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interstellar902102016-03-05 04:31 pm
mildwildchild) wrote in interstellar902102016-03-05 04:31 pm
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POP WEEKLY INSIDER
Is Friday's bassist 'Stepping to another label?
Is a rising Virgo Entertainment star bound for rival label Pride Records? Insider sources say it's not unlikely.
Ryouta Kise, bassist for Virgo pop band Surviving Friday, may be tapped to fill a void for Pride Records' boy band Flashstep.
Representatives for the two bands have denied any possibility of such a shake-up, but industry analysts say it's not as unlikely as it seems.
"The consumer demographic for both bands shares quite a bit of overlap," says Mark Pfeffer of Pacific Data Research. "Surviving Friday's demo skews a little older and a little more male, but they and Flashstep both have enormous popularity with tween and teen girls. A good-looking young guy like Ryouta would fit right in with Flashstep."
The recent departure of Flashstep vocalist Yosuke Hanamura has left an opening in the band that Kise could very well fill.
"Five has traditionally been the magic number with acts like Flashstep," says Jing-Mei Liang, professor of Music Marketing at UC Vista City. "Some boy bands grow and mature with the loss of a member, but for others it's the kiss of death. Compare the explosion in popularity of Heart&Soul back in the 2030's when Dan Whitmore left to focus on his acting career with the way 4everMORE crashed and burned after they let go of Jake Woods in 2021.
"Ryouta seems like he would be a really good fit in Flashstep for a lot of reasons. He's cute, he can sing, he's in the right age range, there's evidence that he's already a pretty good dancer and has a lot of rapport with the remaining members of Flashstep."
Photos have appeared on social media sites of Kise dancing, roughhousing and spending down time with current Flashstep vocalists Maxxie Oliver, Bevin Brantley, Sora and Jamie Hemeros.
But there's also photo evidence of Kise's relationship with Xanxus, bassist for Pride's punk act Junkyard Carnival.
"On the one hand, a lot of parents might not want their kids looking up to someone who'd associate with a figure like Xanxus," says Pfeffer, referencing the punk bassist's controversial public behavior. "On the other hand, it doesn't seem to have hurt Surviving Friday's sales in the slightest."
Liang agrees that Kise's romantic liaisons would probably be irrelevant to his ability to fit in with Flashstep.
"Honestly, the biggest problem he'd have facing him in this situation would be his height. You want to have a pretty even size range in groups like this where appearance is as important as performance, and he towers over everyone else.
"It doesn't look real good when one member of your group can literally lift another one above his head like Quasimodo on the Notre Dame Cathedral," she adds with a laugh.
Is a rising Virgo Entertainment star bound for rival label Pride Records? Insider sources say it's not unlikely.
Ryouta Kise, bassist for Virgo pop band Surviving Friday, may be tapped to fill a void for Pride Records' boy band Flashstep.
Representatives for the two bands have denied any possibility of such a shake-up, but industry analysts say it's not as unlikely as it seems.
"The consumer demographic for both bands shares quite a bit of overlap," says Mark Pfeffer of Pacific Data Research. "Surviving Friday's demo skews a little older and a little more male, but they and Flashstep both have enormous popularity with tween and teen girls. A good-looking young guy like Ryouta would fit right in with Flashstep."
The recent departure of Flashstep vocalist Yosuke Hanamura has left an opening in the band that Kise could very well fill.
"Five has traditionally been the magic number with acts like Flashstep," says Jing-Mei Liang, professor of Music Marketing at UC Vista City. "Some boy bands grow and mature with the loss of a member, but for others it's the kiss of death. Compare the explosion in popularity of Heart&Soul back in the 2030's when Dan Whitmore left to focus on his acting career with the way 4everMORE crashed and burned after they let go of Jake Woods in 2021.
"Ryouta seems like he would be a really good fit in Flashstep for a lot of reasons. He's cute, he can sing, he's in the right age range, there's evidence that he's already a pretty good dancer and has a lot of rapport with the remaining members of Flashstep."
Photos have appeared on social media sites of Kise dancing, roughhousing and spending down time with current Flashstep vocalists Maxxie Oliver, Bevin Brantley, Sora and Jamie Hemeros.
But there's also photo evidence of Kise's relationship with Xanxus, bassist for Pride's punk act Junkyard Carnival.
"On the one hand, a lot of parents might not want their kids looking up to someone who'd associate with a figure like Xanxus," says Pfeffer, referencing the punk bassist's controversial public behavior. "On the other hand, it doesn't seem to have hurt Surviving Friday's sales in the slightest."
Liang agrees that Kise's romantic liaisons would probably be irrelevant to his ability to fit in with Flashstep.
"Honestly, the biggest problem he'd have facing him in this situation would be his height. You want to have a pretty even size range in groups like this where appearance is as important as performance, and he towers over everyone else.
"It doesn't look real good when one member of your group can literally lift another one above his head like Quasimodo on the Notre Dame Cathedral," she adds with a laugh.