[Interview] “What We Want is Only a Fair Chance, a Stage for Our Fans…”

What We Want is Only a Fair Chance, a Stage for Our Fans…

Jaejoong: “The situation is akin to buying and eating a 50-cent ice cream for 3 dollars.”

JYJ, who has experienced (or is experiencing) everything and anything as an dol group after separating from SM Entertainment released the album In Heaven. This album is a special album that has compiled the songs in their music essay Their rooms and the songs revealed in the JYJ World Tour 2011. At the same time, it is the first album from JYJ released in Korea. When considering the fact that the 2010-released The Beginning was released simultaneously worldwide, the meaning of In Heaven which is only released in Korea cannot help but be special to both the fans and the group.

Jaejoong: “We are deeply moved because this is our first Korean-language album. It feels that the many things that happened and our efforts over the last two years are all contained in this album. There is also meaning in that, because we now cannot sing the songs from our TVXQ days we created to use in JYJ’s concerts.”

Junsu: “Rather than saying that it is our album we will say that it is a small gift for the fans. I wish that our determination and will would be conveyed through the album.”

However, “deliberations” have also caught the ankle of JYJ. Of course, this round of deliberations was of a different line from when under my skin received the decision that it harmed the youth during their TVXQ days. Unlike SBS and MBC that allowed broadcaster hearing an explanation through contacting them ahead of time, KBS laid the decision that Pierrot was unfit to air by interpreting the lyrics P.S.M. to denote ‘President Suman’ without any prior questioning.”

Jaejoong: “There is no feelings of offense because of the result of the deliberations. This was a common occurrence until now and it is also a problem experienced by other idol groups also. But there are aspects about the deliberations that I question or feel is ironic. Among all of the public broadcast stations, KBS was the only one that did not seek even one counsel from us before laying down its conclusions and refusing to pass the song. I do not know what kind of a person was the judge in deliberations, but it became so that he wrote his own lyrics as he saw fit separate from the intention of the creator. I offer these words again: P stands for Performance, S for Success, and M for Museum. We will without fail request a second deliberation because if we do not do so it is as if we accept the result.”

JYJ’s activities for the second-half is planned to be filled with the European Tour. After finishing the Japanese concert on the 15th, JYJ will visit Palau Sant Hordi of Barcelona, Spain and Tempodrom located in Berlin, Germany. JYJ’s European tour is the first among the Korean arists.

Jaejoong: “From before also, there were many love calls from Spain and other countries. But there were many complicated matters until now and the timing also did not fit and so we kept delaying it. We have heard that the fans of the area were waiting eagerly and so as a result of pushing for the concert for a long time we’ve come to go this time. We heard that the size of the venue is about 3000 seats and also that over 80% of the tickets were sold in the first week.”

Following Yoochun who has solidified firmly his place as an actor through Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Jaejoong also began to chase two rabbits in appearing in the drama Protect the Boss with Ji Sung and Choi Kanghee. He has also collaborated with Eita and Ueno Juri and such persons in the Japanese drama Sunao Ni Narenakute last year.

Jaejoong: “To be truthful, I did not have much greed for acting. As for the drama that I did in Japan, I did not even have my confidence in acting nor the preparation ready. At the time, when it was finished, I felt apologetic to the director and the actors. Because I had said lines and done acting that did not come deeply from my heart. I don’t think I did well and I do not think I was able to put in much effort. I came to act again this time around because my ill father had told me — “Junsu does it and Yoochun does it too, but won’t you come out (onto the public eye)?”  He said those words when he was not feeling well, and so I took on the heart. I am thankful to my father.”

Currently, the thing that JYJ wishes for is just one. To have a fair opportunity in Korea and to take advantage of it to their hearts’ content. It will not change overnight but they will do their best to change it. They will unite within the members and will struggle without giving up. At the moment, there is nothing but that for JYJ. And for them, there are their fans.

Source: Focus Shinmun

Translation Credit: JYJ3