149 - Upki Girl

< Violet > There are songs that grab you instantly upon first listen. Then, there are those that grow on you, becoming more likable the more you listen to them. Some songs seem promising but quickly become tiresome. Others feel like they'd be great with a bit of rearrangement. As I'm not a professional, I'm not well-versed in the nuances of composing and arranging music, which require a certain musical acuity. Thanks to my hobbyist guitar experience, I have a slightly heightened sensitivity to rhythm and basic musicality that most instrument players might develop. Thus, unlike other trainers who can grasp the overall structure of a song—instrumentation, vocal lines, melody—right away, I can only discern whether the main melody hooks me instantly or not. It's said that the best idol songs are the ones that grab you right away. For a girl group, especially those not backed by a boy group that can thrive on its fandom alone, or from a large company with a comprehensive long-term plan, having an immediately catchy song is crucial. A killer hook that people can hum after just one listen is essential. In that respect, "Hold Me" had all the elements of a hit. It’s just a pity it didn’t catch on like it should have. "Violet," a piece sent by the composer next door, wasn't bad at first listen. Given its title and expecting something somber or minor, it was unexpectedly lively. The intro was reminiscent of the cozy yet bright Shibuya-kei style of the early to mid-2000s, like Free Tempo, M-Flo, or Daishi Dance, with a house beat that made you nod along. Though it was a sketch, it already seemed to include ample instrumental cues, and its polish was beyond mere draft level. As soon as the intro played from my phone, Yeom perked up with interest. “What’s this?” “The composer next door sent it.” “Hmm… It’s not quite the current trend, but… it’s not bad.” “Yeah, I like the feel of it too.” The two women from the PR team also responded positively. However, the problem lay in the fact that as the song played past the intro and into the middle, there was no vocal part at all. It was just continuous instrumental, except for a machine-like voice intermittently repeating “Violet, Violet.” And by the end, the vocal melody never made an appearance. “What is this... Is that it?” “It’s just an instrumental. The guy sent it without the vocal files.” Just like when watching Liyah choreograph, I realize that the talented ones in this field don't operate on common logic. Given his eccentric nature, I called him. He confirmed this was how he meant to send it. Apparently, a sudden burst of inspiration led him to hurriedly apply beats and instruments, and he sent it like that to share it as soon as possible. Then, he got caught up in his own enthusiasm and began to ramble. “Imagine this: a beach somewhere in the Mediterranean. Five girls, united by a pure desire for art. When they sing and dance, a purple light—a smoke-like aura—emanates from them. It transforms into lavender flowers spreading across the sand, drawing enchanted people to the shore.” A tickling sensation ran down my neck. Smoke-like purple light. That was akin to how I saw auras. When I hesitated, Yeom offered to take over the call. I switched to speakerphone mode and handed over the phone. “Hey, song guy, the vibe is good.” “Right? I focused on meditating with pictures and videos of the Upkick Girl members for a week. I barely slept, then suddenly, an image just popped up this morning...” “No, I’m not interested in that. When will the vocal line be ready?” “I need to meet the members. I feel that I need to connect with them face-to-face for inspiration to hit.” “Then why not come to the office now? The kids are in the practice room today.” “Actually, I’m on my way already.” See, he's crazier than you think. Thank goodness there was no external event scheduled today. If there had been, it would've been chaos, especially considering he lives all the way in Bucheon. He arrived two hours later. Wearing a royal blue beanie, a long padded coat, and a laptop pouch. But his pants were a floral-patterned, microfiber pajama style, suitable only for sleepwear. When Yeom asked if he really wore those outside, he nonchalantly replied that he noticed it only after getting on the bus, and didn’t think it was a big deal. Then he immediately pulled out his Macbook and headed into the choreography room with the kids. “Oh? It’s song guy oppa. Hello!” “Hello!” “Yes, yes. Don’t mind me and continue practicing…” “Oh? You’re here to get ideas by looking at our faces! Is our song ready?” Having experienced his working style while collaborating on "OPEN" and "Hold Me," Yona quickly grasped the purpose of his visit. Without much reply, the composer connected his Macbook to a speaker and played "Violet." The moment the intro streamed out, the violet aura enveloping the kids swelled dramatically. Whoa! Even I, who hadn’t sensed it earlier, was hit by a jolt of excitement, causing me to tense up. It was that kind of dramatic catharsis like when you first see Son Goku transform into a Super Saiyan. I also vaguely understood why "Hold Me" didn’t receive the anticipated reaction. It dawned on me that "Hold Me" wasn't a song made for our kids. Even if inspired by Upkick Girl, the song was created before he had met them. But "Violet" was crafted from the start with our kids as his muse. Could he have some supernatural ability like mine? Or is it the power of his so-called empathy? Given how he claimed to have eaten and slept while watching the kids' photos and performance videos for days, it might just be down to sheer dedication. The kids spent about an hour playfully humming melodies and dancing along to the looping "Violet" instrumental. During that same hour, the composer next door didn’t get up from the floor even once, and he finished the vocal melody line right there. He might not be a genius, but it's clear he's more talented than average, according to Hyung Hoonmin, the most gifted in our office. Despite his knack for crafting melodies, his singing was terrible. The gibberish recorded on his phone didn’t hit a single note. We decided to use Seowon’s refined vocals for the initial guide recording. Once he’d finished, the composer packed up as if he’d completed his day shift at the office. Yeom was startled and asked, “Hey, where are you going? You need to oversee the guide direction.” “You do it, Hyung. I’m out of energy,” the composer said, performing a vanishing act, leaving Yeom to handle the guide directing. With Yeom's direction, Seowon’s voice blended seamlessly with the backing track, like freshly steamed rice cakes matching perfectly. But his perfectionist streak flared up during recording sessions too. ―Sorry, I’ll redo it. “What now?” ―It didn’t feel right. It’s like it should be a vegetable bun but feels like a pizza bun instead? “What kind of feeling is that? Seowon, this is just a guide track. Why are you pouring your soul into something without lyrics?” ―Still, it’s a recording. Let me try once more. The tug-of-war continued a few more times, with Yeom surprisingly suggesting they move on quickly. In the end, it was decided to switch to Eunbit for the second verse to keep from wasting any more time unnecessarily. If Seowon had a perfectionist streak, Eunbit fully relied on the director without any personal input. “Hmm, Eunbit’s voice blends well too. Don’t you think?” “What do I know? It sounds nice.” “I think we should let Yona try the bridge. Jangwoo, go tell Yona to come over for a bit.” “Sure.” “Eunbit, you’re done now. You can step out.” ―Did it turn out well? “Yeah, Yona will handle the bridge.” As unclear as some things were, the more I listened to the song, the more I liked it. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, like with “Hold Me,” which might lead to disappointment, but everything so far suggested we were onto something big. And it wasn’t just me. Though unspoken, everyone was quietly assuming this song would be the title track, and they were planning the album concept around it. “Yes, this is the writer.” A call from Song Ji-sun, the writer of Replay Girl, came just as Yona finished recording the bridge, and we were all gathering to listen. ―Are you available to talk? “Yes, go ahead.” ―Well, it’s just that the second mission has changed. “One moment...” I quickly grabbed a pen, ready to take notes. “Yes, tell me. What’s changed?” ―Originally, it was supposed to be swapping songs with another team, right? “Right. Oh, I realized I never called you about that. We decided on something from May Queens.” ―Ah... But the format has completely changed to a five-event athletics competition. “Sorry, what?” I definitely heard "five-event athletics competition." It just caught me off guard, so I asked again. ―Yes, it’s a kind of sports festival now. “Why did it suddenly change?” ―The Idol Athletics Championship was canceled this Lunar New Year, right? “Yes.” The Idol Athletics Championship. A special program that MBC held every holiday. Last Chuseok, there were so many injuries that public opinion turned negative, so it was skipped this New Year. If it had gone ahead as planned, many of the Replay Girl participating groups, including ours, would have had overlapping appearances. Despite the controversies, fans enjoyed cheering for their idols in person, and as an annual event, it had quite a following. Replay Girl’s strategy was to fill that void. The idea was that physical strength is important since, once album promotions start, getting even three hours of sleep a day is difficult due to schedules. But still, to change the schedule so abruptly just five days before recording? And change it to a random athletics event? The missions leading up to the determination of the first eliminated team by the fourth episode had already been decided. Role model mission, swapping songs, individual vocal & dance evaluation. Subsequent missions were to be determined based on feedback from judges and viewers. “So does this mean one mission will be dropped, or will the elimination decision be pushed back a week?” ―Right now, the main writers and PDs are in a meeting, but it seems likely it’ll be pushed back a week. “But it’s so sudden. And what are the events for the athletics meet?” ―That part is still... “Hmm... We just finished the first shoot. Aren’t you implementing this too hastily?” ―I know... After a brief pause, Writer Song resumed, “Take this with a grain of salt,” hinting at something important enough for me to turn on the speakerphone to let Yeom and the kids hear. ―Apparently, a few companies have raised concerns. “What kind of concerns?” ―The first four episodes focus on assessing musical capabilities, right? “Yes.” ―But some less-skilled teams' companies argued that deciding an eliminated team so early is unfair. The implication was that ever since post-second-generation idols, they’ve become comprehensive entertainers encompassing acting and variety, not just singers. Therefore, focusing too much on music initially seems imbalanced. This sounded as ridiculous as Eunbit trying on a garter belt for a MAXIM photoshoot... “That’s clearly to rein us in.” Yeom chuckled sarcastically as he listened. Number one in teaser performance site voting, number one in the role model mission. And with just a week left until online voting closes, the netizens’ initial impression polling, driven by the "Army-Exceptional" movement, was already confirming Upkick Girl as their choice. Everyone expected it to be a close match, but when the lid was lifted, it was like finding a nut amongst acorns. Song Ji-sun suspected some of the companies, likely those with groups at risk of elimination, exerted influence. She hinted that Karma Entertainment was likely leading the charge. "Alright, I understand. Let me know once the events are decided. Thank you." The office, buzzing with excitement over the great song "Violet," was now boiling with anger. Sure, we anticipated a mission combining fitness testing and variety skills, but not for the second round. It felt like a deliberate move to dampen the momentum of the more talented teams and, true to Yeom's words, it seemed aimed directly at us by Karma from Eye Contact. Yona added a remark. "The Eye Contact kids are pretty athletic." It confirmed the main suspect: Kim Seok-won. A few hours later, the email arrived with the five event details. Gathered together to review it, we couldn’t help but stifle our laughter. “What is this... It’s not a hindrance; they're practically handing us the victory.” < Violet > End.