by If sometimes, it’s challenging to be noticed by an artist here in Brazil. Imagine calling the attention of an idol who lives on the other side of the world? Last week, members of Brazilian K-pop cover group B2 achieved what seemed impossible: they were praised by Twice’s Momo for their performance of “Alcohol-free,” summer single by JYP Entertainment girl group.
“This is very good!” wrote the Japanese on the Bubble app, where the nine members of Twice publish for fans. In addition to the dancer’s praise, Brazilians have received many positive comments from netizens in South Korea, where the video went viral, published last Tuesday on YouTube. The cover had just over 230,000 views at the end of this report.
We were delighted and surprised by the flood of Korean comments on our video. We learned from them that Momo talked about our cover, and that made us even more euphoric! Other videos of ours had already gone viral in South Korea, but not to that extent. We’re being advertised on websites there and also appearing on the biggest K-pop news portal. We don’t know how to deal (laughs) – says Lucas Lima, one of the group members formed by Alex, Iuri, Ulisses, Subin, Kevin, Douglas, and Michel.
This, however, is not the first time the São Paulo group has received attention from idols (as South Korean pop singers are called) of K-pop:
“This has happened before. Once, we did a cover of Apink (the hits “I’m so sick” and “No no no”) and Bomi reacted to our video. We also had feedback from Blackswan, who has Brazilian Leia in the lineup. The group Pixy also did a react of our cover of their song. It feels like another world to have our work recognized by idols. This gives us more strength to continue with our bodies because we do it for love.
Despite thousands of views and likes on its channel, the group formed by eight young people has no financial return from YouTube. Therefore, the members take money out of their own pockets to produce the videos and costumes they use in their performances, usually made in public places.
— Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t give us any financial return because the copyrights to the songs and dances belong to the artists. As much as we have a significant number of subscribers and views on our channel, it doesn’t return anything. So we took it out of our pocket to record the clips, make the costumes… Currently, we also support the people who follow us to pay for these production costs and the rent for the studio where we rehearse.
The boys also get help from friends to film and get locations similar to the original clips.
— This last cover, for example, was a lot of work. But we had the help of a friend, Daniel Dock, who has been with us since the beginning of the channel, to film it. First, we recorded it on a friend’s farm and then on a beach in Bertioga. It took us two full days to record everything,” explains Lucas.
To learn the dance of “Alcohol-free,” the boys needed only one day. Usually, this is how long it takes them to get all the choreographies they replicate.
“We learned the choreography as soon as the song was released. All covers we publish on the internet are rehearsed in one day. We usually rehearse on a Saturday, from 9 am to 6 pm, and on Sunday, we record. We learn by watching videos of idols dancing in the studio or watching live performances. There is always one person who takes everything and teaches it to the other members.
And they only have Saturday and Sunday to devote to B2. During the week, all members are busy with their respective jobs or studies.
“We are more a group of friends than a dance group. We are friends who dance. Today we are eight but, for some covers, we call friends to record with us. In “Alcohol-free,” we invited two more friends — explains Lucas, who does not hesitate before stating that the biggest dream of the group formed eight years ago is to go to South Korea: — We dream a lot about it. No one has ever been before, but we have faith that one day it will happen. Who knows what happens now that our latest video broke out there? Will a K-pop company call us to make a cameo in something.
