#fmdos4

[fmdxsujiarchive]

suji decided that she was going to enter this final round without too many thoughts. it’s not like her career depended on this win or anything considering that her latest album has done well on its own. while the overload of schedules had taken a toll on her physically, she’s actually a bit grateful that it fell in the middle of final preparations for our songs. the overall success of unstable mindset has stabilized her own mindset that this show won’t be a ride or die situation for her. 

“hey!” she doesn’t think she would have found herself saying hello without hesitating a couple of months ago, but now that the show’s been going on for a while, and she’s taken some time to have a proper conversation with jaewon, she thinks she can confidently at least consider him a close acquaintance. “i never got to thank you personally, but your song got me my first win.” a playful curtsy is given towards his direction before she chuckles. “you nervous?” with the question, she stares at the stage that’s still in the middle of being set up. the venue seems odd without an audience in it, and she doesn’t think she can ever fully shake off the nerves that come from performing in front of a live audience. 

@fmdjaewon, december 10th, final recording

[fmdtaeyongarchive]

@fmdjaewon​ // early-ish november

having to write two songs in the span of a few weeks felt like a break after the limitations he’d set himself up for last month with his hospital stay and then bedrest. he was promoting his new album, but at least he could meet up with jaewon in person to work on the song they had to create together. working with jaewon was a double-edged sword. they already had experience making their styles complement each other and when they had worked together, the music seemed to get a decent enough response from the public, but there was an edge of discomfort that came with feeling too in his comfort zone, and he tried not to let the anxieties play on his mind too long as he sat across from jaewon in the studio. it was bad enough knowing there were cameras on them.

“i wasn’t able to come up with many ideas yet,” he confessed, “so i figured we could just talk it out and figure out the kind of song we want to do, unless you’ve brought anything. i have some old unused files we could look through and see if anything works there.” ash shrugged and wondered if his lack of preparedness would come off as unflattering if this was aired to the world. “i think we should do something different than anything both of our names have been on together before.”

[fmdjaewonarchive]

setting: our songs finale recording, 12 december 2020 with: @joohwanfmd​

truth be told, jaewon hadn’t exactly expected he’d get this far. of course, he was far from complaining, our songs had proven to be a great opportunity, he just hadn’t expected to get past the auditions, leave alone make it to the finale. the past few months, the show had formed a big source of stress in his life but after the results of the last round, dimensions seemed to have been put at ease, expressing faith in jaewon having faith in his solo music from this point forward again and with that, most of his stress had gone right out of the window, never mind the fact that he still had a finale to get through.

for what it was worth, the relative absense of stress (relative, because jaewon wasn’t jaewon without some base level of chronic anxiety) he sure was a lot more pleasant to be around and where he had before tried to steer clear from most of the other contestants now probably wasn’t a bad time to try and extend some friendliness towards them. in this case, towards hwan. “hey there.” he offered a friendly smile, even if a little awkward around the edges. “good job on the songs for this round. i listened to them as they came out. you feeling confident about today?” he asked in an attempt to strike up a conversation.

[joohwanfmd]

𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: a gold star studio || 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: nov 16 || 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇: @fmdxsuji​

to say joohwan’s schedule was tight was an understatement. between the rehearsals for origin’s tour and assorted origin schedules as well as his own personal schedules related ot his comeback, hwan was barely making it home lately. just two nights before he hadn’t gone home at all, choosing to sleep over at the studio in gold star’s building as he finished up the melody for the song he was hoping to show suji. the man had known that if he went home he’d end up slacking off and there was not a single free space in his schedule for him to do that. so he had chosen to sacrifice a comfortable night sleeping next to his boyfriend with their pets around in order to get work done. and hwan felt weirdly pleased about that – our songs had brought back the desire to work in music that he had long since lost due to origin’s strenuous routine.

that afternoon was the only free time he could find in his schedule. sadly, the two of them would have to get as much stuff done as possible. worst case scenario, he’d suggest the two of them record their vocals separately and he’d send them to the arranger and the producer who’d tied everything up together. the cameras were already set up and hwan was adjusting the guitar line by the time suji arrived. “oh, hello,” he bowed his head at her. “i’m in a bit of a tight schedule so i can’t be all that pleasant so just pull a chair and i can show you what i have so far.”

[fmdsungheearchive]

our songs guest interview 02

notes: mentions of @fmdjaewon and @fmdtaeyong​

After seeing the live performances, if you could vote, which duet would you vote for and which solo song would you vote for? Why?

Sunghee made the conscious choice of not being too biased for Jaewon this time around. If only because they didn’t want anyone to say they weren’t really paying attention on the other stages, which wasn’t true. “I think I would probably vote for Heart Stop? I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, really, but I think they did a really good job. As for the solo song… I think still Jasmine. I can’t help but be a fan of everything Jaewon hyung does!” Well. They tried.

If any of the competitors were to write a song for you or your group, who would you choose? Why?

They smiled. “Well, Jaewon already does,” Sunghee tapped their fingers against their already bouncy leg. “Just kidding! I think maybe Taeyong hyung? I really like his songs and I think he’d be able to write something that would really fit for Unity’s song. I hope he gets the chance to write something for a group because he’s really skilled at it.”

Would you ever want to compete in a competition show? If so, what kind?

Want is too strong of a word. Sunghee knew that if the opportunity came, Dimensions would force them to do it anyway. “Sure? Something to do with rap, because I don’t think I’d be able to participate in anything else. Something like Show Me The Money would be cool.”

[famedbasearchive]

OUR SONGS: EPISODES 7 & 8

Timeline: November 9, 2020, to December 12, 2020

On-Set Filming Dates: November 9, December 12

Deadline: December 10, 11:59PM KST

Those involved in the main cast of Our Songs this month may earn up to 13 points total for writing, by the end of December 10 KST:

Completions of the two interviews included in the in-character prompt. (1 point for the first interview & 2 points for the second, up to 3 points total)

Up to three solo paras of 400+ words based on filming for episodes 5 & 6. (2 points each, up to 6 points total).

Up to two threads of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) with another muse in the main cast based on the Our Songs episodes 7 and 8 schedule. (2 points each, up to 4 points total)

Please remember the number of the above tasks completed by each muse will factor into the final rankings. These do not count toward monthly limits or toward normal schedule points. All posts for this task block should be tagged with #fmdos4.

All muses in the roleplay (excluding remaining main cast of the show) this month may earn up to 4 points total for writing, by the end of December 10 KST (please read the information in this post for context!):

Completions of the two celebrity audience interviews filmed during the finale included here. (4 points total; both must be completed)

All posts for this task block should be tagged with #fmdos4.

IN-’VERSE INFO

Following the performances on November 7, everyone will have a little under an hour off-camera while the audience is instructed to vote for one song they liked the best. These votes will be calculated and combined with online track votes based on a weighted formula, and then the competitors are brought back out. They are first told the cast members that got the most votes in the live voting and the online voting as follows:

- Live audience vote: Jaewon (Wei) - Online vote: Joohwan (Aera)

The final rankings are then announced as follows to announce the safe competitors from third place to first:

3. Taeyong 2. Jaewon 1. Joohwan

Choi Jihoon congratulates the three safe competitors and dismisses them from the stage to bring the three remaining competitors on stage (Suji, Youngjoo, and Sun). The competitors currently on stage represent fourth place that will go onto the finale and the two competitors who will be eliminated and he reminds everyone of that. After building suspense, he announces that Suji has placed fourth and will be safe to go onto the next episode. This means Youngjoo and Sun have unfortunately been eliminated from the competition and the final overall ranking for the latest round is ultimately as follows:

1. Joohwan 2. Jaewon 3. Taeyong 4. Suji

On November 9, the remaining four idols will once again return to the “recording studio” set they first met at on their first day of filming. Competitors will once again be seated based on their rank (first place in seat one, second place in seat two, etc.). Basic pleasantries will be gone through on camera recounting the last round and reminding everyone of the rules and structure of the show before host Choi Jihoon will inform them of their third songwriting mission:

“The four of you sitting here with me represent the final four of the competition. You’ve been through three rounds of this now, showing your abilities to write to represent your own identity, to fit an assigned concept, and for someone else. For the final round, you’re free to write what you want to share with the world. There’s only one catch. You’ll be writing two songs for this round: one paired up with a fellow competitor and one solo song.”

Choi Jihoon then announces that first place and fourth place from last round must write and perform a duet together and the middle places must do the same. This means Joohwan and Suji have been partnered up, as have Jaewon and Taeyong.

Choi Jihoon then adds, “For your duet, you’re expected to embody both of your unique colors while finding a way to compromise and find a middle ground. For your solo song, you are expected to show whatever you want your final statement to the audience to be. For the first, and only, time during the run of the show, you’ll be releasing a music video for your solo song. Think about how you want the song to be represented, as you’ll be expected to talk with the directors and production team about how your song would best be expressed.”

The competitors are given time to react to the prompt before they are dismissed from the set. After this, each musician will film a talking head interview in a private room with a small team of cameras and producers where they are asked the following questions:

You’ve made the final four of the competition. Looking back on the competition so far and your performance, how do you feel about making it to the last round?

You’re required to work on a duet with one of the other competitors this round. What are your thoughts on who you’ve been paired with and how you think you’ll work together?

What are you current thoughts on what you want to do for your final solo song?

Which one of the other competitors do you see as your biggest competition for winner of the whole show?

From November 10 to November 23, all competitors are given time to work with their assigned partner on their duet song. They will be asked to do most of the work in one of the two competitors’ company studios so that they can be filmed on the stationary cameras set up, but both competitors will keep their self-cams as well. By November 24, the song should be fully produced, recorded, and mastered and submitted to the show’s production team.

On November 29, the final version of the duet songs will be released onto streaming sites and voting will open for online audiences. 

From November 10 to November 30, all competitors are also given time to work on their solo song. As has been the case for the rest of the competition, there will be stationary cameras in their company studio and they’ll also be provided with a self-cam. All competitors will receive a visit from the host Choi Jihoon some time during the period of working on their solo song and he’ll talk to them one on one about their journey on the show, where they hope to go after it ends, what they’ve learned, and about their song. (admin note: This can be written out and muns are given permission to write Choi Jihoon’s actions and words as long as they are not major changes or departures from his established professional character. He should generally remain professional but personable as a normal competition show host. Things like deliberate rudeness, outbursts, or favoritism by him should be avoided, please! If you’re unsure whether something oversteps, please ask the admin.) A mostly complete draft of the song must be finished by November 23, as they will film the music video for their song as their schedule allows from November 24 to November 30. They are allowed to continue to fine tune the song during this time as the final mastered version is only due on December 1, but they won’t be allowed to make major changes that will clash with the music video.

All competitors will meet with a director some time before the filming of their music video to discuss the message, themes, and story line of their song in relation to a music video. While they will not be able to contribute extensively enough for any kind of credited production role on the project, such as coming up with the whole concept, creating a storyboard, contributing to filming or directing the MV, doing all of the styling, etc, they will get to discuss how they want to convey the song and will have power to veto the production crew’s ideas.

On December 6, the final version of the solo songs will be released onto streaming sites and the music videos will be uploaded to Youtube. Voting will open for online audiences.

On December 12, all competitors will go to same building as last round with with the same performance set, where their songs will be performed and voted on. 

For the finale, each competitor will be given a certain number of tickets that will allow them to invite their group mates and celebrity friends to watch during the finale. Each company will also be given a certain number of tickets to allow additional artists in their rosters to attend for potential screen time. Idols attending as guests in the audience will not be given live audience voting privileges, but will be asked for their opinion on the performances in talking head interviews before and after the filming and possibly from the audience during the show.

The competitors will first perform their duets:

Joohwan & Suji - “Heart Stop”

Jaewon & Taeyong - “City Lights”

As each duo is performing, the other duo will be seated on stage watching. After one duo’s performance, the other will be asked to comment on the performance. Some members of the celebrity audience may also be asked for their opinions.

After the two performances, competitors will be given time to change and prepare for their solo stages as necessary. During this time, the audience will be asked to vote for with duet they preferred. After about an hour to an hour and a half, the solo performances will begin, which will be done in order by ranking from the last round:

Joohwan - “Love Me Harder”

Jaewon - “Jasmine”

Taeyong - “Nowhere”

Suji -  “I Go”

For the solo performance round, the three competitors not currently performing will sit in the audience in the celebrity guest section instead of onstage. After each performance, the other three competitors will be asked for their thoughts, as will some of the celebrity guests in the audience.

Another break will be taken following the conclusion of all solo performances where each competitor will film another talking head interview (admin note: please wait to complete this interview until all songs have been chosen and listed above):

What was it like working with your partner on your duet? Do you feel you successfully showed both of your colors as performers and songwriters?

How does your solo song embody the final statement you decided you wanted to make as a competitor?

Do you have any regrets about either of your performances tonight? Do you have any regrets about your performance on the show as a whole?

How do you feel you’ve grown during your time competing on Our Songs?

Which of the other songs/performances caught your attention the most?

How will you feel if you win? How will you feel if you don’t?

OUT OF ‘VERSE INFO

As with past rounds, the rankings for the third round were determined by random generation for spots among who completed the most tasks. All main cast muses had completed all tasks for the third block, so the rankings were decided entirely by random picker. The only exception here is that the admin’s muse is not be eligible for the overall first place ranking. Proof shots of the name picker can be found here.

The winners for separate live voting and online voting were determined using weighted selection based on the randomly generated overall rankings. Rank one got six submissions into the generator, rank two got five, rank three got four, rank four got three, and the two eliminated muses got one submission each, and then names were drawn. Proof shots of the name picker for the live audience vote and online vote winners can be found at the link above.

For this task block you will need to submit two different forms, one for the duet and one for the solo. Please note that only one person from the duet has to submit a form, but everyone has to submit a form for their solo.

The following information will be requested for the duet: the song you would like to claim for your muses to create and perform for this round’s task as agreed upon between partners (and a performance reference if one is available) and the creative claims on it. 

The following information will be requested for the solo: the song you would like to claim for your muses to create and perform for this round’s task (and a performance reference if one is available), the creative claims on it, and a link to the MV.

The form links will be uploaded here at 12AM KST November 14/10AM EDT November 13, twenty-four hours after this post goes up. The form for the duet song is here and the solo song form is here.

A reminder of the limits of creative claims on each muse for the show can be found here. If you think there is a mistake or if a song has been released that leads to a necessary update, please contact the main.

Songs Claimed:

WOODZ - Love Me Harder

Kei - I Go

Taemin - Heart Stop ft. Seulgi

DPR Live - Jasmine

TVXQ - City Lights ft. Taeyong (U-Know Yunho Solo)

Jung Jinwoo - Nowhere

SONG LIMITATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

There is no specified theme for this round other than to create a song in a pair and a final solo song. Please read the above prompt in the in-’verse info for full details on this round.

For all rounds, a song must fit all general rules of music claims (i.e. matches muse position, is not too explicit, must be by an artist in the Korean music industry, etc.) and must receive admin approval.

For this round, these are the additional limitations and requirements on songs that can be chosen:

Duet song

The song must involve two performing artists. The original song can have two artists equally credited, a solo with a feature, or a duo act, but it must have two performing artists.

In real life, the song must not be a title track according to Melon and cannot have an official MV. Special clips, live clips, and minimal production lyric videos are acceptable, but the song will have to be re-released on an album in the future to claim such videos as canon to the universe.

In real life, the song cannot have charted higher than a rank of 50 on Gaon’s Weekly Digital Chart at any point.

You may claim songs with choreography, but choreography creative claims are not available. As usual, songs with more emphasis on complex choreography should be reserved for muses with dance positions.

Both muses must have some kind of creative claims on the song.

Solo song

This song must be a solo song. This means it cannot be a collab or have a feature.

In real life, the song may be a title track according to Melon, but it doesn’t have to be. It must have an official MV. Special clips, live clips, and minimal production lyric videos do not count and the release of any different M/V versions beyond the main video will require the song to be re-released on an album in the future to claim such videos as canon to the universe.

In real life, the song cannot have charted with the top 100 on Gaon’s Weekly Digital Chart at any point.

You may claim songs with choreography, but choreography creative claims are not available. As usual, songs with more emphasis on complex choreography should be reserved for muses with dance positions.

[fmdminaharchive]

‘our songs’ finale guesting: interview (part 1 & 2)

mentions of: ash, suji, joohwan

do you know any of the competitors personally? if so, how do you feel they’ve done as a contestant on the show?

“i know taeyong somewhat.” truly, they were good friends but in situations like these it was always good to downplay their friendship, it was so easily taken the wrong way after all. “i mean, of course i do. we’re labelmates so i’m here to cheer him on!” minah smiled warmly, making sure to drive home the doting labelmate act. “i think he has done amazingly well. taeyong-ssi has been making such good music for a long time now and he has continued to live up to that standard throughout the entire show. i’m very proud of him and i hope he’s very proud of himself too!”

from the songs uploaded onto streaming sites (both duets and solos), which one fits your personal taste the best? why?

“oh i really liked heart stop, it is just such a fun song, it automatically puts me in a good mood. it just makes you want to dance no?” now minah was far from a dancer but she could appreciate a fun song with a nice beat to jam out to in the privacy of her own apartment. heart stop was exactly that. “joohwan and suji sound really good together, their voices blend together so nicely which truly only makes the song even better. i really enjoyed the song, i’m sure i will listen to it for a long time even after the show has ended. ”  

from the music videos for the solo songs, which one did you like the best? why?

“i loved loved loved suji’s i go music video.” minah sighs dreamily. “it’s just so pretty and magical, i have a weak spot for that kind of thing.” suji’s style was the closest to her own after all, maybe that made her a bit biased but it truly was a music video minah would have loved to have for herself. “and suji herself looked beautiful of course. her dresses were absolutely stunning and she looked so graceful. it was her smile that truly tied it all together though, she just suited the concept so well and that’s what really got the point across. it was one of the prettiest music videos i’ve ever seen.”

what do you think is important to show in a final performance, whether it be in a concert, at a festival, or on a competition show?

“hmh, for any performance but especially for the last one, i think it’s important to show your enthusiam and gratefulness.” minah answered after pondering over the answer for a spilt second, smiling softly at the camera again. “it’s always important to share your joy with your audience and to thank them for all their support.” it’s a media-friendly answer more than anything else but there is some core of truth to it. “if you have a good time on stage, your audience will go home with a good feeling as well and that’s what we all want at the end of the day right? to make people happy.”

do you have any words of advice for performing a stage with high stakes?

truly, these types of questions were perfect for minah. she had always been the type to hand out an abudance of advice, even if people hadn’t asked for it or she really wasn’t in the position to give advice.“have faith in your own skills!” she raised her fist to the camera as if to add power to her words. “you’ve come so far already by doing so well, don’t let nerves get the best of you. try to focus on having fun instead so you can go home with nice memories.” easier said than done of course, but it was the only thing minah could think of.”

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

after seeing the live performances, if you could vote, which duet would you vote for and which solo song would you vote for? why?

“for the duet i’m sticking with my original choice. i really enjoyed the performance for heart stop it has only made me love the song even more. suji and joohwan were both a pleasure to watch on stage, they did amazing together.” she held her thumbs up at the camera for the added effect. “for the solo song i think i’ll have to go with taeyong’s nowhere. it’s a beautiful song and i think he managed to show his sincerity really well through his performance. it was very touching to watch.”

if any of the competitors were to write a song for you or your group, who would you choose? why?

“suji maybe?” minah suggested. truly, she doubted any of iithem were really familiar with writing the kind of songs lipstick usually went with but for her solo music, suji definitely felt like a sound choice. she wouldn’t call them similiar, they were both distinctive artists in their own right but they definitely fiddled with the same genres and themes. “i’d love to have her write a solo song for me if that would be possible. she writes such beautiful songs and i hope i will be able to do one of them justice one day.”

would you ever want to compete in a competition show? if so, what kind? 

that one minah genuinely had to think about for a second. on the one hand she wasn’t too fond of the whole overly-competitive aspect of it, especially with the feigned tensions and evil-editing. but minah did love the ocassional challenge. “well, lipstick did queendom not too long ago, i think that might have awakened my competitive side.” truly, she still felt like lipstick deserved a better rank than they had received there but this was no place to air that. “if i got to participate on one i think i’d enjoy a competition show for singers a lot?” she didn’t know if she actually would but she’d cross that bridge when she’d get there. “i think my singing is the only skill i can really compete with anyway.”

[404fmdminjung]

our songs interview — 1&2

summary: the question & answers — mentions of the cast members. (i’m sorry minjung is just minjung with her answers, but what do you expect when she doesn’t get along with 2/4 remaining cast members). warnings: none wc: 1k +

part 1

Do you know any of the competitors personally? If so, how do you feel they’ve done as a contestant on the show?

“of course i know the competitors, my own group member is the star of the cast.” it begins, false smiles and all as the cant in her chin and a quirk of a smile eludes to the beginning of false disguises on display. “suji unnie’s done amazing, don’t you think? coming top four all while balancing a solo comeback, so many promotions all while doing this song. it’s amazing how one body is able to handle that. not to mention fuse also has our schedules — she’s super human to me.” her eyes widen, she continues on. “i know taeyong sunbaenim too from working with him — and seeing how he’s managed to get better from health issues to work with me on the last episode, continue on with his great comeback and produce some of the greatest tracks on this show — i think that’s just something worth respecting as well.” it feels a bit like rambling, but it’s common knowledge that drawls of words become cut out, spliced together and whether she’ll be pinned as the villain or a hero becomes at the hands of producers. “i also know joohwan sunbaenim, and seeing as how he’s in origin, one of the biggest groups that’s paving the way for all of us here, all while managing the show? he’s a superstar. i think the full cast is just filled with superstars that shine so bright that it’s starting to hurt my eyes from squinting at the blinding nature of their radiance.”

From the songs uploaded onto streaming sites (both duets and solos), which one fits your personal taste the best? Why?

“easy — i like unity’s jaewon’s song, jasmine.” the question asks, and it takes a split second. a complete instantaneous response that slips her lips as the smile becomes unwavering, nearly eerie. “the song makes you feel something jittery inside the pit of your stomach like an ominous feeling of something? it’s rare a song can pull that out, set you still. give you the moodiness while serving something alluring — he’s talented, and he’s the superstar of this round. “as for the duet — i’d like to handpick the goldstar superstars. our company does a good job picking out idols, right?” there’s a half-hearted laugh, but she knows it’s one glazed for the audience to pick up as undying loyalty to the company she’s bound to. “the song is trendy, artistic vision — out of this world amazing. but what do you expect when it’s joohwan sunbaenim of origin and our supergirl unnie suji? it just made my heart stop.”

From the music videos for the solo songs, which one did you like the best? Why?

“i really like joohwan sunbaenim’s song — it reminds me of the jonas brothers. the old school car and leather jackets, and city lines. it’s 정신없어, but in a very composed juxtaposition that highlights the chorus and falls of the song. i think it works best with the song written, and the production value of the song seems well directed leaving for an overall cohesiveness of the music video. artistic direction and joohwan sunbaenim takes the cake. it’s no wonder he seems to always be busy working and releasing newer and more challenging concepts each time.”

What do you think is important to show in a final performance, whether it be in a concert, at a festival, or on a competition show?

“i think artistry is important — something that sets you apart from one-dimensionality. it’s easy to flow freely, slide into the confines of something just because it’s all you’ve known, or all you’ve practiced.” she pauses, eyes flitted up towards the lens. there’s a sheen in her eyes that gives leeway to mischief and a smirk that screams you don’t know what i’m thinking. “i think showing you’re not a robot or someone that finds thrill in stagnant brightness is important — showing facets of something different and not being another mary sue in a sea of blandness.”

Do you have any words of advice for performing a stage with high stakes?

“don’t think, relax. have fun — you already shine so bright you blind everyone, so what’s the point of worrying about other stars at that point?”

— 

part 2

After seeing the live performances, if you could vote, which duet would you vote for and which solo song would you vote for? Why?

“the duet i’d vote for is joohwan sunbaenim’s and suji unnie’s. is it bad to say that i love my gold star family?” pure lies, sheer lies. and she’s brazen when her lips don’t falter from a smile, but merely widen at the statement. “i think the song is trendy, and catchy. two faces of gold star put together in a song, a rarity that anyone would ever get to see especially with how respected each one is in their own genres — this clash. isn’t this what all the fans in the world are waiting to see? and that’s why i would vote for that duo.” it’s easy. always has been since 2014 to pretend like there’s an emphasis on feeling in anything she speaks. but she plagues the public as a fool that sees her in a lack of transparency. “as for solos? i’d pick unity’s jaewon. jasmine is a niche rare sound people rarely explore, and it feels like a breath of fresh air to see someone explore something unexplored. like he’s climbing mount everest before everyone knew it was the biggest mountain climb — do you understand what i’m saying?” minjung laughs, takes a deep breath. a palm to mask her mouth. “it’s new, and i like the song the best. is there a reason more than that one?”

If any of the competitors were to write a song for you or your group, who would you choose? Why?

“taeyong sunbaenim. we’ve worked together on the last song, and he’s proven time and time again how much he’s crafted his work into an art instead of being one that follows the obstructions of what sells. a real creative genius as everyone knows. whatever he produces or decides to create comes with a full vision of creativity as he has so many years under his belt and a list of successful songs under his name. i’m sure even despite pressure he’s able to create something of quality.”

Would you ever want to compete in a competition show? If so, what kind?

″for now, i just want to think about today. i don’t think i could compete with the superstars for i’m a dull star in the sky. i haven’t found my sheen or my mark, and i can only hope to one day buff myself to blind. for now, i’m happy sitting still dulled and muted — the stars are out to shine for a reason, you know.” 

[durifmdarchived]

our songs celebrity audience interview 2.

character(s) mentioned: @fmdtaeyong​ & @fmdjaewon. trigger warnings: n/a. word count: 379. (without questions.)

after seeing the live performances, if you could vote, which duet would you vote for and which solo song would you vote for? why?

      “the duet that i would vote for if i could would probably be... taeyong’s and jaewon’s city lights!” he says, giggling, simply because in the first interview, he had labeled it as his favorite song from all the songs that were presented online. “it was just such a great performance and it seemingly was a lot of fun. i think taeyong and jaewon did a great job with the sensual feeling and translating it into performance. i also have to make note of how cool it was when part of the performance was behind a curtain and placed onto a screen.” he said, nodding. “the solo song that i would vote for would probably be... jaewon’s jasmine! i think he did a really great job with emotion and portraying it, you could really feel what he was trying to get with the song whilst performing,” he said. “but, i think everyone did a really great job on their songs... ah, this is really a tough competition, isn’t it? they’re all such great competitors.” 

if any of the competitors were to write a song for you or your group, who would you choose? why?

    “who would i choose? ah, that’s a lot of pressure...” he said, giggling softly. “i think i would pick taeyong to write a song for me,” he answered. “i think we share a few similarities in the music that we both release. but, we also release different styles of music in a way, that it would be a bit of a challenge that i think he would be good at!”

would you ever want to compete in a competition show? if so, what kind?

    “i would compete in a competition show! i’ve recently competed in masterchef kore celebrity, which i had ended up winning, and i had a lot of fun with it! so, i’d really like to do some more competition shows to show off more of my abilities! i don’t have to win, but i just think it would be fun,” he says with a nod. “i’d probably like to compete in a vocal competition, since i’m a vocalist! but, i’d also like to do an overall performance type of competition too, just to show off other things that i’m able to do,” he says, his soft smile upon his lips. “i think i’d also like to get the chance to mentor or judge on a competition show as well to share my knowledge in vocals and music.”

[fmdxsujiarchive]

summary: suji gets a visit from choi jihoon, and they have a talk about her journey throughout the show and the future date: november 19th location: gold star media building word count: 657 words ooc note: “our songs” based self-para; i really suck at summaries huh

since nothing on television is absolutely true anyway, suji’s told beforehand that she’ll be getting a visit from choi jihoon though it’s meant to be somewhat of a surprise. she thinks it wouldn’t be believable anyway because she’s all dolled up for her m countdown performance later on in the day, and she’s sitting at the lobby coffee shop without a clear reason. the viewers aren’t fools and so she finds it a little amusing that the production team still asks her to act surprised when he shows up. 

by now, her song is pretty much finished and is in its final mixing stages which means any say that she had in the making of it is done with. she’s stirring around her iced coffee, pretending like she’s doing something important on her phone when the host walks in. 

“congratulations on your album dropping, by the way.” 

she’s a little surprised, but she expresses her gratitude anyway with a neck-level bow and sits back down, hoping that her faux shock face wasn’t too... fake looking. 

“how do you feel with your last performance coming up?” 

now this question causes a nervous laugh to leave her lips as she shrugs, trying to think of the right words to articulate her thoughts. “nervous but also relieved? this journey’s been pretty long, and i think i’ve accomplished enough to not feel that much regret once it’s over.” 

based on the songs she’s released, suji realizes that not everybody may agree with her. the songs don’t fall too far off from anything else she’s released so far, and her stages haven’t been extravagantly different, but she still thinks the whole process of writing songs in a short time span and trying out new things has been more than enough for her to say that she’s branched out of her comfort box. 

choi jihoon gives her a few words of advice and talks about how he’s seen firsthand how much she’s grown as a songwriter. though she’s uncertain if that’s simply out of courtesy, she decides to take it genuinely and smiles. that’s all she really wanted out of this program anyway: growth. if at least one person can see it then that’s enough for her. 

“tell me about your solo song for this round.” 

“it’s pretty much a wrap up of how i felt throughout the show as well as where i hope to go afterwards which is just forward. the song’s titled i go which i think is quite straightforward.” she takes a short pause to laugh because she hadn’t realized just how one-dimensional the title is. “it’s also a sort of thank you to everybody who’s supported me and a request for them to continue to watch where i go from here on.” 

“which would be?” 

it takes her a moment to register his question, but she quickly realizes what he means and hums, taking her time to think. “not too far from where i currently am. hopefully. i’ll continue to make the music that i do and maybe take what i’ve learned from this show and try out new things without feeling too afraid. i think that’s what i’ve been doing so far. i’ve been too scared to try out new things, but our songs has taught me to not fear something that hasn’t even happened yet.” 

she’s spent a couple of months working with this man, but she still can’t completely read his expression. however, her answers seems to be enough because he’s getting up and giving her his last “good luck’s” before taking his leave.

sitting back down, she looks down at her iced coffee that is now completely melted and strokes her straw in it a couple of times. in about two weeks, it’ll be over. she must have done a well enough job because there’s no heavy heart of regrets or a bunch of “what if’s” floating around in her head. 

you did well. 

[fmdjaewonarchive]

► missing a puzzle i swear it's you.

date(s): somewhere beteen 24 november - 30 november 2020 mentions of: n/a word count: +/- 490 words warnings: n/a details: fmdos4, just, a ramble of jaewon’s general thought process throughout the filming of the jasmine mv. this is terrible really, don’t read it, i don’t know how to write anything positive for this man but i Tried at least so that’s worth smth i guess?

filming the jasmine music video comes as a breath of fresh air.

of course, jaewon has filmed music videos before but none of them have ever been this… calm. it’s suitable of course, jasmine is a chill-hop song with a slow drawl to it, nothing like the quick-paced, highly electronic music unity usually puts out but just because it’s a given doesn’t mean it’s not nice.

there is no choreography either. again, hardly surprising but still nice. jaewon liked dancing, would not have spent as much time doing it if he didn't, but what he didn’t like was running through choreographies for hours on end under harsh set lighting.

the closest experience he can recall to ever shooting a music video like this is yestoday probably. that definitely bolsters his enthusiasm for the music video shoot even more. yestoday had been one of jaewon’s favorite projects within unity, one of the songs he was proudest to have written on. jasmine found itself in good company already.

still, even if yestoday had been relatively calm, it had been nothing like this. the instructions jaewon got were simple. the music video entailed nothing outrageous or over the top, just beautiful nature shots, walking around, staring off into the skyline. jaewon was no star actor (even if dimensions seemed to think otherwise with how they kept shoving him into acting roles but whatever) even he could pull this off. 

truly, the most demanding scenes consisted out of simply lip sync along to the song. which should be a proper attest of just how simple the whole process was. not that jaewon was complaining. in his opinion, the song didn’t need much more. 

truly, jaewon was the first to advocate that the less there was of him in the mv, the better. 

but really, self-deprecation aside, as he watched the footage between takes, jaewon could already feel a deep-seated sense of contentment. the videography was absolutely stunning, capturing the prettiest aspects of the scenery in a way jaewon had assumed would be lost had you not been there. 

the video shoot might not have been elaborate or fancy, but it didn’t need to be. even just seeing the unedited footage jaewon could tell it would be good.

almost, truly almost, would he call the experience therapeutic. not entirely of course, at the end of the day, it remains work, the lenses of the heavy, incredibly expensive camera’s burning holes in his back. but compared to the usual workload it’s a walk in the park and sometimes, it truly is the small victories that count.

so, when after a long day of filming, the sun having set right after they had wrapped up filming the last scene, jaewon finds himself looking out over the valley that made up their last filming location of the day and feels like he can confidently say that today was a good day. 

and for once, he lets himself enjoy that feeling.

[fmdsungheearchive]

our songs guest interview 01

notes: mentions of @fmdjaewon and @fmdtaeyong

Do you know any of the competitors personally? If so, how do you feel they’ve done as a contestant on the show?

Sunghee inclines their head at the question. “Should I say I know none of them?” They laugh. “Of course I know Jaewon hyung. I think he’s done really great. I’ve gotten to write a lot of songs with hyung in the past and I know how hard he works on everything he sets his mind to. I’ve been really impressed with his work so far and I know if he had more rounds he’d show even better work.”

From the songs uploaded onto streaming sites (both duets and solos), which one fits your personal taste the best? Why?

“I hate coming across as biased but it’s definitely just my personal taste to say it’s Jasmine. I’ve always spoken about how much I like rap and r&b, and I think Jaewon hyung did a really good job with this track.”

From the music videos for the solo songs, which one did you like the best? Why?

“I’d have to say Taeyong hyung’s. I think all of them are good in their own way, but I enjoyed his music video the most. I thought it had a very cool aesthetic to it, even if it was pretty simple.”

What do you think is important to show in a final performance, whether it be in a concert, at a festival, or on a competition show?

“Energy? I think a lot of mistakes in a performance can be forgiven if only you put in the right level of energy to get people hooked on it. Well, I know it entertains me at least.”

Do you have any words of advice for performing a stage with high stakes?

Who was Sunghee to do that, was their first thought. Some of the people participating had performed in stages much bigger than they could ever and they were all either their senior or in the same group as them.  “Hm, I think… trust on your own skills? You’ve made it this far because you’re good at what you do so trust that you can do it!”

[charliefmd]

our song: celebrity audience interview one + two wc: 744

Do you know any of the competitors personally? If so, how do you feel they’ve done as a contestant on the show?

“Yes.” Short and concise,  straight to the point and a diplomatic smile to boot, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone as a senior in the industry that she knew some of the contestants before the show started, and through her own participation as a guest got to know more. Despite her admission of knowing, she doesn’t reveal more as to who it could be, although it wouldn’t take much to guess. “I think they’ve done a fantastic job, honestly. It couldn’t have been easy but they all kept their head cool and powered through this season.”

From the songs uploaded onto streaming sites (both duets and solos), which one fits your personal taste the best? Why?

None of them really stands out to her all that much, especially not at first listen, but that’s not an answer she knows would be accepted so she gives them the next best answer she can come up with. “Love Me Harder was addicting from the very beginning with the whistle notes.” Now that she thinks about it, Love Me Harder is also the most upbeat song out of all the others, which could also be a reason why she leans towards it more. “It sounds like a song that would be fun to perform. I also appreciate the violins at the end of Heart Stop.”

From the music videos for the solo songs, which one did you like the best? Why?

“The cinematography of Jasmine is very aesthetically pleasing to me. I love the muted tones of the whole video and the use of nature is also appreciated. Another video that made great use of nature was I Go, which looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale and it was just really beautiful to watch.”

What do you think is important to show in a final performance, whether it be in a concert, at a festival, or on a competition show?

“Just have fun with it, it’s what I think,” an aloof shrug of her shoulders follows her words. It’s easier said than done, she knows, and maybe she can utter those words with ease because she’s not the one participating in this competition with either a victory or defeat riding on her shoulders like it does for the contestants. “When you show the audience you enjoy yourself on stage I think that energy would translate well to them — a mutual exchange of give and take.”

Do you have any words of advice for performing a stage with high stakes?

“Not anything that they haven’t heard before.” The standard do your best, give it your all and leave no regrets have all been tried and true (spoiler: the latter was always up for debate) and she knows that it would not matter much what she said — after all, her words held no real weight for a competition in the hands of an industry which feeds on the hard work of the artists, only to chew them up and spit them out again for the entertainment of others. “I think more than advice they should hear that they’ve done an amazing job and that’s something to be proud of.”

— — — ☆ — — —

After seeing the live performances, if you could vote, which duet would you vote for and which solo song would you vote for? Why?

“If I could vote, I would probably vote for Heart Stop and Nowhere. Heart Stop was already a nice song to listen to, but the performance really enhanced the experience and I appreciate the artists for bringing the song to life the way they did. As for Nowhere, the lyrics really hit home for me, and I think I was just in that kind of sentimental mood when watching the live performance. It really drew me in and left an impression on me, and I still think about it every now and then.”

If any of the competitors were to write a song for you or your group, who would you choose? Why?

“I’ve already had the pleasure of working with Suji before, thanks to this show, which resulted in a song I really enjoyed performing. So because I think it would be exciting and interesting, I would actually try to work with any of the other contestants I haven’t worked with before. I think it would create interesting dynamics and sounds given how different their music styles all are, but to me that’s only half the fun of it.”

Would you ever want to compete in a competition show? If so, what kind?

“Sure, I’d love to give it a try.” At this point she would be happy to have any kind of schedule outside of BEE’s comebacks — their unexpected hiatus two years ago proves this to her: just as BC had the power to give them schedules and keep them afloat as a group they could just as easily take it away from them and focus on other, more lucrative acts. Nothing was ever set in stone, and so she would have to be sure she had her own path to fall back on when she came to the end of a road. “I’d like to try a performance based competition show. I think that would be fun.”

[durifmdarchived]

our songs celebrity audience interview 1.

character(s) mentioned: @fmdtaeyong​, @fmdjaewon, & @fmdxsuji. trigger warnings: n/a. word count: 477. (without questions.)

do you know any of the competitors personally? if so, how do you feel they’ve done as a contestant on the show?

      duri seemingly knows all of the contestants in one way or another, but he feels like he can only confidently name three that he knows personally of the four. he’s a rather social butterfly who likes to make feels, so he tries his best to get to know everyone; but, unfortunately, that’s not something that gets to happen sometimes. nonetheless, he moves into answering the question. “i’ve known jaewon since being an elementary school student and he’s someone that’s really become a little brother to me,” he said, giggling softly. “but, i think he’s done really well on the show as a whole! i feel like he’s really shown a different side of himself? which is really good to see!” he responded. “of course, i’ve known taeyong for about nine years now, since he was the first person i met as a trainee and then we both debuted in knight together, and later white knight! so, i’ve spent a good amount of time with him,” he said, giggling softly. “i also think he’s been doing really in our songs and really just keeps showing off great things.” he added on. “suji is someone that i haven’t known as long, but she’s become a really good friend because we’ve spent a lot of time together as mcs on music bank for over a year! so, she’s become a good friend of mine because of that!” he said. “suji has also shown off a lot of herself in songs and really encompassed her own style in songs,” he nodded. “i can’t wait to see what everyone has in store.”

from the songs uploaded onto streaming sites (both duets and solos), which one fits your personal taste the best? why?

    this was a hard one, but from all the songs, there was a duet that he really enjoyed. “i really quite like taeyong’s and jaewon’s ‘city lights.’ it’s something that’s different in a way and i really quite like the sensual feeling that the song holds. i just really like it as a whole and i’m excited to see it performed.” 

from the music videos for the solo songs, which one did you like the best? why?

      “i think i liked jaewon’s ‘jasmine’ music video the best. the music video is simple in a way, but the settings of the video really helps to add to the emotion and feeling of the song as a whole. they really used a lot of great shots to create something entirely beautiful. i like music videos like that, personally.”

what do you think is important to show in a final performance, whether it be in a concert, at a festival, or on a competition show?

       “it’s important to just do your best and just continue to use your own style of performing!” he said, nodding his head. “as well as making sure to use the emotion in your voice and expressions on your face to really up the performance in a way! but, doing your best is most important!”

do you have any words of advice for performing a stage with high stakes?

     “i’ll reiterate the answer to the last question of do your best! you’ve got this and even if you don’t win, you did your best and showed that you’re incredibly capable of so many different things!”

[fmdjoosungarchive]

our songs interview 7

mentions of: @fmdtaeyong @fmdxsuji @fmdjaewon @joohwanfmd

Do you know any of the competitors personally? If so, how do you feel they’ve done as a contestant on the show?

“i think by now, it would be silly of me to say i don’t know any of them. we’ve been together through most of this process, and i can honestly say that they’ve worked incredibly hard, and all deserve to be here at the finale. it’s a shame to not be standing up there with them, but it only means i can be cheering them on harder from the audience!”

From the songs uploaded onto streaming sites (both duets and solos), which one fits your personal taste the best? Why?

“genuinely, i love every song that’s come out. they all fit my taste in some way or another, though i must say... hearing nowhere blew me out of the water. there’s jazz influence to it, which is something i put into a lot of my songs, and the lyrics speak like it’s right to me. they remind me of the kinds of music i wrote for my album, so it feels quite close to my heart. taeyong did a beautiful job with this last round.”

From the music videos for the solo songs, which one did you like the best? Why?

“ah, i don’t want to come off saying the same person over and over again, but i really loved the video for nowhere. it brought the viewer into the state of the song. i was immersed. although, i like things about all of the videos. suji’s nature theme was very fitting for who she is as a person and a soloist. jaewon’s simple, aesthetically pleasing video gave the song a great chance to shine. and hwan’s video had an in-depth storyline that made me watch it again and again to figure out what was happening.”

What do you think is important to show in a final performance, whether it be in a concert, at a festival, or on a competition show?

sung fiddled with his fingernail on his lap as he thought. “hm, if it was me up there, i would have wanted to, um, show my charms? if i had a list of what i think are my best performing attributes, i would try my hardest to utilize all of those in the one performance, to leave a solid impression of who i am.”

Do you have any words of advice for performing a stage with high stakes?

“it’s incredibly hard to put yourself out there. the stakes now are higher than they had been in any of the rounds i was in, so i really do feel for the competitors. i hope they, or anyone that’s struggling to muster courage for high stakes performing, can know that your worth isn’t defined by the results. you’ve all done an amazing job thus far, and have more than proved what you can do as a songwriter. do your best, and that’s enough. and even if you aren’t proud of yourselves, i’m so very proud of each and every one of you.”

[fmdxsujiarchive]

our songs episode 7/8: interview (part 2)

What was it like working with your partner on your duet? Do you feel you successfully showed both of your colors as performers and songwriters?

“we worked really well together.” she realizes the words are very generic, but she truly doesn’t know how else to describe her experience. “as i stated before, i’ve always wanted a chance to work with joohwan so getting this opportunity was nice. joohwan was sort of the beginning of the whole song, and i’m thankful that he created such an amazing song that i believe allowed both of us to showcase our vocal colors.” 

How does your solo song embody the final statement you decided you wanted to make as a competitor?

“just as the title suggests, i go is all about moving forward in life and living with hope. i think it was the best song i could come up with for my final performance. it reflects how i felt about my journey through this program as well as what i hope to continue to achieve as a soloist beyond it.” 

Do you have any regrets about either of your performances tonight? Do you have any regrets about your performance on the show as a whole?

“no,” she says softly with a shake of her head. it’s the complete truth. suji’s been trying hard not to live with regrets, and she believes that this night was a good beginning for that. “there’s no point in regretting things that have already passed, right?” with a chuckle, she crosses her legs before continuing. “i truly believe that i’ve given my best throughout the show and challenged myself into writing music and working on things in ways i haven’t before so i don’t have any regrets.”

How do you feel you’ve grown during your time competing on Our Songs?

“before this program, i would spend months on a song, drafting things and then completely getting rid of it. i believe i’ve grown a lot as a songwriter. our songs continued to push me past my comfort level, and i’m thankful for that. it’s also given me the chance to get acquainted with people that i might have never crossed paths with before so it’s helped me grow as an individual as well.”

Which of the other songs/performances caught your attention the most?

“ah. it’s hard to choose just one.” the director probably hates her for always playing it safe and trying to comment on everyone, but she thinks they all deserve it for what they’ve gone through during the show. “love me harder was a song that only joohwan could pull off, and he showed an outstanding performance along with it. i love taeyong-ssi’s vocals in his song, and how he always seems to sing from his heart. jaewon constantly manages to create an amazing song after another, and he seems to know what kind of song enchants the crowd.” 

How will you feel if you win? How will you feel if you don’t?

“i would feel gifted if i won.” suji doesn’t add on about how she’s the only female left on the show so there’s a high chance she probably won’t win. she really doesn’t want to start any fanwars tonight. “but if i don’t, i’m still taking a lot away from this program so it wouldn’t matter all too much. i’ve already done everything i can, and now it’s up to the voters!”