We’ve been training. I’m talking pre-dawn dance practice, all-day singing practice, work-outs in-between, and no rest for the idol.
Yeah, training’s important. But the skills, essential as they are, aren’t main benefit of the training. The magic is in the bonding.
You try dancing all morning, every morning, with the four guys you live with, and you’ll find you end up with four close friends, too.
If I’ve learned anything about boy-bands, it’s that it’s the friendships that make the band.
Fans crave that. They want to watch those candid moments and see some genuine affection. That’s what brings them into the magic circle, and that’s what we’re aiming to do. We want to make people happy. Make them feel like they belong. And the only way to do that is with love, and love can’t be faked.
Vee-Jay wants to make music. Of all the guys, he’s the one who puts his heart and soul into it. He works the hardest. After everyone else has moved into the kitchen for vegan tofu breakfast wraps and hot coffee, he’s still on the dance floor, lost in the song he’s writing, feeling it move through him. This maknae’s gonna be our best dancer yet.
Now Joey, he’s focused on being an idol. It’s not the music, it’s the adoration of the fans that drives him.
“I’ve got the look, right, Tony?”
“You gotta nice, smile, bro. Cool mustache. You got the swag. But you could use more definition.”
“Hey, man. I am definition. I am the definition of swag!”
“Not the kind of definition I mean, Joey.”
Tony has taken on the role of fitness coach for Joey.
He’s the most qualified.
But Joey? I’m not sure if he’s got the discipline and dedication his coach demands.
As soon as the scent of fresh popcorn wafts up the stairs to the gym, he runs down the stairs and sits himself behind a mega-bowl.
“I think tank tops are over-rated, don’t you, Akira?” he said. “Where’s the cool? Vest, scarf, sleeves–know what I’m talking about?”
Akira winked at me and began to chuckle.
“Working out is for more than muscle definition,” I told Joey. “You need stamina if you wanna be an idol.”
I heard singing coming from the great room.
“That a new song?” I asked Akira.
“It’s one of Vee-Jay’s. He’s working on a unit for him and Rylan.”
Rainbow Apollo,
Down where
the river flows
You go
where I go
Rainbow Apollo
It was a ballad.
The boys stopped when they saw me.
“Oh, Sierra,” said Vee-Jay. “I’m still working on it. It’s not done. I’m kinda stuck.”
“I’m sure you’ll get it,” I said.
“I’m not. I was kinda hoping… I shouldn’t ask. But, you think you might want to write it with me?”
“Co-write it?”
“It’d be an honor,” he said, shyly.
“The honor would be mine,” I said, and I meant it.
Rainbow Apollo
Sun spots
and ice flow
Iris calls you back
with a message
for the hero.
Will you go
where I go
Rainbow Apollo?
We worked for a few hours. I hadn’t felt that jazz of inspiration for decades, not since writing songs for my own albums.
We’re getting closer. Everyday, we’re getting closer, and Vee-Jay keeps pulling that debut date towards us with his great big stage hook.
It’s gonna take a lot of pots of coffee, but we’re getting there, and quicker than I thought.
