[trans] 101221 JYJ: "We are Considering Reconciliation, We don't know When That will happen though"

Standing alone is tough.

From leaving their agency to filing a lawsuit last July, the members of TVXQ became the hottest issue in Kpop last year. TVXQ members Xiah Junsu, Micky Yoochun and YoungWoong Jaejoong have not stopped going since then. They changed their names to Junsu, Yoochun and Jaejoong to become the group JYJ and when asked about their schedules since then, they confessed that they've been doing nothing but concentrating on their work.

"We've been going back and forth from Korea to Japan to perform. We've had concerts in both Korea and Japan, and we've also had our individual activities. I think we worked hard to stay busy and succeed in our individual activities because we didn't want to think about other things." (Yoochun)

SM Entertainment, the agency they worked under as TVXQ, had been a tall fence for them. But last year, they decided to take a giant leap. They parted with their agency. Though the controversy is still alive, the three had to rely on only each other and hope for a brighter future as the lawsuit continued on. But they were not taking a break before they met their current management agency. For a while, they were able to perform in Japan as their Japanese agency AVEX was taking care of them.

"We're still in the same kind of situation now, but back then, we were cautious and sometimes had no chance to say certain things. This was when we were like a wandering rabble in Korea. But that didn't mean it was easy for us to meet up with reporters. It was a sensitive time when any and every comment was misunderstood or criticized. It was a time when anything we said could and would hurt a lot of people. We'll probably be able to talk about everything in the future, after the lawsuit is over."(Jaejoong)

JYJ, who released new albums in both Japan and then Korea, decided to name their album 'The Beginning' to signify their new beginning. Due to visa issues, they had to hold free showcases in the United States instead of charging people. But this misfortune became an opportunity for them.

"Never in our imagination did we think fans from so many different ethnicities would show up to watch our performances. The age range was quite large too, so a grand spectacle, one you could only see at a performance by a famous pop star like Michael Jackson, unfolded before us. There were some people who didn't know who we were so they stared at us blankly at first, but then they'd start moving to the music and get in the groove, and by the end, they were giving us a thumbs-up. They had quite a different aura to them compared to our Asian fans."

Thanks to the fact that the performance was free, the three were able to introduce their music to more people. Even the production for their first album was done in a global manner. The album attracted some of America's greatest star producers such as Kanye West and is composed of seven songs, including 'Ayyy Girl', 'Empty', 'Be My Girl' and compositions from the members, as well as three remix songs. JYJ sang the entire album in English as this is a worldwide album and it includes songs composed by the three members. They included one song from each member that the three had been writing since they were in their teens and these were Jaejoong's 'Still in Love', Yoochun's 'I Love You' and Junsu's 'I Can Soar'. Also, ex-SOLID member Jung Jae Yoon was in charge of the overall tuning and producing of the album.

"They're traditional pop pieces. This is the first time we're trying this genre out. But that doesn't mean we were trying to change it to suit our style. We wanted to return to the root of music. We visited the US in order to work with our producers. Back then, Yoochun was still filming for his drama so it must have been really hard on him." (Jaejoong)

These were words directed at Yoochun, who appeared in the recently-ended KBS2 hit drama 'SungKyunKwan Scandal'. After being cast in the drama, Yoochun focused intensively on rehearsing his part and surprised everyone with his acting skills. He was not swept in any acting skills controversies like most idol stars are when they first start out. He surely must have felt extremely stressed back then but continued to work on the album while filming. JYJ are now planning to focus more on their activities in America.

"Our album hasn't been officially released yet in the US and only our songs are being sold on iTunes, but I saw that our song had been chosen by Billboard readers as one of the Top 10 songs of 2010. Amazingly, we were 5th. Kanye West was 10th and Lady Ga Ga was 7th so we were surprised." (Junsu)

Junsu will be standing on stage next year on February 1st as he will be appearing in the musical production 'Tears of Heaven'. Like so, the trio are involved in individual activities, waiting to release their album in the US in mid-January, and planning their world tour. We threw a quite heavy question at JYJ, who will be up to their elbows in work with such a schedule, asking them, "What will you do about SM Entertainment or the remaining members of TVXQ, regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit?" Though they were hesitant, they left a short but bold statement promising a future together as they said, "We are considering reconciliation. We don't know when that will happen though."

Source: [sports worldi+DNBN]
Translation credits: jeeelim5@tohosomnia.net
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