We have all been waiting for you, iKON! [iKON’s debut ①]
[OSEN=최나영 기자] “Oh, are they finally making debut?”
Has there ever been a rookie idol group whose debut was so hot like this?
In YG’s survival audition show “WIN”, some fans were cheering for the contestants holding a placard that reads “I’ve never imagined I would be a fan of a trainee”. These days, idol singers begin building fandom through survival audition or real-time private broadcasting even from their days as a trainee, but until the days of “WIN” show, that was a rare strategy.
Team A won the audition, to become idol group WINNER, and team B who has become iKON now, was standing on the crossroads between dissolution and reorganization. Fans who were supporting these “little brothers” cried and had to harden their broken hearts. Then, another event that shocked those heart-broken fans took place, which was the beginning of another survival audition program “MIX & MATCH”. Even though team B got a new name “iKON”, the news like a bolt out of the blue that the team will be reshuffled broke the nerves of the iKON members and their fans once again.
The number of the group members increased to seven from six. JUNG CHAN WOO who was selected through “MIX & MATCH” show was added to existing members: B.I, BOBBY, KIM JIN HWAN, KOO JUN HOE, and KIM DONG HYUK. Heart-broken fans were relieved that no one among the existing members was excluded from the team. However, the debut schedule was still unknown and the resolution for debut and will to be better filled the hearts of the members.
Meanwhile, iKON built their recognition, going beyond fandom. B.I and BOBBY performed in Mnet’s popular rapper survival audition “Show Me the Money 3”, and BOBBY even became the final winner of the show. BOBBY’s victory had a symbolic meaning, which made many people shake off their prejudice against idol rappers. That made BOBBY become literally the icon of survival audition show.
iKON has also recently shot photography as a model for a brand and met fans in V-APP broadcasting. The members of iKON are easygoing, carefree, and super-active. They once said in “MIX & MATCH” when they unveiled their own song “Wait”, “Now we’ve got our fans and I’m afraid we would be forgotten by them. So, I think the title should be ‘Please wait for us’, rather than just ‘Wait’.” Unlike what they were worried about, iKON has consolidated their presence as a promising idol group, not just as one of those idol singers.
Even after iKON’s debut schedule was confirmed at September 15, industry insiders, fans, and the public have been suspicious about the news, because YG Entertainment (“YG”) has always surprised fans. However, YG made an official announcement on the date of iKON’s debut, and now, a new beginning of iKON is just around the corner”.
Since “WIN”, it has been two years. The fact that the team has made fans crave for their debut so desperately itself is quite surprising.
There is a reason why it took such a long time for iKON’s debut. YG’s head YANG HYUN SUK explained the training process for iKON, saying, “iKON has written almost 50 songs since the formation of the team. The members are now resolved than ever for their debut, as I have turned down their songs over and over again. That is how I trained them as composer and lyricist.” Such training is also the way that YANG trained G-DRAGON,BIGBANG’s member who has now become an iconic idol musician.
YANG also explained why it took so long for iKON to finally make debut and why it is September, saying, “After training, all the iKON members have got basic songwriting skills. They became able to create their own songs from this summer, and their work is now on the right track. That is why the schedule for the team’s debut was confirmed for September.” “YG singers should be able to not just sing but also create their own songs. That is the direction YG pursues.”, added YANG.
iKON’s debut plan is also like that of BIGBANG, as iKON will release new songs every month, following BIGBANG. After releasing their debut single on the 15, iKON will release half album on the 1 of next month, and then finally release the full-length debut album on November 2. The title of the debut album is “WELCOME BACK” and it will be filled with 12 songs all written by the members themselves. On October 3 at 6pm, debut concert will be held at Olympic Gymnastics Stadium in Seoul. It truly is an unprecedented, mega-scale debut plan for a rookie.
YANG also said, “I don’t think YG has made BIGBANG. BIGBANG made YG. I hope iKON will make YG, too.” One thing is clear. We have waited for you, iKON.
2015. 9. 10.
