Nobody really knew what kind of song Iris Long and Pandemonium were working on because unlike the usual pre-release promotions, they didn't release any music teasers. The people assumed that it was rock from the brief statement from JJ's record label. So it was quite a shock to hear such bizarre music from Iris Long and Pandemonium in this episode of "MusicFest Tonight".
For most of the people, it was the first time that they heard this kind of music. It was very strange yet oddly familiar at the same time. Although it was different, it fit Iris Long's musical style that she had been using ever since her first comeback. Dark and technically detailed but also soulful.
The after-performance interview started off with the hosts praising Iris Long and Pandemonium on their mind-blowing performance. Then they asked about the conception and development of the song.
"I wanted to work with Pandemonium, so I wrote a song that we could use for a collaboration. It was as simple as that," Iris answered in a straightforward, nonchalant manner.
Then all the members of Pandemonium shared their experiences working with her on the song.
Blaze: "The song was too hard that we couldn't record it right away. We needed to train first before we could even play it properly. Senior Iris helped improve our individual techniques. I've learned so much from her and my voice has definitely improved a lot ever since I started training with Senior."
Eros: "I actually had the most difficulty in keeping up with the song's advanced techniques. It's the first time that I realized how much a song can improve if the lead guitar pays more attention to every little detail of the entire song. Now I know that lead guitar doesn't mean to be the flashiest but to actually 'lead' and make sure that everything sounds good together. So I'm very thankful to Senior Iris for squeezing that into my brain."
Iris responded to their words with a smile.
The hosts turned to Night next. The female host looked especially interested in him. She was one of the many whose panties got wet while listening to Night rapping earlier. Her eyes sparkled as she asked him directly.
"I think that one of my most favourite parts of the performance is when you rapped. Night, you were so good! We didn't know that you can rap so well! How did this rap part come about? Were you assigned to do it since the beginning?"
"No. The rap part wasn't actually part of the original song. It was only added later on," he replied. "Mr. JJ wanted to add a rap. He and Senior Iris argued a lot about it. In the end, Senior gave in to Mr. JJ when the majority of us voted to have the rap added. So she wrote it and made all of us try it out. In the end, she chose me to do it."
"I actually was almost chosen to do it! Made me so stoked!" Thunder interjected.
Blaze: "No way. Senior said that your rapping sounds too baby-ish for the song."
Everyone laughed when they heard that. Thunder pouted but wasn't offended at all. He even laughed with everyone else.
"Thunder is also a talented rapper. His tone just doesn't fit this particular song very well. With the right song, his rapping style will shine for sure," Iris said.
"Yay! Goddess Iris praised me! I'm so stoked!" Thunder bounced on the balls of his feet. He looked adorable while doing so. He was the type of guy that awakened the maternal instincts among females.
The interview ended after Iris and Pandemonium promoted their single "Monster of Insanity". The show went into a commercial break. Iris and the band members spent some time waving at their fans before returning backstage. They saw Jin Chonglin preparing for his turn.
"Great performance," he told them. "Magnificent song."
"Thank you, Brother Chonglin," Iris replied with a smile. "Do your best on your performance."
Another great stare-down occurred between Iris and Jin Chonglin.
Finally, the commercial break ended and Jin Chonglin walked to the dimly lit stage for his performance.
Iris and the Pandemonium members stayed backstage to watch. She looked calm, but the band members looked nervous. They sided with JJ to release the song earlier in order to directly compete against Jin Chonglin.
Although Iris was the one exchanging provocations with Jin Chonglin, it wasn't actually her idea to compete with the big star. Blaze, Eros, Night and Thunder wanted to win against Jin Chonglin. However, they weren't praying for him to fail. On the contrary, they wanted him to perform his best. It was only right because they also did their best during their just finished performance.
Iris sat down and watched the show on the monitor. The hosts were still speaking to the audience, increasing the suspense for the finale performance. She couldn't wait to watch Jin Chonglin's performance. He was a talented artist who had great versatility.
It was just that in recent years, he focused a lot more on sexy R&B songs and hip hop. Based on the teasers he released for his new album, it seemed that the sexy element was either toned down or completely removed from his new music. He went back to the basics, obtaining inspiration from his own emotions rather than relying on his natural sex appeal like he had been doing so for the last few years.
"Back to the basics. The total opposite of our technically complicated and detail-oriented single. He's going to be a tough opponent," she murmured.
The Pandemonium members heard her. They straightened and became more focused. They looked straight at the monitor, not wanting to miss anything from the performance. Their hands were clenched tight.
Iris saw their reactions and chuckled.
"You're right, Senior."
They forced themselves to relax. However, they still couldn't stop themselves from feeling nervous. They never could've imagined that one day they would be going against a big star like Jin Chonglin.
This only became possible because of Iris Long. They were telling the truth when they said that they were grateful to her during the interview. She not only gave them the opportunity to go head-to-head against someone as impressive as Jin Chonglin, but she also helped them improve their musical techniques.
"Thank you, Senior Iris," they told her.
She looked at them and smiled. At that exact time, the hosts finally ended the suspense and began introducing the much-awaited final act of the night.