Team A WINNER vs. Team B iKON, The Match of the Youth Begins Now… [Entertainment World]
[OSEN=손남원의 연예산책] YG’s survival audition “WHO IS NEXT: WIN”’s match has not ended yet. It is about to begin now.
Last year, YG trainees competed against one another in Team A and Team B, and that has changed the course of their lives. Team A, the winner of “WIN”, is creating a sensation in Korea’s music scene, since their debut after 10-month-long hard training. Team B faced a risk of being disbanded after they lost the match, but they are still YG trainees anyway. Team B members who experienced the bitter taste of losing are now about to join another contend for survival, in “MIX & MATCH” that will raise the curtain on the 11 this month.
First, WINNER. WINNER released their debut album “2014 S/S” on the 12 last month. The album’s double title tracks “empty” and “Color Ring” have swept music charts. All the songs in the album entered top places on charts and WINNER has hit five consecutive homeruns. They have already had a strong fandom that was established after “WIN” show. Plus, teenagers and music fans in their twenties were captivated by WINNER’s new songs, making the team an enfant terrible of Korea’s pop music world.
Notably, title track “empty” has stayed in the No.1 place on major charts for two weeks since its release. WINNER seemed to boggle for a while because of rush of super stars’ comeback, but they boasted formidable power on charts, going upward again and again. “empty” is still in top places, during the Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holidays. The song is not a bubbly one like a summer song or a love song, but a sentimental song with medium tempo, and that appealed to the public greatly. A never-cloying sentimental melody and low and soft rap created WINNER’s unique character.
From trainees’ perspective, WINNER is already like a top star. However, Team B members have not just wasted their time, envying their YG colleagues. Rather, they have renewed their resolution, made more efforts, and promised tomorrow. As a result, BOBBY and B.I who appeared in cable channel Mnet’s “Show Me The Money” recently, built a bigger recognition among music fans, than KANG SEUNG YOON and LEE SEUNG HOON during “WIN” show.
And now, an opportunity for another trial for debut has been given to YG trainees, through “MIX & MATCH”. Total nine YG trainees including “WIN”’s Team B members (B.I, BOBBY, KIM JIN HWAN, KOO JUNHOE, KIM DONGHYUK, and SONG YUNHYEONG), as well as three new YG trainees (JUNG JINHYUNG, JUNG CHANWOO, and YANG HONGSUK), will compete in the survival. Among them, B.I, BOBBY, and KIM JINHWAN have been confirmed to be the member of YG’s next boy group. The three’s talent and skills have already been recognized, so they are given the priority.
YG’s head producer YANG HYUN SUK named YG’s next boy group to follow the footstep of WINNER, “iKON”. YANG has given such a name, hoping that the group will be the “icon” of hip-hop of our times. YANG said, “I replaced C with K, hoping that they will grow into a singer who leads the future of K-Pop”.
YANG expressed his high expectations for “iKON” in the press meeting for “MIX & MATCH”, saying, “The debut of iKON is scheduled for early next year. As a producer, I hope they would win the rookie award in 2015. They cried a lot when they were beaten by Team A in ‘WIN’ show. Such pain makes young artists grow a lot. Team B have renewed their resolution and worked even harder. Now, they are like gemstones hardened by a lot of meaningful experiences”.
That is why Team B still has a good opportunity for turning around the game, even though Team A achieved the first victory and already gone far ahead. Team B members have faced the bitter taste of failure first, experienced the pain of losing, and worked hard to get back up once again. Such an asset has made Team B to reborn as iKON be more solid and firm.
Four members on “MIX & MATCH” other than the three whose debut has been confirmed will gain 30% of scores from judges’ vote and 70% from viewers’ vote. The weight of viewers’ vote is reduced from 100% in “WHO IS NEXT: WIN”, but it is still a big factor.
YANG did not hide his affection for “MIX & MATCH” members, saying, “I think the opinion of the larger number of people (the public) is more important than that of a small group of people (experts). I also believe many K-Pop fans will select the ones who best suits the color of YG’s music. (The difference from WINNER is) Team B is original YG. There are more hip-hop lovers such as BOBBY and B.I.”
2014. 9. 9.
