Multi-national K-pop boy band Got7’s new studio album may be titled Flight Log: Turbulence.

But make no mistake, there is nothing turbulent about the seven-piece’s showbiz career thus far.

Got7, formed in 2014 by label JYP Entertainment, has enjoyed a smooth and steady ascent to the top, captivating fans with breezy hip-hop tunes like Girls, Girls, Girls, Just Right and Stop, Stop It.

Now, with Flight Log: Turbulence and its lead single Hard Carry, the members – South Koreans JB, Youngjae, Junior, and Yugyeom, Jackson from Hong Kong, American-Taiwanese Mark, and BamBam from Thailand, ages ranging from 18 to 23 – are back, fiercer than ever.

And the numbers say it all.

According to entertainment website Soompi.com, Hard Carry’s music video surpassed a million views in less than 12 hours after its release.

The boys also solidified their popularity in the US by debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart.

Flight Log: Turbulence marks Got7’s third album to top the World Albums chart. It’s an incredible feat that ties them with fellow boy band B.A.P as the K-pop act with most number ones on that chart.

M looks at why the lads of Got7 are poised for world domination…

CREATIVE PROWESS

You enjoy longevity when you start owning your songs.

Got7, clearly not content with being pretty pop idols, co-wrote 11 of the 13 tracks on the album.

Taking a larger and more pro-active role in the creation of their music was exhilarating, the boys told Billboard.com in July.

“It feels better that you can rap your own verses instead of other people’s,” said BamBam.

The process was not easy though.

“It’s a learning experience, because when we make and record our own music, we learn what we need to improve on and what we need to do in the future,” said JB.

SWITCHING IT UP

Where their previous hits were fun, upbeat and playful, some of the tracks on Flight Log: Turbulence turned out to be incredibly intense.

Hard Carry, hands down the most impressive song, was praised effusively by K-pop news site allkpop.

Its reviewer called it “a sonic attack that slew me”, adding that there are “nods to trap and EDM (electronic dance music) beats… with tons of layered sounds”.

Music review site TheBiasList gave Hard Carry a score of 8.5 out of 10, saying the song’s “thunderous explosion of drums that ignites the chorus does its job well”.

TEAM SPIRIT

One of Got7’s greatest strengths is the camaraderie and teamwork among the members.

In a July interview with SURE fashion magazine, main vocalist Youngjae was asked if he felt disappointed that despite his excellent vocal chops, he always had to “split the singing parts” equally with his mates.

He said: “No, because it’s not Youngjae’s song.

“It’s not about showing everyone that I’m good at singing. It’s our goal to show that the seven of us can make good music as a team. “In fact, I feel that if my voice stands out too much, I would not be fulfilling my role as a lead vocalist.”

The baby of the group, Yugyeom, said in a separate interview with SINGLES magazine in January: “Even though we are very busy due to our schedules, I really like the life we have now.

“There are times when we’d fight and won’t even remember the reason why. But whenever I’m with my teammates, it is always fun.”

Awww.

This article was first published on October 12, 2016.
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Megastar Amitabh Bachchan feels it is unfair to blame the fees of actors as a reason for film studios shutting down their operations.

Disney India has shut down its Hindi movies production business and people from within the industry like Anurag Kashyap said it’s due to high fees paid to actors that the studios are plugging off.

“Everytime a star or actor is held responsible for the loss of a film and I don’t agree with it.

I feel what is the harm in paying an actor his or her fee, after all they manage to grab attention of audience towards a film,” Bachchan said at a press conference on the occasion of his birthday.

“Also if a film doesn’t do well, then in the next film the actor is not paid less.

When I was young and the hero of a film, I had a certain fee that I use to charge after the success of a film.

My people (manager) used to talk to producers about hike in my fee and if a film failed, they (producers) used to reduce your fee and there is nothing wrong in it,” he said.

Bachchan doesn’t think studios shutting down is a sign of worry and feels Indian cinema will survive this phase too.

“There will be ups and downs but I think the film industry will always be alive and will keep working,” he said.

The 74-year-old megastar feels there should be a book on various aspects of Indian cinema for everyone to be aware of our history, films and the legendary artistes.

“We don’t have much documentation about our film industry.

For the coming generation we should have something to tell them about the work of older or yesteryear artists, filmmakers and all.

I myself would like to know lot of things,” he said.

“Like what Raj Kapoor thought while making ‘Bobby’, ‘Aawara’, what was there in the mind of Mehboob sahab for ‘Mother India’, how Dilip Sahab (Dilip Kumar) worked in ‘Devdas’, or how and why a particular shot was taken in a film, all these things we don’t know.

“Why a song was done in a particular manner, why certain kind of lyrics were written or why a particular costume was worn,” he said.

Big B feels there is hardly any discussion on this and also one doesn’t have any knowledge about cinema in detail.

“I feel books on all these things should be there as it will be an informative knowledge for us.

Particularly when someone from abroad wants to write something about Indian cinema, they come across only gossip magazine’s.

They seem saddened as they want to know other things (besides gossip) about Indian cinema,” he said.

A T-shirt flaunted by Priyanka Chopra for a magazine cover flaunted the message of being a traveller over a refugee, immigrant or outsider — and generated a mixed response on social media.

A spokesperson of the magazine has explained that the idea was to tell the world to stop labelling people.

The magazine issued an official statement on Tuesday saying that the message was interpreted in a wrong way, and they wanted to suggest that “the beauty of a world” is in its diversity.

The statement read: “At Conde Nast Traveller, we believe that the opening up of borders and the breaking down of walls can help us discover the world, and open up our minds and hearts.

“So, when we had actress Priyanka Chopra wear a T-shirt we created on the cover of our sixth anniversary issue, we had a point to make.

And it’s not about privilege. or fashion.”

The actress, who features in American TV series Quantico, wore a white tank top that read “Refugee, Immigrant, Outsider, Traveller” with all but the last word crossed out for the cover.

The image caused a stir among social media users as soon as it surfaced online.

But the magazine spokesperson says the idea was to urge people to “stand against the building of walls, literal and otherwise”.

“We must demand a world free of racism and bigotry and prejudice, so that we – and generations after us– may enjoy all the abundance that travel offers, the beauty of a world that is open and rich and diverse in its people and cultures and geographies,” the spokesperson added.

The statement was stresses on why Priyanka, who has worked extensively in India and will soon be making her debut in Hollywood, was an apt choice for the magazine cover.

“Priyanka Chopra – a star at home and abroad, who has experienced firsthand the opportunities that travel offers — is the perfect ambassador.”

Priyanka Chopra first Indian actress to win People’s Choice Award

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Reuters