Produce Pandas (; fully stylized as 熊猫堂 ProducePandas) is a Chinese boy group dubbed as "China's first plus-size boy band" formed and managed by DMDF Entertainment, which was set up under Simply Joy Music to specifically manage plus-sized groups. The group currently consists of six members: Chen Dingding (DING), Cui Yunfeng (Otter), Qi Ha (Husky), Shi Qijun (Mr. 17), Ka Si (Cass), and Lulu (Luu). They made their debut on July 28, 2020, with their single "La La La".
Background The idea for Produce Pandas came in 2018 when their parent label Simply Joy Music decided to form a boy group that breaks the "aesthetic stereotypes" perpetuated by the idol industry in an effort to create role models who are ordinary and relatable to their fans. The management noticed that idol groups in the market tend to have a lot of similarities in terms of physical build, style and temperament. This gives form to the stereotype that all idols have to be thin, young and fair-skinned. Produce Pandas aim to become idols centered around being more "rotund and approachable" instead of the cool and handsome demeanor sported by boy groups.
History
Formation and pre-debut activities Scouts and notices were sent out to recruit plus-sized men, and out of the approximate 300 candidates who auditioned, 5 were picked for the final lineup after months of testing and eliminations in the form of weekly, monthly and quarterly assessments.
The chosen members came from various backgrounds and gave up their jobs, ranging from Amazon customer service to petroleum refinery worker to start their full-time training for Produce Pandas, with their oldest member being 30 years old at the time of joining.
While three of the members have experience in singing, only one came from a dancing background. The group underwent intense "K-pop style" training in order to match the industry standards in terms of performance skills.
2020: Debut album A.S.I.A, first concert After their initial debut, they followed up with three more songs and then released their first album A.S.I.A on 15 October. It is their only album to have a music video for each song. It was originally intended to have the videos filmed at various places all over Asia, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many of the videos were filmed back in Beijing. The music video for Sui Sui Nian (碎碎念) was filmed in Bali, Indonesia.
On November 22, Produce Pandas held a concert in Chengdu.
On December 18, the group announced their fandom name (Panda Keeper), official group colour #FF0000 and individual members' official colours on a Weibo post.
2021: Youth with You, Stand Up EP, second album Emo了, national tour Produce Pandas competed on the third season of Chinese reality show Youth with You, where Ding and Otter managed to pass the first elimination before finishing at 52 and 42 respectively.
Shortly after the show on May 13, Produce Pandas released their single and music video "Dream".
Produce Pandas announced their first EP Stand Up, which was released on May 28 along with a music video for the title track two days later.
On July 28, Produce Pandas released a single "The ONE" for their one year anniversary, which came in a Chinese version and a Japanese version with a music video for both tracks, as well as their second concert on July 30 which featured their debut performance of "The ONE", in Beijing.
In September, their company teased the title track of their second studio album, to be revealed on September 28 as "Free Fall", with a music video following two days later. The album, Emo了, was announced to be released on October 15, featuring six new tracks and four selected tracks. Another track of the album, "Victims", received two music videos centered around self-harm (Non suicidal self injury) to raise awareness on issues of mental health and self-harm. A national tour was also announced with the album release, scheduled for Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou, on 24 October, 30 October and 18 December, respectively. The Chengdu concert was initially postponed to 20 November, then cancelled altogether as a precaution due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the area.
Produce Pandas performed on 23 October in The Night of Unlimited Power live concert along "Real Me · 动感地带 2021来电之夜" with other artists like Chris Lee and Mao BuYi.
2022: Singles Best of You, Cosmic Anthem and second Extended Play Love Best Before Produce Pandas released their second single Best of You (冲刺) on April 6.
On May 20, Produce Pandas took part in the 2022 Bilibili Dancing Festival by performing a vocal and dance cover of the official theme song Heartbeat Spectrum The credits of that song hinted at a new member by the title of "Panda Trainee" as part of the backing vocals in the cover.
During their livestream on May 29, Produce Pandas announced that they are releasing a new song on the 31st of May, revealed to be part of their second extended play Love Best Before, which would contain a mix of solo and group tracks. The five solo tracks were dropped over the span of three weeks until the official release of the full EP on June 21. The EP includes a solo track by the Panda Trainee, who was initially rumored to join the line up which lead to backlash from fans. Ray Xi, the group's agent, made an announcement regarding speculations of the alleged sixth member. The trainee, whose identity remains undisclosed, is said to be part of Produce Panda's "Panda Trainee system" where he will serve as a substitute member in the event of long term absence of a panda (such as from health issues or solo activities) for commercial events while still receiving support for long term development from the company.
TEAM Entertainment, Produce Panda's japanese label, announced a single to be released on August 31. The single's lead track includes Cosmic Anthem, sung in both chinese and japanese versions, as well as 手紙 Tegami (), a japanese version of their A.S.I.A song You Raise Me Up.
Members +Members Native Name RoleDate of birthPlace of birthColorEmojiPrevious JobDING / Chen Dingding陈鼎鼎Group Leader Wuhan, Hubei#ECC7CD🐷Plus-size modelOtter / Cui Yunfeng 崔云峰Main Vocals Panjin, Liaoning#FFFFFF🍚Amazon customer serviceHusky / Qi Ha七哈Lead VocalsHaicheng, Liaoning#69B3E7🐳Project manager ITMr. 17 / Shi Qi Jun十七君Main DancerYangzhou, Jiangsu#FFA94D🍊Oil workerCass / Ka Si卡斯Lead VocalsLianyungang, Jiangsu#43D62C🌵Pub singerLuu鲁鲁TBAShandong#9B00B6🔮Financial Management
Discography
Studio albums +Title Album detailsA.S.I.AReleased: October 15, 2020 Label: DMDF Formats: Digital download, streamingEmo了Released: October 15, 2021 Label: DMDF Formats: CD, Digital download, streamingW.O.R.L.D. Released: July 14, 2023 Labels: DMDF Formats: CD, Digital download, streaming
Extended plays +TitleAlbum detailsStand UP 《大惊小怪》 Released: May 27, 2021 Label: DMDF Formats: CD, Digital download, streamingLove Best Before《爱的赏味期限》 Released: June 21, 2022 Label: DMDF Formats: Digital download, streaming
Singles +TitleAlbum detailsCOSMIC ANTHEM/手紙 Released: August 31, 2022 Labels: DMDF Entertainment, TEAM Entertainment Inc. Formats: CD, Digital download, streaming山海 -Promise- Released: August 29, 2024 Labels: DMDF Entertainment, TEAM Entertainment Inc. Formats: CD, Digital download, streaming
Promotional Singles +TitleYearAlbumThe Great Dream / 伟大的梦想 2020 Non-album singleThe World of Foodie Masters / 饕餮人间 Emo了The ONE 2021Dream / 以梦为马Stand UpQi Bu Long Dong Qiang / 七步隆咚呛 Non-album singleThe Meaning of Being Together / 在一起的意义 A Vision of Eternity / 一眼万年 Best of You / 冲刺 2022COSMIC ANTHEM/手紙Good Night World / 世界晚安Next Year Go Go Go / 明年也要好好长大320 萬年傳 Rua Ta Ta 2023 W.O.R.L.D. Wherever We Go / 世界所有的爛漫山海 -Promise- 2024 Non-album single怪梦 Fantasy
Media appearances
TV Appearance Broadcast time Channel Name of the programMember Participated202014 September CCTV-15Music On the Cloud / 云端音乐季Group25 DecemberHuNan TVSing or Spin Season 2 / 嗨唱转起来GroupShenzhen TVPoetic China / 诗意中国GroupCCTV-1Star Boulevard / 星光大道Group20213 January CCTV-3I Want To Be In Spring Festival Gala / 我要上春晚Group27 JuneGuangDong TVGreat Experience / 见多识广Group26 July CCTV-3SuperStar Ding Dong/ 开门大吉Group23 AugustCCTV-3SuperStar Ding Dong/ 开门大吉Group25/26 SeptemberShenzhen TVBoom Happy Valley / 夏日冲击波DING/Cass202230 JanuaryCCTV-4Universal Show / 环球综艺秀Group15 February CCTV-15Television Gramophone / 影视留声机Otter4 MayCCTV-15China Beat / 中国节拍Group27 MayCCTV-15China Beat / 中国节拍Group31 May / 7 JuneCCTV-3Happiness / 向幸福出发Group8 JuneCCTV-15Television Gramophone / 影视留声机Otter19 AugustCCTV-15China Beat / 中国节拍Group26 SeptemberCCTV-3SuperStar Ding Dong/ 开门大吉Group24 OctoberCCTV-3SuperStar Ding Dong/ 开门大吉Group31 October CCTV-3SuperStar Ding Dong/ 开门大吉Group12 NovemberCCTV-4Universal Show / 环球综艺秀Group12 NovemberCCTV-1Star Boulevard / 星光大道Group20 NovemberCCTV-3SuperStar Ding Dong/ 开门大吉Group28 NovemberCCTV-3SuperStar Ding Dong/ 开门大吉Group
Filmography
Web dramas YearNameMemberRoleNotesStreaming Platform2022Campus Ace 王牌校草HuskyWang Tongqing 王同庆Supporting roleWeTV 腾讯视频2022My little chef 厨妻当道CassZhan Yunxi 詹云熙Supporting roleWeTV 腾讯视频
Group Variety Show YearNameStreaming Platform2022Pop up！Pandas！熊猫出没请注意WeTV 腾讯视频
Awards +DouYin Discover Music Project/抖音看见音乐计划 YearCategoryResult2021Discover Happiness Musician Award/看见美好音乐人奖Won +Chinese Top Ten Music Awards/东方风云榜YearCategoryResult2022Eastern New Artist/ 东方新人奖Won
Concert and tours
Produce Pandas A.S.I.A first time singing concert "熊猫堂ProducePandas A.S.I.A 感恩首唱会" - 2020 We are The One Produce Pandas debut 1st anniversary concert "We are The One 熊猫堂一周年演唱会" - 2021 Produce Pandas EMO了 National concert tour "熊猫堂 EMO了 全国巡回演唱会" - 2021 Shanghai Guangzhou
References
External links Produce Pandas Official YouTube Channel Produce Pandas Official Twitter Account