Band deemed too young to be idols
Print Edition
AN idol group of seven boys, with an average age of 8, has been disbanded following unrelenting public criticism, only four days after they made their debut on August 20.
The band, called Panda Boys, held an offline press conference in Chengdu, the capital of southwest Sichuan Province, and released a single. The eldest member is 11 years old, while the youngest is only 7.
Netizens questioned their management company’s role in depriving the boys of their childhood and using them as a tool to make money. Many argued the children should return to school instead of being idols.
In a posting on China Central Television’s Weibo account, a netizen said singing and dancing could be the kids’ extracurricular interests, not a career, while another said the real idol for children should be groups like scientists and athletes.
Following the criticism, the company Asia Starry Sky Group announced it had no capital behind the group and just wanted to do a meaningful thing with a group of kids who liked singing and dancing.
According to Sichuan-based media The Cover, before the group was dissolved, a man surnamed Sun, who is in charge of the management company, said it never did any business activity with the kids.
“We hoped to promote Chengdu’s local culture with the kids,” Sun said. “Because later we planned to organize a series of events promoting regional and traditional cultures.”
Sun said every parent wants their kid to take classes in singing, dancing and musical instruments. And they were only providing a more professional platform for them.
The company had not taken any money from the parents, he added.
The mother of one of the boys told The Cover that, before the group’s formation, her son was involved in sports but once she found he had a talent for music she applied to this project for him.
She emphasized that all the training was done after school and did not affect her son’s studies. A few months later, the parents did see some positive changes in the boy. “He made obvious progress in study, skill learning and getting along with others.”
The phenomenon of creating young idol groups is not limited to China. In 1997, Japan’s famous girl group Morning Musume was formed when three of the five members were aged 16 or younger.
Another girl group, Berryz Kobo, was founded in 2004 with the average age of the eight members being only 10.75 years. All were initially selected during the audition for “Hello! Project Kids,” a musical collective project for girls under 12, in 2002.
Liu Chunquan, a lawyer, said schools and kindergartens cannot legally arrange for minors to participate in business activities.
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