Just three days after they first debuted, China's newest boy band - consisting entirely of underage boys – disbanded following outcry on social media over their young age and concerns of exploitation.
With an average age of just eight years old, China’s newest boy group, named "Panda Boys," disbanded just after three days amid criticisms.
The eleven-member group has their six youngest members at seven years old, while their oldest member was 11.
Photos on their official social media account show the baby-faced boys with makeup and carefully muscled hair, adorned in miniature blazers and street joggers.
The boy group debuted last August 21, with the release of their debut song titled “Starting Out” alongside its music video.
They had their first performance in western China’s Chengdu city, also known as Tianfu, but received widespread criticism from the public and state media because of the boys’ ages.
It was the group’s agency who got the most backlash following the debut.
Their entertainment agency is called Asia Starry Sky Group (ASE), and they are claiming to produce the next generation of idols, although they are expressing strongly that the members’ priorities is to study and training is only their second priority.
“We won’t cultivate the fandom culture. Neither will any capital operation be involved. We are just a group of children who love singing and dancing, doing something meaningful together,” Asia Starry Sky Group stated in a statement on Tuesday amid mounting criticism.
The statement also claimed the song performed used positive and encouraging lyrics, and elements of traditional Sichuan opera, and said the boys aim to become idols who: “have ideals, love to study, and are culturally, physically, and mentally healthy”.
A day later, the Asia Starry Sky Group announced that it would dissolve the Panda Boys.
“We will seriously and correctly handle the follow-up work,” it said in a brief statement. “Thank you for the oversight and criticism from the community and online.”
In China, their entertainment industry has embraced a type of idols known as “cultivation-themed,” which has attracted a lot of women viewers eager to follow the path of young, little-known artists to stardom.
The Chinese government is currently clamping down on what it deems toxic, harmful behavior of entertainment fans, such as fundraising and extravagant spending.
Tags: #China, #boybands, #PandaBoys, #exploitation, #fandomculture