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plasticflwrs · 3 months

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Beginning with their first episode airing on April 12, 2019, JTBC's SUPERBAND would take sixty male contestants from the indie scene to create their own band in the live finale. The series is composed of fourteen total episodes and concluded on July 12, 2019, with an average of 3% viewership in South Korea. In the end, the top five placements were HOPPIPOLLA, DEATH VALLEY, LUCY, PURPLE RAIN, and MONÉ. The competition was further split into introduction performances, one-on-one battles, two semi-finals, and the live finale with judging by Yoon Jongshin, Yoon Sang, Nell's Kim Jongwan, Linkin Park's Joe Hahn, and AKMU's Lee Suhyun. Superband was met with mixed responses with positives for allowing indie artists to show off their talent for the world and negative ones based on fans not being able to vote until round four, poor judging, and lack of female artists.

THE SOUND OF DEATH VALLEY.

THE MEMBERS OF DEATH VALLEY.

SAWYER LEE ( 1999 ), born as Lee Siyul, is a musician and producer hailing from Chicago, Illinois, United States and currently signed under Superbloom Media. In 2019, he made his first public appearance on Superband and would place second as DEATH VALLEY's leader, pianist, and vocalist.

KO SEUNGMIN ( 1999 ) is a musician and teacher from Seoul, South Korea. After the unofficial "disbandment" of DEATH VALLEY—where he was the drummer—he would become a secondary music teacher to fall back on. As of 2022, he signed with JYP's Studio J and debuted as the drummer of DOGFIGHT.

YOON TAEYUN ( 2000 ) is a musician and member of SAFETY ZONE, which still remains independent to this day. He competed on Superband with his members, however, they were all eliminated before the semi-finals. Taeyun would join DEATH VALLEY as their bassist and one of their lead producers.

OLIVER SONG ( 2001 ) is a member of the idol band PLASTIC FLOWERS, serving as their guitarist and lead vocalist, and calls Boston, Massachusetts his hometown. He is currently signed under Superbloom Media and has risen alongside his original members to become one of the best selling bands in the industry.

THE OLIVER SONG EXPERIENCE ... INTRODUCTION — ROUND THREE.

Coming into Superband, no one knew who OLIVER SONG was. Plastic Flowers was still struggling to sell 1,000 copies of their new albums and the band had just wrapped on promotions for Hypocreep just the month before. On April 12, Oliver would be introduced to the public as one of the vocalists on Superband with his cover of Fleetwood Mac's BIG LOVE, from their fourteenth studio album TANGO IN THE NIGHT. Though he impressed judges with his fingerpicking and vocals, they would complain the cover did not go "far enough" as his own rendition of such an iconic song. With just his voice and a guitar, the judges were also surprised by his attention to the cameras and basic stage presence. It was noted early into his critiques that not only had he debuted as a member of PLASTIC FLOWERS, but he was the YOUNGEST CONTESTANT as well.

This would also begin the small feud he had with Linkin Park's JOE HAHN as he wanted to push Oliver to his true potential throughout the competition. LEE SUHYUN enjoyed his performance the most and they actually remain close friends outside of Superband. According to the judges, his nerves got in the way of what would have been a great performance and Oliver needed to work on that for future rounds. Despite this, Oliver was chosen as a FRONTMAN for the first round of performances.

Teaming with pianist SAWYER LEE, bassist SHIN DURI, and drummer JEONG ILSEONG, he was demoted to just vocalist and found it difficult to perform without something in his hands. They went with a cover of Nirvana this time, choosing HEART-SHAPED BOX to showcase their individual talents. However, the song was met with less than stellar reviews because the group lacked synergy and lost to their rivals, who performed a cover of TVXQ's hit MIROTIC. All the members were considered for elimination and sadly, Duri and Ilseong were let go by the judges. They have since gone on to create other bands and are relatively successful despite their short run. However, this loss messed with Oliver's confidence moving forward and this would give him the UNDERDOG edit for the rest of the season. It was obvious that the judges and production liked Oliver, but without him proving his worth, they struggled to keep his momentum in the first few episodes.

Poppies were sad to see Oliver have very little confidence throughout the beginning of Superband and many have stated they cannot watch before episode 7. For the second round, Oliver was chosen as a surprise by drummer PARK YEONGJIN to join himself, YANG JIWAN, KIM HAJIN, and ISAAC HONG in a cover of Lorde's ROYALS. According to Yeongjin, this would be the only time that they could work together and he wanted to test the dynamic. Going against the now iconic An Seongjin team with their original composition of F=MA, Gwyn was nervous but his team had something up their sleeves. From their initial composition with Yeongjin's now iconic, "the two that sing" before calling both Isaac and Gwyn as their vocalists, this team was different.

There was the initial worry that finding a middle ground was going to be impossible for the five musicians as seen in the confessionals. Oliver was still surprised even when being interviewed and apologies were given by Park Yeongjin as a joke to the vocalists. Though not much was seen from the initial practices, the five members quickly came together to formulate the perfect arrogant with Oliver being told to sing "arrogantly" by his teammates. From the first moments of their performance, everyone was shocked to see this new, darker side of Isaac and Oliver as they shared the stage in a duet. For this performance, Oliver showed off his abilities on the keyboard and other instruments to provide the perfect sound when he was not singing. The most iconic part was the bridge as Isaac and Oliver provided harmonization and belted to the gods as their instrumental counterparts highlighted their own talents, with the last minute going viral with fans.

According to the judges, this performance was the ultimate reversal. Gwyn was even given the opportunity to shout out his bandmates when stating that he had done rock and roll with their previous releases and was surprisingly more confident than in the previous stages. He was successful in making the judges his fans from this performance as they enjoyed seeing a more confident side of the idol. Nell's Kim Jongwan and Mystic Entertainment's Yoon Jongshin became his biggest supporter from this moment. With two iconic performances, this could have gone either way and thankfully, the judges voted 2:3 in favor of Royals, securing their first win.

Coming off their win with Royals, Park Yeongjin decided to KEEP his lineup for a second performance of THE TIME OF MY LIFE from Dirty Dancing. Unlike the previous round, it was less shocking when they decided to stick together. However, they struggled when choosing a song as the expectations were already high for the group. Utilizing the same positions as before, Oliver remained the second vocalist, keyboardist, and synthesizer. He also had to give some 'dance' lessons to Isaac Hong for the performance, bringing them much closer as the 'brothers' of Superband. Another successful performance, they won against Shin Hyeongbin's team 4:1.

THE FORMATION OF DEATH VALLEY ... ROUND FOUR — SEMI FINALS.

After the third round, the bands could reshuffle for the last time before creating their respective bands. Having proved himself competent enough to stand against Isaac Hong, Oliver was a popular choice for those desperate to make it to the last few episodes. However, he had already made promises to SAWYER and they just needed to find two more partners—a bassist and a drummer. The pair had made a pack after Oliver's second win in that last episode and wanted to show the judges that they could work well together. They went for the overlooked options as neither TAEYUN nor SEUNGMIN had been a part of a winning team but seemed interested in making the same type of music as them. Within the first twenty minutes, they were the second group to finish choosing members. Many were surprised by the lineup considering how popular both Sawyer and Oliver were, but they had a plan forming in the background.

In the fourth round, Sawyer's team would release one last cover of OSASIS'S CHAMPAGNE SUPERNOVA, which was met with stellar reviews from the judges. Oliver was much more relaxed and confident on stage, especially now that he had his guitar back in hand. Seeing how Isaac's freedom on stage was taken positively, Oliver let go as he swung the microphone around and did some stupid dances. Rather than focusing on keeping what made Champagne Supernova iconic in the first place, Sawyer and his team would put a few of their own touches on the song and just have fun being on stage. his welcomed change awarded the band with 453 points, tying them with LEE JUHYEOK and the future members of LUCY for second place. The judging panel complimented their composition, calling it something they had not seen yet and Oliver's newfound confidence. It was even advised that they stick together by Yoon Jongshin as they had found something great together.

With compliments like that, they formed DEATH VALLEY in the 12th episode of Superband. No one was surprised to see this lineup when they all met together before the performances. As their first live performance with an actual audience, SEUNGMIN was worried that about impressing the fans as they were all struggled with confidence throughout the show.

They presented their first original composition in the form of FARTHER AND FARTHER, a ballad about longing and memories. In their critiques, YOON SANG stated that seeing this newfound freedom from both OLIVER and SAWYER was amazing compared to the first round. While the song was met with great feedback from both judges and fans, there was no overtaking LUCY with CRY BIRD. Death Valley, however, did take SECOND PLACE with 7,410 votes.

OUR PAGE was definitely a Plastic Flowers reject and Poppies were quick to notice after the episode aired. Despite this, they earned almost a perfect score from the live audience and secured FIRST PLACE with 7,470 points, with HOPPIPOLLA not far behind them. With the two having very similar performances that showcased a new side of their bands, it made many confused as to what the audience and judges were looking for. They were given, once again positive feedback from the judges, however, they were given the challenge to make something more exciting. While these songs were good, none of them seemed like lead singles for their first album and Joe Hahn wanted to see that from the quartet in their next performance as it was the last stage. If they could make something lead single-worthy, they would have no problem winning.

SECOND PLACE IS THE FIRST LOSER ... THE LIVE FINALE.

Taking the advice of Joe Hahn to heart, the members of Death Valley got to work on their next song. For leader Siyul, it would make no sense for the group to prepare a cover this late into the game and need to come up with something brand new. They took similar themes from OUR PAGE and transformed them for TAKE MY HAND, a promise to their new fans and breaking away from the fear that had held onto them throughout the entire competition. They kept with their FLOWER BOY aesthetic and fought hard against their competitors, however, OLIVER struggles with his in-ear caused some weird sections as he attempted to shove the device back into his ear to hear the music, which was clocked by both judges and the audience. Death Valley ended up ranking SECOND OVERALL in the competition, earning 27,389 votes total.

THE AFTERMATH ... WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Following the end of Superband, each other members went their separate ways. OLIVER returned to Plastic Flowers and his popularity during Superband brought the first wave of new fans to the band. He has since become the creative lead of the team along with debuting as a soloist in March of 2023. SAWYER followed close behind Gwyn and signed with Superbloom Media as a songwriter and producer. The pair often collaborate, as seen with Burnout Syndrome. Sawyer currently has no plans of debuting solo or in another band at the current moment. SEUNGMIN returned to his college program and recently earned his teaching license in South Korea! Though he went back to his original band, he wanted to complete his degree to have something to lean back on as DOGFIGHT struggled to gain relevance. Finally, TAEYUN went back to SAFETY ZONE, which remains an independent artist to this day and tries to release music consistently.

DEATH VALLEY would, of course, reunite not long after filming ended for the SUPERBAND TOUR, where the top five bands all reconnected. It was a bittersweet time for their fans and they promised to come back soon, which never did happen. With the FIVE-YEAR anniversary of Superband happening in 2024, the members have teased the potential for a reunion and even their own album. Given how busy each member is, it's not surprising that nothing has been set in stone but they promise something will come!

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catsplain · 4 months

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THE GROUP

Very few coed groups can touch IDOLMAKER in fame, concept ambition and of course, number! Set under the managment of MBN Entertainment and japanese game developing studio FURTA since their conception in 2016, IDOLMAKER is a franchise like no other, setting their ever expanding roster of K-Pop Idols to voice act playable chracters in their sci-fi asymmetrical multiplayer survival game, Crewmaker Battle Universe. If that doesn't already make them unique enough, the group functions under a voting system, meaning comeback lineups and asthetics get voted on by their fans, MAXIs, via their official website.

IDOLMAKER, often shortned to IDMK, defies all odds and rumors of there being no such thing as healthy competition: united like a true dream team, with some people having ties going deeper then blood amongst them, they know that while stuck inside of a trancherous money empire like MBN, all they can really do is watch each other's backs and pray for the worse won't get them.

THE MEMBERS.

1st Gen - i. Yoo Eunhyuk. / ii. Jung Eunyoung. / iii. Hong Seunggi. / iv. Baek Yoojin; 2nd Gen - v. Yuthakon 'Ring' Chaiprasit. / vi. Lee Gayoung. / vii. Yang Taehyeon. / viii. Grace Elizabeth Lao; 3rd Gen - ix. Kim Hosung. / x. Kwon Dabin. / xi. Jeon Jeonghun. / xii. Cho Yejung. / 4th Gen - xiii. Im Daewon. / xiv. Yoneno Tomomi. / xv. Chuya Yuzuriha. / xvi. Nakashima Kina; 5th Gen - xvii. Kim Ilseong. / xviii. Julia Lee, Lee Haseon. / xix. Jang Wookjin. / xx. Tabitha Choi.

THE CONNECTIONS

LOOPiN - Colleges: While the bubblying romance between Seungsoo and Gayoung is what brings the two groups together, the friendship and music exchange between LOOPiN and IDMK is what keeps them all together. Seeing Dylan's growing necessity for friends outside of his band, Ring and Tabitha attempt to take him under their partying set of wings, not without it's fair share of complications. In order to get back on the good graces of his fleeting, long distance situationship with former Boy Of The Week member Kohei, Daewon attempts to reunite him with Haruki, his good pre-debut friend, as well as get to the bottom of who sabotaged him out of the project back on the day, and why.

NIGHT CHILD / NTCD - Rivals: With IDOLMAKER's company being a subsidiary of MBN, they've had one too many sour encounters with NTCD. Yongho has the nasty habit of never letting Seunggi, IDMK's main rapper and his once boyfriend, take a step without his consent now that they're reunited; Hyunbin's obsession on pursing Tomomi has tired her and every single one for her members beyond cooling down; Josh's rising influence over the innerworkings of the company reminds Hosung too much of his deceased and despised brother.

MBN'S GOLDEN AGE SENIORS (EXTENTH & SUNDATE) - Rivals: A misguided game of 'Senior Romance Speedrun' with the founding groups of MBN, EXTENTH and SUNDATE, has left the majority of the IDOLMAKER members heartbroken, embarrassed and more importantly, pissed off. Still, Julia ignores the years of historical battles between the two as she finds herself in the middle of an office affair with SUNDATE's golden girl, Park Suhyun - a desperate attempt to subside her intese feelings for her icon, Yoojin. Little does she knows, she's not the only IDMK member that she's secretly trailing along. Recently discharged from the military, Grace's never forgotten first love and ex-boyfriend, EXTENTH's Changmin, asks her once for her hand in marriage, as well as for Grace to retire from daunting Idol life with him.

[REDCATED] - ???: After [REDACTED], a private country club in center Seoul -- one that deems itself as a 'place for connection between former child stars' -- gets a grip hold of Taehyeon, suspicion of their members real intensions, motivations and face of leadership rises in Eunyoung and Yuzuriha. A spiralling Hosung takes dangerous inspiration in [REDACTED]'s 'detachment' and 'healing' methods, to Dabin and Jeonghun's utter horror.

#&& ⠀ [ . . . ] we bite and scratch and scream all night ⠀⸻ idolmaker .#fake kpop group #fictional idol community #kpop fanfic #kpop oc

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