10 years as Shinhwa, now as a solo singer..."It feels like the time when I was still a trainee"
10 years after he made his debut at 19 with Shinhwa, he has finally made his solo debut at the age of 29. Junjin, who has worked hard together for the past 10 years with the other members to make Shinhwa a household name, now stands in front of everyone as an individual. He has just released his 1st solo album in April 2008 after the release of his single album in Nov 2006, and is now working hard at promoting his title track 'Wa'.
Junjin has been sporting a different image of late, his eyes emit more maturity and his speech and actions have also become more serious. But this has however invite unpleasant comments such as "he has become more arrogant now". To people who make such comments, Junjin shows me the wallpaper on his cellphone, which write "Speak when you have to, keep silent if you don't have to." He tells me, "The 29-year-old Junjin wants to live his life like this."
Change of image for his comeback stage
I had the change done deliberately. Spending the last 10 years as a Shinhwa member, if I didn't change my image at all, people would find it hard to imagine me as the solo singer Junjin. The same goes for the album, I wanted to make it more accessible to the masses, and I wanted to make music that is easy to listen to and yet energetic at the same time.
Your title track Wa is a very energetic dance track, but your album seems to feature more tracks that are more melody-focused
I worked hard to include different genres in the album, such as rock, punk and electronica. I treasure each and every song a great deal, so if I could, I'd want to promote these songs for the next 10 years. (laughs)
You seem to really love this album
The choreography for the title track was revised nearly 30 times. It felt like I was back to the days when I was still a trainee working hard to prepare for Shinhwa's 1st album. I think whether it's then or now, for a singer the hardest thing is probably preparation and practice.
Confidence in becoming the solo singer Junjin
I've always been doing rap and choreography in Shinhwa, so I never thought much about singing. Singers are human beings too, and mistakes are inevitable. Although I've thought through this before, I still couldn't help but feel a little negative about it. As I grew older my confidence increased, now I have full faith in myself.f
Your vocal skills, once criticised by some, have improved.“
I was almost tone-deaf in the past, and I couldn't finish one song by myself as I was worried that I would go out of tune. I asked for help from friends lik Park Seon Ju nuna, Fany, Bubble Sisters and Lyn, and they told me that I had to understand my own voice before I could think about vocal techniques. They were totally right. And because I really wanted to sing, I really worked very hard at practising.
Were your vocal cords affected in any way?
Most people may develop cysts on their vocal cords after singing for 10 years. As for me, I'm doing 10 years' worth of singing all at once, and it's more stressful on the voice. I hope this won't affect my singing.
Who was your greatest source of strength on your journey of discovering self-confidence as a solo singer?
My family... I've been quite lonely since young, and I've always felt the burden of having to take care of the family. But now, my family is my source of strength. I've been thinking about my grandma who worked so hard to raise me, I'd like to visit her.
Shinhwa members have given me criticism before.
Although they are harsh on me with their comments, but because we're as close as real brothers, there is a bond between us that makes us trust each other completely even without having to say anything. After they watched my performance they were rather surprised and asked me, "You mean you were singing live, not lip-syncing?" That made me feel very good.
What does it mean to you to be part of an idol group?
The name 'idol group' is just a label that people use. Shinhwa is just Shinhwa, we hope we won't get pigeonholed into any specific category. The members all harbour great dreams. When our 1st album didn't do well, we were shattered to hear that we'd be disbanded if the 2nd album didn't do well too. And our 2 biggest obstacles at that time were H.O.T and Sechs Kies. We are the Shinhwa we are today, simply because we persevered and worked hard.
Andy has been very popular on variety shows lately, but Junjin has also been a prominent figure on variety shows too.
Before appearing on Dream Team I was a newbie too, and to increase Shinhwa's popularity, we all had to give our all. For me I was thinking "If I won this, everyone would know Shinhwa then", so I really pushed myself. I was sent to hospital once because I overexerted myslef, but when I heard that I couldn't be on the show, I got up immediately and told them that I was fine.
What do you hope to learn from Andy?
Of course, I'm proud of Andy's achievements. I won't ever feel upset if the other members receive more attention than me. That just proves that Andy is now being recognised by the public. For me I put in my best for this album, and that to me is more than enough.
Has the 29-year-old Junjin changed at all?
Starting out at 19, I wasn't able to give perfect performances. But I worked hard and I started to become more prominent. Whenever I appeared on variety shows, the members would always look forward to my part. Lately I've become a little quieter and more serious, so sometimes people would ask, "What happened to Junjin?"
What is your goal?
My goal is to hold an Asian concert tour, and receive recognition as a singer. I've spent 10 years with Shinhwa, and I hope to eventually hold our 20th, 30th anniversary concert.
Source: donga.com
Chi trans: 糯糯@DoubleJ中文网
Eng trans: midnightgirl13@shinhwabiz
10 years after he made his debut at 19 with Shinhwa, he has finally made his solo debut at the age of 29. Junjin, who has worked hard together for the past 10 years with the other members to make Shinhwa a household name, now stands in front of everyone as an individual. He has just released his 1st solo album in April 2008 after the release of his single album in Nov 2006, and is now working hard at promoting his title track 'Wa'.
Junjin has been sporting a different image of late, his eyes emit more maturity and his speech and actions have also become more serious. But this has however invite unpleasant comments such as "he has become more arrogant now". To people who make such comments, Junjin shows me the wallpaper on his cellphone, which write "Speak when you have to, keep silent if you don't have to." He tells me, "The 29-year-old Junjin wants to live his life like this."
Change of image for his comeback stage
I had the change done deliberately. Spending the last 10 years as a Shinhwa member, if I didn't change my image at all, people would find it hard to imagine me as the solo singer Junjin. The same goes for the album, I wanted to make it more accessible to the masses, and I wanted to make music that is easy to listen to and yet energetic at the same time.
Your title track Wa is a very energetic dance track, but your album seems to feature more tracks that are more melody-focused
I worked hard to include different genres in the album, such as rock, punk and electronica. I treasure each and every song a great deal, so if I could, I'd want to promote these songs for the next 10 years. (laughs)
You seem to really love this album
The choreography for the title track was revised nearly 30 times. It felt like I was back to the days when I was still a trainee working hard to prepare for Shinhwa's 1st album. I think whether it's then or now, for a singer the hardest thing is probably preparation and practice.
Confidence in becoming the solo singer Junjin
I've always been doing rap and choreography in Shinhwa, so I never thought much about singing. Singers are human beings too, and mistakes are inevitable. Although I've thought through this before, I still couldn't help but feel a little negative about it. As I grew older my confidence increased, now I have full faith in myself.f
Your vocal skills, once criticised by some, have improved.“
I was almost tone-deaf in the past, and I couldn't finish one song by myself as I was worried that I would go out of tune. I asked for help from friends lik Park Seon Ju nuna, Fany, Bubble Sisters and Lyn, and they told me that I had to understand my own voice before I could think about vocal techniques. They were totally right. And because I really wanted to sing, I really worked very hard at practising.
Were your vocal cords affected in any way?
Most people may develop cysts on their vocal cords after singing for 10 years. As for me, I'm doing 10 years' worth of singing all at once, and it's more stressful on the voice. I hope this won't affect my singing.
Who was your greatest source of strength on your journey of discovering self-confidence as a solo singer?
My family... I've been quite lonely since young, and I've always felt the burden of having to take care of the family. But now, my family is my source of strength. I've been thinking about my grandma who worked so hard to raise me, I'd like to visit her.
Shinhwa members have given me criticism before.
Although they are harsh on me with their comments, but because we're as close as real brothers, there is a bond between us that makes us trust each other completely even without having to say anything. After they watched my performance they were rather surprised and asked me, "You mean you were singing live, not lip-syncing?" That made me feel very good.
What does it mean to you to be part of an idol group?
The name 'idol group' is just a label that people use. Shinhwa is just Shinhwa, we hope we won't get pigeonholed into any specific category. The members all harbour great dreams. When our 1st album didn't do well, we were shattered to hear that we'd be disbanded if the 2nd album didn't do well too. And our 2 biggest obstacles at that time were H.O.T and Sechs Kies. We are the Shinhwa we are today, simply because we persevered and worked hard.
Andy has been very popular on variety shows lately, but Junjin has also been a prominent figure on variety shows too.
Before appearing on Dream Team I was a newbie too, and to increase Shinhwa's popularity, we all had to give our all. For me I was thinking "If I won this, everyone would know Shinhwa then", so I really pushed myself. I was sent to hospital once because I overexerted myslef, but when I heard that I couldn't be on the show, I got up immediately and told them that I was fine.
What do you hope to learn from Andy?
Of course, I'm proud of Andy's achievements. I won't ever feel upset if the other members receive more attention than me. That just proves that Andy is now being recognised by the public. For me I put in my best for this album, and that to me is more than enough.
Has the 29-year-old Junjin changed at all?
Starting out at 19, I wasn't able to give perfect performances. But I worked hard and I started to become more prominent. Whenever I appeared on variety shows, the members would always look forward to my part. Lately I've become a little quieter and more serious, so sometimes people would ask, "What happened to Junjin?"
What is your goal?
My goal is to hold an Asian concert tour, and receive recognition as a singer. I've spent 10 years with Shinhwa, and I hope to eventually hold our 20th, 30th anniversary concert.
Source: donga.com
Chi trans: 糯糯@DoubleJ中文网
Eng trans: midnightgirl13@shinhwabiz
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