"Little idols in the northeast" is on fire, the utopia and bitter tears of underground idols
New Music Industry Watch original article, unauthorized reproduction is refused
Author|Bean Sprouts
The humble stage, girls with different styles, wearing uniform two-dimensional costumes, singing the stage "Little stars, blingblingbling, shiny eyes..." Less than 2 meters away from the stage, crowded fans shouted support slogans in unison, neatness and number of lines, comparable to the performers on stage. Netizens ridiculed: "This is not called support, this is called a chorus", "There are more words under the stage than on the stage".
Recently, "Little Idol in the Northeast" sung by the underground idol group BLOSSOM from Changchun became popular on the Internet, and many people couldn't understand it when they watched it for the first time, they only felt magical, and by the second time, they couldn't help but sing along. The original version of "Little Idol in the Northeast" was actually premiered by SHY48 (Shenyang Group) under SNH48 in 2018. Unfortunately, although the song is on fire, SHY48 has been disbanded.
"Little Idols in the Northeast", which came out of the circle because of the hardcore response, also made the group of underground idols once again attracted the attention of the public. Underground idols have a long history, originally originated in Japan, and later with AKB48, Hashimoto Rina and others from underground idols into the mainstream vision, underground idols began to be paid more and more attention.
In the comment area of "Little Idol in the Northeast", there are many people who follow the carnival, and some people are puzzled: Why is it out of the circle? And the group of local idols has attracted more attention, and people can't help but ask: Why can the seemingly "imperfect" underground idols attract so many people? How far away are these idols out of mainstream sight and their dreams?
Behind the explosion of "Little Idols in the Northeast": What do underground idols bring to the audience?
ALTHOUGH "LITTLE IDOL IN THE HOKU" HAS ATTRACTED MORE ATTENTION TO REGIONAL PUPPET GROUPS SUCH AS BLOSSOM, IN FACT, AFTER THE RISE OF UNDERGROUND IDOLS FROM JAPAN, THEY HAVE LONG FORMED THEIR OWN CIRCLE AND BECOME A SUBCULTURE. In China, there are not a few people who become underground idols and follow underground idols, and in Weibo @ underground idol related disclosure boards and some related super words, many puppet fans gather, and many people take the initiative to form a team to invite, hoping to become an underground idol group.
Zhao Beichen, the producer of the well-developed puppet group "Transparent Classroom and Parallel Girls" in China, was once an avid idol house, because she liked the puppet culture too much, she began to create a local Chinese puppet group after returning from Japan, in an interview, she said that "more than a specific group, it is more about loving the culture of underground idols itself." ”
Transparent classroom with parallel girls
Different from packaged mainstream idols, underground idols usually do not appear in mainstream media reports, nor do they have mainstream commercial resources, mainly focusing on local community theater performances. Therefore, the low threshold and regional characteristics also continue to give birth to the unique cultural atmosphere of underground idols, and establish a close connection with fans.
As Zhao Beichen said, in the circle of underground idols, more people like a culture.
First of all, it is the closeness and closeness that cannot be obtained in mainstream idols. Due to the lack of mainstream commercial resources, the economic resources of underground idol groups are also more dependent on fans, in addition to tickets, the special party at the end of the performance is specially set up to allow idols and fans to get close to each other, fans can buy peripherals or bonus coupons, get the opportunity to shake hands with idols, take photos, and talk closely. Moreover, a qualified underground idol also spends more energy to maintain interaction with fans on the Internet.
In the puppet culture, in addition to the emotional connection established between idols and fans, like any niche cultural follower, fans will also find a confidant, such as Hokuchen, who used to be an idol house, and when she left Japan, many idol otaku came to see her off.
Secondly, there is a more immersive, engaging on-site atmosphere. Whether it is a band or street dance, all underground culture emphasizes the atmosphere, and the same is true of puppet culture. Don't think that rock and roll can be crazy, in the performance scene of underground idols, the wildness of fans is not lost to the band scene. When a group of people release their bodies and emotions with music, the performance standards on stage are no longer so important. The reason why "Little Idol in the Northeast" can be out of the circle is also because of the hi-to-explosive support and the atmosphere of integration with the stage and the audience.
Fans support the idols on stage
Finally, underground idols can also be called real "nurturing systems". Unlike the "perfect idols" packaged by production companies, underground idols are often imperfect and even have obvious shortcomings. When Yasushi Akimoto used to select members of AKB48, he also chose ordinary girls with strong personalities. Beichen followed the same principle when choosing "transparent teachers and parallel girls". "Imperfection" makes these girls more real, and the appearance of working stage is also more able to impress the audience.
Whether it is a scene full of atmosphere or a growth attribute that can bring strength to fans, underground idols present fans with a more vigorous and wild state, and "getting along like friends" also makes underground idols an emotional landing point for many fans. Therefore, the existence and continuation of the puppet culture is not a momentary interest and curiosity, but because more people have gained inner strength and comfort in this process.
An underground idol who survives: Walking between dreams and reality
Every underground idol has a dream of a mainstream idol.
The low-threshold underground idol gives many ordinary people who are eager to stand on the stage the opportunity to stand in the spotlight. And the very few who have entered the mainstream vision from underground idols like AKB48 and achieved greater success are like a ray of light for those underground idols who persist day after day, bringing a glimmer of hope.
But from a realistic point of view, the survival of underground idols is actually very cruel, there is no way to obtain higher income, and even need to "generate electricity for love". According to statistics, 80% of Japan's many idol groups are underground idols, but these 80% account for less than 20% of the idol market, and the vast majority of underground idols have less than half of the monthly income of fresh graduates.
In China, more idols became "part-time idols" while maintaining their main business in order to ensure their lives. A girl who once worked as a part-time idol for less than 50 days said that during the period of becoming a part-time idol, she only earned 1,140 yuan, and the only commercial performance earned 250 yuan, but in order to arrive at the performance venue on time, she also spent fifty or sixty yuan to take a taxi. And these idols, even if their income is low, spend a lot of time rehearsing, performing, and maintaining fans every day.
The low income of underground idols is, on the one hand, due to the low degree of commercialization and very limited economic resources. On the other hand, the large number of people and the high competition are also the reasons for the low income of many puppets, although they are also underground, and the bonuses of popular puppet groups will attract more people to buy, but the popular groups only have a few people lining up. During the epidemic, underground idols were also greatly affected because they could not perform.
Of course, low income is not just the only pressure that underground idols need to endure. Although the "closeness" between idols and fans is a characteristic of this underground culture, the lack of boundaries of close contact has also become a burden for these underground idols. Earlier, a member of an underground idol group in Japan announced his withdrawal after a 3-month break because "he couldn't accept the team's performance style, and the Ataku fans were also disgusting." ”
The performance scene of the retired member group was chaotic
Every underground idol does not want to stop at "underground", but only a few of the few can enter the mainstream vision. Underground idols basically belong to some small and medium-sized brokerage companies, and even many part-time idols do not have an agency to belong to, so most of them cannot release their own albums and works, and there is no professional team to help them plan and operate, and underground idols cannot be on a larger stage, many times in a Livehouse similar to a tavern to perform, the road to breaking the circle is much more difficult than imagined.
Although there are already some underground idol groups who have overcome difficulties all the way to the mainstream or have been paid attention to by more people outside the circle, such as AKB48 in Japan, Hashimoto Huanna, and domestic "transparent classrooms and parallel girls", they often combine better resources, more mature operations, and more luck to have upward opportunities. More underground idols don't even have one of them, and sometimes there is a gap between dreams and reality that is difficult to bridge.
An underground idol who performs in a livehouse
And the part-time idol mentioned above also chose to leave the group when the members were less than two months old.
But whether it is the audience under the stage or the idol on the stage, in the whole process of performing, following, and watching the performance, they feel the dream and spiritual sustenance, which is why so many people still want to become underground idols, and why so many fans still spend time, energy, and money to follow underground idols.
In the absence of talent shows and the scarcity of idol groups, when "Little Idol in the Northeast" broke into the public's field of vision in a more wild state, many netizens said, "Isn't the meaning of idols to make people happy, is it necessary to pay attention to the sense of premium?" ”
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