Keeping it 100%
In an exclusive interview, south Korean idol Kim Jae-joong talks about why he’s never satisfied with what he has done.
IT’S one thing to cover a celebrity assignment but it’s another matter when that particular celebrity is your ultimate bias.
It’s the day before the 2022 Kim Jaejoong Asia Tour Concert in Kuala Lumpur (which kicked off in Seoul on Sept 17) and the idol has granted an exclusive interview with The Star, the only print media he will speak to in Malaysia.
I have been to several of his concerts and have spoken to him, albeit for five seconds during a fan event in Japan several years ago, but this is going to be an up-close and personal encounter.
At our meeting, he walks in wearing an all-black outfit with his hair in lilac to match the colour of his latest South Korean album, Born Gene. The 36-year-old singer and actor, who never seems to age, looks flawless as usual.
It’s been 12 years since he’s come back to Malaysia; he was last here in 2010 with his group, JYJ.
Malaysians first got to know Kim when he made his debut in 2004 with the group TVXQ. At the start of his musical career, he was known as the original “visual shock” – a K-pop term meaning insanely good-looking.
While he is still a “visual shock” today, career-wise, Kim started his solo activities in 2013 with his first mini album Y.
Not only is he one of the top singers in South Korea, Kim also acts, composes songs, produces albums and has even been the production manager of a JYJ concert.
He’s also owned cafes in his homeland (Jholic) and Japan (Kave), and a fashion brand called Moldir.
His journey to Malaysia has been a long time coming with Malaysian fans asking him to return and he’s always promised to come back.
Our conversation begins with the star apologising for taking so long to finally reach here.
Through a translator (though Kim understands English and can speak it), the singer tells StarLifestyle: “I know Malaysian fans had to travel to South Korea to see me and I am very sorry about it. So I made sure to come back this time. I am very glad to be able to meet everyone.”
Malaysia is all about food, and Kim shares that he has sampled most of the rice dishes here.
“Apart from rice dishes, I have also eaten noodles. What I really want to try is ais kacang as I have heard so much about it,” he says.
Lighter fare
Kim’s Born Gene, a pop rock album, was released on Sept 13 and went straight to No.1 on the Malaysian iTunes chart for all genres.
It’s been six years since he released a Korean album, and when I ask him what was the inspiration behind it, the singer laughs and says it’s a tough question.
“I tried to compose the album with different genres and the title song is called Nobody Like You.
This time I wanted to provide some laughter and brightness, and the songs are lighter compared to the past,” he explains.
Onw hat Born Gene means, he says: “I thought about where the origin of my talent is,soIc ould relate the word ‘gene’ to it. And it relates to being at home ... my talent was ‘born’ and honed in my hometown.
“It depends on the translation. I thought it would be a fun idea to name it that way and it sounded fun in Korean too.”
Kim is proud of the two songs he had a hand in writing the lyrics for – Locking Love and Broken Mirror.
“As soon as I heard the music of these two songs, I felt I should write the lyrics. I thought they would be good songs for me. That was something that I got when I heard the rhythms.
“The two songs written are total opposites. Locking Love is a little like wanting my love to be locked – it’s a love that is only for me – whereas for Broken Mirror ,the person has already left and I want to push that person away from my sight. So, both songs have different types of lyrics.” On one of the album’s tracks, Tic Tac, Kim collaborates with rapper Zuho of the group SF9.
“I have been thinking about doing this because I’m afraid of rapping on my own. So, I thought having a professional (rapper) participate in the song (is a better idea). I made contact directly with the company to engage him,” he says, explaining how the collaboration came to be.
Back to acting
Kim has also been active in Japan since 2018.
That same year, he released two singles, Sign/Your Love and Defiance, and both received the Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan. He released his first full Japanese album Flawless Love a year later.
His next Japanese album, Fallinbow (“falling in love with the seven colours” of the rainbow) drops on Nov 9.
On this album, he worked with famous Japanese singers like Hyde, Mika Nakashima and Sugizo.
“The work itself started last year. But since I have to engage a lot of musicians for this album, it took me some time to book them as everybody had different schedules going on.
“But as a result, the album turned out to be a variety of songs with different sounds,” he adds.
Fans are also eager to see him acting. His latest drama Bad Memory Eraser was completed in March but hasn’t been released yet. He was last seen in the 2017 K-drama, Manhole.
“I had a great time with the other actors (on the show) and it was like a family atmosphere (on set),” he says of the experience shooting Bad Memory Eraser, which also stars Lee Jong-won and Jin Se-yeon.
Keep seeking challenges
Being in the industry for 19 years, he gives a modest reply on advice for aspiring singers. “I’m not sure I’m the right person because I’m not a charismatic senior, but if I could speak about it based on my experience, it’s to never be satisfied with what you’re doing.
“If you start thinking you’re already there 100%, you will lose interest or not find your work enjoyable.
“So instead of being like that, you should keep seeking challenges and never be satisfied with where you are.
“And if you get to interact more with fans, that’s another pleasure to follow-up, and I’m sure that love from fans will last longer,” he says.
Kim has always shared a special bond with his fans. Several years ago, pre-Covid-19, the singer mentioned he would like to take a train ride with his fans. As a fan, I wonder if this was still in his plans? “Yes,” he replies. He then asks if he should book the whole train, so naturally I agreed!
at his twohour concert in malaysia, Kim performs a total of 17 songs. — handout