Could these pop idols be the first Chinese girl group to follow the Japanese and South Korean route to fame and fortune?
The members of Rocket Girl 101 were chosen after weeks of intense debate by hundreds of millions of fans, but the nature of mainland China’s music industry means their dreams of stardom could still just fizzle out
For the 11 singers chosen to join China’s newest girl band in a vote by the hundreds of millions of fans who followed their progress in a hit TV talent show, it must have seemed a dream come true.
But industry experts have warned that last weekend’s grand final may prove to be the pinnacle of their success rather than the starting point on the road to stardom as their dreams of fame and fortune collide with the harsh realities of the mainland’s music industry.
The 11 members of the group – named Rocket Girl 101 – were selected by an online fans’ vote following weeks of competition.
The format of the show, named Produce 101, will be familiar enough to talent show viewers around the world, but the idea of letting viewers select the members of a band is still a relatively novel concept in the Chinese entertainment industry.
The show was modelled on a South Korean programme of the same name and saw the 101 starting contestants whittled down to the final selection over a series of weekly shows.
The show’s immense popularity – it attracted 4.76 billion online viewers since the first episode aired in April – and the fact that it was produced by the tech giant Tencent, which will hold the band’s contracts, should improve their chances of success.
