[Article] Kim Hyun Joong Says ‘Ajusshi’ is Okay!

Credit:   www.tenasia.com

Kim Hyun Joong is back. After touring Asia and all of Japan since last year, he is back in the K-pop scene for the first time in two years. At a press conference held on Monday evening, the day of his album’s release, Kim said with a somewhat nervous look on his face, “I was worried whether my fans would have waited for me since I’m resuming my activities for the first time in a while.”

But Kim has grown and improved as a singer while he was away. “I learned how to be on ease when on stage by holding a lot of concerts. And I tried out various genres for my Japan album, which helped a lot with making this album.”

His third mini-album “ROUND 3″ contains ‘Korea.’ Tune “Unbreakable,” pre-released on July 18, contains chorus that incorporates segment from a traditional Korean song. And its music video contained traditional Korean performances such as the sword dance and mask dance. Regarding the reason he went for Korean elements in the song, he explained, “I thought of what true K-pop is about while performing overseas. I wanted to try something that’s Korean while I’m a Hallyu star. And the fact is that true K-pop is when a Korean sings a Korean song.”

His title tune “Your Story” is of urban R&B genre, quite different from “Unbreakable” with its strong sounds. Kim said,“I focused on the music video and visuals for ‘Unbreakable’ because I felt it was a song to watch. But I worked on ‘Your Story’ more seriously as a song to listen to. ‘Round 3′ is usually the moment you have to put your full effort into what you do so that’s the mindset I had for my album which is also called ‘ROUND 3.’” He then admitted, “I’m not a singer recognized for my singing abilities.” “But I wanted to show that I worked hard to get where I am now. I’ve also gained more confidence through concerts,” Kim explained.

Kim is now 27 and into the eighth year since his debut. So he may feel some pressure. Kim laughed as he said, “I saw a comment saying ‘Kim Hyun Joong has become an ajusshi (Korean term for middle-aged man). But I wasn’t offended. It could happen.” He then went onto explain, “While working on this album, I told myself that I just need to do what I want to do to have no regrets. I don’t feel any pressure because of my age. It’s just that I don’t know if I’d be able to dance as powerfully as I do now in three years time so I decided I’d do what I want to do before this time passes.” When asked what he wants to achieve within three years, he responded, “I want to hold a free concert. I’ve been able to last as long as I have because of my fans. I think I should make it up to them big time on the 10th anniversary of my debut.”