Little Pink Starfish

[M-MIXDOWN ‖ Sedalbaekil–Colorful Struggle(Kpop Remix) & State Of Mind]

[M-MIXDOWN ‖ Sedalbaekil–Pin Point]

[M-MIXDOWN ‖ Sedalbaekil–Acapella Encore]

-Did they switch directions to live shows with Sedalbaekil? Look at the upload speed.

-Why are they even uploading a separate fancam for an encore stage, lol.

-They just flipped the stage upside down.

-lololololol

-Wow, look at how they connect Colorful Struggle – State Of Mind – Pin Point without any accompaniment.

-Feels like they prepared this in advance?

-Isn’t it so cool how they start dancing while singing Pin Point?

-Yeah, even though it’s acapella, I feel like I can still hear the beat.

-Lee Ion is insanely handsome.

-Gu Taehwan fits that Hong Kong noir vibe the best, doesn’t he? Look at that gangster face.

-Agreed. Looks like he’d pull out a gun, pour gasoline, and light it by tossing his cigarette.

-I keep watching the video on repeat. Is this what people call love at first sight as a fan?

-They’re recruiting 2nd gen members for the Sedalbaekil fan club. You should join.

Being ranked number one on a music show had no existential meaning.

Do they give you money for being number one?

No.

The appearance fee is the same for everyone, and it’s not even one-fifth of the makeup costs.

So appearing on music shows was a loss in terms of capitalism.

Then does being number one raise your digital chart ranking?

Again, no.

Only those who are already ranked high on the charts get first place, so it means nothing.

And yet, agencies and artists desperately crave first place.

The reason was simple.

Because it changes the industry’s perception.

Popularity and mainstream are different words.

In the Korean movie market, a documentary might reach number one.

But no one would call documentaries a mainstream genre because of that.

They’d just think that particular documentary happened to be popular.

People unconsciously saw Sedalbaekil like that until now.

Han Siwon’s unbelievable composing talent, the heaven-sent streak of luck, and Sedalbaekil’s skill that managed to seize it.

They thought it was all just temporary popularity.

Of course, logically, it couldn’t be temporary, but people’s perceptions aren’t always decided by logic.

But the moment they won first place on a music show, the story changed.

They became mainstream.

They were running at the very front of the mainstream.

Agencies would analyze Sedalbaekil’s success factors and try to apply them to new groups they’d launch.

Trainees would jump into the industry with someone from Sedalbaekil as their role model.

So…

‘They’ve entered the public’s mainstream perception.’

Watching the flood of interviews and broadcast requests, Han Siwon was convinced.

It was a feat achieved just nine months after entering the K-pop market.

---

While Sedalbaekil achieved their first music show win in Korea, something interesting was happening in the United States.

It started with Donald Magus.

Donald Magus uploaded praise for the album he participated in on his social media.

So far, nothing unusual.

Donald Magus, a blues legend, was known for supporting talented juniors whenever he discovered them.

For blues fans, anything recommended by Donald Magus was worth a listen at least once.

Taste may vary, but surely Donald Magus wouldn’t recommend a no-name artist.

However, people were disappointed when they listened to Donald Magus’s recommended album.

-What the hell. It’s a K-pop album.

-Korea?

-Yeah. And though it has some English mixed in, it’s made in Korean.

-Did Magus run out of money?

-K-pop nerds seem to be multiplying lately.

Actually, to be exact, they didn’t even listen.

Americans have a subtle tendency to reject foreign cultures.

They’ll deny it, but the culture America accepts is limited to the Western sphere.

So many gave up just because of the <Republic Of Korea> label.

Or they started the first track, heard an incomprehensible language, and turned it off.

The reason Sedalbaekil did well on Color Show was because they spoke perfect Billboard-level English.

Of course, those who did listen to the album praised it unanimously.

-Don’t give up because of the language barrier. I randomly listened to the album—it’s insane.

-Korean artists made something like this?

-It’s incredible. Honestly, tracks 2 and 3 weren’t my taste, but aside from that, it’s full of crazy tracks.

-I saw some very familiar names in the co-composer credits.

But not many actually listened.

This situation repeated itself.

Next was Mary Jones, who had once been teased by Donald Magus.

Musically, Mary Jones might not surpass Donald Magus, but she wielded far greater mainstream influence.

[Zion is an incredibly talented musician. You can tell just from him choosing my song as the title track. This might even be the next level of techno.]

[Though, of course, it’s a bit disappointing that he collaborated with a museum relic like Donald Magus.]

The playful hate pitch between Mary Jones and Donald Magus attracted some attention, but the album response was the same.

Mary Jones recommended it?

Huh? It’s a Korean album? In Korean language?

Not listening.

Still, a small number of Mary Jones fans did listen and left rave reviews.

They especially loved <Pin Point> immensely.

Mary Jones’s techno followers strongly agreed with the term ‘Next Level.’

-Crazzzzzy! Where’s the other techno album these artists made?

-There isn’t one.

-Why!

-They’re not techno musicians.

-Then what do they do?

-It’s an impromptu performance with Donald Magus in Seaside Heights. (video)

-This is the Color Show. (video)

-Oh wait, I saw that video go viral on Reddit. These are the same musicians?

-I saw the Color Show too? Sedar was them?

But again, it was only a minority opinion.

Next to chime in was Yankos Bolero Greenwood.

The pop jazz master spoke more modestly about Sedalbaekil’s album but teased Moscos.

Yankos and Moscos had always been close friends.

Yankos’s teasing targeted the Korean music chart rankings.

Among all tracks in <The First Day>, the one co-composed with Moscos, <On & On>, ranked the lowest.

But the house master was cool about it.

[That’s how house music is. It may not burn fiercely, but it stays right there. Maybe that’s why it’s HOUSE.]

Things started to take a strange turn.

Some fans of Yankos listened to the album, some fans of Moscos listened.

And even if it was a small number, now four musicians had recommended it.

As their fans began stacking up…

-It’s like a collection of Billboard best tracks.

-The language is unfamiliar, but genre-wise, it’s fun to listen to.

-Is it even okay to pack so many genres into one album?

-Why not?

-But wait, are these guys the top of K-pop? The tracks are one thing, but the vocals are insane.

Perceptions were changing.

-Who the hell is Zion to collaborate with all these people?

-North Korean president’s son?

-It’s South Korea, you idiot.

-Chris Edwards mentioned him. Apparently Zion was friends with Chris Edwards, and during an HBO documentary shoot, he played Zion’s music to some legends.

-That’s it?

-That’s it, apparently.

-If that’s enough to get collaborations, anyone could do it.

-Of course that’s not all. He played them some insanely good music.

-Really? That makes sense then.

By this point, people who knew Sedalbaekil’s full story started posting.

Not only Seaside Heights and Color Show, but even Coming Up Next was mentioned.

Actually, the Seaside Heights buzz had already peaked once.

Reviving a past issue is hard.

But if it comes back, it becomes a bigger issue.

-Yeah! I heard this song once on the Billboard R&B chart.

-Can someone please tell me what Sedar Back Ill means?

-I want to own this album. It’s only 12 dollars.

-Wow, I just came across SBI’s Color Show. The song was amazing.

Color Show had always been slow-burning content.

But at some point, views on Sedalbaekil’s videos started skyrocketing.

HOT R&B SONGS.

.

.

22. Colorful Struggle – Sedar Back Ill

They re-entered Billboard.

With a higher rank.

Thanks to the remix version’s stats being combined.

Though the language barrier prevented them from achieving massive Billboard-level popularity, The First Day’s popularity was bigger than expected.

Billboard Magazine wouldn’t miss this.

[The Rise of KPOP Backed by Eight Legends?]

They received some criticism for putting young composer Chris Edwards on the same level as the other legends, but the article sold well.

They particularly dug into the collaboration process.

Because based on what was known, it didn’t fully make sense.

Chris Edwards playing his musician friend’s track to the legends—fine.

But then the legends composed songs from that source, Zion arranged it into K-pop, and that led to co-compositions?

Something felt off.

There seemed to be a missing link.

But the deeper Billboard Magazine investigated, the more confusing it became.

They said Zion lured them into collaboration by creating songs that embodied their childhoods.

Content the editor couldn’t understand couldn’t go into print.

In the end, Billboard Magazine borrowed Donald Magus’s words to describe Zion.

[When I first met Zion at Seaside Heights, it was like being struck by lightning.]

[Every cell in his body was made of talent.]

[If we stayed still after hearing that music, there’s no way we could have spent decades doing music.]

And so, Sedalbaekil’s album started selling in America too.

Chris Edwards’ manager, Alex from HR Corporation, who had first established contact with Han Siwon, could only sigh regretfully.

If they had released an English version instead of the Korean one…

If HR Corporation had promoted it…

Couldn’t they have sold at least a million copies in the US?

But strangely, Han Siwon had little interest in entering the US market right now.

Thus, the issue that started through the legends’ social media and ended with Billboard Magazine…

[Sedalbaekil, re-enters the Billboard chart!]

[Sedalbaekil’s <The First Day> proves co-composition, not sampling, through Billboard Magazine.]

Naturally, it was causing a huge sensation in Korea.