wavenovel Chapter 1309 I'm so excited!
Chapter 1309 I'm so excited!
Chapter 1309 I'm so excited!
"Such a high number of clicks?"
While the video was loading, Catherine also took the opportunity to check the number of views, and was quite surprised when she saw it.
It's been more than half a month since the release of "ON," and the music video has already garnered 50 million views. Achieving this level of viewership in less than a month is something that even many of America's top-tier pop stars would find difficult to do.
However, considering the terrifying, ubiquitous EXO fans she'd recently seen, Catherine briefly smacked her lips, but it all seemed rather natural.
"here we go."
The loading was completed quickly. As the screen brightened from dark, Catherine immediately perked up, but her brow twitched slightly the next second.
The music video begins on a flat concrete plaza under a clear, cloudless sky.
Thirty backup dancers, dressed in sharp black uniforms, stood in five rows, forming a very imposing and orderly military formation. Each of them stood extremely straight, holding drumsticks, seemingly striking something in the air.
Catherine was somewhat surprised by the opening scene; there were quite a few backup dancers, and the lineup was quite impressive.
She unconsciously became more focused, and before she could even carefully observe the appearance of the backup dancers, the intro that suddenly burst from the speakers made her shudder.
"DUDUDUDU~~~DUDUDUDU~~~"
Deep, heartbeat-like drumbeats rose from the depths of the earth, mingling with distant and ethereal Black spiritual choruses.
The accompanying dancers also began to move in unison, their arms exerting force as drumsticks struck the air repeatedly. The formation of the entire army began to change in an orderly manner, weaving and inserting quickly through the neat ranks. Each person's steps were extremely steady, and the sound of their military boots hitting the flat ground could be heard with each step.
Every step, every beat, was perfectly timed to the rhythm of the drums. Thirty dancers in black outfits exuded a chilling aura, delivering a stunning and powerful military drum performance that was a feast for the eyes and made everyone's heart race with the intense rhythm.
Catherine had to admit that, although it was just the beginning, it really gave her a very strong and novel feeling, and it really attracted her.
"I can't understand what people are sayin'"
"What kind of rhythm should be used?"
After the formation shifted and changed, it split into two arrays. Byun Baekhyun, who had been hiding among the backup dancers, jumped out from the crowd in a light-colored suit and sang the first line in his very distinctive voice.
"These are the members of EXO?"
When she saw Byun Baekhyun, who was the first to appear and was performing his opening solo dance, Catherine watched his performance with great interest. But before she could even give her comments, she suddenly froze.
Suddenly, a figure swiftly and abruptly emerged from behind Byun Baekhyun, appearing naturally in front of the camera.
He wore a pure black jacket with a light-colored inner vest. As he danced, the open jacket fluttered, revealing glimpses of his muscular physique, which drew attention.
He was taller and more imposing than the former, and his movements were more decisive. More importantly... in Catherine's eyes, his appearance was more outstanding and very attractive to her!
"Who is he?"
She couldn't help but widen her eyes and ask in surprise.
He is Chi Kyung-won.
"Awakening from a deep sleep, where am I?"
"Maybe it's Seoul, maybe it's New York and Paris."
The backup dancers behind him kept changing formations, surrounding Chi Jingyuan, who stood in the center. He then performed his own solo act, taking light steps forward and waving his arms as complex and dazzling choreography moves appeared one after another.
His movements are concise and effortless, yet each one appears powerful. The complex choreography, as interpreted by him, exudes a fluid beauty.
"This person is... oh my god!"
Just as Catherine was captivated by Chi Jingyuan in the music video and was about to take out her phone to search for his name, she froze upon seeing the next action and exclaimed in surprise.
As Ji Jingyuan's part was about to end, he stepped in front of the camera, and the camera zoomed in, giving him an extremely high-definition close-up of his face.
In the shot, he turned his face to the side, his gaze sharp as a knife, full of wildness, his expression somewhat cold as if he was suppressing something, and as he shook his head violently, his right hand also swiftly slashed across his face and lips.
"MY GOD!"
That sharp and handsome gaze made Catherine feel as if she had been seen through, and although the sharp slash had only crossed Chi Jingyuan's face, she clearly and tremblingly felt that it had pierced her heart.
She swears that her whole body trembled when she saw that close-up, a feeling she had never experienced before when listening to performances by her favorite singers.
Before she could even savor the moment, Ji Kyung-won, having left behind a killing part, vanished in a flash, and the next member appeared.
"...This part is really cool too."
Catherine initially wanted to rewind and watch it again, but she didn't want to interrupt her MV viewing experience and make it fragmented, so she suppressed her excitement and continued watching.
But then, as the backup dancers held hands and formed a human wave, Park Chanyeol, who entered the scene rapping along with the human wave, also caught her eye. She thought the human wave and the member were both very cool.
Three days ago, she saw various entries and advertisements about EXO online, but for various reasons, she never clicked on them.
But she had only watched for less than a minute when she was completely captivated.
It's not that the music video has any magic or is perfect. Everyone has different tastes and their own preferred style. Although Catherine hasn't finished watching it yet, she has a vague feeling about it.
She found what she likes.
After several members took the stage in succession, the chorus quickly began. Amidst the thunderous drumbeats, the roar of electric guitars, and the deep bass, the nine members emerged from the dancers' formation and stood in a neat and narrow V-shaped queue.
To Catherine's surprise, the boy in black who had caught her attention after being instantly captivated by a single shot appeared in the very center.
"Eh-oh~"
"Come on, bring me this pain."
"Eh-oh~"
"Come, take this pain that has been inflicted upon me."
“Rain be pourin Sky keep fallin Everyday oh na na na~~”
Everyone crouched down simultaneously, crossed their arms in front of their chests, and lowered their center of gravity, like warriors poised to pounce. The next second, they suddenly stood up, kicking their right legs high, their feet slamming heavily onto the flat ground with a resounding 'thud'.
Ji Kyung-won stood in the center position, drawing all eyes to him. Under his leadership, the signature, extremely difficult choreography of "ON" was unleashed.
He stood upright with his arms outstretched. His right arm flowed like a wave from his shoulder, the movement passing through his chest and waist to his left arm, as if wiping an invisible mirror.
After he took the lead in dancing, Kim Jong-in and Oh Se-hun followed suit, copying his movements exactly. Then the dance spread to the members next to him. A difficult "mirror wiping" move seemed to extend outwards like waves. The entire formation, with its subtle undulations of the shoulders and the flexible twists of the waist, created a fluid and beautiful aesthetic.
The entire dance sequence in the chorus was so captivating that it made Catherine scream. The powerful stomps and agile rises, the perfectly synchronized waves and mirror-wiping motions—it all made her feel incredibly refreshed.
Besides the fundamental weapon of 'fans' pointed out by New Vision Records, SM and EXO have always adhered to two concepts for this US venture: preserving their unique K-pop style and using challenging choreography to attract fans.
"ON" can be said to be the song with the highest dance difficulty and the most arduous practice in EXO's long history since their debut.
The choreography for "ON" is not traditional K-pop dance; it transcends the idol industry's pursuit of "coolness" and "synchronization."
Chi Kyung-won and his choreography team drew heavily on the marching, drumming, and flag-raising movements of military bands. These included high knee raises during marching, chest pounding to simulate drumbeats, and powerful arm waving as if waving a flag.
It has a strong militaristic flavor, but it is not a battlefield battle, but more like a solemn pre-battle mobilization ceremony or a tribal sacrificial dance.
With a massive performance team of thirty choreographers and nine members of EXO, the overall effect is incredibly powerful and impactful.
In this dance formation, the individual charm is not overlooked. The choreography cleverly highlights the individual characteristics of each member, such as showcasing their figure and appearance through challenging choreography, and using backup dancers to complement each member.
Like the incredibly memorable close-up part where Ji Kyung-won appeared at the beginning, he brought out all of K-pop's unique fan-attracting tricks one by one.
All of this gave Katherine, who had never been exposed to K-pop or this kind of face-to-face performance style, an indescribable impulse and enthusiasm.
After Ji Kyung-won's amazing solo high notes and the dance break performances by several dancers, the music video finally entered its most exciting part at the end.
"Eh-oh~"
Go find me, and I will share your blood and tears.
As the drumbeats quickened and the pitch rose, the nine EXO members, who were originally scattered throughout the stage, quickly converged towards the center. Their steps were swift and synchronized, and in an instant, they had formed a sharp triangular formation.
As Chi Jingyuan took center stage, everyone was energized, and a fast and sharp dance began. The nine members danced in perfect unison, their feet tapping the ground one step at a time, their movements so fast that their hand movements were almost invisible.
As the melody intensified, everyone's facial expressions reached their peak.
Even as it was about to end, the music's rhythm showed no sign of slowing down; instead, it surged towards the final chapter with even more excitement. Amidst the exhilarating music and drumbeats, the song reached its very last part.
"I know I understand."
"It's just goin'on & on & on & on. (All I have to do is keep going forward.)"
At this final moment, the camera seemed to have forgotten about the other members around it, greedily focusing on Ji Jingyuan in the center position, giving him a close-up of his upper body, while also gradually zooming in on him.
The camera seemed to be overwhelmed by this momentum, vibrating slightly incessantly, and with each shake, it moved a little closer to Chi Jingyuan.
Facing the camera, Chi Jingyuan tilted his head slightly, stretched out his hands with the backs of his hands facing outwards, like a god who controlled the rhythm. Every time the camera shook or moved closer, his body and hands would tremble violently, responding with a full-body wave that was accurate to the millisecond. The tremors of his body and hands seemed to pierce through the screen like an electric shock, as if they were perfectly timed, each one striking the viewer's heart.
His black jacket swayed wildly with his movements, and his eyes seemed to convey a range of emotions that made one's heart race: excitement, sharpness, aloofness, arrogance.
One after another, the camera zoomed in four times in a row, and then shook four times in a row. Chi Jingyuan also made four more intense physical impacts, each one more forceful and each one closer.
"Ah~"
Catherine covered her mouth, letting out a half-sigh of surprise through her fingers, her cheeks flushed crimson.
She felt as if her heart had been shot repeatedly by a sniper, and felt as if she had been killed four times in just three seconds.
After the extreme excitement, passion, and sexual tension, the music, singing, and drumming came to an abrupt end, and all the EXO members who had just danced so intensely also stopped.
Everyone turned around, stood in a row, put their arms around the shoulders of the members on either side of them, and looked up at the sky.
The camera slowly zooms out, revealing "ON" and the SM logo in turn.
"call……"
Even after it was over, Catherine's chest heaved violently, her breathing rapid, as if she had experienced a spiritual baptism. The violent afterglow of the dance still lingered in her nerve endings, her face flushed, and she seemed somewhat excited.
The song was alright for her, but the dance was so cool and infectious, and these people... or rather, some of them.
It really killed her completely!
At this point, she was no longer annoyed by the various recommendations and harassment she had received before, nor did she have that sense of scrutiny about why they had so many fans.
Or perhaps she selectively forgot all of this... because her biggest urge right now is to quickly search for information about this group, find out the name of the boy in the music video who attracted her, look up his information, and then watch the music video a couple more times...
"So your name is Yuan?"
"GUCCI's global brand ambassador? I was wondering why he looked so familiar."
Wow~ Can Asians be this handsome?
"So you studied in LA?"
She quickly found all sorts of information about Chi Jingyuan, and she browsed through his files repeatedly, her eyes burning as if she had discovered a treasure.
She was no longer surprised that the group had so many enthusiastic fans. Although she hadn't reached that level yet, once she entered the atmosphere and grasped that point, she suddenly felt that she understood those fans. There was a tacit understanding and empathy between them.
When you are truly and precisely struck by a certain charm, rational scrutiny crumbles. It is a pure aesthetic resonance that transcends cultural barriers.
She is the target audience of the other party.
After reviewing the materials and watching the music video several times, Catherine reopened Twitter, hesitated for a moment, and like her friend before, retweeted and liked a hashtag.
#ONBeatChallenge
As if in a silent declaration, she too became part of this grand celebration.
…………
While EXO fans were rampaging, spreading, and promoting the brand on Twitter, Instagram, and various online communities, they were certainly not idle in other areas either.
“Havana ooh na na~”
As the enchanting music and singing faded away, host Ryan Seacrest skillfully turned off the rousing song, pointed into the microphone, and said in a smooth and approachable voice: "Okay, welcome back to KIIS FM 102.7 on Air with Ryan Seacrest. This is KIIS FM! I'm Ryan."
"Well, thank you to the listener who requested 'Havana' just now. This song has been really strong lately. I bet my pineapple pie for dinner tonight that it will become a number one single!"
"Okay, the hotline is connected again. Let's take our next caller, Jessica from West Hollywood. Hello, you're online!"
On Thursday afternoon, in the studio of KIIS FM 102.7, a popular radio station in Los Angeles, host Ryan Seacrest was skillfully hosting his radio program.
“Oh my god! Hi Ryan! Is that me? I really love your show! I’m so excited!” A woman’s voice, sounding excited and speaking a little fast, came through the hotline.
Although she seemed very excited, Ryan inexplicably felt that the caller's tone was a little strange, as if she had been prepared for this.
"Hi Jessica! Thank you for calling. Which song would you like to request for us today?" He didn't think much of it and went straight to the point... A music radio station should, of course, focus on music.
“Okay!” Jessica seemed to have been waiting for him to ask, and her tone suddenly became even more excited than before: “I…I want to dedicate this song to my favorite singer and group in the world! They are really great, and they deserve all the love.”
"awesome!"
Ryan, seizing the opportunity, chimed in, "Who are you talking about?"
But at this moment, although his tone was still smiling, his expression had changed.
When he heard the keywords 'they' and 'group,' a terrifying name immediately came to mind.
"It's EXO! I want to hear their new song 'ON'!"
“EXO?” Ryan asked hesitantly.
“Mr. Ryan, the E is silent!” Jessica kindly reminded him.
“Oh, yes, I think I’ve heard of them… I’ve heard of this boy band from the peninsula who won a social media award, right? Congratulations to them.”
He hesitated slightly, but maintained a professional politeness: "But... Jessica, you know, we usually play the most popular songs that our listeners here are familiar with."
KIIS FM's mission is to play music that our broad mainstream audience already knows and enjoys. We can't just play a song that no one has ever heard before, especially one that's not in English, because of a… uh… "hot online" group. That would confuse listeners who are driving to work or home from school, and they'd just change the channel.
so…
"But……"
Jessica couldn't offer any explanation, but Ryan was already expertly preparing to end his call: "Thank you for your call, and congratulations again to EXO on their award. I believe many people will like them. Have a nice afternoon!"
Ryan turned to look at the producer outside, telling the operator to hang up and bring you back, while frowning and signaling with his eyes to the producer not to accept any more calls requesting songs from this group.
His Ryan Radio is a well-known music station in LA, how could he possibly play this kind of outdated K-pop from the Peninsula that he's never even heard of?
The producer just shrugged and spread his hands at him... How would they know what the caller wanted to request?
After giving an OK sign to indicate that they would try their best to screen the candidates, the program continued.
"Alright, the line is open. Let's take the next listener. Tiffany is from Irvine. Hello, Tiffany!"
"Hi, Ryan, I listen to your radio all the time, I'm so excited, I'm so thrilled!" The female voice on the other end of the line was also very excited, but for some reason, Ryan's brow twitched.
"What do you want to hear?"
"I want to listen to EXO's 'ON,' they're amazing..."
"Wow, your taste is really great, but I'm sorry...so..."
Ryan hung up the phone again, then glared at the producer once more.
Despite some dissatisfaction, the show still had to be made.
"Okay, continue. This is Sally? Hello, this is Ryan."
I'd like to request EXO's "ON".
"Sorry..."
Two more people answered the phone in quick succession; both were young girls, and they both requested EXO's "ON" with remarkable synchronization.
Ryan rejected them all, just like before, but to be honest, his tone was a little hesitant when he received the last call.
Although the refusal was skillful, this kind of persistent refusal to accept calls from callers can have a significant impact on the radio program.
"Is it even going to work?"
Ryan glared at the producer again, mouthing a few words at him, but seeing the producer's helpless look and actions, he could only suppress his displeasure and continue the show.
"It's 3:15 p.m., this is Ryan and his 'On Air with Ryan Seacrest,' and this is Serena. Hello, it's nice to hear from you."
"Hi, Ryan, is it really me? Ah, I'm so excited, I'm so thrilled..."
Hearing the other person's somewhat mechanical and excited tone, Ryan's face turned ashen, and he skipped the process of asking what song the other person wanted to request:
"You want to listen to EXO, right?"