Kim Hyun Joong… [article] DESERVING ARTIST

 By: LazerKim             Today is the big day for Kim Hyun Joong’s big boss Bae Yong Joon. This is his 40th birthday August 29, 2012, the perfectionist Virgo!!. Happy Birthday!!Life begins at 40 as they said, will this be true to Bae Yong Joon, since he is still uncommitted  even at this time and a certified bachelor!! For those who is not familiar to Hyun Joong’s boss, here’s a briefer. Bae Yong Joon is the pioneer Hallyu Star with the first Korean and memorable drama Winter Sonata in 2002, brought outside SKorea to the entire world. Bae Yong Joon is one of the major stock holder of KeyEast. In Japan he is called Yonsama by his Japanese fans, which is the highest noble title.

He is now a very successful businessman as he penetrated the global business arena. He founded and built KeyEast as an artist management company, with the aim of grooming new artist and promoting them in the global showbiz industry. His aim is to spread the beauty of Korea globally in many aspects and one of these is the Hallyu stars. Among the legendary actors Bae Yong Joon was able to maintain his fans to stay with him still supporting him even he became inactive in the showbiz industry being an actor. What makes Bae Yong Joon fans stay as loyal even this present day?

Kim Hyun Joong had chosen BYJ to be his mentor even when he was still with SS501 until such time Hyun Joong moved in to KeyEast. The media took notice the fact that ever since Hyun Joong moved in to KeyEast, his career started to bloom as a Kpop soloist. With Hyun Joong’s talent and hardwork and all out support KeyEast boost onto his career resulted in a remarkable joint success. I would say Hyun Joong had chosen the right company in building up his new career as a solo artist. And KeyEast had chosen the right artist Kim Hyun Joong to fulfill the company aim in spreading the beauty of Korea in the entertainment world. Such amazing partnership!

In another story I would like to share with you Hyun Joong’s interview with the Russian Media print and its translation. Here it goes:

Kim Hyun Joong interview for Russian newspaper

credits: http://v-prosument.ru/index.php/2012-07-20-12-53-39
traslation into English: tonyvika @ http://khjinrussia.blogspot.com/
repost with full credits

Translating only the part of the interview

Q1.  – Kim Hyun Joong,  there are many fans of yours in Russia and they wish you the belated happy birthday! Wish you joy!

Hyun Joong:    Thank you very much.

Q2.  – In one of your interviews, you said something that get us right here. You said that you do your best for achieving your dream and keep it real. Where do you get the strength to follow your goal? What or who helps you?

Hyun Joong:    I always try to concentrate on my goals and perfect myself all the time. I’m sure that I’ll reach my goal and always think about it. Of course, I get tired too and have difficulties sometimes, but my fans give me strength. So my goals only grow, to add up.

Q3.   – As we know, you have a special attitude towards charity. Being a philanthropist – what means it for you?

Hyun Joong:    Being a philanthropist is not important for me. I grew up in an ordinary family, not rich nor poor. I think,  a person can do nothing without love, many love me and I’m grateful for it. I do not make commerce. In the past I had many thoughts about how to help people that’s why I started doing charity work.

Q4.   – Many fans started doing the same because of you. They try to do something great,  kind and helpful. What do you think, is it important?

Hyun Joong:    I think charity is a good thing and everyone decides for oneself to contribute or not. I cannot force people to do charity. Many people follow footsteps of the persone they like. If I can be an example, then someday people will start doing charity themselves. 

Q5.   – By looking at your work, we always assume that your agency, manager, staff and people who help you, are outstanding. Can you tell us about them?

Hyun Joong:   Yes, they are, and many help me on this concert (the interview was taken during Hyun Joong’s Beijing concert on June, 10th), including lighting technicians, sound control supervisor, manager, dancers, costumiers. My concert is not the result of only my personal outputs, my partners and assistance helped me and I’m very grateful for them. I think that successful concert is not only mine success but our joint success!

LazerKim View Point

Hyun Joong as artist takes more time in preparing for every concert he performs, that it takes weeks or months to be able to perfect the entire show repertoire for just an hour or two hours performance. As Hyun Joong mentioned in his interviews, the cheers from his fans added up a high degree of adrenaline to keep him going till the end of the show. After each successful show, as an artist by heart, he looks forward to his next stage geared up with a lot of inspiration from his fans.

For Hyun Joong it’s his strong determination to attain his dreams that rapidly becomes a reality. He knows exactly what is missing in his ability, embrace it in working hard to improve. To the veteran fans can see the difference between his current performance from the past that shows remarkable improvement, and still working to further develop his talent both in singing and acting. As we eagerly awaits the most anticipated drama after two years from his previous one Playful Kiss, on his come back drama City Conquest we shall see how Hyun Joong improves in his acting ability.

On the 5th question of this interview,  Hyun Joong mentioned that successful concert is a joint success. This is another thing that I like in Hyun Joong, he truly appreciates and acknowledge the effort of people behind the scene who works with him. He gives them importance as what was shown at his documentary. And it’s true, without the production staff and crew whether it’s a stage production or drama production, it will not be as successful as it is. Hyun Joong humbles himself in treating them as his own family. He doesn’t have that star complex of being self-centered as he treats everyone with equal respect.

There are video clips of Hyun Joong taken from behind the scene, showing how Hyun Joong works. I wouldn’t say he does not show he doesn’t get tired, as he did the music video of Breakdown, after series of dance repetition, he just drop on the floor out of exhaustion. He does feel tired but given a short break he’s up on his toes again. He doesn’t mind how many times he would repeat dancing over and over until everything is perfect. He has to satisfy himself before he can ever take a rest. This goes in his song recording as well, as  what his musical director stated.  Hyun Joong gives his 100% during his rehearsals and even at his pictorials, or commercial video shoots. And maintain that 100% during his performance on stage.

In another topic, a fan wrote this in my comment box yesterday that I would like to share with you since I share the same thoughts with her. Here it goes:

There may be artists with excellent voice with good tone and color,but wuri HJ doesn’t have the best voice,his voice is soft and thin which makes nonfan especially antis think he can’t sing and we, fans are crazy for his pretty face only.That insults us a lot because we are not that shallow to love an artist for his pretty face only.I really love his music sung by his soft,smooth,tender,sweet and emotional voice which touch my heart every time I listen to.

Thanks for sharing, you know who you are. I agree with what she wrote, it’s not only Hyun Joong’s critics but also some few fans who barely believe in him or not knowing who he really is. There are a few fans who would say similar to this statement, “other fans tend to be blind about Hyun Joong’s negatives. Or not because we are fans we can not see his negative traits”. I’m a bit bothered by such similar statements, but let’s talk it. What could be the negative traits they are pertaining? How I wish they should have stated.

If this is about his talents, singing, dancing, and acting, which I have made it clear he may not be the best in these areas but he’s not bad at all. And this is why he’s been working hard to improve himself to fill in whatever is missing in his talents. Or maybe his rare smiles which I find this really shallow because for me as a fan I have already accepted that Hyun Joong is not perfect. He’s just a human to also get tired of smiling every time!! At least he shows what he really is. Oh Hyun Joong fans would always on defense, of course why else are we called fans if we barely know whom we are supporting and following.

I would say the worst negative traits that an artist can ever show enough to stop following him could be, mistreating his own fans, arrogant, conceited, public misbehavior, vulgar, no talent at all, indecent and immoral. If we have seen any of these traits from our idol then it’s just right to stop supporting and following that idol. But have we seen any of these traits from Kim Hyun Joong?

Despite of having these negative attitude and fans still follows him, then I would say the fan is following her idol blindly. Artists are public figure. No matter how good an artist could be if he has these negative traits, what good will it lead you in following that idol? An ideal idol is someone whom you can look up to being a fan. It doesn’t necessarily mean to be a role model, but at least an idol who deserves your love and support.

I think this is quite simple, Hyun Joong is not perfect, as he admitted it and we fans I believe have accepted the fact that he is not perfect. If a fan do not believe in her idol then why follow him? If he does not satisfy your expectations in his talent then why else would you support him? I could hardly understand why some fans would criticize their own idol. Because the next question to that would be, why do you  follow your idol if you would only criticize him? I’m just asking!!

Oh well, no matter what others may say, I wouldn’t care for as long as I know what I ought to know enough to be called a fan. We can feel if our idol is sincere or not. We have known Hyun Joong’s candid honesty, modest and humble as ever so down to earth. He knows how to handle his fame and his fans. As an artist Hyun Joong was awarded with honors for so many times on different categories and he deserves all those awards. He had gained a huge global popularity because many believes he is indeed a deserving artist.

I had a hanging question earlier as, What makes Bae Yong Joon fans stay with him as his loyal fans even at this present day. Although Bae Yong Joon is my one of my favorite actors and who had introduced Korean drama to me, I did not have the chance to follow him. Reading from the write ups and articles, I would say BYJ have not changed from the time he started being an actor and had kept his feet firmly on the ground in spite of his successful career until this day. He treats his fans as his family and kept that relationship with them though out the years.

I can still remember last year as Hyun Joong tour around Asia to promote his first album Breakdown and The Face Shop being the official product endorser, his Japanese fans started calling him Little Yonsama! I honestly find this cute, and in one of his interviews during that Asia Tour, Hyun Joong was always asked about his boss and he was asked how he feels being called Little Yonsama, as Hyun Joong stated, “I am honored to be called Little Yonsama, Little can also turn out big!!”

And I guess Hyun Joong was right back then, in no time less than a year, he was able to gain a huge popularity boost from around the world. He is on his own now, building his own title. In reality, Hyun Joong’s career did not start from where we found him. Back in his past he had faced the hardships of life to be where he is now, and this is his harvest period. Hyun Joong learned about life the hard way, but his focus on his dream as it stays in his heart and in his mind, that he never gave up despite of the pain and hardship.

I would say Hyun Joong is more than a deserving artist and I think the veteran fans who had followed Hyun Joong before he can step into the lime light can testify how he grew up to this stage of his career. As the old folks would say, to be able to gain success, one has to taste the bitter way of life to keep a lasting strength in climbing the ladder of his goal. And this was what Hyun Joong had in the early part of his life and his career.

As I have written in one of my articles Twisted Fate, Hyun Joong is fated to be where he is no matter how one may twist his path. And is very likely for Hyun Joong to climb even higher as we observe the turn of events and the chain of success that he has been gaining, Kim Hyun Joong is a Deserving Artist.

The best part of Hyun Joong’s life episode I think is the period when he faced the hardship in life, because it is at this part that the young ones can learn from him. While the present episode can lead us to an inspiration in facing tomorrow from a role model and a Deserving Artist Kim Hyun Joong…

                                                                                                     LazerKim here writing

Photo credits as tagged, Ms.D, thanks!