A 'National Veterans Idol' is being born in K-POP. The project group 'Today’s Debut Team', which has come together to illuminate the special stage for the 80th anniversary of liberation, is racing towards a meaningful and significant song and performance.
On the morning of the 16th, a production presentation for the new web entertainment show 'Today’s Debut Team' was held at Metaground Seongsu in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by PD Kang Dong-geol, MC Han-hae, and cast members Woo-jung-ing, Mi-rae, One Million's Amy, and LOONA's Hyun-jin.
'Today’s Debut Team' is a program planned in collaboration with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to commemorate the 80th anniversary of liberation, produced by the YouTube channel Studio Asseogo. Led by creator Woo-jung-ing, the members are going through the actual debut preparation process with the ultimate goal of performing on the stage scheduled for August to celebrate the 80th anniversary of liberation.
In particular, it is noteworthy that four individuals active in various fields such as dance, hip-hop, YouTube, and K-POP have come together. The main characters are Woo-jung-ing, a creator with 800,000 subscribers; Mi-rae, a rapper who appeared on Mnet's 'Show Me the Money 9' and is currently active as a radio DJ; Amy, who has emerged as a variety star through Mnet's 'Street Woman Fighter 2'; and Hyun-jin from the group LOONA and LUSSEMBLE.
After watching the highlight video on site, the members unanimously said, “The scene was fun, but it’s even more fun after editing.”
Amy expressed, “I thought it would come out fun, but I directly felt, ‘Wow, I really stood out,’” and hinted at the chemistry of the four, saying, “Unique people have gathered.”
PD Kang Dong-geol, who is in charge of directing, stated, “The year 2023 is a meaningful and significant year for the 80th anniversary of liberation. Our independence activists and ancestors faced great trials, which is why we are able to enjoy life like this,” and added, “We drew inspiration from such challenges.”
He continued, “Artists in the K-POP scene are promoting our country globally,” and said, “I thought it would be meaningful to combine members with different stories in the K-POP scene to challenge idol status.”
Since this is a project commemorating the 80th anniversary of liberation, patriotic points have also been included in the song and performance. PD Kang Dong-geol mentioned, “Since we are going on a very meaningful and significant stage, we discussed with the members how to express the lyrics,” and hinted, “These aspects will also be revealed in the content.”
He added, “We are currently thinking about how to approach the Gen Z generation with optimal lyrics that are not too rigid but also not diluted.” Regarding the performance, he said, “Since Amy has handled performances for many groups, I think she will incorporate that well,” and expressed hope that this would be a point for viewers to watch.
The music production is handled by EJAE (Lee Jae), who produced the main OST 'GOLDEN' for 'K-POP Demon Hunters', which topped the charts in 17 countries including the US, Germany, and France on its first day of release on Netflix. 'GOLDEN' also achieved the remarkable feat of reaching 6th place on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
PD Kang Dong-geol explained about entrusting the song to EJAE, saying, “He is a composer who aligns very well with our planning intentions. He is currently promoting K-POP culture globally through 'K-POP Demon Hunters'.” He added, “I contacted him through the music director, and he readily allowed us to use the song.”
He further explained, “EJAE is a former trainee from SM Entertainment who dreamed of debuting and is now promoting K-POP as a producer and composer. I think he empathized with that history and provided us with the song,” and mentioned, “We reached out to him after 'K-POP Demon Hunters' gained attention, and he generously gave us the song after hearing our intentions.”
The team that the four members will create is said to be similar to QWER, which debuted through web entertainment. In fact, the keyword 'The Second QWER' has emerged, and when asked if there is anything they think is better than QWER, PD Kang Dong-geol replied, “QWER is a truly excellent group that has achieved tremendous growth and is very trendy,” and added, “However, I think we might excel in performance due to our genre characteristics.”
Amy made a bold statement, saying, “I think we can say that we are even hipper and bursting with dopamine,” indicating that the group has different vibes. Woo-jung-ing, who has a friendly relationship with QWER as a fellow creator, mentioned, “I haven’t asked QWER for advice yet, but I will soon.”
Regarding the chemistry among the members, all four expressed, “Our personalities are all different, but they match really well,” and conveyed their desire to continue as a regular team if they receive good responses.
Finally, PD Kang Dong-geol and the four members concluded the production presentation by stating, “As we are stepping onto a meaningful stage, we will do our best to show a great performance to many people.”
'Today’s Debut Team' will be released every Friday at 6 PM on the YouTube channel Studio Asseogo.
[Kim Mi-ji, Star Today Reporter]
