+1

Thank you everyone for your support and for everything that you’ve given to us,

Without you all, there wouldn’t be the EXO today.
I’m not too sure what I should say,
Maybe everything is within the 4 words “I love you all”.
We were really happy during the fansign, you have to come often~ ^^

source; exom’s site
trans cr; xuan@exom-trans

@темы: Member: TAO, Subgroup: EXO-M, # website updates

@темы: Subgroup: EXO-K, Subgroup: EXO-M, # weibo updates, SHINEXO

@темы: Subgroup: EXO-K, Subgroup: EXO-M, Korea: download TV performance, MBC Music Core, XOXO 2nd win

* с английскими субтитрами.

Kris & Chanyeol

photo

@темы: Korea: online photo, Subgroup: EXO-K, Subgroup: EXO-M, # line updates

"Спасибо за такой огромный приз. Спасибо всем артистам SMTown, всем сотрудникам, участникам EXO и нашим родителям. И спасибо вам, фанаты EXO. Нашему директору и нашим старшим коллегам, которые помогали EXO, одногруппникам и менеджерам, нашему директору и нашим фанатам, и родителям тоже...Я ВАС ОЧЕНЬ ЛЮБЛЮ!"

(с)

@темы: Korea: online video, Subgroup: EXO-K, Subgroup: EXO-M, XOXO 1st win

@темы: Subgroup: EXO-K, Subgroup: EXO-M, # weibo updates, XOXO 1st win

@llama_ajol: EXO 역시!!~~ 일위 축하해!!

Trans: Of course EXO!!~~ Congrats on first place!!

@темы: Subgroup: EXO-K, Subgroup: EXO-M, # twitter updates, XOXO 1st win

+8

@темы: Korea: online photo, Subgroup: EXO-K, Subgroup: EXO-M

Meet Will Simms, producer du jour, most recently the composer and producer behind the much-talked about “Wolf” from the much-talked about when-are-they-coming-back? group Exo.

Simms, hailing from the south of France and currently based out of London, is signed with Universal Music Publishing Group and made his own SM Entertainment debut with Shinee’s track “Ready or Not,” which was later remade by Michael Mind Project, featuring Sean Kingston.

He has gone on to produce Trax’s “Oh! My Goddess,” as well as contributing to DBSK’s “Keep Your Head Down” album with “Our Game.” Oh, and Simms is also the producer behind that one little SNSD track called “I Got a Boy.”

We recently had a chance to chat with Simms about producing for Exo, how the composition for “Wolf” began, what he did with SNSD’s “I Got a Boy,” and the differences between the European music market and the K-pop market.

Seoulbeats (SB): So tell me about Exo’s “Wolf.” It’s getting a pretty large reaction, both from casual listeners and diehard fans.

читать дальше
Will Simms (WS): I wrote that song in Seoul. I went to Korea and we had a writing session where a few people from Europe worked with SM’s writers directly. We worked with Kenzie from SM and Nermin from Dsign Music. I kind of got the beat together, then we were trying to throw around some melodies. We had a few things, but we didn’t have a hook yet; we didn’t have anything that could catch the ear. So we got a little tired and frustrated, and then Nermin, out of nowhere, just laughed and as a joke said, “How about ‘Do the wolf, do the wolf! Awoooo!’?”

So I looked at him for a second, and then I said, “Hold on a second, this is actually a great idea. Why not?” It’s about having fun and we needed that fun element in the track, because at that point, the track was kind of hard, kind of serious. How were we going to do the fun thing with it to engage people? That was the perfect idea so we put it down straight away.

Then we played it to somebody from SM, and they loved it. We made a couple of changes and when we finished the song, we had a listening party and we played “The Wolf.” SM’s staff went crazy that night. They were like, “This is perfect!” We cut the song, and there you go, now it’s Exo’s single.

SB: Where did the inspiration for the song come from? It’s a pretty crazy song, there are a lot of elements, a lot of tonal changes, and a lot of attitude.

WS: Honestly, it just came. It wasn’t a thinking process, it just happened. We knew we were writing for SM and we knew we were writing for the K-pop market more specifically, which is like, “Let’s go crazy, let’s just go and see what happens.”

SB: So why the wolf?

WS: Why not? (laughs) The wolf is a powerful creature. I’m sure a lot of people would like to be wolves if they could become animals. It evokes a lot of things in people because it’s such a strong animal.

SB: How long was the entire process of making this song?

WS: From having the first demo finished to putting the final touches on the track, it took the best part of about four months.

SB: Wow, a lot of work went into making this song.

WS: Absolutely. That’s what SM does, and I think they’re really amazing for that. When they believe in something, when they believe in a song, they really, really spend time to make sure they’re going to get it right. They don’t just record it and think, “That’s it.” They’ll record it, listen to it, analyze it, and then they’ll be like, “This could be better. We could change this. We could do it in a different key, so that we could get the most and the best out of the song.”

SB: Have you gotten a chance to watch the music video and the performances?

WS: I love it all. That’s one of my favorite things, is waiting for the video to see the style of the visuals, the choreography, everything. It’s always great fun.

SB: Do you think the visual performance of the song was a proper interpretation of the song as you wanted it?

SB: Do you think the visual performance of the song was a proper interpretation of the song as you wanted it?

WS: It is! The choreography, the looks on their faces, the colors in the video…it’s all really good. I think there could have been a little bit more wolves in it (laughs), a little bit more wildness, but for what they wanted to do — which was to show the boys perform — I think they did a great job.

20130107_seoulbeats_snsd_taeyeonSB: Let’s talk about SNSD’s “I Got A Boy” now. There’s crazy structure in the song, and it got a lot of people talking about it. Tell me about how that came to be.

WS: That was a funny one. That was done in Sweden. One night I started playing with a little idea for a beat and I didn’t think much of it. The next day, I was working with some other folks, and I just played it to them, and they were excited about it. We had the whole first part, the bit before the “Let me put it down another way,” and we had the whole rap part. The intro of the song right now as it is was originally the outro. We only had the beat for the second verse. We wrote the whole first verse, and we spent a couple of hours on it. Then we listened to it and said, “This is not good enough.

The beat is really strong, but let’s put it the bin and start another verse again. Then it all fell into place. I said, “What do we do now? Let’s do something crazy, let’s try to change the tempo, and do something completely random.” That’s when the “I got a boy 멋진! I got a boy 착한!” verse came up. And that was it! It just went on from that.

SB: The flow of the song, from verse to verse, it almost plays with the listener’s ear, doesn’t it?

WS: Absolutely. Because usually, you can try to do that with the sound and it can come out very disjointed, but for some reason, this didn’t sound disjointed in a way where you didn’t want to listen to it. The disjointedness in this is almost asking you to listen to it.

SB: Did SM pick up this song immediately?

WS: SM picked it up immediately. At first there were talks of this song going to an American artist, with a feature from Missy Elliott, but then SM heard it and they wanted it straight away for SNSD.

Once we had all the parts, we sent the track over to Korea for SM’s producers. They added a couple of things, like the bass, and they arranged it in a slightly different way. Originally it was just three parts: it was the start of the verse, the fast part, and the part I call the “Missy Elliott part” [which begins with the “Ayo, GG!”]. They rearranged it in Korea to be what you hear it as now.

SB: When you work with these companies, do you feel like there is something they’re looking for in terms of crafting a strong hook or a repetitive chorus that makes K-pop, for the lack of a better phrase, K-pop?

WS: I do. They’re quite specific when they ask for hooks. They say, “We want a hook that’s a little bit rap-y,” or “We want a hook that’s chant-y,” or “a hook that’s really melodic.” In any kind of music that you do, you have to aim for the strongest hook that you can, but what’s good with K-pop especially is that the songs can almost only have hooks. The verse can be a hook, and then the pre-chorus can be a hook, and then you can have the chorus that’s the hook as well!

SB: I know you’ve produced a lot of music for the European market as well. Compared to your experiences making music for the K-pop market, do you think the “hook” culture is something that you feel the European market also demands? Or something that’s very specific to K-pop?

WS: I think this is something a little bit more specific to K-pop. In the European market, you can get away with that if you’re making dance music, but people there do tend to be a lot more song-based. You have to hear a verse, then you have to hear a pre-chorus, then you get the chorus, you know? It’s a slower build-up. The songs are crafted in a different way.

With K-pop, it’s much more, “Whatever goes.” You can be really creative. For a producer or a songwriter, you can just really let go. You don’t have to think about structure too much. You can try to invent something new. Every producer would like to come up with a sound that’s not been done before, and I think K-pop allows for that to be experimented with.

SB: Are there overlaps between the markets? A lot of people say that SM’s music, for example, would do really well in Europe.

WS: I think K-pop could work anywhere. People are starting to hear about it because it’s fun, and people want to be involved in it. I know there are a lot of K-pop nights in Europe, and people want to go to these things. Music is all about letting go and going crazy.

SB: I assume you’ve listened to a lot of K-pop music now that you’ve started producing for the market. Don’t you think that some of the K-pop music you’ve been hearing might be a little too sweet for the American or European markets?

WS: Definitely, but that’s just one aspect of it. Just like in Europe or America, some of the stuff there is too sweet to cross over to other territories. In every market, there are things that are too sweet, things that are too hard, so not everything is going to cross over. But the songs that have that little extra factor to them, that will sound new to people will cross over.

SB: So can we expect to hear anything else with you this year?

WS: Absolutely, it looks like I’m going to have a couple more songs come out this year for some girl groups, and I’m doing more work with SM too.

SB: Spill the beans! Come on, you know you want to tell us more.

WS: I can’t say anything more than that! I have to keep you guys guessing. That’s the name of the game.

source

@темы: # interview, # misc, # information

SM Idol EXO “When we see Girls Generation seniors, our hearts flutter”

12 member boy group EXO (EXO, Kai · Luhan · Tao · Chen · Sehun · Lay · Xiumin · Baekhyun · D.O · Suho · Kris · Chanyeol) was one of the few rookie ‘survivors’ from last year’s music world. Out of the fifty rookie boy idols that came out last year, the ones that released a new album this year can be counted with five fingers. It is the same as breaking through a low survival rate of 1/10. They didn’t just succeed in simply surviving. They got the judgement of perfectly incarnating SMP (SM Performance) by representing singers that are thick with strong performance and sociality. They swept the rookie awards at end of the year · beginning of the year music awards as the successors of SM idols after Dongbangshingi · Super Junior.

Split into EXO-K, which is composed of all Korean members, and EXO-M, which is composed of selected Chinese members, the plan to attack the Korean·Chinese industry simultaneously is judged to be a high success factor. They were able to rise as a group that the Asian industry focuses on because they became an issue simultaneously in the Asian music industry’s center, Korea and China.

EXO K and M, whom are dreaming of a one step higher jump, have started activities as a whole with both teams tied together. In the new album ‘XOXO,’ their potential, remaining intact, was revealed. In just one week after release, record sales broke through 120,000 albums. In the title song, ‘Wolf and Beauty,’ the performance is as if seeing a musical climax and with the expressiveness, it is gaining the judgement of opening a new chapter of idol performances. We met with EXO, the leading roles of the future of Hallyu that is gaining more anticipation for next year than this year.

читать дальше
-It is 2 years in your debut. Do you feel your popularity.

“My parents or my friends often say ‘You guys have popularity now.’ The public that sings along to our songs also has increased. The record sales was also really good, and although it was only for a short time, we got first place on the music charts too. Now, even if they don’t know our individual members, I’m happy that there are more people that recognize our team.” (Suho)

“They said that it’s to the degree that even if our fans come to the public broadcasts, there aren’t enough seats so they cannot enter. Because we are sorry, after the broadcast we have a mini fan meeting, and now around 700 people come. If you compare it to when we debuted, it has increased a lot. There were fans that came wearing hanbok (t/n: traditional Korean clothes), and I also saw fans that came wearing wolf pajamas. I become extremely grateful when they pay attention to us like that.” (Chanyeol)

-After debuting last year, it took one year until the next promotions.

“We invested a lot of time in album recording and performance production in order to make an even better album. During that time, it felt as if we had become trainees all over again. Maybe it’s because of that, but it feels like we newly debuted.” (D.O)

-The choreography of ‘Wolf and Beauty’ is becoming a hot topic. What thoughts did you get after seeing the choreography gestures for the first time.

“It’s artistic. The dramatic choreography was extremely impressive. It seemed as if each gesture was alive. It was hard to express in detail from the wolf’s mouth to the wolf’s ears. It took some time to perfect if because the composition is diverse and the level of difficulty was high. Every time the choreographer got an idea the choreography would change and we would get in trouble because we got confused.” (Baekhyun)

“I was sorry to the members because I wasn’t able to learn the choreography in the beginning together due to an injury. An object of admiration, world famous choreographer Tony Testra came, but because I couldn’t dance together it was extremely hard.” (Kai)

-Already 120,000 albums of the new album have been sold. What do you think is the driving force.

“I think EXO promoting widely, separate as K and M, had a good affect. We gained a good reaction from foreign fans through the 100 day of promotions before debut. Not only the Korean fans, but I think the foreign fans are influencing in the sales.” (Sehun)

-Now EXO is promoting together as whole. Some strengths.

“We have the most members out of all the groups that are promoting now. Because we’re moving with twelve members, wherever we go, we stick out. If we add the staff, we’re a large troop of thirty people. We also travel with two vehicles. Because we have so many members, should I say it seems like we have something. I feel confident and find self confidence. We can also compose performances more diversely. We can give off the feeling of firmness and splendor.” (Suho)

“Because we spend time as twelve members, when we exercise we split off into partners well and we can enjoy any sports. We especially go bike riding on the terrace land on the Han river a lot. Because we have a total of three, we have to ride it in a rotation.” (Chanyeol)

“There are a lot of fun happenings. The two women that helped with things in the separate K and M dorms have also joined the household deeds. They seemed to have gotten extremely close now.” (Baekhyun)

-Are there any uncomfortable aspects.

“It is when we shower. Because there are only two restrooms in the dorms, 2~3 members have to shower all together. We have an order of first come first serve, but it has gotten to the point where when we arrive at the dorm parking lot, we don’t wait for the elevator but run up the stairs. Of course we go straight to the showers.” (Chanyeol)

-Because there is a lot of members, I think there will be a lot of trivial fun.

“We have bets a lot amongst the members. Our existence is nearly a bet. When we move with vehicles, we play rock paper scissors to arrange the seats. Because the way back seat and middle seat are uncomfortable, they are the least popular.” (D.O)

“It is also quite fun when ordering late-night snacks. Because we have a lot of members, we have to order around five chickens, for pizza four of them, in order for us to be full.” (D.O)

-Are there any difficulties for the Chinese members living in Korea.

“It was hard learning Korea’s etiquette. Because in China there are no honorifics, I wasn’t used to it. You also had to greet your seniors well. In China we don’t greet by bowing our heads, but in Korea, even if you just lock eyes, you had to greet them.” (Kris)

-How is it after living one year as an idol.

“There is no freedom. However, because we receive a lot of people’s love, I think it’s an aspect that we have to endure. There is also the pressure of becoming a public figure and having to show an example. Compared to others our age, we are living a more exemplary lifestyle.” (Suho)

“Becoming someone’s object of admiration is a thing that makes one really happy. Although we all fulfilled the dream of a singer, I also learned the truth that there is nothing in this world that is easy.” (Baekhyun)

-Have your hearts ever fluttered after seeing company seniors Girls Generation.

“Of course our hearts flutters the same. It’s nearly as if being in a fan’s perspective. When seeing them on the stage, our hearts flutter, when seeing them outside, our heart flutter too.” (Baekhyun)

“I liked them ever since I was a trainee. Especially, I like the song ‘Oh,’ and when they sang that at their recent concert, I screamed as well. Because I was screaming so crazily, the fans looked at me as if saying ‘What is he.’ Haha.” (Chanyeol)

-You achieved the goal from yours debut days of winning the rookie award. What is the next goal.

“We want to win first place on a music ranking program. We want to have our own concert. We are the best in Korea for team work. Even in the future, I want our team members to unite. I wish we can continue by loving one another, being considerate to one another, and being healthy.” (Suho)

source: Ilgan Sports
translation cr; nahbit @ exok-trans

@темы: # interview, Subgroup: EXO-K, Subgroup: EXO-M, Korea: news & schedule