UI2 Charts and Fanbands

During the era when pop charts were flying high both in the West and the Eastern countries, the United Imaginary Islands (UI2), where Enidouka is a member country, also had their own version of song lists. 

These included both Enidoukan acts and foreign ones – as well as those from the neighboring Asian countries. 

The UI2 Top Chart system was also a way to help introduce local acts to make them more recognizable to their peers. As UI2 was home to both Enidoukans and “outside characters”, this gave way to a phenomenon called “fanbands”. 

Now, what are fanbands, you might ask? Well, these are acts that are a collaboration between different “outside characters”, as well as those from the local scene. Perhaps one of the most successful ones is PFX, also known as Performers X. It was then followed by others, such as Duel Rockers, The Thieves, and many more.

In UI2’s parallel universe – the DRAGON Universe, there seems to be a counterpart of PFX already, as we know that this Universe was known to be the “universe of fanfiction inspiration”. However, that’s another topic altogether – I thought I just want to add a little teaser (maybe?).

Now that we’ve been given a little introduction about fanbands, let’s move to the acts of Enidouka. Some of them are products of talent searchers like UI2 Talent Center, UI2 Questors, and the like. Such contests might have been inspired by various similar formats from around the globe and the Asian countries that largely influenced them.

Frizz Pineda, a famous TV actress, host, model, and a whole lot more is primarily known as the “media queen” and an ambassador for BSPM (Bureau of Supernatural Power Management), as she was one of the earliest known Enidoukan residents who harbored super powers – which is quite common in Enidouka, such as that they have a bureau that recognized it (think of something from a movie, except it’s more regulated and maybe it has some privacy concerns addressed). 

She is married to Legend of Blue band vocalist Tony Panganiban – both of them share the spotlight together and individually. Tony, an aspiring astronomer, dreams of going to space with his loved one and seeing (and studying the stars). But for now, he seems content with taking pictures of eclipses and unique weather phenomena. 

Neka Zhou, a Chinese-Enidoukan singer, is known as the “Mariah of Enidouka” (though she has yet to actually cover a Christmas song). In terms of style, she loves the butterfly aesthetic (much to the author’s reluctance!) and she is able to sing in a whistling technique (which is likely why she earned that title). From her looks, she does seem younger (she is!) but that’s aside from the fact that Enidoukans tend to look younger than most “outside residents”. 

Dvjeun, an eccentric and enigmatic singer/songwriter, seems to have similarities to a certain avant-garde singer from the West (take a guess!). Not much is known about her (she is less public than most performers) but we know she is about the same age as Neka. 

Jancha Mikimoto, another close friend of Dvjeun and Neka (and also of similar age), is the punk rock queen of Enidouka. With her orange hair and familiar style, Western music lovers will find her aesthetic surprisingly very familiar. Perhaps the only difference is she sings in mostly Enidoukan (compared to Dvjeun and Neka who sometimes cover English songs) and that the timbre of her voice might remind you of some J-rock acts.

Groups in Enidouka were also given a spotlight during the peak of the UI2 Top Charts phenomenon. Heyaku Feva, a teen group, had their name inspired by “jumping sea stars”, which are starfish-like creatures naturally found around the coasts of Enidouka (mostly the south, near the Triangle Pass). Just like the energetic sea stars of their locality, Heyaku Feva has very catchy and bouncy beats that have been in Enidoukan radio stations for quite a long time.

If you want to rock your heart out, there’s Kizume 55, also of a similar punk rock vibe as Jancha Mikimoto. You will find their style vaguely familiar and they like to smash guitars every performance (just like in most concerts outside UI2, anyway). For those who prefer metal, 7+7L has a more Western feel but they do sometimes compose some Enidoukan tunes aside from the usage of English.

In terms of language preference in songs, Enidoukan and UI2 acts usually have 50% of each. Sometimes, the English lyrics outweigh the Enidoukan songs – especially during the 2000s – but this quickly declined during the 2010s when more original acts persuaded through the charts. Some songs were also J-music, Mandarin pop, and K-pop so the lyric distribution became diverse. Perhaps the era of song remakes swiftly flew by, which paved the way for more original songs and acts to carry on. With this, fanbands have also started slowing down, if not, declining.

Modern acts have also taken over in the past few years. For EDM lovers, DJ Veiya is a well-known female composer who isn’t afraid to discuss important societal issues. Her relevant lyrics, combined with catchy club beats, were something that resonated throughout the Islands. Zero Kewl (who likely got his name from a famous tech movie) is for retrowave and synthpop lovers who prefer quirky and funny lyrics that are somehow… “meme-able”.

However, long-time fans of electronic music will likely point you to XT, comprised of Xeno and Teno. The duo has been producing trance and techno in Enidoukan clubs for a very long time – even DJ Veiya considers them a major influence. Currently, XT often joins various local DJ sets and festivals – if not streaming games or music production on their channel.

Regardless if there is a decline in fanbands or not, Enidoukan and UI2 music continues to press on and change society in a good way. Music is a language that knows no borders – it is spoken by the heart regardless of the medium or alphabetical construct. May the songs of UI2 talents and artists become guiding lights for those who want to venture into the culture of the Islands and get to know them better – by heart.