself, be good to you
No superficial lies
No plastic eyes, no plastic eyes
Go take a ride
Deep down inside
Come find yourself
No plastic eyes, no superficial lies
La, la, la
Dum, di, dum
La, la, la
A couple of minutes passed before KYM cleared his throat to get the girls’ attention.
“Plastic eyes – what do you think the song is about? Anyone?” said KYM.
“Is it about plastic surgery?” asked Priya.
“It is in a way, Priya, but there’s a bit more to it than that. Can anyone think what else it might be about?”
“Plastic things are often associated with being fake so I think the song is about being fake and real,” said Celine.
“That’s exactly it, Celine. Does anyone else have any other ideas?”
“When I think of plastic eyes, I think of dolls with plastic eyes. A lot of kpop singers end up looking like dolls. In some ways looking like a doll is a good thing but it could also mean looking like a puppet. Puppets are controlled by other people, and in the case of singers, their record labels?” said Krystal.
“That’s a very interesting analysis, Krystal. I purposely wrote the song so that it could be interpreted in a good and a bad way – I won’t tell you which way I see it!” said KYM, chuckling to himself.
The girls giggled.
“I really like this bit here, loves lost on you if you let it leave you, love yourself, be good to you. To me, that means you can choose to love yourself and be happy; it’s something you actively do.” said April.
“Exactly,” said KYM. “Aside from making catchy tunes, Kpop Club is about positive messages. At base, this song is saying: love yourself, be real with yourself and be a good person.”
“I’ve got a question,” said Rosa. “Are we saying that plastic surgery is bad?”
“Good question, Rosa. We aren’t saying that it’s necessarily bad. As you probably already know, a considerable number of people get cosmetic surgery in Korea. The emphasis is on being real and not focusing on your and others’ physical appearance only.”
“That makes sense,” said Rosa.
“Great. So girls how do you feel about the song? Actually, you’ll probably want to hear the backing track first,” said KYM, making a signal to Mr Hong.
The backing track started playing on full blast. KYM watched the girls’ reactions with eager anticipation as the track played from start to finish.
Krystal liked it; it had a catchy melody and was quite dancey.
“I’m sure you’ll agree - it’s quite high-tempo,” he said.
“It’s cool!” said Pooky.
“Really catchy,” said Rosa.
The other girls smiled and nodded in agreement.
“I’m glad you like it! Well, for this song, the chorus will be sung by all of you and the solo parts will be sung by Krystal and Hannah. That sound okay girls?” said KYM.
“Yes, oppa!” chimed the girls.
“Great stuff. Okay, let’s start with the chorus of In plastic eyes, your plastic eyes,” said KYM, signalling for the girls to come and stand by one of the microphones.
The girls sung the chorus together a capella a few times before KYM asked Mr Hong to play the best one back over the backing track.
In plastic eyes, your plastic eyes
“Magic!” said KYM.
The girls were ecstatic; it sounded amazing.
“Exactly how I thought this would sound,” sound KYM. “Krystal, let’s have you sing the first solo part. The bit from I’m real, the real deal to Seen superficial lies.”
Krystal could feel everyone staring at her; she gulped and began to sing.
I’m real, the real deal
I want you to show me how you feel, feel, feel
Are you for real, real, real?
Been around the world
Seen trouble all around
Seen superficial lies
No one said anything for what seemed like an eternity.
“Let’s try that again, this time slow it down a little bit and try to forget we are in the room,” said KYM.
Krystal shut her eyes and did her best to focus only on singing. She took a deep breath and let the words come out naturally.
I’m real, the real deal
I want you to show me how you feel, feel, feel
Are you for real, real, real?
Been around the world
Seen trouble…
Before Krystal could finish, some of the girls started screaming and clapping.
“Woooow!” said KYM. “You nailed it!”
Krystal opened her eyes and a smile beamed across her face; she felt a mixture of joy and relief. Mr Hong played the vocals over the track and it sounded awesome.
The girls spent the rest of the day recording the track and didn’t finish until 8pm. KYM sent them straight home afterwards so that they could get a good night’s rest in preparation for the next day’s press conference.
14
The press conference
“Right girls, today is a big day for Kpop Club – your first press conference at the Shilla Hotel. All the major news agencies will be there,” said KYM, slowly putting down his cup of coffee. “Rendezvous has got your outfits ready so if you could finish your breakfasts and go and get changed ASAP, that’d be great. I’ll meet you there.”
Rendezvous and her team worked their magic and it wasn’t long before the girls were in the St
arship, making their way over to the Shilla Hotel. For the first time ever, there was complete silence in the van.
After a good half hour of snaking in and out of traffic, the Starship turned up a steep hill, drove under a grand traditional Korean gate and stopped outside the main entrance. A footman opened the van door and the girls jumped out. Hotel staff and passing guests stopped to stare at the girls; they looked like a group but no one could recognise them, at least not yet.
KYM greeted the girls, led them through the lobby into the banquet hall and onto the main stage. KYM and Ben sat down behind a giant table and, after a bit of toing and froing, the girls took seats either side of them.
“Here we are girls. As I said to you before, you shouldn’t have to say much today – I’ll answer most of the questions. Going through this experience once will make future press conferences a lot easier, so try and take in as much as you can. Relax for now - we should be starting in 5 or so,” said KYM, rubbing his hands together.
People began drifting into the hall and taking seats in front of the stage. There were all sorts: journalists, cameramen, audio men, hotel staff and a number of casually dressed punters. Krystal looked out into the crowd and was delighted to find that her dad had managed to make it. Mr Hong and Yeung-1 were also in the room, standing in the corner.
Once all the seats were filled, Ben stood up to address the room.
“Thank you everyone for coming. As you know, KYM Entertainment has called this press conference to announce the launch of a new band, Kpop Club. We’ll have around an hour of questions, mainly directed at KYM himself please, and at the end there will be a photo shoot opportunity. Please raise your hands and I’ll try and ensure that we answer as many questions as possible.”
A hand shot up immediately.
