A man who constantly changed and never stays in one place, Kim Junsu.
He, who attempted at many transformations and is never afraid of them, took his time to be with @star1.
As a JYJ member, a musical actor and also as a solo singer.
A man who is running with no rest and never stops, Kim Junsu.
This is the story of that man, Kim Junsu.
# UNCOMMITTED
While transforming into a solo singer,
just recently he decided to release an English single album. It has
become such a hot topic as he worked with an international composer like
Bruce Automatic. He experienced a working style which is completely
different from the one in Korea. “While in our country, we tend to focus
only on recording the song, in the US, they try to get to know each
other first through conversations then go on with recording. If the
recording time takes about 4 hours in total, 2 hours would be spent in
having natural conversations about the album with each other. Also, I
feel that they take care of the artist overwhelmingly well. If I want to
rest, they would tell me to rest until whenever I want, they would make
a big deal if my vocal condition is just a little bit unwell. Now I
know what it is like to work with the best staff.”
He also worked with top staff to film a
music video right in the US. He was confused with a whole new way of
filming as they had to film the given situation in only one
long-take. “In our country, the staff would definitely give directions
even on the smallest movement but in the US, they just asked me to ‘sing
like you are flirting with this woman’. Of course, they didn’t decide
the exact movement for me either. Also, they always say ‘Action’ no
matter what. We were told to caress each other right at the first time
we met so I entrusted completely in the actresses. Seriously, like a
fish being released into water, when the music is played, I must get
everything under my control. When the filming started, I thought about
what to do first. I felt the pressure but because of that, we had some
natural unscripted scenes.” They brought a car to a desert, played the
music and he was told to act there. Since it was the very first time he
and the actress met, he couldn’t help but feeling puzzled when he was
told to act like he is flirting with her. Even so, they completed the
filming professionally. A high-standard music video was made. “Because
every staff was looking at me only, somehow rather than feeling
embarrassed, I just wanted to finish the filming quickly. Every staff
that I worked with are popular people and it was also their first time
to work with a Korean artist. Therefore, the responsibility of leaving a
good image to them and the pressure to be good seem to be more severe.
That’s how everything happened.”
# From a group to a solo
From a group of 5 members to a trio, then he transformed to a solo singer.
With that much happened, he was really worried and things are not easy
for him at all. Especially in the situation where his TV activities
aren’t guaranteed, the pressure on promotion for his solo album is big.
The album was decided to be released after hesitating, therefore he
wanted it to be in higher quality and be perfect. “Depending on how I
set the standard for myself, it could be considered as a success or
failure. At least, considering the worries I had in mind before
releasing the album, I think it was such a big success to me. To be
honest, when my agency first told me to release an album, I told them I
didn’t want to. It is because I have thought that promoting an album
when I can’t even appear on TV is impossible. On top of that, I did want
to make an album with a certain quality that is enough to please me but
if that amount of money was invested in but the result couldn’t meet
our expectations then that would be just a daydream.” While preparing
for the album, he also collaborated with Gecko, DoubleK etc. It seems
like he is completing one by one things that he has never tried out
before.
“There was a story like this long time
ago. Every person has their own color in terms of music. No matter how
differently they try to manifest, there is still a boundary that they
cannot get over. I think collaboration is a way to break it. Now if I
talk about what I want to do, my agency will accept the idea and get it
prepared for me. That is what makes me happy the most.”
# ‘Unconventional’ transformation
Releasing an album at the end of agony was indeed unconventional.
He took back the name ‘XIA’ and chose an
androgynous concept which he’s never shown before. The decision was more
unexpected to come from a boyish person like him. “To be honest, it was
awkward. For my personality, doing nails or dyeing my hair to bright
color is something I’d never imagined myself would do in the past. I had
absolutely no interest to the point that I felt ashamed that one can be
called a celebrity just because of their fancy appearance. At that
time, in my opinion, because I am a singer, all I must do is singing
well and that’s it. I am that type of person who doesn’t go to
dermatology ‘cos I found it annoying. That thought was broken when I
participated in musical ‘Elisabeth’.”
Kim Junsu played the role of ‘Death’ in
the musical ‘Elisabeth’. A mystical and transcendent character like that
needs to have a completely different image from normal people. That was
the reason why he started dieting. “I felt that I was so different from
the role ‘Death’. If I was still active in TV broadcast activities, I
would monitor and shape up my style even if no one told me to do so, but
during the break, I felt that I had became too ‘loose’. The role
‘Death’ that I must manifest in the musical is sexy and has similar
image to the God of Death. When I looked in the mirror, I realized that
this was not ‘Death’, that I wouldn’t be able to immersed in the role in
this state. I think my role must attract attention of the audience
right when he appears on stage so in order to transform my image, I
started dieting.”
After transforming himself into ‘Death’,
Kim Junsu’s mind has also changed. “It is obvious that singing is the
most important thing for a singer. However, I cannot deny the fact that
showing appearance is also a part of this job. The visual element can’t
have priority over singing but it cannot be overlooked either. I cared a
lot about the visual aspect when preparing for this album. For that
reason, I did my nails and these days, if I don’t have nail art, I feel
weird. My mind has changed to that extent. To me, putting efforts to
change, to transform myself is something I should do for the fans.
Before, I’d never thought about using wigs but now if they are needed, I
will definitely wear them.”
# Solo concert, Asia tour, then World tour
During a 90-minute solo concert, one can feel breathless just by watching him performing continuously intense dance songs.
While performing alone on stage, he has
mastered both singing and performance abilities and received favorable
comment from audiences.
“After finishing ‘TARANTALLEGRA’, I did
think that it would be great if the next song ‘Fever’ wouldn’t start at
all, or if the chair that I was sitting on would just be descended into
the stage’s bottom. However, wanting to show a perfect image, I arranged
dance songs continuously one after one so I gathered all my strength
and focused on my stage. The delight and the sense of fulfillment after
that are unbelievable.” Now he is starting his World tour. Standing on a
foreign stage gives him very different feelings from those he has when
being on domestic stage. Is it similar to what a national representative
would feel? He doesn’t stop after obtaining popularity in Japan, he
extended to Europe, South America etc. He has well prepared as XIA but
also as a Korean singer, he has to bear a big responsibility to show a
more than perfect stage. “To be honest, near the end, I was too tired
that I didn’t know how I have performed in the song ‘Mission’. Also,
when the concert has ended, not only I was happy but I also felt
stunned. Nevertheless, after every concert, I always have some regrets
and also emptiness in my heart, then I promise to myself that I will
work even harder next time.”
# The daily life of a non-celebrity Kim Junsu
During the conversation with him, he has
made me marvel at the serious worries a shining star has on stage, and
also made me laugh at his unpolished carefree choice of words. “I like
to be with my friends. My house is our hangout. If I am home, B2ST
Kikwang, Pro-gamer Yeom Bosung, Seokyungjong etc will just press the
password for my house door and come in. I like noise so I always call my
friends to come over. Kikwang often comes when he has time to rest.
Because all of us don’t like drinking alcohol so if Kikwang, Doojoon,
Jisuk hyung etc come, we go to Hanriver at night to play basketball.”
Currently being the captain of
celebrities soccer team FC MEN, he is well-known as a big soccer maniac,
to the extent that he said himself “If I was born again, I want to
become a soccer player”. “I am not the type that shies away but because I
have to stand on stage, I cannot play as much as I want but despite of
that, I am not someone who would play half-heartedly. Therefore, during
the concert period, if I tell the managers that I go playing soccer,
they will be in emergency mode. Even so, I still play whole-heartedly.”
In 2011, he participated in Park Jisung’s charity soccer match held in
Vietnam and played side by side with other players. He participated in
the match not because he wanted to play but thanks to Park Jisung’s
encouragement, he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to run on the same
field with Park Jisung. “I played for fun but Vietnamese players
thought I was a player for real and kept tackling me. If I kept the
ball, I would get into big trouble so I passed it. (laugh) I’ve thought
that I couldn’t play in the match but Jisung hyung offered me the chance
‘Aren’t you like soccer too? Let’s play together’ so I got to play.
Honestly, my physical condition on that day was really bad but will
there ever have another chance like that again, so I pretended to be
okay and participated in. The national team’s manager even came to see
my physical condition.”
# Go beyond an idol to become a musical actor
His ticket power is famous in the musical
industry. There is a hearsay that trying to get ticket for his shows is
like going through a real ‘ticket war’. With such exceptional ticket
power and ability, he has became a top musical star. “Tickets were
expensive yet all the seats were filled up. I am really thankful for
that. Therefore, I cannot perform carelessly. I might have not met 100%
of their expectations but at least, I just don’t want to hear that idol
singers just rely on their popularity to enter the musical industry and
stand on public stage. As a result, I’ve worked hard while carrying a
sense of duty. Of course, I will work even harder in the future.” In
fact, there are many different opinions over the advance into musical
industry of idol singers.
Some might think that considering his
popularity, it was easy for him to get casted, and also in order to
selling tickets, there was no doubt that the producer would choose him.
To overcome such opinions, he gritted his teeth harder. Still, he has
also experienced the prejudice against idol. “I have to complete
everything more perfectly in order to break that prejudice. Of course,
there were many pressures. I also knew the fact that if the musical was
ruined because of my fault, all the arrows would point at me. I can’t
help but being more cautious and in every show, I don’t allow even the
smallest mistake to happen. Nevertheless, I still felt so many
prejudices. If I am off-key, there will be response like ‘See, this is
why we can’t accept idol’. Still, I also know that there’s no other way
than endure and let it go. That is because I know it is my job to change
that kind of perception little by little.” As a result, all evaluations
about Kim Junsu are now positive.
At ‘The Musical Awards’, he was honored
to receive the popularity award for 3 consecutive years and be nominated
for Best Actor award for 2 consecutive years. The feeling of being at a
musical awards ceremony is very different from a music awards ceremony.
“At a music awards ceremony, I would be
considered as a sunbae but at a musical awards ceremony, I am the maknae
among maknaes. All the actors treat me well and nicely so I can do
nothing but be grateful for that. I also feel alienated a bit but
everyone is so nice to me. I have nothing to be ashamed of when being in
this position. I hate the perception that I can sit at this position
solely because of my popularity so I will work harder.”
# After debuting 9 years ago, I am still in the middle of growing just like before
This is already the 9th year since his
debut. Many things happened but now he feels that he is clearly drawing
out the path that he must walk through. “No matter what I do, I will
always think carefully first then do it. I will think thoroughly about
the picture of myself, the big picture of JYJ and decide on how I should
do it. I have learnt a big lesson by comparing this time, this moment
with the past. When looking at the final result, the joy is as big as
the hard time I felt during preparation period. Now I don’t like anyone
to order me to do this and that. That is not me but it is just a person
who is well wrapped by someone else. Of course, packaging is also an art
but I would like to build up my own perfect confidence rather than
being under that shell. An artist needs to have his own thinking, his
own color. Other members also feel happy when they do something by
themselves and enjoy its fulfillment.” Advice he wants to give to the
hoobaes is also in the same context. One cannot do everything 100% on
their own but if they trust and communicate with their agency, they will
become artist who never looses their own thinking. “It is not about
doing everything the agency asks for blindly, it would be better to
become an artist that can put his own justification in his works and
speak up his mind. No matter if the agency is the one who decides the
concept or not, we also have to fairly express our own opinion about the
work. Undoubtedly, doing merely as what you say yourself is dangerous.
Collecting opinion of people around is also important. I think if they
can become an artist like that, they will find their own color inside of
them and also develop their competitive power”. Challenging and
building up his own self are what he enjoys the most these days.
Building up one’s self is not something that can be done by one-sided
communication. It is walking together with the staff toward the
direction you want through mutual communication. He said that the
failure he experiences on that road might cause him bigger risk than
before but even so, he has no regrets. “Pressure and responsibility are
one of the pleasures I am feeling right now. There is always crossroad
and turning point. I want to make that turning point on my own. I still
don’t know if I will succeed or fail but first of all, I won’t have any
regret when doing what I want. I will find the common point between
what I think and opinions of the staff then go forward in the future.
Also, through all of that, I want to create mutual trust and happiness.”
#Editor’s note - Thanks XIA!
On a rainy day August 22, I’ve met Kim
Junsu on the elegant Kyeongridan street. Before starting the outdoor
photoshoot, in contrast with the gloomy look of the editor because the
rain showed no sign of stopping, Junsu stepped into the photoshoot
location with cheerful expression on his face. The concept for @star1
October issue’s photoshoot was named ‘Dandy & Wild’, inspired by
Junsu’s two-sided charm. As the photoshoot must show 2 kinds of concept
at once, we had a hard time not only fixing his clothes but also
modifying the hair and make-up However, in this photoshoot that also
made him feel tired, unexpectedly, as if he tried to removed the staff’s
fatigue, he cracked jokes, pulled pranks and cheered up the atmosphere.
During the photoshoot, he discovered a
piano at a corner. As if he was waiting for that moment, he started
playing a sweet melody, then in the middle of that, he tilted his head
and started singing along. If he has time, he will hum along a song, and
he never realizes time has passed by when he starts talking about
music. There is no need for any explanations to feel how much he loves
music. “In daily life, I also believe in the power of positive thinking.
Therefore, I always try my best to think positively. The rain is going
to stop when our outdoor photoshoot starts.” Just as Junsu said, no, as
if Junsu’s request has reached the sky, just about time when the indoor
photoshoot ended, the rain really stopped and the bright sun shined down
on us.
All the staff looked at Junsu and
exclaimed in delight. We were able to finish the photoshoot on the
street really quickly. Thanks to him, we were able to complete the
photoshoot much much better than we expected. To Junsu who must have
felt really tired because of the busy schedules in both domestic and
overseas after releasing the album single but still did his best, also
to the staff that helped me to wrap up the outdoor photoshoot quickly, I
want to take this chance to say thank you to everyone. Thank you!
Junsu!
EDITOR Kim Ruby
# Kim Junsu’s recommendation – This song in this situation.
While driving late at night or at dawn, listening to this song will make you feel happy
- No Gain
A song that will give your lover happiness if you sing it to her
- Lullaby
A song that is good to listen when your heart is in pain, suffering from break-up
- Fever
A good song to listen when you think of the person you miss.
- Even though I know
A song that pierces through your heart if you listen when you want to release stress
- Tarantallegra
A song that makes your ears happy with polished ryhthm
- Uncommitted
A good song to listen when you want to be comforted by love that tingles your heart
- You are so Beautiful
In autumn when leaves are falling, a song that makes you happy if you listen to it while enjoying a cup of coffee
- Fallen leaves
A song that will cheer you up even when you hum it alone.
- Worse song to listen when you feel bad
When you are depressed and when you are happy, a song that will make you feel high no matter how your mood is
- Gangnam style
A song that is more interesting if you listen to it while appreciating the lyrics
- Don’t do that!
