Rock band Apollo 18: Our hope is to stay together till death
As one of Korea’s leading indie rock band, Apollo 18 has released four albums since 2009 with each named after a colour: Red, Blue, Violet, and the last is Black. They have won many prizes and toured the world.
In sitting down with them for our last exclusive interview from the Korea Rocks Tour in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, I was not interested in any sort of average questions as we already have held a thorough interview with the group’s past, present and future last year. So this time, I dug inside these awesome rock and roll artists to find out what their hearts were made of, and I was not disappointed.
Some of the questions sparked long discussion among the members before coming out with a satisfied answer. Here we bring you the inner story about Apollo 18, which you may probably have never known about them; the meaning of their music and the meaning of being Apollo 18.
Our dream is not to become rock stars (…) what is really important is that we are together.
It’s your first time in the UK, are you excited?
Dae Inn: Very excited, the weather is beautiful (laughs as it was currently raining)
What is your target as a group? What do you want to achieve as Apollo 18?
Sangyun: There is no target. We want to enjoy ourselves; to have people watch our show and enjoy the music.
But what was your initial dream when you started?
Daeinn: Just play music really, expressing our feelings…
Are you satisfied with your current status or do you still want to become bigger?
Daeinn: Sure, we want to get bigger.
What if things never change and keep going with the exact same level of success, same audience, same album sales for the next 20 years; would you be happy with this scenario?
Hyunseok: Actually, we’ve been together for a long time. That’s really important… our dream is not to become rock stars. Of course having success and earning a living is important but what’s really, really, important is that we are together.
Daeinn: Keeping playing together, that’s what’s important.
Could you tell us a bit about your recording process? Do you have a precise plan when you create a new song?
Daeinn: No, no, we have no plan. We just jam.
Hyunseok: But then of course we don’t just record jam sessions, we rework and make many, many, small changes to the bits that we like.
Daeinn, you acknowledge Kurt Cobain as a personal influence while growing and Kurt Cobain always claimed that the lyrics didn’t matter, only the music does. What is your personal view on that? What kind of balance do you try to find between music and lyrics?
Daeinn: We have no lyrics in our last album; well we hardly use any.
Hyunseok: For us it’s not about delivering lyrics; this is more about using the lyrics and the voice as part of an instrument.
In joining this UK tour, do you feel you are representing the Korean indie rock scene, and have a mission to promote it?
Hyunseok: We don’t think we are representative of indie bands of South Korea. We have more opportunities to go abroad and tour unlike most other artists. I mean, we have this opportunity to do those international tours, but still a lot of people do not recognize us in Korea. We’re not mainstream or Kpop; that’s what South Koreans are really interested in.
Last year, The Koxx produce a song for 4Minute. What would be your reaction if an idol company approaches you about producing idol music?
Hyunseok: We don’t want to change our musical style; but we’re assuming that if an idol group like 4Minute asks for a song or a collaboration, they would expecting us to stick to our own sound rather than us adapting to theirs.
Potentially, we want to prove that we can go abroad and do the tours or concert freely, without any complex and having people recognizing us. As long as we can prove that other bands in South Korea will get inspired by it.
What do you think of a group like Glen Check? Do you think they belong to the same music scene as you or are they different?
Sangyun: No they are different, completely different from us.
I’m asking this because Kpop is expanding as a genre, embracing all its artists at once and not just one or a few isolated ones like SNSD or T-ara. Do you think there is a similar process for Korean indie music?
Apollo 18: We don’t think the Indie music will ever be as popular as Kpop inside or outside Korea. But what we want to do, potentially, because Korean Indie is still behind other any other Western rock band, or any kind of bands, we want to prove that we can go abroad and do the tours or concert freely, without any complex and having people recognizing us. As long as we can prove that other bands in South Korea will get inspired by it. But it’s not really our intention anyway.
Ok, what about Jrock? Do you think Krock can become as big as Jrock internationally?
Apollo 18: Well it’s going to take some but we hope so. Jrock has this fundamental base; it’s been there for a long time. We don’t think we’re going to catch up on it easily, but as long as we keep doing tours and good music, then eventually, we might be able to catch up on it.
Alright, what do you think about an artist like Lee Seung Yeol? Do you think you belong to the same indie scene?
Apollo 18: He’s major. He’s very famous. He belongs to one of the biggest label in Korea; we can’t really compare to that. He is a mainstream artist, however he plays indie.
Would you consider signing for a big label while still playing indie?
Apollo 18: As long as the label does not ask us to change our music style, there is no reason why we would not join a major label like Lee Seung Yeol.
We think [our music is] just a sketchbook. We provide the page and people write their own story. It’s up to the listeners to give our music a colour, an image.
Could you describe your sound as a band in one image?
Apollo 18: There is no image; just Apollo.
What about a colour then? Since you use colours for your album names and covers, what colours fits you best, defines your sound?
Apollo 18: Oh, very hard question (laughs). We think it’s just a sketchbook. We provide the page and people write their own story. It’s up to the listeners to give our music a colour, an image. This is part of the reason why we don’t write lyrics that often because if we do so we give directions, a definition to all the tracks. But we would rather leave the listener decide and figure out what the music is.
But then what precise role plays the colour chosen for each album? Isn’t that an indication, a direction, a definition?
Apollo 18: Again, it’s very difficult but it’s ok, we like it. We’re happy with the question but we want to be careful at what we say. We don’t have our own colours. The colour that we decide depends on the album we make; it can be red, it can be blue, it can be yellow next time. It is referred by the style of music we make at the time. The colour chosen for the album represents the mood, not the story. We don’t actually put album title on the covers. They’re known as red or black because of the cover’s colour. Again, we want to leave things to the listeners; they can think on their own, freely, as they listen.
What context suits best the listening of your music?
Daeinn: Sex (laughs)
Hyunseok: Maybe by the river side.
Sangyun: I think it’s best in a club, as live music.
Is your lifestyle matching your music?
Hyunseok: It was, but not anymore; because we don’t make a living out of it. There are bad things and good things about being in a band – there are actually more good things. However, if we’re too hungry and unable to make money out of it, we can’t enjoy as much as that as a band.
Is there any moment in your life that you forget being part of Apollo 18 or being a part of Apollo 18 is your identity?
Apollo 18: No. Everyday, nonstop. We are Apollo 18 and want to be together and keep making music. As we said before: our hope is to keep together till death.
As I came to the conclusion of this interview, the heartfelt answers left a deep impression on me and the burning passion they have for the music they believe in. On behalf of hellokpop, I would like to wish them what they hope for: to keep making great music together until death!
You can read the following related stories from the Korea Rocks Tour at Tunbridge Wells:
You can find out the latest updates of Apollo 18 by following them:
Coverage provided by Marty M.
PR/Technical Assistance provided by Nicole@hellokpop.com
Goonam shares vision of rock music and future developments
Goonam (short for Goonamguayeoridingstella) is a Seoul-based rock act composed of Ung Joh (guitar and vocals) and Byunghak (bass and vocals). Their 2007 debut album We Are Pure was ranked as the 70th best Korean album of the year 2000′s on 100Beat.com. They have released their sophomore album Woojung Motel in 2011 to further their critical acclaim. They combine elements of rock, psychedelic pop, blues, surf, reggae, and even a touch of dub into groovy sonic concoctions to create one of the most eclectic and unique sound emerging from Korea.
We want to conserve our own musical identity while always being more creative
We take the opportunity to introduce this talented group to our readers as we interviewed them in Tunbridge Wells for their Korea Rocks Tour in the UK. They were joined by Taesik (drums) and Naum (keyboards), who have been revealed through our exclusive interview, are soon to become more than live musicians.
Can you introduce yourself?
Ung Joh: We are Goonamguayeoridingstella. Our name is based on the Hyundai Stella car my parents were driving when I was young.
And now you are part of the Korea Rocks Tour in the UK sponsored by Hyundai Card Music!
Ung Joh: Yeah (laughs) It’s just a coincidence but we’re really happy about it.
What do you think you can gain from this tour?
Ung Joh: We can gain experience. Some fresh air, London air (laughs) and some rain too (as a few drops were falling at this time). But we’re quite tired now because of the jet lag.
What listening context fits best your music?
Ung Joh: Walking.
Byunghak: Walking alongside the river.
You said in a recent interview that you want to have a lot of fun on stage and your MVs are actually quite fun but without understanding the lyrics, it seems that your albums are quite serious, filled with saturnine sadness at times.
Ung Joh: Our albums sound like life. Life is sometimes serious, sometimes sad, sometimes happy.
What is your aim as a group? What was your dream when starting this group?
Ung Joh: We want to be extremely happy.
Byunghak: Be on stage and have a lot of fun.
How popular are you in Korea?
Ung Joh: We’re not really popular. I mean the indie scene in Korea isn’t that popular but we are popular within this indie scene.
We’re planning on making two albums this year. One will be a Goonam album, the other will be with all four of us
What is your asset as a group? What makes you unique?
Ung Joh: We play music from Asia; we are traditional. Many Asian artists play Westernized music while we are more concentrated on the music heritage of our own country. I think it’s probably our strong point, our asset, maybe.
Would you like to play music in a different era or is now the right time for Goonam to be alive?
Byunghak: Of course we owe a lot to the previous generations but now is better. We’ve learned from all those past musicians to make our own sound.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Ung Joh: We’re planning on making two albums this year. One will be a Goonam album, the other will be with all four of us (with live members Kim Naum, keyboards, and Park Taesik, drums).
Byunghak: We’re excited about it.
Have you started production?
Ung Joh: The songs are ready but we still have to record it. There will be 10 songs for each new album.
Do you have any plans to become bigger?
Ung Joh: We want to make more albums, more tour, more energetic music.
Byunghak: We want to go further in our sound. We want to be more creative but we do depend on Western pop nowadays; it’s quite a big influence.
Ung Joh: We’re big David Bowie fans; his last album is awesome.
Do you have any favourite David Bowie’s song or album?
Ung Joh: I think Wild is the Wind (from the 1976 ‘Station to Station’ album) is a major influence on our music. We want to be more creative; to combine this Western pop influence with our own traditions. We want to conserve our own musical identity while always being more creative.
Is there anything in particular you want to do while in the UK?
Ung Joh: We have a very tight schedule. (laughs) But I want to go to the park, Hampstead Park (North London). I love beautiful parks.
Taesik: I want to meet Blur (laughs)
Ung Joh: The last time I came to the UK, I met the Blur guitarist, Graham Coxon, in a Camden Town pub. It was great! (laughs)
Byunghak: I want to meet good friends! (laughs)
It was a great time together with the four members of Goonam as we sat down for this warm and personal interview. They had a great show that night and are as affable and fun on stage as they are off stage. We would like to wish them the greatest of success of the upcoming release of their new albums.
You can read the following stories from the Korea Rocks Tour at Tunbridge Wells:
You can find out the latest updates of Goonam by following them:
Coverage provided by Marty M.
PR/Technical Assistance provided by Nicole@hellokpop.com
Ticketing details for G-Dragon’s concert in Malaysia
Co-organisers Running Into The Sun (RITS) and Woohoo! Experience are pleased to announce that there will be 4 ticket categories at RM588, RM488, RM388 and RM188 for the G-Dragon 2013 World Tour: One Of A Kind In Malaysia concert.
Since the announcement of G-Dragon’s maiden solo concert in Malaysia, fans and media alike have been abuzz with anticipation about the staging of the K-Pop maestro’s show; to help cope with the expected rush for tickets when they go on sale, a special ticket launch event will be held on 11 May 2013, 10am – 5pm at fahrenheit88.
12 ticketing counters have been arranged for at the launch and online and outlet bookings will only begin on 11 May from 2pm onwards to help ease the expected high traffic when sales start.
Cat 1 (RM588) tickets will only be available at the launch, and to thank fans for their support, RITS has specially arranged for Cat 1 ticket holders to receive autographed posters on concert day, with collection details to be released at a later date via the RITS website and Facebook page.
In anticipation of a rush for merchandise on concert day, two merchandise counters will be set up at the launch for pre-sales; 1 counter will cater exclusively to ticket-holders while the other will be open to the general public. Merchandise may be viewed on the RITS website or Facebook page, and those wishing to make a pre-purchase at the launch will have to fill up a form and pay in cash only, with collection of merchandise on concert day. Collection details will be released at a later date via RITS website and Facebook page.
“G-Dragon has put on spectacular shows in Japan and Seoul, thrilling hundreds of thousands of fans with his exhilarating, adrenaline-pumping performances. Malaysia was listed as one of Bigbang’s most memorable stops on their concert tour, and we can’t wait to bring G-Dragon back for another mega outdoor party with his fans,” says Ms Beatrice Chia-Richmond, Managing Director of Running Into The Sun.
G-Dragon, the leader of global superstars BIGBANG who put on an explosive performance here at their one-night only concert last year, will be holding his first-ever solo concert in Malaysia, to be held at Stadium Nasional Bukit Jalil on 22 Jun 2013, 8pm. This will be the only outdoor concert of his tour, and Malaysian fans can look forward to an exhilarating night of high-energy performances bolstered by this unique open-air experience. With dazzling choreography by renowned choreographers Travis Payne and Stacey Walker, both of whom worked extensively on Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’ tour, audiences can look forward to adrenaline-charged performances by G-Dragon and his crew.
G-Dragon will be staging 26 concerts in 13 cities across 8 countries, drawing over 550,000 fans to his shows. This tour marks the first time that a Korean solo artiste will be holding concerts in four of Japan’s domes.
G-Dragon 2013 World Tour : One Of A Kind is co-organised by Running Into The Sun and Woohoo! Experience, and produced by YG Entertainment and Live Nation Entertainment.
APPENDIX:
A. Concert Details:
Date: 22 June 2013
Time: 8pm
Venue: Stadium Nasional Bukit Jalil
Ticket Prices: Cat 1 VIP (Fixed Seating) -RM588 *with autographed poster
Cat 2 Premier Rockpit (Free Standing) – RM488
Cat 3 (Fixed Seating) – RM388
Cat 4 (Free Standing) – RM188
*Prices exclude processing fee
B. How To Make A Purchase:
FAHRENHEIT88
Location: Fahrenheit88 Concourse, Ground Floor, 179 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tickets on sale: 11 May 2013, 10.00am – 5.00pm
Payment: Payment can be made via credit card (Visa, Mastercard), debit card and cash
Concierge: +603 2148 5488
REDTIX
Tickets on sale: 11 May 2013, 2pm onwards
Online: http://www.airasiaredtix.com
Outlets: For list of Redtix outlets, please refer to Redtix website
Payment: Payment can be made via credit card (Visa, Mastercard), debit card and cash at all outlets
TICKETCHARGE
Tickets on sale: 11 May 2013, 2pm onwards
Online: ticketcharge.com.my
Outlets: For list of Ticketcharge outlets, please refer to Ticketcharge website
Payment: Payment can be made via credit card (Visa, Mastercard), debit card and cash at all outlets
C. Merchandise Pre-sale at fahrenheit88
- 2 merchandise counters at ticket launch: 1 for ticket-holders, 1 for general public
- Cash only
- Collection on concert day; details to be released on RITS website and Facebook page closer to concert day
- Merchandise can be viewed at RITS website and Facebook page
E. Ticketing Notes:
- VIP tickets will only be available at fahrenheit88 on 11 May.
- For the category of tickets available via Ticketcharge and Redtix, please refer to their respective websites.
- Ticketing counters will open at fahrenheit88 from 10am – 5pm. Fans are advised not to queue overnight for safety reasons.
- Ticketcharge and Redtix online channels and outlets will start selling tickets on 11 May 2013 from 2pm onwards.
- Overseas fans can purchase tickets online via Ticketcharge and Redtix with a credit card (Visa and Mastercard)
- For safety reasons, the age limit for tickets are 6 years old for all seated tickets and 12 years old for Premier Rockpit tickets.
- Each transaction is capped at a maximum of 8 tickets to prevent any black market reselling of tickets and to ensure availability of tickets.
Galaxy Express introduce Korean indie rock and reveal their dreams
Formed in Seoul in 2006, the trio of Galaxy Express composed of Lee Ju Hyun (vocals, bass), Park Jong Hyun (vocals, guitar) and Kim Hee Kwon (drums) quickly attracted attention with their infectious blend of tightly wound garage rock, punk, psychedelic sounds and explosive performances. They have released four EPs and 3 albums which all grabbed some prestigious awards on Korean soil. Galaxy Express has held tours in America and played in various international festivals. They are now at the forefront of the Korean indie rock scene and became one of its most critically acclaimed acts.
Hellokpop had the opportunity to meet with them at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, just hours before they officially kick off their first UK tour as part of the Korea Rocks Tour sponsored by Hyundai Card Music.
UK Tour, Expansion and Korean Indie Rock
How was your flight?
Jong Hyun: 12 hours, it’s really horrible. We want to buy a personal airplane. (laughs)
Well it’s still going to be 12 hours though. (laughs).Is this your first UK tour?
Ju Hyun: Yes, first time, first day.
How is this tour important to you?
Jong Hyun: This is our very first time in the UK and we love to meet new people, travel to new places and gain potential new fans.
Hee Kwon: We want to see what the local scene is like. There is a lot of competition for indie rock here.
You have won a few awards in the past in Korea, could you tell our readers how popular you are today?
Jong Hyun: We’re not mainstream. We only have a couple of TV shows, on KBS, Music Bank.
How was it?
Jong Hyun: It’s quite unfriendly. They’re not the biggest fans of rock music.
Did you actually play your instruments?
Jong Hyun: Yeah.
Ju Hyun: We did, but they usually don’t like it when an artist plays his own music.
Why rock as a genre isn’t that popular in Korea?
Jong Hyun: Actually, rock was really popular in Korea in the 60′s and 70′s, but then a new president came who controlled all the culture; TV, magazine and radio. It was quite crazy. Because of that, the rock history had been cut. The acts had to play underground with no access to TV shows or being able to do big concerts. People could not hear Korean rock music anymore though Western rock music was still accessible. But now, with the internet and media trying to introduce rock music, it starts to get more attention. I think people are growing sick of dance music as it seems to be always been the same old thing; that’s why, I think.
Do people recognize you when you walk in the streets?
Jong Hyun: Not much. Maybe in Hongdae. However music lovers sometimes recognize us and it’s nice.
How would you describe your relationship with your fans?
Jong Hyun: We play a lot in Hongdae so they come to our shows, week after week, on week days. We’re very open to them. We communicate a lot.
Ju Hyun: Especially through the internet; on twitter mostly.
Jong Hyun: But we’re not Kpop stars. (laughs)
What do you think about Kpop popularity abroad right now? Do you think it can positively or negatively affect you?
Jong Hyun: We don’t really care about that. But we don’t hate Kpop, we think it’s good.
Ju Hyun: It’s really sexy. (laughs)
Jong Hyun: Because of Kpop, they are now many international websites seeking to interview us, like hellokpop. Although we belong to another kind of music, it does bring us some attention.
From our point of view as international audience, we look at Korean music and we see Kpop expanding into genres, embracing all its artists at once and not just one or a few isolated ones. Is there a similar process for Korean indie music?
Hee Kwon: It’s not very different; we’re trying to expand together, but it’s more difficult because we don’t have facilities to promote ourselves through videos.
Jong Hyun: As we said earlier, TV stations usually don’t like rock music because it is A LOT of technical work for them to make rock music come to live on air. But it’s getting better. There are new live music programs, new cable channels trying to promote rock music, and live music as whole.
As you are expanding in the Western world, are you more concerned about meeting critical acclaim or reaching big audiences regardless of what the Western press might think of you?
Jong Hyun: Well, we want to win audiences musically with our own quality. We hope to meet critical acclaim. We want to be a rock and roll band, and we want to work hard for it.
How important is it to expand out of Korea for you?
Jong Hyun: We live in Korea so we think Koreans are first. But we also want to make new international fans because we are not that welcomed in Korea. If we get a lot of international fans, Korean people might wonder why? What’s going on with that group? We want to keep up with our international audiences so we keep working in the UK or America. We visit the South By Southwest (SXSW) every year; this year was our third. We don’t want to stop that process. We want to keep introducing our music to new people.
Music and Dreams
Do you have any British influences in your music?
Jong Hyun: We love many classic rock groups: Led Zeppelin…
Hee Kwon: Sex Pistols.
Jong Hyun: We used to be a punk group so we like many groups like the Sex Pistols or the Clash.
On the top of your head, what are your favourite songs?
Jong Hyun: The whole albums! Any song from Anarchy In The UK, God Save The Queen…
Ju Hyun: London Calling.
Jong Hyun: Rock the Casbah.
You named those bands like the Sex Pistols or the Clash, that owe a good deal of their fame due to their controversial attitude. What are your views on that from your personal point of view?
Jong Hyun: For us it’s just music; we don’t think of any other ways like creating scandals to get bigger. It’s just the music for us.
Hee Kwon: Now there’s the internet and it’s a good tool to introduce our music to fans. We’re going to make more albums.
Jong Hyun: It’s hard in every country to keep a band alive, very hard. A lot of Korean artists are gone after one album. It’s getting harder, I think in every country, but sometimes I feel like a rest. We play underground and do a lot of shows but we’re music lovers and always been so.
Are you satisfied with your sound now or are you going to take new directions in the future?
Jong Hyun: We want to do more. We produce all our albums now but we’re interested in working with some good producers, some good guys.
If you could describe your sound in one image, what would it be?
Ju Hyun: Like a rocket, a rocket firing to space.
Jong Hyun: We made a new album and I think the jacket for this eponymous album represents us quite well. It’s very primal, wild, and instinctive (see jacket below).
Do you have a specific plan in mind when you create new music?
Ju Hyun: We share our ideas, and try to find the structure together.
Hee Kwon: We like to jam naturally.
Jong Hyun: We have a very ambient way of creating new music.
What genres of music do you like, aside from rock?
Jong Hyun: Basically rock. (laughs)
Hee Kwon: Movie soundtracks.
Ju Hyun: We like classical music.
Jong Hyun: And Kpop music as well. There is some good Kpop music. And we also like old Korean songs.
Last year, the Koxx produced a song for Myrio and one for 4Minute; if an idol company approaches you to produce a song, would you consider it?
Jong Hyun: Yeah, I think we can, for the big money (laughs). But I want to do it… musically. I want to communicate my vision. I’ve got to pass on my vision otherwise I’m not interested.
Do you consider producing for other groups, Jong Hyun?
Jong Hyun: Not right now. Right now all I want is my band (smile).
What are your goals as a group?
Jong Hyun: We want to get bigger.
Ju Hyun: By making better albums, better music; we think that’s the key.
Hee Kwon: And doing many lives. Many, many lives. (laughs)
Jong Hyun: We want to get bigger but music comes first for us. Making a lot of money or not we’re gonna make music for a long time. That’s our dream: to play music for a long time.
Ju Hyun: Our fanbase is important for us and we want to keep going with them.
Despite the language barrier and unexpected questions which were honestly answered, this was indeed a valuable interview in which our readers can now learned more about Galaxy Express. I would like to thank the band for granting hellokpop such a rare opportunity to sit down and talk about rock music. We wish them the greatest success in wrapping up their first UK tour and their future development.
You can read the Tunbridge Wells concert report here; follow the group on their Facebook page, and the tour on its Facebook page.
You can read the following stories from the Korea Rocks Tour at Tunbridge Wells:
Coverage provided by Marty M.
PR/Technical Assistance provided by Nicole@hellokpop.com
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Ultimate K-pop Survival Guide: JYJ
K-pop is an extremely competitive genre, a small country with a population of merely 50 million people produces new artists literally almost every day. The industry is like a ruthless stepmother: once you make a serious mistake, it might cost you your career and more. Career ups and downs are normal in an artist’s life but in K-pop, once you reached the lowest part, it is very difficult to climb up the mountain again. Ultimate K-pop Survival Guide will be a short series on artists who have managed to turn their failing career from point zero back again or who had gone through a lot of hardships and still managed to remain successful. Not only rookie artists but we, the audience, can also learn a lot from them.
Avoid them as if they were lepers
The first installment of the series is dedicated to perhaps the biggest survivors of the dark side of K-pop: JYJ. Everyone knows what they have been through, but it doesn’t hurt to summarize and focus on how they actually managed to cope with the situation.
For the uninitiated: once there had been an idol band we can possibly call one of the greatest successes of K-pop ever: Dong Bang Shin Ki, or by their English abbreviation, TVXQ. The five-member boyband, consisting of Jaejoong, Yunho, Yoochun, Junsu and Changmin, was among the first successful wave of K-pop to set foot in Japan, and with blood and tears, they worked their way up the ladder, from performing to a mere handful of fans to filling the 50,000 seat Tokyo Dome in rows. Their fandom, Cassiopeia, was certified by the Guinness Book of Records for being the largest official fan club in the world. They reached unimaginable heights in Asia, thus their break-up was probably one of the biggest shocking events ever to shake the world of K-pop. Not because boybands are supposed to last forever, but because they were at the height of their careers and were known to be close to each other. When the news broke out that Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu started a lawsuit against their agency, S.M. Entertainment, to nullify their 13-year contract. At first, everyone hoped there could be a settlement, but in October 2009 the Seoul court ruled in favor of JYJ, and as a result, the Fair Trade Commission started advocating the use of ‘model contracts’ to prevent agencies from having artists sign excessive deals.
Though the social impact of their lawsuit was huge, industry players were forced to rethink the ways they were treating their artists, and JYJ emerged as a moral winner, the real hardships were to begin just then. S.M. Entertainment appealed against the court decision and a three year desperate battle took off. Not long after JYJ announced the establishment of their new band, their initial supporter in Japan, Avex, suddenly had a change of heart, claiming sole rights to manage the band in Japan, dismissing claims that JYJ’s new management company, C-JeS Entertainment, had any rights to organize events for the band on Japanese grounds. They too, ended up in a long lawsuit, during which JYJ was denied any kind of rights to perform in Japan. At the same time, all doors in Korea closed as well. The industry suddenly started treating the three young men as if they had leprosy. In silent agreement, major broadcasting stations denied them appearances as musicians. Some were claiming that they did not wish to get entangled in court related issues.
At the time, we had no one to speak for us, and we could do nothing but silently stand our ground - Kim Jaejoong
C-JeS Entertainment thus had to build a different strategy to promote JYJ. With no possibilities to appear on televised music shows and variety programs, the usual promotion cycle was out of question. The possibility of failure also lingered in the air, with the artists preparing themselves for the worst; that they might not be able to stand on stage again.
The rules of survival for JYJ were as follows:
1. Keep silent. Despite the constant rumors, the extensive media coverage, part of the torn fandom accusing them of betrayal, former label mates openly criticising them for their decision, JYJ kept silent. As they expressed in their 1000 day anniversary magazine, they decided to work silently and not be shaken by accusations and rumors.
2. If you cannot enter through the door, climb through the window. As they were denied the chance to promote through television, JYJ had to look for other ways of reaching their audience. They started separate activities, Yoochun and Jaejoong became involved in television dramas and movies, gaining wide followings as actors. Junsu began to appear in musicals and in a mere three years’ time, he went from being looked at as a ‘box office bringing tool’ to a highly praised and critically acclaimed musical actor on his own right. When the nation’s main broadcasters were not willing to talk to them as musicians, ironically, they became the sweethearts of the government, appointed as goodwill ambassadors and promoters of national and international scale events like the 2014 Asian Games, and were among the few selected artists invited to perform at President Park Geun-hye’s inauguration. The latter marked their first televised performance in three years in their home country. When local record labels were unwilling to assist, they went to the US and started working with American producers, despite their lack of English skills.
3. No regrets, no complaints. In their 1000 day anniversary magazine, the band members expressed that despite all the hardships, they did not regret their decision, not once. Having faith in your decisions is important for obtaining and maintaining the strength necessary to survive. They have also never complained of unfair treatment or the lack of opportunities because of the silent ban in Korea and Japan. They just did what they had to do: work hard and smile. I believe that having a positive attitude and being able to smile at their fans was an important factor in their success. Instead of giving in to striking waves of depression and self-pity, they rose above hard times by sticking together and supporting each other.
4. Don’t lose your trust. When unfortunate events happen, one can easily feel they are no longer able to trust other people. JYJ, too, had gone through this period. When Baek Chang-ju offered his help in 2009, they did not trust him, it took them months to open up and accept his helping hand. C-JeS Entertainment was established exclusively to steer JYJ’s boat through troubled waters and it went from a one person venture to a serious agency that employs over 40 people with sales amounting to 33 billion won (roughly 30 million USD) in only two years’ time.
JYJ’s legal fights have just recently ended, but their battle is far from being over yet. Broadcasting stations are still treading carefully. Despite all the unfortunate events that had befallen them (appearances denied, concerts cancelled last minute, accusations, rumors, some of their own fans turning their backs on the band), JYJ never once gave up.
Their album, In Heaven, sold over 350,000 copies, Junsu’s Tarantallegra was one of the most successful solo albums of 2012 despite lacking in promotion, both JYJ’s and Junsu’s solo world tours were completely sold out. Their Tokyo Dome comeback concert in April 2013 had successfully wrapped up and attracted 210,000 people altogether.
Besides part of the Cassiopeia fandom still supporting them as much as they also support the duo TVXQ, JYJ gained a firm and enthusiastic new fan base as well, through their numerous group and individual activities. Jaejoong’s limited edition mini album became a huge success, Yoochun is virtually the most successful idol actor on the market and Junsu cemented his name as one of the best singers ever born in Korea. They are wealthier than most artists under their former agency, including their former band members Yunho and Changmin.
Were they lucky? I would not think so. Many of us would have given up such a grueling and frankly, seemingly hopeless battle against giant obstacles. What we can learn from JYJ is that you need to keep your faith, grind your teeth, work hard and believe in your own abilities. Only then will you be able to turn all unfortunate events into glistening success.
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the writer and not of hellokpop as a whole.
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Photo source: AfterJae
