This week, we're going to talk about rookies The East Light.
Medialine Entertainment just debuted this 5 member boy group/boy band with the song "Holla" on November 2nd, 2016.
Medialine Entertainment hasn't had much success with idol groups in general. They planned to debut a girl group called Viva Girls but couldn't because of financial issues. Their last semi-relevant boy group, N-Train, reached some recognition with their debut "One Last Cry" in 2011, but were eventually out-competed by other groups.
With The East Light, it seems that Medialine Entertainment is giving their all in developing these young boys' talents first. Unlike focusing on dance or choreography too much, the 5 boys have focused more on playing instruments and singing. Vocalists Lee Eun Sung and Jung Sa Kang have showcased their vocal abilities through different song covers on The East Light's main YouTube channel. Guitarist Kim Jun Wook, Bassist Lee Seung Hyun, and Drummer Lee Seok Cheol have also shown their skills with their respective instruments as well as their growth through different practice play videos.
Up until their debut, the boys have participated in music festivals, commercials, and television shows, and have used their YouTube channel to showcase these events in their pre-debut lives. I think using YouTube, and involving the boys in small entertainment roles before their debut, is both smart and necessary for a group/band like The East Light since according to Music Bank, the average age of this group is 15 years old. Young idol debuts are definitely the trend nowadays. Earlier this year, NCT Dream debuted with a young innocent boy concept with their youngest member, Zhou Chen Le, born in 2001. It will be interesting to see if this young boy trend will continue in KPop or reach some sort of limit where child labor laws will have to be re-evaluated.
Overall, The East Light's history before their debut has been one of showcasing their talents and their growth as vocalists and musicians, so I'm honestly a bit taken aback by how their debut with "Holla" makes them look and sound like South Korea's version of the Jonas Brothers. I can't tell if that association will make them more of a pop group than a rock group, or what kind of audience it could appeal to, but we will discuss more of that on Wednesday. For now though, let me know, through Twitter or in the Disqus comments below, what you have heard about The East Light before their debut and what you think about Medialine Entertainment's approach to exposing this new idol group.
