Info:JYJ ‘In Heaven’ album consist of some secrets little had known. Within the QR code, there are 10 videos released for fans to watch! Therefore, for fans who have bought and received the album, do check out the QR code attached along with the album!
Video was uploaded on C-JeS Entertainment vimeo Channel
JYJ’s Kim Jaejoong, who recently completed a world tour of two months, has fallen for the charm of being a stage director.
Kim Jaejoong talked about his feelings of ending JYJ’s world tour and expressed the last two months in one word as ‘fun’.
He said, “At the end of the world tour, I felt so thankful and proud of our members, our company coworkers and our staff. Most of the songs we sang during the tour were songs we had composed and I even took on the role of directing the Asia leg of the tour,” and “We even took our tour to the USA; we faced difficulties and troubles but I’m so amazed and proud of the fact that we were able to pull through without receiving help from other people.”
Kim Jaejoong debuted as a director through the world tour. When asked if he prefers acting or directing, Kim Jaejoong smiled and said, “When I’m doing a performance, I’d rather be a director.” He said, “Our director is so great that I’m learning what the qualifications are to becoming a director of a drama,” and “It looks like he begins to film only when he’s done deliberating. But dramas are dramas and concerts are concerts, they each have their own charm.”
When asked which country left him with the most prominent impression during the JYJ world tour, Kim Jaejoong chose Bangkok, Thailand, which they visited in April. He explained, “I think it’s because it was the first city we visited in the Asia leg that I directed. I was so thankful to see that the reaction of our fans was positive.”
‘Director’ Kim Jaejoong is very greedy about directing the concerts and performances of other singers. Kim Jaejoong said, “I’m interested in directing the performances of other idols. Once, Kim Hyun Joong, who I’m close friends with, and I talked about releasing an album and working together, but because Kim Hyun Joong is very greedy about his music as well, I think he’d want to be the director too.“
He reminisced the days he spent directing Sohn Yeon Jae’s rhythmic gymnastics gala show and said that he had a great time doing it. He said, “Sohn Yeon Jae expressed everything much better than I had imagined.” He continued to say with pride, “I think directing is something that becomes more fun and charming the more you do it. Of course, I’m still in the learning stage but I can feel my ability to visualize an entire performance improving,” and “I felt proud of myself, knowing that I was contributing to our team during the rehearsals for our JYJ concerts, not as a singer standing on stage, but as a director who works behind the scenes.“
Regarding a Korean album, ‘Singer’ Kim Jaejoong of JYJ stated, “It’s currently in the making,” but didn’t confirm anything as he said, “I would like to release it right away if great songs come to us, but I wonder if an album release will be possible within this year. We’re working on it whenever we have time.” When asked if he plans to sing for the ‘Protect the Boss’ OST, he said he doesn’t have plans to do so ‘yet’. Kim Jaejoong said, “I don’t have any self-composed songs that can be used for the drama so for now, it would be difficult for me to participate in the OST,” but also left his fans with hope as he added, “But if I’m offered the opportunity to do so, I’ll take it. Anything for the drama.”
Regarding their new Korean album, Kim Jaejoong says that they're "still in the midst of preparing".
However, he doesn't give a definite answer for the album, "If there are good songs, we want to release the album soon, but I'm not sure if the release date is going to be within this year. We're working on it at times."
Moreover, he also says that they still haven't had any plan of participating in "Protecting the Boss" OST yet.
JYJ's 'The Beginning', 'The Beginning New Limited Edition', and 'The Beginning Luxury Package' were ranked respectively 8th, 10th and 11th on Gaon's Top 20 highest album sales list for 2010.
This accomplishment drew wide attention since JYJ's TV appearances have been restricted due to conflicts with their former management company.
JYJ's first worldwide alum 'The Beginning' received a lot of interest from the music industry as well as fans because world famous artists such as Kanye West and Rodney Darkchild Jerkins participated in the album.
-omitted-
Gaon Chart was established and is maintained by Ministry of Culture, Music and Tourism [T/N: It's a Korean government agency] as a program to promote the Korean music industry.
It was started when both pop music industry and record labels industry voiced their opinions about the need for an officially recognized chart that guarantees fairness.
So, here’s the number of albums JYJ sold in Korea in 2010:
The Beginning (99,903) + The Beginning, Limited Edition (98,311)
+ The Beginning, Luxury Edition(92,649)
= 290,863 total sold for “The Beginning” Album
+
76,951 albums for” SGK Scandal”!
(It is really rare for a drama soundtrack album to sell that much! >.<)
So the boys are actually third in rank for their “The Beginning” album,
right behind SNSD’s Oh!/Run Devil Run (197,934 + 136,851 = 334,785) and
SJ’s “Bonamana” (200,193 + 99,355 = 299,548)
This is quite incredible since 1) the album is entirely in English and 2) the boys had ABSOLUTELY NO promotional appearances on TV OR Radio!In fact, their songs from “the Beginning” were NEVER played on national TV or radio. (urgh. curse you SM)
All I can say is, GO JYJ!!!
We’re still strong and no obstacle from any corrupt individuals is going to stop us!
When Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun – or JYJ – waved goodbye to Dong Bang Shin Ki, I was a little worried, mainly because they no longer had that easy access to the high production value that SM Entertainment provides. As far as audible quality goes, SM spends a ridiculous amount of money to make their artists sound extremely good (don’t quote me on that), and let’s be honest, 95% of the time they do. Not only that, but JYJ were faced with the absence of two key singers – one bass and one tenor, and I mean, what’s a burger without buns? Of course, those two members (Changmin andYunho) faced a far more challenging road ahead of them without their main vocalists there to fill in the voids. Both ways, the dynamics changed, and it was going to be interesting to hear exactly how they would manage to divvy up their parts. More so in HoMin’s case than JYJ.
But unlike their brethren, JYJ have had the opportunity to expose themselves and gain a little more experience as a three-member ensemble. Last fall, they released “The…” in Japan, and it was the first time we heard JYJ without the other two members (on a recording). As always, they reached #1 on the Oricon charts, and at this point, charting at number one should not come as a surprise to anybody. Rather than going back home to Korea though, they packed their bags and flew to America, where the sound of “The…” was noticeably replaced with a more Americanized style with hopes to break into the US market. JYJ released “The Beginning” in October with the help of American producer/rapperKanye West and renowned producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins.
To put it lightly, their American foray was messy. Both the marketing and content of the album were way off base from the standards I had held in my mind for JYJ, and I know that if they had a clear plan of attack, things would have gone a little more smoothly. There were two or three songs on “The Beginning” worth salvaging, and okay, it wasn’t the worst thing ever, but one thing was certain: We still didn’t have a clear idea of what kind of sound would be definitive of JYJ.
Now Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun are back in Korea with their latest EP, “Their Rooms“, and I should point out the emphasis on ‘their’, because they basically did everything: composed, wrote, sang, everything.
To say this mini album is impressive just doesn’t cut it. I sincerely forgive them for the mess and a half that was “The Beginning” because “Their Rooms” is exceptionally done, especially for the aforementioned fact that they did everything on it.
Oh, and by the way, I’ve introducing a rating system.
01. “Mission”
The first track on “Music Essay” opens the doors wide open to Yoochun whispering, “yeah, brand new JYJ“, and a simple string section playing a mysterious, staccato riff that starts sounding pretty cool once the beat kicks in. Though the lyrics triggered several rounds of laughs (it’s K-pop, what else is new?), I couldn’t help but let myself be engulfed by the pounding beats and catchy chorus. “Mission” isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but it’s nonetheless an impressive upbeat thriller. It feels very K-pop but without really crossing the lines of gimmicks and tackiness.
4.5/5
02. “Nine”
“Nine” is a nice mixture of lush vocals with soaring melodies and a really pretty instrumental. There’s just enough going on for it to not be considered a ‘filler’ track. It also helps if you’re a sucker for good ballads, like myself, especially ones sung by people who were gifted with gorgeous voices. Jaejoong, the head honcho who wrote and composed this, constructed a very engaging chorus that not only sticks, but transmits emotions well beyond the language barriers.
The only glaring place worth revising is the song’s opening lines. Yoochun, buddy, that’s not the right octave.
3.9/5
03. “Pierrot”
What a name. “Pierrot” is a mid tempo song chock-full of Junsu singing his head off to the word ‘pierrot’ and words that rhyme with it. He sounds amazing though, and if you’re a fan of his adlibs, you’ll enjoy this song. The break left room for improvement; the instrumental started doing something interesting and then… nothing.
Having said that, there’s a lot of other elements at play that add substance to this piece. Like Yoochun’s pre-chorus line or the spacious instrumental. I’ll be spinning this song a few dozen times this week.
4/5
04. “Fallen Leaves”
The thing about this particular number is not so much the song, but JYJ’s interpretation. It’s one thing to hit the right note and another to understand ‘how’ to hit it, and well, JYJ know how to do it like nobody’s business. All three members have moments within this song where they shine and sound absolutely amazing. I mean, the way they ease into the notes and hold them out just a hair melts my insides.
I’m a little iffy about the instrumental on this ballad though. String sections tend to tick me off because they are always over the top and massive-sounding. I think a smaller ensemble would have been a better complement. Imagine a cello/bass line playing through the verses!
*Dies*
That is if they decided to use a real orchestra.
3.9/5
05. “I.D.S.”
You want me in your what?! Oh, plans? Phew, I thought Junsu meant something a little more… lewd. “I.D.S.” is the only song so far that features auto-tune, but it’s scarcely used, so no worries. It’s in here more for effect rather than fixing any bad singing. It’s JYJ; bad singing does not exist. The synths sound vaguely familiar, but I just can’t put my finger on it.
Overall, the song is pretty simple, with the exception of the middle 8, which is the most gorgeous thing ever. Then it goes back to the same hypnotizing rhythm.
3.5/5
06. “Untitled Song Part 1”
This song will impact listeners, if you know the lyrics, in ways that don’t really apply to me. I’m not going to get into the content of the words, but it is pretty clear that Yoochun’s rap is rooted in a particular emotion that seems to smear right over the lyrics. While the rap is somewhat passive-aggresive, the soft beat and added vocals serve as a really powerful complement.
3.9/5
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For a mini-album in K-pop, this is perfectly paced and brilliantly composed. Not a single song falls short or gets lost among the others. From one song to the next, there’s a strong sense of cohesion and it feels like the perfect amount of songs with just the right amount of energy in each. JYJ has proven that they don’t need the luxury of a high brow agency to produce amazing work, and actually, the fact that their sound isn’t at all like it was under DBSK helps it remains refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable.
JYJ’s newest CD and music essay book, Their Rooms, has debuted at #1 on the Hanteo Real Time Charts after being released today.
All of the songs were composed, produced and directed by the trio and the lyrics were written by Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu as well.
JYJ originally created this for their fans as a gift and it appears to have even made a huge impact in the publishing industry — it’s been compared to the Harry Potter books in terms of popularity.
Also included in the album and essay book are handwritten messages and photos from their everyday life.
