20th Anniversary Debut, 2nd Studio Album 'Flower Garden'
Respect for Producer Lee Soo-man... Managing Both Production and Business Is a Miracle
Lyric Typos Found, 80,000 Copies Discarded... Must Do Our Best for Fans
"Although I am in my 21st year since debut, I want to promote as if I were a rookie singer who debuted this year."
A humility that comes from composure was felt. Kim Jaejoong, a former member of the group TVXQ who is celebrating his 20th anniversary since debut, stood before the public again after two years with his fourth full-length album, 'Flower Garden.' In an interview held on the 25th at the Inkode Entertainment building in Mapo-gu, Seoul, he said, "I have been through several big waves but endured and worked hard," and smiled, adding, "So sometimes I pat myself on the shoulder."
Kim Jaejoong became independent from C-JeS Entertainment in April last year and established the entertainment agency Inkode (iNKODE) Entertainment in June. Together with CEO Noh Hyun-tae, former vice president of Cube Entertainment, who co-founded Inkode, Kim Jaejoong serves as CSO (Chief Strategy Officer), balancing company management and artist activities.
When asked about his role model as an artist and producer who stepped up to the front line of management, an unexpected answer came back. "There are great people like JYP (Park Jin-young). Honestly, I have great respect for producer Lee Soo-man. It is truly miraculous to hold both the roles of a manager and a producer, and this teacher also has a very good sense in producing. Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, who shared the same roof during the SM days, is also amazing."
In 2009, he went through an exclusive contract dispute with SM Entertainment and left the team with fellow TVXQ members Kim Junsu and Park Yoochun, then re-debuted as JYJ under C-JeS Entertainment.
Regarding the controversy over SM Entertainment sending wreaths at the opening of Inkode last year, Kim Jaejoong said, "Since it is the company that gave birth to me, I am always grateful. On that day, wreaths came from every entertainment company in our country. It was very thankful as it meant they were cheering for me," and confessed, "SM is not my enemy. I think it is a company in the same industry that we need to coexist with."
He continued, "I do not want to regret the path and choices I have taken so far," but added, "I prefer writing with a pen and covering it with white-out rather than a pencil that can be easily erased. Even if there were bad things, since the past cannot be erased, I cover and build that past with good memories. I want to live as a better person that way."
When asked about the driving force behind still releasing albums and being active after 20 years since debut, he said, "Unconditionally, the fans, I am so grateful that there are fans," emphasizing, "Without listeners, I cannot make songs or albums. Because there are fans, I will sing until I am 71 years old." He further explained, "Even if I say a word to juniors, I have to show something first. I thought setting limits on myself was not right, and I released the album because I wanted to leave a good precedent rather than just good results."
The day before the interview, Kim Jaejoong discovered a typo in the album lyrics and decided to discard 80,000 copies and reproduce them. He said, "Actually, these days, people do not buy CDs to listen to music. It is commemorative or commercial, but it is used as a ticket substitute to meet the artist directly. But I did not want to allow mistakes on that precious album." Having written the lyrics himself and wanting to deliver a message to fans, he felt even more regretful about the typo in the lyrics, which led to the decision to discard and reprint the album. His expression revealed not only his sincerity toward fans but also his perfectionist tendency.
Kim Jaejoong is scheduled to hold concerts at Jangchung Gymnasium for two days on the 20th and 21st of next month, meeting fans after a long time. He hinted, "I plan to increase the time to sing with the audience so that fans can create their own enjoyment for as long as possible. Then the concert time will probably get longer, right?" raising expectations for the performance.
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