#thank you to everyone who contributed their thoughts on my ep 9 post

[dribs-and-drabbles]

This is a little something (she says and then writes nearly a thousand words) about Kawi and intimacy and his behaviour towards Pisaeng's affections in Be My Favourite ep 9. I've been thinking about it all week but wasn't sure if I wanted to use my precious free-time to make a post. However, on the cusp of the new ep, I realise I do want to get these thoughts out.

I realised from reading other people's perspectives of the ep that my initial assessment of how Kawi was behaving was perhaps clouded by the 'old lenses' that I was subconsciously watching the show through. For context, I wasn't sure that I liked that Kawi kept pushing Pisaeng away and I even mentioned the dreaded Blushing Maiden trope. After some thought, I realise that my initial judgement was very much influenced by a couple of things carried over from ye olden bl times (which may not have been done away with completely but seem to be on their way out in present times).

First, from having seen so many bl/qls with the blushing maiden trope, subconsciously I guess I still expect to see it because it had been so prevalent. And second, despite the re-wiring my brain has undergone when it comes to Krist, I think I still fell back on the earlier presumptions that Krist was either averse to skinship (particularly with men) and/or wasn't a good enough actor to convey physical intimacy (this, of course, mostly stems from his portrayal of Arthit in SOTUS, which for all we know was how he was specifically directed to act - and which many have interpreted as demi- or asexual, which absolutely has a place at the table).

My conclusions to these realisations is that I need to learn to trust these newer bl/qls that they really aren't going to rehash the old questionable tropes of yesteryear.

I remember some discourse before the last three eps of My School President - when we were worried about the ending - about how Bad Buddy taught us that we can feel safe watching it - "safe in the knowledge that tropes were being subverted, that the usual angsty triggers actually got resolved pretty quickly, that the ep 11 curse wasn't actually a curse at all". And we needed to take that knowledge to help assuage our fears about the ending of MSP. And I think I'm in a similar situation here with Be My Favourite and Kawi in particular.

Staying with Bad Buddy for a bit longer (because, really, when can I ever not talk about it in relation to something else?), I remember feeling a similar disappointment with how Pran was being portrayed in ep 9. I felt he too bordered on the blushing maiden with how he shied away from Pat's advances in his room before Korn came in, before the rugby game, and even when washing up after the hotpot date. I don't see that now because, of course, we know Pran isn't a blushing maiden at all - I mean he's not known as Feral Musky Scented HOE Pran for nothing.

Yes, it took time for Pran to get used to Pat's affections but that was probably because he had pined over this man for so long it was all a bit overwhelming at first. Pran probably needed to ease into letting down his walls, to be vulnerable around Pat, and to believe it was all real. And in the end, when he had gotten used to it all, Pran holds back because he likes to make Pat work for it...because Pat also likes to work for it, because they get off on role-playing - as I've said before, it's like foreplay to them.

I'm not saying this is the same for Kawi but it's a similar situation. I knew this about Pran, and that I was wrong in my interpretation of him, and yet I didn't think to approach Kawi and Pisaeng with the same lens. The lens that so many of you have helpfully pointed out - Kawi is a 30-year-old virgin. This is all so new to him, not only to be intimate with someone but also with a man whom he hadn't even contemplated being with. He's spent 12 years only thinking of Pear (emphasis on 'only thinking' as well as 'only thinking').

@burntsuncomet said it well in their tags: "touch gets very very difficult if you don't interact with people much, so intimacy of normal affectionate touches are tough. Kawi would have to start slow and let Piseang just smack a kiss, maybe hold hands, hug a bit, it's a lot of work before intimacy from touch will be like second nature in Kawi's case." @rocketturtle4 also added that Kawi's "general uncertainty could be very well tied in with his loneliness and, especially, his fear of losing Piseang if he does the wrong thing".

@waitmyturtles offered a slightly different perspective, that almost "everything in this show is totally intentional, and...that [Kawi's] discomfort is totally meant to reflect those accusations from Krist’s past about his clear discomfort in acting out intimacy (especially juxtaposed with how much better he’s done with the intimacy in this show)".

So, all of this is to say that I need to start trusting this new wave of bl/qls - a message I obviously forgot from My School President and which has been proven by several other series this year.

And I need to trust Be My Favourite especially, because, as @williamrikers said, "they've swerved and avoided every other trope so far I believe that they're working towards something here". And I agree. Every episode has been fantastic and I haven't disliked a single thing about the show so far.

On top of that, I need to trust my newfound belief in Krist's acting, because he has pulled out some absolutely brilliant performances in this show so far - so why should I think ep 9 is any different?

[straykidsupdate]

Stray Kids are shaking up K-pop’s status quo

The South Korean pop band Stray Kids are clustered around a laptop for a Skype interview, pale in the screen’s glow as heavy rain turns New York City to grey. It’s a fitting backdrop for the group: from their 2017 pre-debut release “Hellevator” to the latest single, the snarling, trumpeting EDM of “MIROH”, the K-pop group have made similarly dystopian environs their visual backdrop, where neon and CCTV screens flicker and the group are hemmed in by skyscrapers, tarmac, and tunnels as they attempt to escape or defy their surroundings.

This concept – of attaining freedom – is central to the group, and it’s an idea that’s rooted in reality. The group’s leader, Bang Chan, handpicked each member for the group from their parent label JYP Entertainment’s roster of trainees, a process unheard of in K-pop, where that power lies with executives and creative directors. Stray Kids write and produce all their material, too, and are one of the few idol groups to do so. Their music focuses unflinchingly on their youth – the anger and frustration, the ecstatic highs and ragged lows – while questioning their own shifting sense of identity.

With bleached bangs falling into one eye, Bang Chan recalls not the gravitas of the opportunity to form his own group, but the pressure of picking wisely. “There was a lot on my mind,” says the 21-year-old, speaking during the band’s run of sold-out North American concerts. “Choosing the right people was a must, because I’m going to be with them for a long time. Because I’d been a trainee for so long,” – seven years – “I think I had the ability to figure out what potential they had.” He turns to his bandmates and namechecks them: Woojin, the eldest at 22; Lee Know; Changbin; Hyunjin; Han; Felix; Seungmin; and the youngest, I.N, who turned 18 in February. “With everyone around me right now, I’m really glad we’ve become this team.”

Bang Chan and 18-year-old Felix, whose cavernously deep voice is at odds with his Bambi-innocent looks, were both raised in Australia, and the broad twang of their accent conveys a cheerful, anything-is-possible resonance. It’s the former who helms the conversation. He’s an engaging speaker and a careful listener, stopping to translate questions for the non-English speakers. At times he falters, and at others he deflects to well-worn answers (a reflection of their newness), but he’s unmistakably a leader, a role he wears effortlessly.

As a whole, Stray Kids are known for their friendly, indefatigable rambunctiousness, but with nearly a dozen rookie awards and five EPs in just over 12 months, it’d be foolish to underestimate their tenacity. Their start was a baptism of fire. On Stray Kids, the eponymously-named survival TV show that they were formed through, they were required to write tracks and perfect performances to short deadlines, then ruthlessly critiqued by the CEO of their label, JYP Entertainment. Two of the group members, Felix and Lee Know, were initially eliminated, although eventually reinstated in the final episode via a public vote. Felix, axed due to his less-than-fluent Korean, hasn’t forgotten the sting. “I still think about my Korean and how I use the language,” he sighs. “I try to learn, and fix it.”

You can see his determination when Stray Kids appear on Korean variety shows to showcase their work and their personalities. Felix’s shyness in speaking had resulted in less camera time but, in recent months, his studying has appeared to pay off and he’s a far more confident presence, able to convey the charm that's endeared him to their fans. It’s the result of constant help from his bandmates, he says, radiating positivity (which is, delightfully, Felix’s default setting). Lee Know, however, who’d had only a short idol training period and was cut early in the series, favours a more stoic approach. “I think I’m here thanks to that feedback. I worked really hard then, and I’m still trying to work hard now too,” he says, and although his small smile seemingly hints at something more pronounced, he settles on a double thumbs up and sits back.

“Choosing the right people was a must... With everyone around me right now, I’m really glad we’ve become this team” – Bang Chan, Stray Kids

Their rough-meets-polished sound was set up by the darkly anthemic “Hellevator”, but the thundering EDM and guitar riffs of their official debut, “District 9”, cemented them as a fresh force in K-pop. In its music video, they flee a clinical-looking prison and use a school bus to smash through to the safety of the titular District 9, although even there they’re left searching. “I don’t know who I am, it’s frustrating, it always worries me / Answer me, then give me an answer that will clear it all,” Hyunjin raps with a volatile urgency.

This ceaseless quest weaves through last year’s EP trilogy (I Am NOT, I Am WHO, I Am YOU) and into their latest EP, Clé 1: MIROH, the clear narrative allowing for sonic experiments (from the minimalist electronica of “3rd Eye” to the bright pop drawl of “Get Cool”) without losing momentum. In their song “NOT!”, they celebrate breaking out the “system” – the status quo – and the strength of being different. For Stray Kids, this is more about ambiguous storytelling than holding a deliberate ’us versus them’ mentality. “We usually don’t compare (ourselves) to others,” says vocalist Seungmin, in English. “Like in the song ‘My Pace’, we’re saying we don’t care about others’ (achievements), we’re just talking about Stray Kids’ own way.”

While Stray Kids have definitely created a richly empathetic musical tapestry, their chosen path raises a pertinent observation: in breaking out of one “system”, they’ve joined another. The idol system that they’re now a part of often appears more restrictive than the one they leave behind, and as they move towards the bubble of fame and money, there’s also the potential to lose a sense of oneself. Both feel paradoxical to their story. Bang Chan pauses. “Well, honestly, we wouldn’t call it a system, let’s say a ‘world’, and we’d call it a decision that we made. In order for us to get out of the main system, we chose being idols, and through K-pop we can show the message we want to express.”

Han, the 18-year-old rapper, singer, and songwriter/producer, drapes himself, cat-like, over Felix’s head and neck to get close to the camera. “I think fame and success can be dangerous to a person, depending on how they feel about it, but we’re going to try to always be positive and good natured about it,” he opines, gesticulating rapidly. “We’re still lacking so much, but we’re going to try really hard to understand other people’s feelings and be a good influence.”

Given Stray Kids’ formation, creative freedom, and growing success makes them something of an anomaly, might their presence provoke change in the idol world? Bang Chan furrows his brow. “I suppose so,” he says with the questioning tone of someone presented with an unfamiliar concept. “I guess it’s up to how people take it in.”

Stray Kids, evidently, have been more preoccupied with looking inward, and, when examining their new EP, it’s apparent their gaze has been in flux. Clé 1: MIROH, which Bang Chan describes as “us being really confident because all nine of us are together”, presents a new fearlessness on tracks like “Boxer”, “MIROH” and “Victory Song”, where Han triumphantly raps:“A laidback victor, a smile spreads on my face / Who else is like me, there’s no one.”

“When I was becoming a singer, some people didn’t support my dreams, so I was sad. I remember that and put those feelings into this song” – Changbin, Stray Kids

They pose fewer existential questions than on previous EPs, but, says Bang Chan, “if you look at tracks like ‘Chronosaurus’ and ‘Maze Of Memories’, it shows nervousness or anxiety, and a feeling of being lost as well.” The latter, its doomy hip hop propelled by tense piano and bursts of foreboding strings, was an emotional outlet for their silver-tongued rapper, Changbin. “When I was becoming a singer,” he says, in English, “some people didn’t support my dreams, so I was sad. I remember that and put those feelings into this song.”

Yet despite sieving emotions and thoughts through the music, their biggest questions, says Changbin, remain unanswered. “But we’re trying,” he smiles. He points to the close presence of their fans, known as STAY. “Maybe we can find the answer soon, through STAY.” How does he intend to discover deeply personal epiphanies through others? “I’m young and lack a lot of experience,” replies Changbin, reverting to Korean. “There are still a lot of childish elements about me as well. By watching those around me, I can find out what I like through them. I feel like I can find myself through (others’ journeys).”

For now, Stray Kids simply continue doing what they’ve done so well thus far – capturing the human condition, including tackling difficult subjects like depression (“Hellevator”), anxiety (“Rock”), and negative thoughts (“Voices”), all of which, Bang Chan says, they’ve experienced first-hand. The group’s core writing team (Han, Changbin, and Bang Chan, together known as 3RACHA) have not only refined their style over the past year but, according to I.N, “improved on their speed of making songs. They’ve gotten really fast,” he says with a sunny grin.

3RACHA’s Soundcloud days are far behind them, although, to their credit, they haven’t deleted the handful of songs that were posted pre-debut. Some will remain just enthusiastic learning curves, but others were raw and powerful, such as “Broken Compass”, which was refashioned into “Mixtape #4” for Clé 1: MIROH.

The “Mixtape” songs, which are only found on the physical versions of their EPs, are where, Hyunjin says, “we all contribute, and fill our individual verses with our personal stories”. In January, 3RACHA revisited a few songs during a Vlive broadcast, and cringed to the point of sweating profusely. As Changbin and Han crease up, Bang Chan covers his face, mock-groaning. “We can’t listen to them now!” But there’s a glint in his eye. “We do have to do episode two of that,” he adds, grinning.

It’s not just the songwriters who are evolving; from being wide-eyed, ambitious and nervous trainees who didn’t always get along, as Hyunjin recently revealed, Stray Kids have become compelling performers with close bonds. They’d clung tightly to Bang Chan during their survival show, but do Stray Kids today feel less lost – or at least more secure in their responsibilities? “I’ll just leave the room so the guys can talk more freely,” jokes Bang Chan, even as Changbin, owner of a bone-dry sense of humour, simply yells, “No!” Vocalist Woojin leans in. “He was very good to us while we were filming the show. At that time we always followed him very well, and relied on him a lot.”

“I don’t have a lot of confidence but when he’s next to me, I know I can do this,” adds Felix, as they ready to depart for the next schedule in a packed day. “But,” Woojin says, “now we’re all developing our own selves, too.”

Source

[mindibindi]

Do you have any tips for writing fanfiction?

Hey, Anon, thanks for the ask and sorry about the delayin replying. I’ve been writing fanfiction for so long that I’ve gotten into abit of a routine with it so I had to have a think about what I actually do. These tipsare based on my own writing practice, experience and approach to fanfic.But I would encourage you to keep asking this question, keep chatting withother authors (some might be kind enough to comment here) as you search for your ownunique writing style and practice. Everyone’s will be different and, as long asit works, I say stick with it. I’m assuming that you’re a new or aspiringauthor so I hope one, some or all of these tips prove useful.

1. Get In The Zone: Find the time of day when yourbest writing happens. For me (rather inconveniently when there’s work to bedone), this is first thing in the morning. For others, I’ve heard it’s themiddle of the day or late at night. But you will know this time when you find itbecause words and ideas will flow freely and easily, faster sometimes than yourfingers can keep up. Revel in this time, use it well then stop writing when theenergy runs out. Nothing good was ever produced by pushing past inspirationinto frustration or exhaustion. That said, inspiration can strike at any time – while watchingan ep or taking a walk or going about your work or trying to fall asleep. When itdoes – whether it’s an opening line, a plot point or snippet of dialogue – jotthose ideas down.

2. Watch (and Rewatch) Your Source Material: Thismay sound obvious (and not much of a chore for a fan) but watching whatevermovie/show/whatever you’re working from helps you to pick up the jargon of thatworld, to absorb the particular milieu, to know the people, places and canon(before you presumably diverge from it). The best fanfic gets both the bigpicture and the little details right. Without these firmly in place, you riskwriting a story that doesn’t ring true to the basic characters, tone orsituation you’re attempting to emulate. You want to extend a reality you love,not break it. So always be on the lookout for any little thing that mightfracture this reality and cause readers to fall out of a world they (you mustassume) know equally well. As a reader, there’s always a jolt when this happens, a dishearteningplummet. So know your stuff before you put pen to paper.

3. Get the Voices Right: Unlike character which canbe ambiguous, changeable and open to interpretation, every fan becomes attuned tothe particular voices of their favourite characters. When reading, you don’t need to work toknow when an author gets this right. You can just hear it. You can also (unfortunately)hear the tiniest slip in consistency and truth. I have written for somecharacters with very distinctive voices, voices I really didn’t think I couldemulate: both Ten and Donna in “Doctor Who”, Jack and Liz in “30 Rock” and,more recently, Gene Hunt in “Ashes to Ashes”. My particular trick for writingthese characters, for practicing their voices, was to write out the dialoguefirst then fill in everything else. Obviously this is only going to work forfics like this, this and this that rely heavily on banter. I love this kind offic. I love reading ‘em and I love writing ‘em. But even in fics which meldprose and dialogue, writing the dialogue out in isolation can help since theseaspects use slightly different writerly muscles.                          

4. Spellcheck is Your Friend: There will probablyalways be errors in your writing but do your best to avoid preventable andobvious mistakes. These can destroy your credibility as a narrator and takeyour reader out of your story. Personally, I am a compulsive editor. I wouldn’trecommend it. But I would recommend reading through your work at least once andrunning spellcheck before posting. Reading aloud can also help to identify anygrammatical errors or issues with flow. You can, if you find a friend willingto act as beta, outsource some of this work.

5.Don’t Be Afraid to Start Small: I’m a fan of theshort, self-contained fic. I’ve written lots of them and significant work must still go into making them work. So don’t aim to produce 25,000brilliant words right off the bat. Just 1-2,000 solid ones of which you can be proud.

6.Write What You Want: If you’re lucky, readerswill request fics of you (I have never been good at fulfilling these requests).If you’re unlucky, they’ll complain about directions you take or detail whythey refuse to read what you’ve written (this is pretty rare). But you can’t, Ibelieve, force inspiration. It’s either there or it’s not. For me, I beganwriting fanfic because there just wasn’t any for a pairing I shipped. So Iwrote it myself, for myself. I wrote what I liked and wanted to read (I stilldo). This is a medium in which fans have complete autonomy. They choose to go frompassive consumer to active creator. So just do what you do. Do whatever youwant. Turn back time. Bring people back from the dead. Unite lovers. Mergeworlds. Create characters. Make it sad, happy, dramatic or funny or both. You have the power. Claim it. Play with it. Revel init.

7. Start Strong and End Strong: You gotta have agood first line, in my theory of ff. That’s where it (literally) all begins. I always like to openwith something concise and intriguing that immediately communicates a little (butnot necessarily all) of what I’m planning to work with. Don’t be fooled intothinking you gotta start at the beginning. You don’t. You can enter the storyat any point. You can enter late – and leave early, as the saying goes. Thisis a screenwriting principle that ensures that only the most relevantinformation is included in a scene. It keeps the pace of a piece up, controlsthe dissemination of information and keeps audiences engaged. I think thisprinciple transfers rather easily to the page, especially since most of us areemulating material from the big or small screen. In order to imitate thesevisual mediums in written form, you might like to think of paragraphs, breaksand sentence structure as editing techniques that can guide the reader’s pace, growingperception and emotional experience.

8.Avoid Clichés: Clichés can occur at the level ofexpression, character or narrative. At the level of expression, these arewasted words that hold no meaning so find a fresh way to express what you mean.At the level of character, keep words, thoughts and actions rooted in thecharacter. “Show, Don’t Tell” is another well-known writing principle that can help maintain authenticity. As much as we may identify with certain characters, make judiciousdecisions about how much of yourself belongs in them. When writing intimaterelationships, less is often more. I know many shippers (myself included) spendyears sometimes LONGING for couples to express what they mean to each other,physically and/or verbally. By all means, let your beloved characters express –but not everything and not all at once, would be my advice. Allow them to maintainsome sense of mystery and sovereignty. At the level of narrative, clichés canactually work, especially if used with awareness. I had such fun writing a OneBed! fic for Jack and Liz, in which I paidtribute to some of the many reams of MSR fanfiction I had previously consumed.There were so many of these stories in that fandom that they became a categoryof their own, boasting a set of (increasingly ironic) conventions. Some fanfictraditions, it must be said, deserve to be embraced, extended and celebrated.   

9. Read: Reading is the easiest way to absorbgrammar, to expose yourself to different writing styles and to become moreadept with language. So read books of all kinds. And read fanfic from your favefandoms. But read it actively, critically. Figure out what works and whatdoesn’t and why. Figure out what you enjoy, don’t and why. Apply theseinsights to your own writing and keep applying them. Keep improving. The more you read and write, the better you’ll get.

10. Avoid Comparisons: My best experiences of readingand writing fanfiction have been in strong, supportive communities. Generally,the more supportive the community has been, the more prolific I have been. These communitiesare wonderful spaces to inhabit, filled with peeps that love their shows,defend their ships and support their authors. Authors are always hungry forfeedback, and is it any wonder? Writing, creating and sharing takes work, love,thought and guts. You have to claim a little corner of a fandom and boldlystate that you have something to say that’s worth listening to. Sadly, you will probably never receive the same amount of energy back as you putin. This can lead to authors comparing their output and input, judging theirwork on its stats rather than on its merits. It can lead to them competing forthose few meagre reviews that roll in. This is partly why it is so important toreview fanfic, particularly fanfic you love and authors you read consistently.It’s part of encouraging and creating a sense of community in which people feeltheir voices are heard and their contributions valued. So be generous with others. Encourage and share. Read, review, reblog.Treat your fellow writers as your community, not your competition. Viewfanfic as a labor of love, an act of generosity that sometimes gives back. And if you don’t get the response you wishfor then make sure you hit that internal heart button and give yourself somekudos for trying, for creating, for loving something and letting it show.

Good luck. :)

[rqs902]

i didnt bother with posting about ep 9 of ‘all for one’ but here we are on the last ep lol...

ok but ep 9 was literally just a big karaoke fest / fan meeting so nothing really stood out to me.... 

im starting this note halfway thru the ep after seeing huang zhibo’s line in pinlin’s group’s performance bc he did so well im so proud!!!!!!!! omgosh his stage presence has improved!! mainly this is all i wanted to say bc i actually really like zhibo even tho he didnt get much time to shine throughout this show :c ok even tho they had to color his hair for half his line, for the ending they didnt and just filtered the whole screen (thankfully) bc he really looks so nice here ahhhh 

omg he also got a random closeup later!!

omg i literally rewinded and replayed this one part so many times to watch zhibo.... i really like his dancing!!! 

ok but objectively pinlin’s group killed it, compared with the other 2 groups LOL

but ok i guess i should say something about what’s happened so far.... poor naicha’s group always gets stuck with doing a stage thats like 10x harder than all the other groups.... lol so is anyone actually surprised with the results from the first round?? is anyone gonna explain what happened to half of the members of he yifan’s group? lol.........

i think aj’s group did really well! their song really suited them and did feel very 潮 lol i think huadi KILLED IT and aj’s smile is always a highlight of their stages. i think ill always feel like i wish jojo had a bigger role in their perfs but it is what it is. i really liked their song

for new storm to be performing uniq’s monster feels so weird..... like the entire show is/was basically a whole big yuehua promotional strategy lol 

I CANT LISTEN TO THIS SONG WITHOUT HEARING CHEN TAO’S WENHAN “GWI ZE” IN MY HEAD HAHAHAHAHHAA

ok im sorry hong weizhe but wenhan started the song better LOL ;;; but also i love zongying and hes adorable but i think he messed up on stage and also his stage presence still needs some work.... why does it just look like hes glaring LOL yang bingzhuo is pulling off the short hair well! why is yixuan bald yanxiu singing his heart out!! and haolian’s smile aw haolian is really just a tall baby lol 

tuo xian mu ou.............. im crying........ their performance was so..... thoughtful. goodness even with a performance with minimal choreography, naicha designed every aspect of it with care. he always brings out the best qualities of each member through their performances and that is truly admirable. gao xin starting and ending the song, mu sen’s voice!! and guanguan’s, especially the line they sing together wow, zhang peng is beautiful and i need more of his voice too, zirui singing his heart out, long-ge’s dancing that brings people to tears, chen shun’s rap that cant be replicated, the little montage at the end, and naicha mentioned the formation at long-ge’s center part matching from their first performance and also their star levels matching from their original first grading -- bringing him back to being the only class leader with just 4 stars..... the fact that theyre all crying and hugging and selina and fei are crying im--- ahhhh gao xin and zheng peng’s friendship im truly ahhhhhh 

im sure they knew going into the last round that it would be highly unlikely that they would win... but i think they really showed us that they deserved to. 

ugh this ending song again feels biased toward new storm lol just like alllll the editing lol. i really like yanxiu’s voice! GAO XIN ZHANG PENG FRIENDSHIP AHHH omg yunlong holding a haoyu sign is the cutest thing!!

lol the fact that pinlin is in that new soy milk commercial im laUGHING theres really no doubt that he’ll make it still lol

naicha’s speech at the end was short but he stated facts. they lost the competition but they didnt lose face. tuo xian mu ou had the best stages 

poor aj.... never got to win first place this entire show........ and then he doesnt get to talk at the end?? ?lol

wow new storm won wow much surprise wow i definitely wasnt expecting this at all wow 

i feel like the whole concept of “popular class” is such a cop-out move LOL feels bad for the members of new storm who arent popular and probs arent gonna get treated like winners even tho they won.......... im concerned for yanxiu

i bet none of them actually even wanna be in “popular class” bc it totally ties them down / separates them from their actual classes... this is literally just to satisfy angry pinlin istg 

oh and theyre gonna go from 7 up? am i suddenly watching idol producer??? ooo chen shun!!! recognizing talent! naicha crying for him!!! and the fact that gao xin’s tall body jumped up as soon as she said tuo xian mu ou... awwww and he prob knew it wouldnt be himself but he was so happy for his team members c: gao xin is a giant softie 

at least since new storm had so many popular kids, that leaves a couple of spaces open in “popular class” lol 

lol i almost forgot about wang di oops now that im thinking about the kids who lost... why didnt they invite back the other teams?? like wait what about like yati and boxuan and ziyue -- i thought they liked them?? i mean i get they got eliminated halfway thru the show but still.... i feel like they were memorable / contributed a lot to this show

can we talk about haoyu running over to comfort huadi!!?!? ahhh 

yea about the whole “i dont think they even want to be in popular class”  -- literally i feel like huadi and aj and naicha are crying when they go on stage because they had to leave their original class behind....... 

im crying watching long-ge gesturing for a crying naicha to go on without them....

ok my tears havent even dried yet but im laughing at them trying to make it so suspenseful who got first place......... ITS PINLIN NO ONE IS DOUBTING THAT ITS PINLIN EVERYONE KNOWS ITS PINLIN OK THANKS

wow look at pinlin literally getting 3x the number of votes as yangtong at #2..... wow 

also just looking at yangtong, aj, and huadi’s rankings it makes sense why yoyo class was consistently like second place lol

haoyu and huadi coming out to welcome pinlin first is...... the most......... ahhhhh

and ofc they pan to his class -- aka look at yunlong’s proud smile and zhibo going from happy to sad in like 30 seconds

wow we really going for #8 and #9 at the same time? are you sure im not watching qcyn? 

OH MY GOODNESS ZHIBO AGAINST LONG GE????? ZHIBO IS POPULAR???? HAHAHAHHAHA OMG WHATTTT ok i expected long-ge and long-ge def deserves it but omg i didnt realize zhibo was popular lol omg yuehua owns this show istg

i feel like long-ge will win.... but also i feel like long-ge doesnt want to win........ i totally see him as someone who would prefer to go off on his own and not be tied down by this show any longer... but also chen shun and naicha are like his best buds on this show so at least he’d have them.... zhibo i feel like would need / want this win more.. because i think he’d have a lot more to show us that he hasnt gotten to yet / may not have the chance to if he just goes back to yuehua. 

pinlin and yixuan and all the yuehua kids running off stage to comfort zhibo....... yall couldnt get your fans to vote for zhibo i guess.......... well we all know that if he yifan hadnt dropped out, he’d be in top 8 and therefore not long-ge so.... thats just something to keep in mind :\ tbh feels bad for guanguan (and jojo) bc he was on zui you xiu with chen shun and long-ge... but i think guanguan didnt get to demonstrate himself as much as they did on this show... even tho naicha tried his best (and succeeded in doing so more than any other leader) to highlight each of their strengths

lol the way they announce the two groups its like “new storm!” and then a huge long list of names for popular class -- like hmm i wonder which one is the actual winners......

i keep getting scared that yixuans gonna hit haolian in the face with that giant thing lol

HAHAHAHA the ending is just pinlin doing 99999 last minute cfs for their sponsors 

hmmm so how do i feel about the popular class -- theyre gonna be called Black ACE? oh ok lol isnt it kinda funny that 4 of them were in “trigger” from the very beginning together? (just like how 4 of the yuehua kids are in New storm...) interesting how things kinda were set from the beginning lol. i honestly feel like pinlin, wang di and yang tong kinda stick out to me in this group, but i wonder what this mix of what feels like is “yoyo and tuo xian plus 2” will turn out. 

well now i guess its time to watch out for these two groups and also keep an eye out for guanguan, zhibo, mu sen, gao xin, zhang peng, and jojo to see what they get to do next!

[mixyns]

tagged by nini (@tanqram) to share the story of how i biased yanjun!

before i start, i want to say THANK YOU ♡ to nini ! i’m really, really glad i did this ! — it reminded me of all the moments that made me fall for yanjun, and gave me the freedom to address even the littlest details that i’ve come to learn & love about him :’) 

Idol Producer Era

to be completely honest, looking back on when i first started watching idol producer, i would have never ever ever expected yanjun to become my bias. but alas... he not only became my bias, but skyrocketed up my entire bias list and became my ultimate bias. 

i distinctly remember that the first video i watched of yanjun was his Upward! Challenge, and my first impressions were:

cute taiwanese accent

beanie man

the guy who told a cold joke instead of using the allotted time to promote himself (reflecting on this, it was actually a very tactful way of promoting himself because it made him memorable ! moreover, cold jokes are such a large part of yanjun, so he was really just being himself :’> )

this video was enough to leave an impression of yanjun on me from the beginning, but it wasn’t enough for me to remember his name. i also didn’t watch his introduction video until waaay after i was into the show, when i really started noticing him. so at this point in my mind, he was really just the ‘cute taiwanese boy with the beanie’. 

it’s such a shame that i didn’t notice yanjun all that much in the beginning. perhaps this was because of the lack of screen time he had, but because i didn’t see ‘cute taiwanese boy with the beanie’ again that much in the first few episodes of IP, he was quickly pushed back into the corner of my mind by the many many other trainees on the show. 

then came the first evaluation in episode 4, and yanjun was in codename contra team a. when yanjun introduced himself on stage, he kept it super brief and cool, only saying, “hello everyone, i’m rapper lin yanjun” and i thought, woah what a stoic guy...giving off such a strong aura despite such a quick and short introduction...and what enhanced his ‘高冷’ aura was of course his handsome face. i feel like the vibe he gave off here (cold yanjun) was so different than the vibe he gave off in the Upward! challenge (soft yanjun), that i literally didnt even acknowledge that this man in codename contra was the same ‘cute taiwanese boy with the beanie’. so i thought i was basically watching a new trainee that i havent noticed before. when the voting results came out for the members, yanjun had suuuch a high number of votes that i was like woooow this guy is really popular, and no wonder, because he’s so handsome :0 its all visuals man. boy was i wrong

i continued to watch the rest of the team evaluations, and yanjun basically didn’t pop back up again until AI NI TEAM in ep 7. and boy oh boy was my world turned upside down. 

if i remember correctly, i watched the clip of the ai ni performance video on youtube before i watched the full episode 7 on iqiyi, and let me just say that tHE MOMENT YANJUN STARTED HARMONIZING TO JEFFERY AND DINGHAO’S FIRST LINES, I WAS JUST LIKE. WHO. IS. THAT MAN. and WHY HAVE I NOT NOTICED HIM BEFORE???? (clearly, yanjun’s image changed so much that i could not link him back to the same rapper guy in codename contra, nor his upward challenge video) and then yanjun’s first line in ai ni just threw me out of the window and like i was sQUEALING the entire time. i’m rewatching it as i am writing this and I still get the butterflies in my stomach....because the concept is so fluffy and cute and i am weak to vocal yanjun. the whole time i was just asking myself who yanjun was, and his voice suited the song so much and i was just practically melting the whole time. (i still am every time i rewatch this performance tbh)

thanks to the ai ni performance, the rest of my idol producer journey was basically a scavenger hunt for every single yanjun moment i could find. i went to finally watch the entire ep 7, and found out how dorky and funny and playful yanjun really is during the training clips of ai ni team, went back to watch his introduction video, and like scrambled to find him in the first evaluation, where I finally realized that THIS IS THE SAME RAPPER MAN IN CODENAME CONTRA, AND HE’S THE CUTE TAIWANESE BEANIE GUY. i basically had an epiphany and was like WOW cute beanie guy is now my BIAS. 

so after ep 7 was when i REALLY really really really REALLY focused on yanjun. i was sososososo happy he and nongnong were both placed in firewalking, 1. bc it was my fave song from the concept song demos, and 2. he and nongnong are so compatible and i love seeing them together.

in ep 9, a really memorable clip was when dinghao was feeling down and the rest of the banana boys sat down with him to talk it out and comfort him. here, a lot of yanjun’s individual commentary was shown and i think this was when i first started to learn about his mature side that was really genuine, reflective, and empathetic to others. around this time was also when i watched the videos of yanjun reading fan letters, and i found how the fans and him communicated with each other was so cute, and how he smiled and laughed as he read the letters was so endearing.... it really showed how much he loved his fans, and how he thought about showing more of himself through the show. theres one part in the video where the fan wrote, “i wish you to fight for more screen time so more people can know about you!” and yanjun just laughed and replied, “omg sorry...i really don’t know how to...*nervously laughs* ok-no-nvm-i WILL TRY MY BEST” and IDK WHY but my heart kinda broke at this moment because i could relate???? like, he obviously wanted to try his best and have more screen time so more people would notice him, but at the same time he’s really not the type to show off, but rather, he’s the type to quietly work hard by himself to be acknowledged, and akrjhgkjhgjkhjjh i kinda had a moment of reflection that i didn’t notice him much in the beginning either because of the lack of screen time, so ;___; this moment really made me realize how he’s always quietly working hard and will show his efforts and thoughts in a more hidden and private manner, but once his efforts reach you, it’ll impact you so much stronger than if he went and announced his efforts publicly. (did this even make sense... do u know what i mean dkjhkhg)

fast forward to it’s okay - i’m still sosoossooso happy yanjun got to be the center. i think it definitely contributed to him rising in ranking and finally placing #5, which no one expected. i’ll never forget the moment he bent down on his knees and kissed the stage, it was really a life changing moment for him. 

Post Idol Producer

after IP ended and yanjun finally becoming a confirmed member, i wanted to keep up with his and 9%’s activities so i started a tumblr. hmmmm... this was when i started actively stalking following yanjun on weibo, and found quirks about him through his posts, and through other fans’ posts about him. for example, he always keeps the messages in his posts short, will express his thoughts in hashtags (much like tumblr, but he’s so much more poetic about it lol), will share songs with fans frequently, will share the books and movies he enjoys, will always wear the gifts that his fansites gift him to confirm that he’s received them, loves art&literature, is quiet and reserved so he may come off as cold but is actually very thoughtful and warm and always thinking about those around him, always tries to read his fans letters because they energize him, loves taking long baths to destress.....

and the more i found out, the more i realized that other evanisms also love the same things about yanjun - that he’s so much more than just a pretty face. he’s introverted, which makes his actions more complex as they are motivated by a deeper meaning he wishes to express. he prefers staying at home and engaging in activities alone rather than going outside, which makes fans more intrigued in what types types of books and movies and music he likes, all the more to better understand him. evanisms all really empathize with yanjun because of his sincerity and transparency with his words. what he says hold so much truth, and it’s hard to stop yourself from dissecting it sometimes. 

even though now i’m not as caught up with his activities as before, i still really really love and respect yanjun as both a person and an artist :) i really look forward to his future, i’m sure big things are in store for him. 

- miki

[survivor-tierradelfuego]

Ep. 7: “The LIES” - Amy A

Pedro A

omg so i have 10 coinssssss....and kalle has 9...she just needs to get one more coin...and we can open the jewerly box...and see whats inside....at this point i accept anything....a steal vote ..an idol..whatever...chillleeee this is a mess im going insane...and i hope we win this next challenge

Cody A.

https://youtu.be/gQAhK73mjRc

Cody A.

https://youtu.be/GGtNE0x87pQ

Pedro A

we really need to win this challenge im scared af

James Hayden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcvdxZYYvZU

James Hayden

We finished our immunity challenge about twenty minutes ago and now we wait. We got a score of 48, which I think is a solid score. Ryan was great at final guessing, Najwah and Amy were great at helping put the questions in the best order, and as a tribe we worked well together. I hope that 48 is enough for us to avoid tribal and for me to make the merge. If we have to go to tribal, I think it could be me. Let's hope 48 is enough to make me dateable. 

Ryan

Once again, I am very proud of my tribe. Honestly, if we were to lose I wouldn't mind it, I might actually rather that, maybe that will be my plan for the next challenge. We need the numbers back on Maolas side

Pedro A

omg i hope the other tribes did worste than us...cause chillleeeee im in danger Olivia A.I’m super bummed about losing but also not too worried. As long as Maddison and Grae stick w our original 3 we should be fine. It’s just a matter of whether to vote out Aimee or Sarah. I’ve grown to like them both a lot so this sucks but it is what it is I guess.

Kalle N

I didn't compete in the challenge bc I'm currently moving across the country by myself and I honestly have no idea what happened today. I know Zack was gunning hard to vote me out but we won so oh well. hopefully we merge soon.

Ryan

Soooo i am very happy with the outcome of this challenge. We don’t have to go back to tribal, but Maola do. Hopefully the pre-swap Maola can band together cause I still have faith for my relationship with Maddison and Grae, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Olivia leave (even though she’s sweet)

Ryan

sooooo... fml

Ryan

I should really stop making confessions before I know what’s happening

Ryan

AHHHHHHHHH

Zack M

oh look. another challenge that's a survivor super fan's wet dream. and again, i didn't really contribute because i hate survivor wiki. BUT WE CAME IN 2ND! so we are safe. i honestly knew that james was the biggest threat and i'm not surprised his team won. i'm glad. clap clap for you james! now that means sarah and aimee are in trouble because i don't see the original maola tribe turning on each other. truly hoping sarah has talked her way in and it's aimee unless something crazy happens. i just want my original 5 alliance to be reunited! pedro opened up a little more and said he was down to work together going into the merge. he wants revenge for john being voted out and not being part of the vote? i think. regardless, i did not watch all 4 seasons of revenge on abc for no reason. i'm here to help him get that revenge because then that also give hanuha the numbers again and BAM. back to my 5, then to my 4, and then to my 3. could this actually work? please god let it for my ego. excited to see what comes out of tribal tomorrow. 

James Hayden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3SDeVmuzJ8

Zack M

scratch that last confession. new scores and the palena tribe is going to tribal again. i think? maybe it will change again but this is the last time i'm confessing. 2 original maola and 2 original hanuha. hopefully james has the idol because i see najwah flipping so quickly. but it will be interesting to see where she stands going into the merge. i will get justice for you james if she takes you out! again, excited to see what happens at tribal tomorrow. 

James Hayden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjRxkFkAuQI

James Hayden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBg5F786DK0

Sarah

Wow! The Guess Who challenge tonight was so close and at first, we were going to tribal. After advantages and disadvantages were factored in, we were BARELY safe! 😅 During the idol hunt today, I knew that I obviously couldn’t find another idol but I knew that this challenge was going to come so close and that I needed to buy advantages to ensure that I was safe another round. I honestly don’t know where everyone’s head is at on my tribe because they are so quiet so I needed to buy those advantages because I really don’t want to have to play my idol before Merge.... Buying those advantages could be my subtle move in the game. I am so hoping for Merge time soon! I miss my alliance and I miss talking to my best friend for hours about everything. 

Ryan

I was planning on voting out Amy, but something Najwah said irked me. She seems very sure that she doesn't want to vote James, which doesn't fill me with confidence if we go to tribal again next challenge. idk what I'm gonna do

Ryan

I genuinely don't know if im cut out for this game. I'd feel alright with cutting most people, but Najwah and Amy seem so genuinely sweet, it'll break my heart to betray either of them

Amy A

This tribal is going to be INSANE. It’s 5 odd hours to tribal council and I DON’T know who I am supposed to vote for. Ryan told me he and James are voting Naj and she told me she and James are voting Ryan and then Ryan told Naj he’s voting me! I know it’s a lot to take in! The only one I’ve Not been told to vote for is James and I don’t even wanna vote him cos he was an absolute rockstar at yesterday’s tribal. I know I’m the reason we’re here so I’m kinda bummed out about it and I trusted Ryan so much I shared my steal-a-vote with him but someone has to go and fingers crossed it isn’t me. 

Amy A

Convincing the whole tribe I didn’t get the DA has been hilarious so far. Once Jay confirmed she wouldn’t reveal the name, I was set. The LIES 😂😂😂😂😂. Even insinuated Ryan cos he was scrambling so much today. Didn’t know I had it in me but I guess survivor brings out the best in you. Anyway, all the best to myself for tonight. Hope I’m still here 24 hours from now  

Pedro A

im so tired...i havent been sleeping well..i just hope the next challenge is due tomorrow....rn i feel like im fourth in the tribe, which is good

Maddison

Got some good advice on my game and looking forward to implementing strategies to minimize my threat level until the end of the game.

Ben Kessler

I am hoping merge is at 12. After tonight 13 people will be left, and who knows who will have the numbers advantage. I'm currently working on Pedro who wants revenge on his old tribe and I cannot wait to break up those 3 old maolos that are on new maolo. Hopefully if we lose Pedro will be an easy vote out. And then I can slither my way in.

Najwah Last night's challenge was a real bummer. I mean, we were SO CLOSE. It's getting harder to vote people out now and even harder to trust anyone so hopefully the plan tonight works itself out. Whichever plan that is. There are a few plans floating around. Either way, whatever the outcome, I'd just like to sleep in peace tonight. I'm tired. 

Ben Kessler

Pedro said that me and him were talking too much game and to "talk about ourselves". I didn't want to tell him I did not want to discuss the vacation that he is on. So now I need to vote him out next. People like talking about themselves I guess.

Pedro A

okay so i have talked with ben, zack and cody LOL.....and they all seem cool...one thing i noticed in bens profile ..is that he only has 2 contacts...that i have....weird...maybe im thinking too much

James Hayden

https://youtu.be/oGcQdHpBzhY

Aimee

https://giphy.com/gifs/gIlUSzpqN9xVhekR2r/html5 Whew!!! Just when I thought we lost this last challenge, Jay really went “GOTCHA” and gave us all whiplash. Looks like advantages and disadvantages really can make the difference in these challenges! This tribe swap really did provide a new opportunity for me in this game. Everyone here is so kind, fun-loving, and have similar vibes with me, I love it! We really all get along on a personal level and are bonding on things that aren’t game related, which is a breath of fresh air. Despite being in the minority on this tribe and coming into it with a tribe number disadvantage against three others who I suspect are aligned, it was still honestly such a blessing swapping out with less neurotic people that aren’t constantly draining me for their attention. I feel like a giant weight is off my shoulders and I can focus more on having fun. Even Sarah has been great now that we swapped and is more active, and is now chatting with me daily. I’m so relieved we haven’t had to go to tribal yet as I truly would work with each one of these people if we could all make it to merge!🌈💞 https://sinnohqueen.tumblr.com/post/166307617197 I love that the Hail Mary Reem guess really saved the day. She is iconic! A word we all love to say on this tribe 😊

Grae G

Thank god we didn’t have tribal! I’m really liking all the girls I’m playing w but my allegiance lies w my OG girls for now

Ryan

I think I’ve finally made up my mind

[checkoutafrica]

Dj Lag; The King of Gqom

Without a doubt, history will remember DJ LAG as one of the greatest pioneers in SA music, especially in terms of gqom. This is the man that has allowed the genre to go beyond Durban and let us overseas to really love and appreciate the sound. His skills have managed to enable gqom to participate in the global music scene- this man has produced a track with BEYONCE, attended the Grammys and he is still yet to hit the peak of his career!

It’s not every day that someone refers to you as a king, let alone the king of an entire genre! Do you know the level of talent you have to possess to hold such a title? When you listen to every track produced by DJ LAG, you will understand why he deserves this title! Every day he us proving to is that gqom is still well and truly alive and that as long as he is alive, gqom will forever dominate the SA music scene!

How did you go from dancer to producer?

So before I started making music, I was dancing a lot, but it wasn’t something that I was too serious with, I love music more than dancing. So when I started making music in 2009, that’s when I realised that I had to take it seriously and make a living out of it.

How would you say your family contributed to your career today?

My parents? They didn’t like the idea of me making music, for sure they didn’t, for a LONG TIME. I started deejaying in grade 10, then I remember when I was doing grade 11, I actually failed and then that’s when they decided that I had to stop making music. Then a year passed and I was done with my metric so I asked them “is it okay if I do me now? Is it okay for me to pursue my music and focus on that?” Now they’re so proud of what I’m doing!

What sort of life did you envision for yourself back in 2011 when you started deejaying?

When started I never thought that it would turn into something like this, I just thought I’d be touring around SA mostly and then 2016, my whole life changed. Never in a million years, did I think that I’d be working with Beyonce, attending the Grammys, being titled the king of gqom.

View this post on Instagram

It was around this time last year that we released ‘Anywhere We Go’. It was a new experience for me and @shekhinah but I think we both took a lot from the experience and it was really amazing to work together. The track grew in ways we could have never expected getting licenced by @atlanticrecords ' imprint @parametric, was then remixed by @redfielddj and also got a lot of radio play and streams from around the world. Big thank you to @adidasza, @andpeople and @blackmajor for bringing it all together.

A post shared by DJ LAG (@realdjlag) on May 7, 2020 at 9:39am PDT

How did you go from producing hip-pop to gqom, what made you transition?

I started doing it for my cousin, he was a rapper and he’s the one who got me the software – apple studio. I was just making beats for him and then from there, I realised that I liked dance music more than Hip- Hop and that’s how I got into gqom.

What sets gqom apart from the other music genres, why is it so special?

Well, I can say because it’s easier to dance to because I remember when I played my first show outside of Durban, in Cape Town and it was my first time playing gqom to a white crowd and everyone just went crazy. From that moment I just knew that overseas they’ll go crazy for me and for gqom!

What would you say to those that believe gqom is dead and that amapiano is now taking over?

I wouldn’t say gqom is dead. I would just say amapiano is just doing really good and we need to come up with a new style of gqom to maybe be matched with amapiano because right now everyone can admit that amapiano are killing it. Maybe when I drop my album we’ll see a difference, even distruction boyz are working on something new so maybe when we start releasing more music, we’ll start to see a shift.

View this post on Instagram

Music’s biggest night was officially everything I expected and much more. We didn’t get the award but we are winners. Feels good, we will do it again and now we paaaarty!

A post shared by DJ LAG (@realdjlag) on Jan 26, 2020 at 8:49pm PST

How did the collab with Beyonce on the lion king come about and how did it feel to attend the Grammys.

Do you remember when Beyonce came for the global citizen in 2018, she performed with my track – trip to new york. Then the next day, one of the guy’s phoned. I don’t even know how he got my number but he told me that he’s coming down to Durban and that he wants to work with me because Beyonce is releasing a new album and she wants some beats, so I gave them the beats. They kept quiet for like 4 months, I didn’t know what was going on or whether I’d even hear back from them.

It wasn’t until I was on tour in June to America that I heard back from them, they called me to come over to LA for a week and then when I was at the studio. That’s when I say this track needs Moonchild, Busiswa and Tierra, so I added everyone’s voices on the track but in the end, I didn’t actually get to meet Beyonce and THAT same week I met with Diplo and he said he’d love for me to release some music under his label. A lot happened with that whole situation and during that time!

The person working for the Grammys said that they wanted to change the world music category to feature new artists, specifically small ones because before it was mostly choirs and whatever. So they wanted to change everything this year and they told me to try and apply. That’s how that happened. I still haven’t sunk in yet, I can’t believe that all of this has happened to me. I am the first DJ from here in SA to go there. It’s an amazing feeling.

Can you give us any hints on what to expect for your first album, how long have you been working on it and why now?

I just feel like I’ve been releasing EPs for too long now, so I feel like this is the perfect time for me to release my album. It will be out around October, just in time for summer, I have been working on it for the last year and I am really excited. There will be two American features which I can’t quite talk about just yet but there is Sho Madjozi, Heavy K, I’m still working on a track with Okmalumkoolkat but yeah so far that’s what I can say about the album.

What was the inspiration behind your latest EP Uhuru, can you tell us a little more about uthayela?

With gqom, you know what? Last year, I could slightly see that it was slowly dying down so I decided to try bring back the old style of gqom that we were doing and do Uhuru.

But, Uthayela is not a new style of gqom but an old-style, that’s like the first gqoms that we were making before distruction boyz came with their style but that’s the style we were doing back in the day – uthayela. Before gqom was gqom it was uthayela.

What are your plans after COVID19?

I am planning to do something for Clermont, an annual event that I do here in Clermont, it was meant to be now in may but obviously because of COVID 19 it was cancelled.

Over recent years I’ve seen a lot of west Africans claim SA beats and our dances, would you yourself refer to this as cultural appropriation or cultural appreciation?

I don’t know, serious, I don’t even know what to say. I’m not involved *as he laughs*. All I’m going to say is that everyone always wants to claim that they started something great.

Where do you see yourself and gqom in the next 10 years?

I see myself as one of the biggest DJ’s in SA, in the next 5 years for sure!

Listen to his latest EP Uhuru;

The post Dj Lag; The King of Gqom appeared first on CheckoutAfrica.

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[wearenotafraid-blog1]

TIPS TO SUCCESSFUL CROWD FUNDING

17 Useful Tips to Crowd Funding for Creative Projects

1.       Choose the platform which is right for your brand/product.

There are many platforms to choose from so make sure it fits what you are campaigning for.

Ø  Gofundme.com is the biggest of these sites. The perks are you keep all donations and there is no time limitation. It is for personal campaigns and has a worldwide audience.

Ø  Kickstarter.com is for creative endeavours only. It keeps 5% of the total at the end of the campaign.

Ø  FundIt is an Irish initiative for all types of projects. The majority do seem to be creative projects however. They keep 8% of the total collected.

When my band and I carried out a crowd funding campaign, we went for our national platform FundIt. There were a number of reasons for this. Firstly, we could contact them by phone and meet with them face to face if we needed to. Secondly, the platform was known by our peers and some of them had used it themselves for their own projects, as well as, donating to other projects.

2.       Be realistic with your target amount.

If you have a good following try and gage the amount they can give. If they are mostly students for instance, it is likely that they will only be able to donate small amounts. No minimum for pledges is a good way to solve this.

As a band we thought €1000 to start with but when we looked at our fan base we had a variety of people following us. One of our members is just out of college so we knew it would be harder for him to get people to make high donations. Another member had connections to a number of communities which we knew would have more surplus cash. In the end we aimed for €1500 and managed to reach over €1700. 

3.       Do not underestimate your family in this campaign.

Your family are the ones who have listened to you for years and supported your actions. Remember doing sponsored walks? Who was it that filled up your sponsorship card?

My own mother canvassed people she worked with, my aunts and uncles, local people from the village I am from and she shared the link to her social media page endlessly. I would say she got over a third of the final amount fundraised. It was the same with other members. Family were key in this campaign.

4.       Start reaching out to people a few weeks before you launch the campaign.

A simple email or a social media post will do but make sure people know this is about to happen. You do not want to overdo it though as people may get irritated if you are overly pushy at the beginning.

5.       Work with and correspond to the crowd funding platform you chose.

One would think that once you open your account the campaign is live. This is not always the case. The initial process is adding your description, your pledge amounts and your links. Once you have these written up, the platform contacts you with any information that would help you make your profile more investible. They literally proof read everything and if they feel that you need to change something they contact you. I would advise everyone to keep the communication line open as they do this every day and if they do not know how to have a successful campaign, we are all in trouble!! Once your chosen platform is happy with how you present your information, they will ask you if you are happy. When both parties feel it is ready to go, the campaign is set to go live. This process can take as long as you want it to take. If you do not correspond efficiently and listen to what they have to say, your campaign will be delayed.

It took me a few days to catch on to this when I set out on behalf of the band to publish our campaign. Once I got use to how it worked and I worked with them, the campaign was live and moving in a great direction.

6.       Make your description professional, precise and personal all at once.

Remember that funders are usually individuals like you or me. As people we get moved by people so add a sense of you to this campaign.

Ø  Start with who you are and what you have done to date.

Ø  Next; add what the campaign is for. Talk a little about the project and what will be achieved when the project is complete

Ø  Talk about what you have done to date to fund your other projects similar to this one.

Ø  State the amount you are looking for and let people know where the money will go if you reach your target. E.g. Studio time €1000 ; Marketing €300.

Ø  Add a little about your challenges to date and why you have not been able to get the money yourself. Keep this light.

Ø  Thank people for reading your description. Even thank people in advance for donating.

7.       Create pledges that meet the needs of your fan base.

If your project is for a new EP, the people funding will obviously be in to music. So, give them music. Give them tickets to your next gig. Give them access to smaller more personal gigs.

8.       Use social media in the most powerful ways.

Social media is what you will use as your market tool. Here you will advertise the link to the campaign. Use all mediums to engage with the audience. It is important to remember that people all learn differently. For some of us a picture really does paint a thousand words. For others, a written synopsis works better. When engaging with people on a whole, give them all mediums. From written posts, to photographs, to videos, use all the free tools you have.  

9.       Your engagement shows your commitment.

People will share, like and comment. Follow up on every post and engage with those people who have taken time out of there life to help you.

10.   Word of mouth in the literal form is crucial.

Some people are simply not computer or internet savvy. Others do not trust using their debit/credit card details online. In most campaigns, a proportion of people will hand you hard cash to put towards the campaign. Talk to people, let them know they can give you cash (I would keep this to family and close friends however as it could get messy).

As a band we found a few people gave us cash and it was an important element to the end of the campaign especially. Aunts or uncles, even friends, who had not got around to making a donation gave us cash nearing the end of the campaign and in many ways these contributions helped us get over the finish line.

11.   Open a donators account on behalf of cash donations.

Having an account for cash donations is a must. One person should look after it and log all the donations on a Facebook message or something similar.

We just set up different accounts for cash investments but it would be advised to have just one so there is no confusion.

12.   Share the process with people

People fund people at the end of the day. Share the process with them. If it is an EP you are fundraising for take photos of you practicing or writing a song. Send out posts with lyrics to your new songs. Take a live video of you performing a snip it of one of the new tracks on the EP. Even in case of cash donations, if the donator is happy to take a selfie with you while they give you the cash, this can be a nice way to add a personal element to the campaign. Also if it is possible, thank people as they donate to your campaign. You will not always have access to people’s details but if you do and you are friends with them on social media, personally thank them.

Half way through our campaign I made a quick video thanking people who had funded us to date. I simply wrote names on a chalk board, filmed it and used one of our songs for the backing track.

13.   Do what you can to fund money as a group.                                                                                                        

If it is a band you are in, go busking, get paid gigs, rent out your equipment. All contributions can push your campaign.

14.   Do not make the mistake that far too many people make.

Once your campaign begins, get all members to put a little bit of their own personal money aside each week. If for instance you do not meet your target, I would advise that you use your own money to top it up. I know people who have aimed for €1000 but only €800 had been donated. Some platforms say you need to reach your target to get the cash. If you are out €200, you lose that €800, so add personal money. Campaigns take a lot of energy and if people have expected to fund something and then they don’t have to, it will be very hard to get them to fund you again.

15.   Use a count-down system on close.

A count down to the finish line is a great idea. It gives people time to gather there pennies together if they do want to fund you. Simple ideas work best. Paint 10 days left on your back, carve it in sand, or fly 10 balloons. (The picture below was for the final day. I found a stone shaped like the number 1 - it worked perfect)

16.   On close, thank everyone.

On close, engage with people the same way you have throughout the campaign. Sharing your appreciation is really important. Let people know what it means to you to have got your target. Tell them what their contribution means to you.

17.   Remember you now have a mailing list.

The people who have funded you want to know what you are doing. Use the campaign as a way to build a mailing list. This gives you access to people at a great level. Engage. Engage. Engage.

 I hope this was helpful. Let us know how you get on at wearenotafraidcreate@gmail.com.

[edmtranslations]

Block.fm - Brodinski Interview [Text Version]

(This is a text version of the full PDF-based translation that I have done, for mobile readers and non-PDF suited environments. Please enjoy!)

Brodinski Interview: Celebrating the Release of Bromance

[Text: Takeru John Otoguro]

Bromance is the freshest label out there at the moment. No one's going to contest that, right?

Brodinski has been involved in all sorts of things worldwide, including producing for Kanye West, or accompanying Skrillex on his tour. His own label, Bromance, has recently put out a compilation album (including an exclusive track); in the midst of his roaming the world in celebration of this new release, we were able to land a special interview with the man himself, as seen below.

1. Would you be able to tell us why you established Bromance Records?

Brodinski: At some point, I thought that I wanted to release the kind of music I liked on my own label. I wanted to broaden the scope as much as possible and show my affection for the kind of music I like, as well as the music that I'd like to play at clubs; that's one of the reasons. The idea of running my own crew also contributed to it, I think.

2. You're already releasing various unique sounds from all kinds of genres (via Bromance Records). If there is an underlying concept in the label, we'd love to hear it!

Brodinski: The concept is very simple. Release the kind of music you like, and never mind the specifics of genre! Focus purely on whether the music is good!

3. Where did the label name 'Brodinski' come from?

Brodinski: I mean, I was inspired to use the name 'Bromance Records' by following up on 'Brodinski'. (Laughter) But that's not to say that there isn't another meaning; 'Bromance' encapsulates in one word the relationships between everyone in this label. We're all good friends and tour together, no matter where we are in the world. The most perfect name, if I say so myself!

4. Artists from places other than France, such as the USA and Canada, are signing onto your label. Where did you get to know them?

Brodinski: All thanks to the internet. And as I said, we roam the whole world - sometimes we meet up by coincidence somewhere, and we did actually all become friends that way. Right now LOUISAHHH! lives in Paris, working not too far away from us. As for our artists who are abroad - PIPES is one, ILLANGELO is another. Who knows, we might have a lot more international artists before long!

5. As a DJ and producer, who were your influences?

Brodinski: There are so many. Especially DJs, I think. Ivan Smagghe, Damian Lazarus, Erol Alkan, TIGA, Boys Noize, Yuksek, DJ Mehdi, 2 Many DJs... you might forget for a while, but no matter how many years come in between, they're all DJs who know how to make you feel refreshed and anew. I still consider myself a DJ, and at the same time, I'm undertaking work on my album as a producer, too.

6. What do you think is the best track of 2013?

Brodinski: The top three tracks of 2013 are!

<James Blake - Retrograde>

<Future feat. Rocko - The Chosen One>

<SCNTST - Percee Scan>

7. Last year, for Kanye West's album Yeezus, you were involved alongside Daft Punk and Gesaffelstein. What was the process by which you became involved?

Brodinski: Kanye West dropped us a line first in my management office, that was the cause. Around the same time, the work on the album was confirmed. It was a fantastic experience and I'm very proud of it! Working with [Kanye] was excellent, truly something special. It was an amazing opportunity, I learnt a lot from it.

<Kanye West (ft. Brodinski, Daft Punk, and Gesaffelstein) - Black Skinhead>

<Kanye West (ft. Brodinski, Daft Punk, and Gesaffelstein) - Send It Up>

8. Please tell us about your plans for the future.

Brodinski: At the moment I'm preparing for the big tour in Australia, as well as the tour in Japan. The latter I'm planning to go to with Sam Tiba, complete with the promo for the Japan-only Bromance compilation CD. After Japan, there's the Winter Music Conference in Miami; from early April to June we're planning on a large tour across Europe and America. And there's a really cool EP coming up, too! And afterwards, there's the Maelstrom & LOUISAHHH! project, Sam Tiba's new EP, the upcoming work from ILLANGELO... all of that's due, and more.

9. Finally, a message for the Japanese fans, please!

Brodinski: I was really happy to be able to come to Japan again. I'm really looking forward DJ-ing here!

Now Available: the much-praised compliation album, Bromance, from Bromance Records. Details: http://www.rambling.ne.jp/label_detail05.html

The wording of the translation is © 2017 luminatranslations. First posted 27 March 2017. The full PDF version and documentation are available.

Disclaimer: The original text of this interview, given by Brodinski in 2013 and currently available on Block.fm, is not copyrighted by this blog nor by the author of this post. Therefore, the original Japanese text will not be distributed here. The author claims ownership of the wording of this translation, which does not deny nor seek to possess the existence of other translations. This translation may be subject to changes in the future.