On October 15, JYJ's Kim Junsu(XIA) held a press conference for his upcoming new solo mini album. At the event, he talked about his new tracks, while it was notable that he
obliquely referred to SM Entertainment's disturbance of his activities as a singer. You know, JYJ's Kim Junsu, Park Yoochun and Kim Jaejoong filed a suit against SM entertainment in 2009 and they're still having strained relations. Junsu assumed a disinterested attitude about the fact that he has not been able to appear in any TV music chart shows.
Q. Tell me about the title track to be released on October 19.
Junsu: The title track 'Yesterday' is a lyrical ballad piece. It's the first time for me to select a ballad song as my title track. It's a kind of challenge. I
hope that lots of people will enjoy the fall season listening to the song. And the song is quite different from my former songs. Famous underground singer songwriter Lucia wrote the song and I heard that it's the first time for her to write other singer's track. She's the same age as I am and she's pretty.
Q. I heard that actor Kim Gang Woo appears in the music video.
Junsu: Yeah, I asked him to appear in the music video, and he was open to the idea. And
Fujii Mina, who has appeared in TVXQ's music video years ago appears in the music video too. We could make great music video thanks to the two.
Q. You released your album 'Flower' in March 2015 and release another album after a 7-month hiatus. Isn't the hiatus too short for you?
Junsu: I usually released my solo album once a year or once in two years. It's the first time to release two albums in a year. There are a few reasons. First, I've been really busy with my musical schedules. I love musical, but I wanted to keep balance between my career as a musical actor and singer. Second, I've never released my album in the fall. The album has a ballad title track and acoustic versions of my former songs. Third, I wanted to released new album before holding my concert. Holding a concert without new songs is nonsense.
It is not etiquette to do so.
Q. So, what are you preparing for you concert?(He will kick off his 4th Asia Tour)
Junsu: Since I debuted as a solo singer in 2012, I've released a total of 3 full albums, and I will release new mini album soon too. When I saw the list of my songs in the preparation stage of the concert, I felt really great because there were so many songs to sing. The concert will cover all of my solo albums. I will perform a variety of music on the stage.
Q. Will you appear in any TV music chart shows after releasing your new album?
Junsu: No. There has been no offer from any broadcasting companies.(At the moment,
the mood turned awkward but he put on a smile and said "It's OK.")
Q. It has been more than 10 years since you debuted and you're getting older. do you feel your physical strength is declining?
Junsu: I don't think so, but I try not to perform 3 to 4 dance songs in a row on the stage because I want to show high quality live performance.
Q. Yuchun and Jaejoong have joined the army. Aren't you lonely?
Junsu: I have no one to turn to now. They mean so much to me even though we usually do not contact each other often. I try to be more focused on my activities. They're totally healthy and doing great now. I lately met Yuchun at a hair saloon and Internet cafe. And Jaejoong calls me quite often.
Q. It seems that your song is quite different from other idol singers' songs. Some say your song lacks popular appeal.
Junsu: To make a profit, I have to follow the trend. However, I never release my album to make a profit. That's why I don't try to receive famous composers' songs. I'm confident I'm going my own way. I don't want to perform contrived songs such as 'Rising Sun' any more. I want to be an artist who does sincere music.
Q. Do you sometime feel like to go back to your former days?
Junsu: No. I've been through a lot in my life even though I'm still young. At first, I thought it's unfair. However, all of my experience made me grow up. I'm not afraid of anything now. I'm working toward a future.
Q. I heard that the tickets for your upcoming Seoul concert were all sold out.
Junsu: It's 6th year for me to hold my solo concert, but I'm always nervous before ticket sales are opened. As I've never appeared in TV music chart shows, I don't exactly know how many people like me. When I appeared in music chart shows and won No.1 trophies a long time ago, I took it for granted that the tickets for our concert were all sold out. I'm so grateful to the people who come to watch my musical and concert.
Q. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Junsu: Well, I'm thankful to reporters and journalists too. Thank you for writing about me even though I don't appear in TV. 4 years ago, good articles about me were deleted just 5 minutes after being released.
