“Produce48” Studio.
“Family concert?”
Jiang Shu looked at Kim Hye-soo in surprise.
“Our company only has a few groups; is that enough for a family concert?”
“A family concert is essentially a type of joint concert. While a single group isn't enough, several groups combined are perfectly sufficient,” Kim Hye-soo explained.
Under Qu Fan's efforts, although the concept of 'family' had not yet become widely known to the public, it was at least an open concept within DM Entertainment.
“That sounds somewhat feasible.” Jiang Shu pondered for a moment. “When are you planning to schedule it?”
“The second half of each year. The first half has many school anniversary events, and there are many joint concert-style schedules. The second half is relatively quieter, making it suitable for this period.”
Jiang Shu nodded upon hearing this.
“Are we starting this year or next year?”
“It's almost the second half of the year now, so time might be a bit tight. If you agree, I'll lead the project initiation immediately. If we can complete production this year, we'll start this year; otherwise, it'll be next year,” Kim Hye-soo said.
As a newcomer, she needed to achieve something to prove she wasn't incompetent, and also to try and remove the 'deputy' from her title of Deputy Art Director.
“Alright, you can coordinate with President Li.” Jiang Shu agreed.
“Okay, then I won't delay Chairman Jiang's filming.” With that, Kim Hye-soo left in a hurry.
Seeing Kim Hye-soo leave, Park Jin-young and Min Xizhen, who had been chatting nearby, walked over.
“I hope there will be some outstanding trainees in the second performance,” Min Xizhen couldn't help but say as soon as she sat down.
Having grown accustomed to Red Velvet's excellence, Min Xizhen felt that the trainees in “Produce48” somehow lacked something, no matter how she looked at them.
It wasn't that there were no excellent trainees, but these trainees weren't in the same group on the roster.
This was very annoying.
She could only hope for their improvement.
“Which episode is the show airing now?” Park Jin-young asked with a chuckle.
“The fifth episode is about to air; we're currently recording content for the sixth episode,” Jiang Shu said, resting his chin on his hand.
“When is the debut night?” Min Xizhen interjected.
“Not confirmed yet. It depends on when the eighth episode finishes filming.”
The fourth, sixth, and eighth episodes of “Produce48” feature the first, second, and third public performances. After the third public performance, there will be the final debut night live broadcast. The specific date will be determined after the eighth episode airs.
“Can't the personnel list be changed? I don't think some of the choices for IZONE and NMIXX are the best options,” Min Xizhen said from the side.
“Isn't NMIXX's member composition quite good?” Park Jin-young asked, puzzled.
“There are no foreign members, or more precisely, no Chinese or Japanese foreign members.” Min Xizhen said, looking at Jiang Shu, “Chairman Jiang should clearly understand what I mean. The current market trend is towards internationalization. NMIXX only has one Lily, making it difficult to expand beyond Korea.”
aespa has Ning Yizhuo and Nænagae Yijili, covering Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
Although IZONE doesn't have Chinese members, it has three Japanese members, including Sakura, a former member of the New Kami 7, which is barely enough, but the configuration could be better.
“For IZONE, there are three Japanese members. It would be perfect if Cheng Xiao and Song Yuqi could be added.”
These two are members of my group; how could they be put into IZONE? Moreover, if two bonds are missing, wouldn't my efforts to assemble IZONE be in vain?
“IZONE's members will not be changed.” Jiang Shu shook his head and said, “This is the first super-large girl group in the industry. Every member was meticulously selected by me, and not a single person will be changed.”
Min Xizhen said nothing more upon hearing this.
She was excellent at conceptualization, but when it came to forming a girl group… from a results-oriented perspective, no one in the entire industry understood girl groups better than Jiang Shu, especially a super-large girl group of twelve members.
Before this, the largest group in terms of members was Rainbow Girls with seven, and they were a flop.
Rainbow Girls was a girl group heavily promoted by S.M., now consistently hovering in the third tier.
A third-tier girl group is certainly not a flop, but for the Three Greats, not reaching the first tier means they are a flop.
“The recording for the second performance is about to begin. The three teachers can start preparing.”
The director's voice came through their earpieces.
The three, who had been chatting idly, stopped their conversation upon hearing this.
“Who is the first guest to perform?” Park Jin-young asked abruptly.
“Red Velvet,” Min Xizhen answered immediately.
This group was her unprecedented satisfaction; the concept group proposed by Jiang Shu allowed Min Xizhen to experience what true malleability felt like.
It was so exhilarating!
She could mold them however she wanted; it was extremely comfortable.
She was extremely, extremely satisfied with Red Velvet.
“Red Velvet…” Jiang Shu murmured, then thought of Bae Joo-hyun.
Speaking of which, in the group Red Velvet is helping to mentor… Kwon Eunbi is there.
Backstage, Group One's waiting room.
Bae Joo-hyun looked at the girl in front of her with curiosity. Today was the first time she had met her, but she had seen her many times online.
The reason was simple: she resembled her.
Unlike Jiang Huiyuan, who gained fame abstractly, or Sakura, who gained fame through ambition, Kwon Eunbi's rise to fame was relatively more normal.
She resembled Bae Joo-hyun.
With Red Velvet's first comeback, Bae Joo-hyun's divine beauty bond once again came into play, making her the female idol with the highest individual popularity in the current girl group market, without a doubt, in a market that had lost its Twin Stars.
Neither fellow labelmates ITZY nor YG's new girl group BLACKPINK could compete.
It exemplified what it meant to dominate after the Twin Stars.
And Kwon Eunbi also benefited from Bae Joo-hyun's popularity; she quickly gained fame after viewers of “Produce48” noticed her resemblance to Bae Joo-hyun.
Resembling a popular senior is actually not a problem at all; it's something where the benefits far outweigh any disadvantages, as it means you can be remembered by the audience.
Park Ji-yeon was initially called 'Little Kim Tae-hee,' and a significant portion of her initial popularity came from this point.
Why was Shin Yuna the first to be remembered by many Chinese viewers unfamiliar with ITZY? Because she was a youthful, plus-sized version of Huang Xiaolei.
Resembling a senior is a good thing for trainees or newly debuted artists.
Kwon Eunbi also gained widespread recognition among countless national producers because of this point.
And for the second performance, it's unclear if the production team did it intentionally, but they put Kwon Eunbi and Bae Joo-hyun together, with Red Velvet serving as the guest performers for Kwon Eunbi's group.
The real and fake Irenes stared at each other, while the other members of the group and the other four members of Red Velvet also scrutinized the two.
To be honest, they weren't that similar, but from certain angles, Kwon Eunbi did indeed bear a strong resemblance to Bae Joo-hyun.
Kwon Eunbi looked at Senior Irene opposite her, a hint of guilt rising in her heart.
Thump, thump, thump.
Just then, a sudden knock on the door broke the eerie atmosphere in the room.