XIA (Junsu) has returned with an album full of challenges.
IA (Kim Junsu) held a showcase at the UNIQLO AX Hall on the 15th to commemorate the release of his second solo album ‘Incredible’.
It’s been a year since he last made an appearance as solo singer ‘XIA’, and not a member of JYJ. Although he has been busy as a musical actor, he put all his effort into preparing his latest album, and did not disappoint fans as he has come back as a more mature singer.
During the press conference that was held after the showcase, Kim Junsu said, “I tried to put as many different genres as possible in this album. I only started choosing songs after I decided which genres I wanted in my album, and I paid much more attention in my song selection process this year.”
His vocal skills have changed drastically as well. Regarding this, Kim Junsu said, “I can’t say that my time as a musical actor hasn’t influenced the way I sing at all, but I tried very hard to find the perfect balance. I tried to find what worked best for each song, and applied that to my music, ” and “I left it up to the feel of the song.”
Kim Junsu emphasized, “This album was a great challenge for me. I wanted to discover a new side of me through this album.”
He expressed his hesitation of filling the majority of the album with his own compositions. He said, “When artistes compose their own music, the good thing is that they are able to put all of their strengths into one song. But you might also get yourself stuck in one mould,” and “Although I try to branch out when I write music, the quality of my album might drop if I become too greedy about writing and singing my own songs. I focused most on choosing the best songs.”
The showcase that was held on the same day was aired live on MelonTV. Kim Junsu performed a total of four songs, ‘Tarantallegra’, ’11 o’clock’, ‘I’m Sorry’ and ‘Incredible’, to perfect his successful comeback.
Starting on the 20th in Bangkok, Thailand, Kim Junsu will set off on his world tour that will take him to Shanghai, China on the 20th, Seoul on the 3rd and 4th of August, and Busan on the 10th and 11th of August.
His second solo album showcase.. A Summer dance track ‘Incredible’
JYJ’s Kim Junsu (XIA, 26) has come back with his technicolor second solo album ‘Incredible’.
Kim Junsu held a showcase for 1,200 fans at the UNIQLO AX Hall in Seoul on the 15th. The day’s event was aired live through Melon and LoenTV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sa351v9k4g).
Having released his new album on various online music sites and iTunes, Kim Junsu performed a total of four songs, ‘Tarantallegra’ from his first album, and ’11 o’clock’, ‘I’m Sorry’, and ‘Incredible’ from the second album.
Appearing on a throne, the singer exuded an air of confidence and charisma for his rendition of ‘Tarantallegra’.He continued to sing ’11 o’clock’ a capella, till he was joined by a piano halfway through. ‘I’m Sorry’, which is a traditional ballad, captivated his fans with his husky voice.
Last of all, Kim Junsu walked on stage wearing the red jacket he donned in his music video and was joined by his neon-clad dance crew. He performed ‘Incredible’ for the first time, showing off his perfect live skills, unmarred by a difficult choreography. The song has a fun melody and strong beat, and showcases Kim Junsu’s powerful performance capabilities. As a collaboration with composer Automatic, who Kim Junsu worked with for his US single ‘Uncommitted’, ‘Incredible’ features a rap segment from Puff Daddy’s son Quincy Brown.
The music video was shot in a house in Malibu and is as refreshing as the song itself. When fans honed in on the kiss scene in the music video, Kim Junsu feigned ignorance as he said, “Oh, the kiss scene. Was that included?” He had everyone laughing as he said, “I just pretended to kiss her. I took on the ‘American mindset’. Whether it actually happened or not is up to your imagination. Then again, this is all just business…”
During the press conference that was held after the showcase, Kim Junsu said, “This is the first time in nearly four years that I stood in front of a camera (for a broadcasted show). Although it wasn’t on TV, it was still a broadcasted program and it was fun and exciting. I had a great time.” Kim Junsu has been unable to appear on broadcasted programs in the past due to his legal dispute with his former agency SM Entertainment.
Kim Junsu’s second album features a total of 12 tracks, including the pre-released track ’11 o’clock’. Kim Junsu participated in the composing, lyric writing and producing process of the album and showcased his maturity as a singer.
His second album features a variety of genres including dance, ballad, electronic, funk, neo-soul, R&B and acoustic. C-JeS Entertainment stated, “The composers who participated in this album all praised Kim Junsu for his musical abilities and value as a vocalist.”
Kim Junsu will be kicking off his Asia Tour with the release of his new album. Staring in Bangkok, Thailand on the 20th, he will hold concerts in Shanghai (28th), Seoul (August 3rd~4th), and Busan (10th, 11th).
– Max Changmin, the mascot of hard work, what was his first badminton match like… – Changmin + Jong Soo “There isn’t a single badminton court in Seoul we haven’t gone to!” How much have they practiced? – Which badminton duo is the best in the celebrity team? – Max Changmin, his legs are shockingly covered in tape! What happened?
Max Changmin and Lee Jong Soo’s taped-up legs have become a hot topic. The episode of KBS2′s ‘Our Neighborhood’s Master of Variety and Sports’ that airs on the 16th will show the team’s first badminton match. Having practiced hard for the past week, the celebrity team will surprise everyone in their match against the Joonggok-dong badminton team.
Max Changmin and Lee Jong Soo, who were deemed the ‘bumbling couple’ in last week’s first badminton practice session, completely turned it around and surprised everyone. It was easy to guess just how much they had practiced from the various bruises and scrapes littering their legs that had been taped up.
Regarding this duo, Lee Soo Geun said, “There isn’t a single badminton court in Seoul that they haven’t been to in the last week. That’s the most anyone has practiced in his team.” To this, Lee Jong Soo said, “We could only meet in the early hours of the morning because our schedules didn’t match up. We met almost every day in the early hours of the morning to practice,” and increased the anticipation for the ‘bumbling couple’.
The reason why viewers can’t help but be excited for this duo is because of Max Changmin. Although he was called ‘the fool of table tennis’ and ‘the fool of bowling’ at first, he surprised everyone with his rapid development. However, no matter how much he practiced, he was unable to score a win. During his last bowling match, he was neck and neck with the Gwangju Ssangchon-dong team till the 9th frame but lost in the 10th frame. This caused him to spill tears of disappointment and earned him the nicknames ‘Sincere Changmin’ and ‘Does his best Changmin’.
Seeing him, the bowling ace Lee Byung Jin showed his affection for the team’s youngest member as he said, “Although you weren’t the best, you did your best, and that is so much better! I love you~’ This is why his fellow teammates who have been with him from the start, not just the viewers, are hoping for Max Changmin’s first win.
Having practiced so hard that he had to tape his legs up, the body part that is pivotal for idol stars, Max Changmin’s results in his first badminton match are at the center of attention.
When Max Changmin and Lee Jong Soo’s taped-up legs were revealed, netizens left comments such as, “What about TVXQ’s overseas performances.. I can’t believe how much he seems to have practiced.. It warms my heart”, “Oh my god! Poor Changmin and his legs”, “Hopefully, Changmin will win his first match?”, “Changmin and Jong Soo must be a match made in Heaven. Lasers seem to beam out of their eyes in the preview,” and “I’m expected an uprising from the bumblers. I will definitely watch this episode!”
The badminton match between the celebrity team and the Joonggok-dong team, which completely overturned the expectations of both the audience and staff, is set to air tonight at 11:20.
Jaejoong was laughing wholeheartedly (and loudly) and he was wearing black shades when the fan saw him. He placed his bike properly and went to buy some water. The fan took some pictures of him. When they were buying water, the fan finally mustered enough courage to ask for signature. She used English to request the autograph from Jaejoong. Jaejoong hmmed and took the initiative to reach out and take the pen from the fan. He made eye contact with the fan when she shouted his name. As said, his face is very skinny and very white. He didn’t shave and his lips are the same jellyish texture as seen in photos. Fan used English to tell Jaejoong that she is a Chinese fan and Jaejoong replied thank you in Chinese. After signing, manager used English to say thanks, and Jaejoong thanked the fan. The fan then thanked both of them. Jaejoong and manager continued to rest for a while. He was drinking soda and he smoked. He then played some games on a black Samsung phone passed to him by his manager. Before leaving, Jaejoong looked around to see if there is rubbish bin or such to throw his rubbish away. (Good idol~! ❤) The fan used Korean to say “oppa, goodbye” and Jaejoong turned around and nodded at her. He then cycled away. The fan commented that the way he cycles is so handsome~ The fan wants to clarify a few things:
Jaejoong isn’t short. He didn’t use cologne (at least for yesterday). He wore 2 rings and chrome heart bracelet on his right hand, and his left hand is just full of bracelets. His legs are especially skinny. The way Jaejoong cycles is more handsome than how he drives. Jaejoong was wearing long sleeves, the same as what he wore in his selca. The fan saw Jaejoong and manager in Chamonix, France, not in Paris, France. Fanaccount from @Lucia坐等金在中世巡法国站 on Weibo translated by @taurysays. ^~^ P/S: Irrelevant parts are omitted. P/S: Jaejoong’s autograph for the fan
[TRANS]Good news~~♪ Our JYJ has completed all of their schedule successfully arriving safely in Korea~^^ Our Junsu has also come back looking beautiful~^^ Thank God~Amen~^^
Source: @zunoxiahmom Translated by: rilanna of JYJ3 Shared by: JYJ3
[News] 130712 TVXQ! Rocks L.A. Feeling ‘Brand New’ at World Tour Stop: Live Review
TVXQ! — aka 27-year-old Yunho and 25-year-old Changmin — pose for a photo backstage at the July 5 L.A. date to their TVXQ! LIVE WORLD TOUR ‘CATCH ME.’ SM Entertainment
“We are nervous, but extremely excited. Everything feels brand new, as if we just debuted” – Yunho
TVXQ! — aka 27-year-old Yunho and 25-year-old Changmin, undoubtedly two of the biggest names in K-pop history — proved their supremacy as a pair of “K-pop Kings,” by amassing a total of 700,000 fans to their five-stop, Japan Dome tour, “TVXQ! Live Tour 2013 Time.” Continuing the success, the duo embarked on their first world tour titled, “TVXQ! LIVE WORLD TOUR ‘CATCH ME,’” on Nov. 17, 2012, in Seoul, Korea. They dazzled thousands in Hong Kong (Jan. 19), China (March 30) and Malaysia (May 18), and they finally brought the much-anticipated leg of the tour to America for a Los Angeles date on July 5.
The excitement caused by TVXQ’s first L.A. concert was felt at Nokia Theatre on Friday night. TVXQ’s fans, known as Cassiopeia, arrived hours before the show was to begin. Most fans, dressed in red t-shirts (a signature color for TVXQ!) showed support by holding flash mob events as well as handmade signs.
Backstage, TVXQ appeared energized and high-spirited, despite jet lag and exhaustion from hours of rehearsal. The duo spent the last hour before the show relaxing their vocals (Changmin singing Kim Gun Mo’s “Moon Of Seoul”), taking pictures with lucky fans, joking around with staff members and talking to Billboard for an exclusive video interview.
“We are happy that we get to finally meet with our fans in the States,” says leader Yunho. “The show here [compared to ones in other countries] is more intimate. We are nervous, but extremely excited. Everything feels brand new, as if we just debuted. We want to share our good vibes with our fans that have waited so long.”
At 8:30 p.m. the extravaganza began slightly delayed (due to concertgoers’ unwillingness to leave merchandise booths). Ear-splitting screams erupted, red glow sticks illuminated, and some fans even cried as the packed venue watched the duo appear via hanging on wires.
TVXQ!’s electrifying show kicked off with hardcore, back-to-back performances of “Rising Sun,” “Getaway” and “Why (Keep Your Head Down).”
Taking a moment, Changmin expressed his gratitude to the thousands of fans by saying, in English, “We are so thankful to each and every one of you that came to see us tonight.” With an interpreter, he continued in Korean, “I know our U.S. fans have waited ten, long years for this concert to happen and we will promise to make up for it.”
Throughout the two-hour and a half event, the K-pop kings delivered a pitch-perfect live show with masterfully choreographed dance moves, assisted by six male backup dancers, plus special solo performances. For the solo stages, Changmin mesmerized with a cover of Maxwell’s “Whenever, Wherever, Whatever,” in a casual, striped shirt in front of a backdrop of a cityscape visual. Then, Yunho spiced it up by crooning and hip-swerving his way through his solo track, “Honey Funny Bunny,” in a sequined jacket.
‘You Guys Are So Amazing!’
The duo went through their extensive catalog of Korean and Japanese hits, including “Wrong Number” (showcasing perfectly in-sync dance moves down to their feet) “Purple Line,” “Humanoids” (their most-recent K-pop single) “Destiny,” “Dream,” “Catch Me” (wearing LED light jeweled jackets, highlighting the technical “Hulk dance”) “Before You Go” and “Mirotic.” In between performances, various TVXQ! videos were shown on the screen to preview each song.
Before bringing the show to a close, the crowd united as one for a touching moment. At one point, fans held up a placard that read, “We will always be here.” Yunho responded to the crowd in English, “You guys are so amazing! I am touched.”
The highlight of the night came when TVXQ! daringly stormed into the crowd — the first they’ve ever done so in their 10-year career, they told Billboard afterwards. The boys went off in separate directions, running through the aisles, leaving fans (and presumably security guards and ushers) in awe.
After successfully wrapping the concert Yunho reflects, “I was really taken aback to see such diversity in ages. We even saw a lady [who seemed to be in her 60s] singing along to our lyrics. This was a special night for all of us. The amount of response we got was tremendous. We won’t forget this night and we hope that our U.S. fans. will remember this night as well.”
Looking forward, TVXQ! will become the first foreign artist to perform at Japan’s Nissan Stadium on August 17 and 18. The two-day event is projected to bring in a total of 150,000 fans.
Want more TVXQ!? Check back to Billboard’s K-Town for an exclusive video interview with Yunho and Changmin coming soon!
[Trans] 130712 JYJ’s Summer Magazine To Be Released Simultaneously In Korea And Japan “Our Fans Are Our Friends”
JYJ’s magazine ‘The JYJ’ will be releasing a summer edition.
On the 12th of July, C-JeS Entertainment announced, “Our ‘The JYJ’ magazine, which became a hot topic in January when we released the first edition outlining JYJ’s first 1,000 days, will be releasing its new Summer edition simultaneously in Korea and Japan.”
C-JeS Entertainment introduced the new Summer edition as they said, “The theme of our second ‘The JYJ’ magazine is ‘Friends’. It will include a photo spread that will showcase JYJ’s friendship, a cover story, what JYJ think‘friends’ mean to them, and the honest experiences they’ve had with their friends.”
They continued to add, “We got up close and personal during Tokyo Dome’s April concert, and have detailed the that experience through photos and written words. The behind-the-scenes stories behind each member’s solo activities, and never-before-seen photos will show a more honest and friendly side of JYJ.”
The Summer edition will be a total of 120 pages with a 30 page photo spread and cover story, behind-the-scenes moments from JYJ’s Tokyo Dome performance, never-before-seen photos and hand-written letters from the three members during their solo activities, as well as the preparation process behind JYJ’s 2013 Membership Week event.
Regarding this, JYJ stated, “Because we think of our fans, as well as each other, as our closest friends, we have expressed our honest experiences about them,” and “We hope this will become a great gift to our fans, who have supported us till we could stand in Tokyo Dome once more and have sent us their unwavering affection during our solo activities, to commemorate the times we have spent together.”
Meanwhile, the Summer edition of JYJ’s special interview magazine ‘The JYJ’ will be released simultaneously in Korea and Japan and can be bought on the C-JeS Store website. (http://cjesstore.com/, http://www.jyjjapan.jp/)
[Trans] 130714 JYJ’s Kim Junsu To Make His Comeback As XIA On The 15th “Praised For His Value As A Vocalist”
JYJ’s Kim Junsu will be making his comeback as XIA (Junsu) on the 15th.
XIA (Junsu)’s second solo album will contain a total of 12 tracks, including the hip-hop dance track ‘Incredible’.
C-JeS Entertainment stated, “XIA (Junsu)’s second solo album will be released on various online music sites and iTunes at noon tomorrow. The album contains various styles such as pop, electronic dance, R&B, funk neo-soul and ballads. At 7p.m., a live showcase will be aired on Melon and LoenTV.”
They continued to add, “Like his first album, he participated in the composition and lyric-writing process, and was in charge of producing the whole album. The composers who participated in this album praised Junsu’s musical abilities and his value as a vocalist.”
The countdown event that was held on JYJ’s official Facebook page from the Friday has proved just how popular XIA (Junsu) is overseas with questions coming from Asia, Peru, Brazil, Morocco, Australia, Russia and Turkey.
Meanwhile, XIA (Junsu)’s album will be released both online and offline on the 15th and he will kick off his Asia Tour on the 20th.
Junsu’s new Music Video is active and challenging dance and imagery… Please invest in Junsu and buy this album.
This album has a lot of hip hop, jazz and R&B influence. The ballads are soulful and beautiful. There are also some retro elements here. To be honest, the genres are all over the map. This is a definite leap and a new approach. It takes time to absorb. Great Job June!!! 🙂 <3
[Trans] 130712 Max Changmin – Park Hyung Shik, ‘Handsome Bumblers’ Have Viewers Cooing In Delight
Viewers have motherly smiles on their faces whenever they see these members on variety shows?
KBS 2TV’s ‘Our Neighborhood’s Master of Variety and Sports’ and MBC’s ‘Real Men’, the two upcoming variety shows of 2013, have one thing in common. A youngest member who brings out the protective streak in viewers as they bumble their way through sports and the military.
The youngest member in ‘Our Neighborhood’s Master of Variety and Sports’ is Max Changmin and the baby soldier of ‘Real Men’ is Park Hyung Shik. They’ve captured the hearts of viewers with their good looks and surprisingly bumbling behavior. Viewers call them the ‘handsome bumblers’. Let’s fall into the charm of these handsome bumblers~
The bumbling young one, Max Changmin
Max Changmin is currently working with Kang Ho Dong, Lee Soo Geun and Jo Dal Hwan on ‘Our Neighborhood’s Master of Variety and Sports’. They have battled against ordinary folks in table tennis, bowling and now, badminton. Former sumo wrestler Kang Ho Dong, condiment-like Lee Soo Geun and master of sports Jo Dal Hwan have each formed their own characters, and Max Changmin has solidified his status as the sincere ‘maknae’ (youngest in the group).
Max Changmin has a monopoly over the love of his older team members as the youngest member with a faint heart. When he appears on ‘Our Neighborhood’s Master of Variety and Sports’, he is no longer the charismatic member of TVXQ on stage; he is a part of the KBS team. Sometimes he’s like the boy next door, and sometimes he’s like a cute younger brother.
Unfortunately, Max Changmin hasn’t won a single match in any of the sports events he’s played in. Though Max Changmin’s athletic skills aren’t outstanding, as said by his table tennis and bowling coaches, he’s more diligent and practices more than anyone else.
He is also growing and maturing with the program. Because he has not appeared on many variety shows in the past, there are still so many talents and surprises that he has yet to show.
In a phone conversation with StarNews on the 12th, a representative of the show stated, “Max Changmin tries really hard. He doesn’t fade into the background between such strong personalities as his older team members, and he plays his part as the youngest member of the team,” and “But when he loses a match, he tends to shed tears out of disappointment and sorrow. Everyone knows just how sincere Max Changmin is about this show, so even those tears make us feel so proud of him.”
Beautiful words :’) (Jaejoong, 5:27pm KST) Imagine that we had no eyes. If we had no eyes, we would feel the ‘warmth’ of sunlight before the dazzling light made it unbearable, we would experience the ‘scent’ of a flower before its beautifulness, and we would understand the ‘heart’ of a person before we formed our impression of them from sight. (Jaejoong, 5:27pm KST) The things that are most important in this world are those that cannot be seen with our eyes. – Kwon Dae Woong <A Day>
[Trans] 130711 XIA (Kim Junsu) Gets Together With Quincy Brown To Create ‘Incredible’
XIA (Junsu) met with Quincy Brown to work together on a song.
On the 11th of July, C-JeS Entertainment stated, “XIA (Junsu) worked with Quincy Brown, the son of famous rapper Puff Daddy, on his new song. As an upcoming rapper and actor in the US, Quincy Brown helped XIA (Junsu) out on his second solo album by featuring in his title song ‘Incredible’.”
According to this representative, Quincy Brown makes the song more mesmerizing with his English rap that begins with ‘You’re so hypnotic girl, you’re incredible’.
They continued to add, “The partnership of XIA (Junsu) and Quincy Brown, such energetic artistes, has created a high-quality song. The two artistes met at the music video shooting in L.A. and enjoyed their time together, talking about music,” and “XIA (Junsu)’s music video is a fusion of a song and video that goes great with the Summer season.”
XIA (Junsu)’s ‘Incredible’ music video brought back the staff behind the music video of his first album’s title song ‘TARANTALLEGRA’, which was praised for its sophistication.
Meanwhile, XIA (Junsu) will be releasing his second album ‘Incredible’ on the 15th and is planning to hold a showcase on the same day. The showcase will be aired live through MelonTV.
[Trans] 130710 Tahiti Make An Official Apology For Using JYJ’s Song… “It Wasn’t Intentional But It Was Still Wrong”
Girl group Tahiti’s representatives have released an official apology regarding their use of the intro of JYJ’s hit song ‘Mission’ without permission.
In a phone conversation with MyDaily, a representative of Tahiti’s agency Dream Star Entertainment said, “We received an official statement from JYJ’s agency and sent them an official apology. Though it wasn’t intentional, it was still wrong of us to not be more thorough in checking the source of the song. We will make sure that incidents like this will not happen again.”
Tahiti used the intro of ‘Mission’ for their performances in Cambodia in March and at Hongik University in May, which was picked up by JYJ fans and uncovered that the song had been used without any permission.
The representative from Tahiti’s agency added, “We used the intro at the suggestion of a person who had worked on JYJ’s concerts. He told us that it was okay to use the music, so we didn’t think it would be an issue. We should have been more thorough in our background research, so we’re very sorry.”
Regarding this, JYJ’s agency C-JeS Entertainment stated, “We brought up the issue through an official statement to the entertainment agency in charge to retrieve the rights of our artistes, but we have decided not to take any legal action because it was not intentional. We are just waiting for a response from them instead. We would like for this to be an opportunity for everyone involved to learn the value of copyright laws.”
