JYJ, an inspiration

I spent the last couple of days getting caught up on kpop, particularly DBSK/TVXQ and JYJ and I have found a new respect for the trio. JYJ is made up of Kim JaeJoong, Micky Yoochun, and Xiah Junsu. There was a lawsuit against their former management company SMEntertainment and the details of that can be heard in their music essay "Untitled"

I have yet to see a musician who has worked as hard as these trio, save for Michael Jackson. Their dedication and perseverance in the face of lawsuits, breaking up, horrible working conditions with mere hours of sleep and sesaeng fans (stalkers) is amazing and endearing. They encourage me not to quit and my life is nowhere as hectic as theirs. I can only go so many days without my nine hours of sleep and even then I am neither a morning person nor a people person. 

I applaud them for daring to do that which no one else has done, confronting the bully that is SM Entertainment. I was in tears while reading the stories, thanks to SeoulBeats, Soompi, and allkpop. I have so much more respect for these guys and that has grown so much after listening to their music and watching their creative talents. Junsu's "Tarantallegra" is marvelously symbolic and just very impressive. 

Now I see the musician, not just the idol. I really do hope they have a psychologist and a physician on retainer. Their body and mind has been through so much more than the average person and I fear for their mental health. I am a Naija babe and I love my Naija acts but those guys are not on this level, not yet--and I don't even understand Korean. That says something. Lagbaja, Nneka, Sound Sultan, Asa and perhaps sometimes MI do give me good music but the video is not so noteworthy. I'm not dissing my Naija musicians, just amp it up a little. 

JYJ is slowly shedding that idol image and moving onto the musician stage. Now if only SM would stop with the bitch moves and cut their losses and move on. It seems they do not realize that the harder they make it for JYJ, the greater their popularity. I am proud of these young men and I wish them successes in the future.

DBSK-TVXQ-JYJ

I applaud celebrities. I love my privacy and for them to be so open to put themselves on such a platform is scary to me. I am a fan of korean pop and korean drama. I used to watch this channel called Arirang and I was introduced to DBSK/TVXQ, Shinee, FT Island, Shinee, Super Junior, SNSD, Girls Generation, etc.

Now DBSK/TVXQ was and is my first Korean boy band, actually they are all full grown men now. But they were my first. They began in South Korea, and Wikipedia help me out here:

TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi, is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki often abbreviated as DBSK; and in Japan as Tohoshinki. Their name translates to "The Rising Gods of the East".

U-Know Yunho

Max Changmin

Hero JaeJoong

Micky Yoochun

Xiah Junsu

Credit: LiveJournal users: mytsubasa, ibleedyunho, YONGYONG

Now this group is amazing. Their first video I saw was Mirotic and this was when I missed artists who actually danced, not gyrated. So they filled that niche beautifully and I have loved them (and the kpop that followed) since. The language is beautiful, I'm learning a few words here and there, their dancing is amazing to watch, the choreography is awesome and the video and the concept is stunning. This is what I want from my Naija stars but no, they're all autotuned-I-got-money-and-non-Naija-girls.

And those bodies, it's icing on the cake.

They are all so so beautiful, and they are dedicated. They are now venturing into acting and some of them have found quite a niche for it. Yunho was in Heading to the Ground and I would've loved Junsu to make a cameo since he loves soccer (me gusta!). His most recent work, till date, is Poseidon. Changmin was in Paradise Ranch. JaeJoong was in Protect the Boss and Time Slip Dr. Jin. Micky was in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Miss Ripley and Rooftop Prince. Junsu had a cameo as himself on Scent of a Woman. And when they are not acting, they lend their voices to soundtracks. 

And the point of this is that sniffle my first kpop group, my very first foray into South Korean music and drama sniffle, splitting up. I keep replaying Mirotic and watching in amazement at their chemistry. I keep watching their performances on variety shows and I just cannot come to terms with their disbandment. In all fairness, I do support their move. Apparently, they were under some, Wikipedia and a notice:

The Seoul Central District Court in October 2009 ruled in favor of JYJ affirming their right to independently engage in entertainment activities and granted JYJ's injunction suspending the JYJ-SM contract; its ruling emphatically pointed out it was a "subjugating contract" with terms that are grossly incompatible with Korean labor and contract law.

JaeJoong, Yoochun and Junsu formed JYJ while Yunho and Changmin remained as TVXQ members. I will continue to support all of them because I love them all. They all have talent and I hope to see more of them. I will miss seeing them as one but I want them to continue making good music because they are seriously talented chincha! And if they will keep bringing things like these out:

 

FIGHTING OPPAS!