[Interview] JYJ From the Peak to the Rock Bottom… Now We’re Masters at Most Hardships

JYJ From the Peak to the Rock Bottom… Now We’re Masters at Most Hardships

Junsu: “We have never clashed in conflict in working on our music. On the contrary, we ask each other because we try to hear the other member’s opinion and we each seek to accommodate them. When doing so, definitely we got good opinions.”

Yoochun: In any case, since the fans waited for a long time and gave us strength and courage, we wish it to be a good present. Because we did not purposefully create self-compositions to become singer-songwriters. In the beginning it was difficult. Because we did not have the songs to use in our concerts at that moment. It is that a hardship turned into a blessing. It was a good learning experience. Because we ourselves drew it from the sketch. Now, even with the members, there is a different sort of trust than what before. There is also confidence for the next album.”

Because there were many hardships, they seemed as if they had become masters in most hardships. Overnight, they went from the position of the very top enjoying everything there is to enjoy to experiencing rock bottom — and it was a precious opportunity for growth. They said in unison the following optimistically:

“For middling things we do not become stressed. We have also become desensitized. If we were to become angry, there is no gain from that. We think it will be fine if we just stay put and do our work diligently. We are thankful at merely one small thing. Before, we used to become irritated at a small thing but now we’ve become the opposite.”

JYJ had been touring the world but this summer they enjoyed their individual time. Yoochun enjoyed sea-fishing by going down to Pusan after the KBS drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal without doing solo schedules. Jaejoong took rest at home quietly except for filming the SBS drama Protect the Boss and recording albums in the studio. Junsu was the most active. Except for making a cameo appearance in the SBS drama Scent of a Woman after appearing in the musicals, he participated enthusiastically in the activities of the idol soccer team FC MEN. Thanks to that, he has become close friends with not only Kim Hyunjoong but also B2ST’s Doojoon and Kikwang.

JYJ is preparing a special tour with this album—the European Tour. JYJ will have a performance on the coming 29th in Palau Sant Jordi of Barcelona, Spain and on November 6th in Tempodrom of Berlin, Germany. The also plan to continue their participation in many society-giving activities. I heard their visions for their future directly from them.

“The European Tour can be thought as separate from the World Tour that we have had so far. From before, many countries in Europe including Spain sent us love calls to perform but the timing worked this time around. It is the same with honorary ambassadors—you do not become one because you want to. When there is a request, we always think of it positively and we do it if it works in our schedule. It came in to work in our timing and so we were able to do it. We are thankful that they give us such an opportunity. From now on, we plan to always give and share.”

JYJ had become one in music and become solos in acting—they have ceaselessly ran as such. They made clear their intention to act as a group that shares love in forever remembering the moving moments that the fans have shown them in concerts.

[Parts similar to translations previously posted on JYJ3 omitted]

Source: Sports World

Translation Credit: JYJ3

[Interview] Time Has Passed… But Still “JYJ in TVXQ”

We Are Still TVXQ… Do Not Want the Expression “Former-Member”

JYJ is known to have separated from TVXQ but they are still TVXQ. JYJ has meaning when inside of TVXQ. It is as if without TVXQ, JYJ is an incomplete group.

Jaejoong: “Time has passed and now we are referred to as JYJ and TVXQ, but that we have our group name as the initials of the members means that we work as JYJ in TVXQ. We do not have any intention to get out from the shadow of TVXQ. Because we are still TVXQ, I do not want the expression of TVXQ’s former member either.”

(T/N: A literal conversion of the language would read “we do not have any thoughts to get out…” and that “I hate the expression of TVXQ’s former member” but they not the best translation because in this context those words are used in their secondary senses. For instance, Koreans may say 보고싶다 that converts literally to “I want to see X” but actually resembles more closely in meaning to “I miss X.” This is a similar instance.)

Source: Focus Shinmun

Translation Credit: JYJ3

[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

[Interview] “We Want To Have Many People Listen to Our Music For a Long Time.”

JYJ “We Do Not Believe That We Must Get Out From the Shadow of TVXQ”

JYJ Will Hold Solo Concert in Spain and Germany as First Among Korean Artists End of This Month

Now, Kim Jaejoong, Park Yoochun, and Kim Junsu are more used to the group name of JYJ than of TVXQ. The three who have become separated from the 5-member group TVXQ and have undergone two years of tempering have recently released their first Korean-language regular album In Heaven and have stepped out in earnest to stand alone. That the album’s major songs, Get Out and Fallen Leaves and the title song In Heaven are members’ creations is a characteristic that gathers attention. The digital music has mostly been released earlier through performance in Asia. Thanks to that perhaps, the album has reached 300,000 copies in pre-orders already. I met JYJ on the 30th of last month in a café in Jungdong, Joonggu, Seoul.

Kim Junsu: “If we were on the level of just putting on color on an already-drawn sketch, this time we have created starting from the sketch. Just the fact that over 80% of the album is produced or written by the members is unique and I have special affection.”

At recording, opinions enthusiastically incorporated… Emphasized the JYJ-ness

Park Yoochun: Because of that, it is possible that the album falls in its degree of completion but the JYJ-ness of the music has become more emphasized. Above all, it was great that in the recording room, our opinions were enthusiastically incorporated and our creativity were able to be expressed without sparing. We were not able to stand on the popular stage for quite a while, but we heard that there has even been a checkout counter exclusive for our albums in album stores and were very surprised and had a very grateful heart.

Kim Jaejoong who has also directed the Asia Tour: “In making music needed for the tour, many dynamic songs fit for a live performance were created.”

JYJ says that just in showcasing the album filled with their itinerary and memories of the past two years is very meaningful. However, in between the lines, the reason that they could not help but separate from TVXQ and the suffering endured in the meantime were conveyed.

Their activities are still blocked by a giant wall. It is because the public stations are shying away from recruiting them to appear with the reason of their legal conflict with their former agency SM Entertainment. KBS which had said that once a regular album is out it would have JYJ appear made the determination that the term P.S.M. in the lyrics of the song Pierrot referred to Lee Suman and thus unfit to air. The reason was that it was an attack on a specific individual.

Jaejoong: “That P.S.M. is an English acrynim for ‘President Suman’ is a nonsensical conjecture. It is a term that merely went in for the purpose of filling out the meter/rhythm of the lyrics. (Even though I should not have to do so,) If I had to assign an explanation to it, then I tried to criticize the social conditions of chasing solely the material success through ‘performance success museum.’ It is truly disappointing that the broadcast agency has laid down an arbitrary definition without once asking the creator of our agency about the intention of the lyrics.”

Regretful that KBS Arbitrarily Explained Lyrics Without Questioning

Park Yoocun also said: “Our disappointment at seeing the cancellations of even music programs on which we were scheduled to appear was large.”

What they wish to use as the breakthrough are their solo activities as actors. Park Yoochun who gathered popularity through his debut work Sungkyunkwan Scandal solidified himself as an actor through Miss Ripley and Kim Jaejoong also smoothly completed his initiation ceremony onto the drama scene through the recently-finished SBS Wed-Thursday drama Protect the Boss. Kim Junsu who is also highly recognized as a musical actor appeared as a cameo in the SBS weekend drama Scent of a Woman.

Jaejoong: “At first I wished merely that I would not be seen on screen as a singer (but rather an actor). But as my practice increased with each episode, I gained confidence and also discovered new attractiveness to acting.”

Yoochun: “I felt a great sense of lacking while appearing in Miss Ripley. I very much envied Jaejoong. (The role of Protect the Boss) was the image that I had thirsted for. The co-existence of softness and strength… We were both acting directors of headquarters but just how different were we, haha.”

Junsu: Musicals do not have close-ups and so we need a bit of an exaggerated expression but a drama in TV was not such. Anyways now that I’ve done an all-night shooting I don’t think (the drama scene) is a field that should be challenged rashly.”

All members have experienced dramas… Acting is a new breakthrough

They have finished a World Tour successfully by stopping in 10 countries in Asia and North America. They will hold solo concerts in Spain (10/29) and Germany (11/6) as the first of the Korean artists to do so. The three said in unison: “We gained confidence seeing the foreign fans sing along to our songs. Instead of making ourselves fit to the European trend, we want to showcase the music that we can do well and become recognized in that way.”

It was impossible not to ask about their conception of their relation with TVXQ (U-Know Yunho, Max Changmin).

“JYJ is also a group which came out of TVXQ and so we do not think that we are obligated to get out from the shadow of TVXQ. We also do not suffer from the obsession to become the top. Merely—we want to have many people listen to our music for a long time.”

Source: Seoul Shinmun

Translation Credit: JYJ3

[PIC] JYJ on the Cover of Y.G Magazine October Issue

[T/N] YG Magazine is a Chinese Malaysia magazine

Source: Y.Generation
Shared by: JYJ3