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All of the sudden, a query being requested in Hong Kong is: What has gone flawed for Mirror?
The 12-member band shot to stardom in 2018 by means of ViuTV’s reality-TV expertise programme Good Evening Present – King Maker, attracting a military of loyal followers of all ages and walks of life.
Now there are considerations that the times of followers queuing up for hours for tickets could also be over and its worldwide ambitions won’t take off.
Out of 9 public appearances by the band since final October, when it launched the ballad “We All Are”, the Publish discovered that each one members confirmed up on the similar occasion solely as soon as.
Lacking members had been both sick or occupied with different work, a pointy distinction with their first two years, when the entire group turned up more often than not.
Most members additionally endorsed fewer manufacturers on their Instagram accounts between final October and January, in contrast with the 4 months earlier than the accident.
The 2 hottest members, Keung To and Anson Lo Hon-ting, noticed their endorsements shrink from 16 to about six.
Competitors is heating up too, not solely from newcomers within the metropolis but additionally the return of live shows by international acts such Korean woman group Blackpink and Irish pop band Westlife.
Mirror’s newest look was at an occasion final Saturday to launch a world marketing campaign by pharmacy chain Watsons. Keung, 23, was absent when the group carried out the promoting single “Go Inexperienced” for the primary time.
That left freelance editor Mavis Tse*, nearly 30, feeling dismayed. A fan since 2020, she mentioned she was disenchanted with the band’s current lack of “sincerity”.
“Their solely group track this yr was an promoting track. I really feel they’ve grow to be an ad-driven boy band and hardly do something collectively with no paymaster,” she mentioned.
The Publish reached out to Mirror’s administration firm, MakerVille, on its technique for the band and future plans, however didn’t obtain a reply.
Time to get its act collectively
Critics mentioned the group needed to get its act collectively to thrive amid elevated competitors in a reopened world.
All was not misplaced, they added, as Mirror bagged a number of prizes within the year-end music awards final yr.
However they warned that the band needed to work more durable to supply followers at residence and abroad recent and different performances and never look like centered solely on touchdown commercial offers.
Rudi Leung Chi-sing, director of promoting company Hungry Digital and a music critic for greater than 30 years, mentioned Mirror now confronted a extra diversified market with different celebrities rising as industrial darlings.
One such instance is singer Michael Cheung Tin-fu, 26, often known as MC, who made his debut on the Hong Kong Coliseum, town’s high live performance venue, after becoming a member of a label two years in the past.
“The boy band’s market share may be diluted with extra options on endorsement … however massive manufacturers is not going to simply surrender on them as they assure hit charges,” Leung mentioned.
He additionally mentioned advertisers would proceed to characteristic native stars to draw Hongkongers, as town nonetheless wanted time to deliver again vacationers.
However he agreed that Mirror couldn’t solely depend on commercials to maintain their fame, particularly if it hoped to go worldwide, a goal MakerVille introduced final April.
Leung mentioned the band must launch songs in English and seem in additional TV programmes and movies that mixed native and worldwide components to compete with the leisure business in South Korea and Thailand, which each exported loads of dramas.
“The content material has to have the ability to cross the border, however I can’t see that from the band in the mean time. Going worldwide wants songs and visuals, sources and dedication.”
Leung mentioned Mirror risked shedding its native fan base if it went for the profitable mainland Chinese language market, given the previous expertise of different artists.
Many younger native followers have proven their disapproval of singers they felt had been chasing the large mainland marketplace for fame and revenue, comparable to Mike Tsang Pei-tak, who carried out in some actuality singing reveals there final yr.
Mirror has confronted growing criticism of the standard of its performances, particularly after being caught singing out of tune and dancing out of sync.
Its finest recognized member Keung, 23, who as soon as vowed to grow to be Asia’s subsequent high singer, was extensively panned on-line for his solo look at a music awards ceremony.
Web customers had been brutal in attacking his efficiency of the hit single “Spiegel im Spiegel”, when he flapped his arms and jumped right down to the group crying out: “All people soar!”
Carrie Lui*, in her 20s and as soon as proud to be a fan, has given up. She offered a lot of the Mirror merchandise she amassed over the previous two years, together with magazines, posters and dolls of her favorite boy bands.
“As a fangirl, I search for high quality performances, not laid-back dance strikes and out-of-tune songs,” she mentioned. “Falling for them doesn’t imply that I’ll tolerate every part.”
Li Mei-ting, a cultural research lecturer at Chinese language College, mentioned administration firm MakerVille needed to handle Mirror’s lack of a robust, defining id for the band to flourish.
“Mirror’s picture is palatable throughout all ages, however audiences could not have the ability to see who they really are,” she mentioned.
“I need to know what’s their hyperlink to the local people? Their earlier hit single ‘Warrior’ carried the message that they’re a brand new, rising era, however that picture hasn’t been sustained.”
She additionally cautioned that the group’s profession couldn’t develop by counting on commercials.
She mentioned the perceived incompetence of Mirror’s current performances mirrored administration selections greater than the band’s lack of expertise.
She mentioned: “The issue for Mirror is that there isn’t any time for them to even relaxation beneath their schedule, as members jet off to attend the Paris vogue week or movie commercials. How can they’ve time to coach?”
Li mentioned followers who adopted worldwide pop stars couldn’t assist however undertaking requirements achieved by Korean or Japanese teams onto the native boy band.
“We must always ask how our native labels nurture their expertise,” she mentioned. “What sort of stars can we need to produce, and are we keen to make the funding for it?”
* Names modified at interviewees’ request.
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