Hyung Jun’s interview with IS PLUS [17.03.11]

Male group quintet SS501's member Kim Hyungjun (24) has now stood forth alone.

Kim Hyungjun who's returned to the music industry after a year with his first solo mini album 'My Girl'. It's his first time doing solo activities so he does feel anxious but still, at every point during the interview, he showed confidence. Last 10th on cable channel Mnet's 'MCountdown', Kim Hyungjun did not feel the emptiness left by his members and had put forth a perfect comeback stage. He succeeded in conquering the audiences with a conceptual and more powerful stage than the one he had shown with his members.

Kim Hyungjun said, "The charisma and power that our members have portrayed will now be undertaken by me solely. I will show to you a stage that does not lack in anywhere at all", as he poured his overflowing aspiration.

(Q) You've made your comeback after a year.

(A) It's been a long while since I've returned to the music industry, and I've apparently turned into a senior already. It's the age now for me to accept juniors already. The ranking of this and that has turned so high and I'm amazed. Not long ago I went to music programme and I saw G.Na, IU and Dalshabet. They're really cute. I was very delighted but in order to show my grand profile as a senior, I tried to show a state of composure towards them. (meaning trying to act cool ha ha ha ha)

(Q) The album jacket is unique.

(A) It is my solo album but I want to express the fact that I'm a member of SS501. Even if people may be looking at the album jacket only, they will have the thought like, 'Ah SS501's member Kim Hyungjun is having his solo activity now huh', that kind, and for that, I had put in alot of effort to try to achieve that thought in people. I did the design for the jacket. One who has properly morphed from five people (SS501), that kind of meaning.

(Q) Response for title song 'oH! aH!' was good.

(A) Though oH! aH! is an exciting dance song but it isn't that kind of popular hook song of these days. Fans hoped for a more popular song where they could hum after to sing but I wanted to show a song with a new type of style. I worried if people would find me too stuck-up with desire, but since response for it was good, I'm glad.

(Q) It was singing along with five of you all, but now that you're to sing it alone it's gonna be hard.

(A) You gotta dance and sing the full song altogether so it's very tough. When you stand onto stage you feel nervous and then on top of that you need to coordinate it well together, the chemistry can seem to easily lessen. All our solo dance singers are awesome.

(Q) It's your first time doing solo activity. What's different from doing activities with your group?

(A) Lonely. When the car is moving from one place to another or when I'm resting, my members are not with me and I feel bored. And on stage, when I think about it, I feel emptiness. It hasn't been long since I made my comeback so I think of this as my adjusting period.

(Q) When will we be able to see SS501 standing together on stage again.

(A) All our agencies are different and all our personal activities are very tight and busy, so we still weren't able to discuss about this in detail. However our plan as of now is to release an album within this year. When SS501 appears, all other groups have gotta tighten themselves and get anxious already. Because SS501 isn't a group to prepare sloppishly for their comeback. Haha.

(Q) Do you contact often with your members.

(A) Busy so although we do meet at times, we also contact each other often. We sometimes meet up over drinks.

(Q) Your character business is flourishing.

(A) It's truly beyond my expectation. Thanks to my brother Kibum that's why it's flourishing. Kibum even did the packaging of products himself, and also stuffed the cottonwool into the toys. The character cushions that were supplied to us and meant to be sold over 1 year has been sold out in only 2~3 months. Response in Japan and China is good too. Not long ago we also recruited 2 employees who are good in foreign language. We'll start on aggressive overseas sales too. After the character 'Piro Piro' that was already released first, will be followed by another character 'Siro Siro'. Our company is filled with the Festival Atmosphere. Haha.

(Q) How do you distribute the profits raked in from your business.

(A) I give it all to my brother. Because he's the one working more aggressively his guts out for this.

(Q) Your brother Kibum withdrew from U-KISS. How will his future broadcast activities turn out like?

(A) He's looking for an agency that will blend in well with him. Should there be any good agency for him, he'll start his broadcast activities thereafter. It'll be good if Kibum could succeed at first go, but I hope for him to become a singer who develops better and better over each stage by each step consistently.


(Q) You seemed to have worried alot because of the Japan big earthquake.

(A) I wanted to leave a piece on twitter regarding the earthquake victims but I don't know how to write and what to write so I couldn't. But I will leave a piece on my official Japanese homepage. I'm discussing with my agency on how to help with this. I've received alot of love from Japanese fans. And it's the time now for me to repay that love.

(Q) Aren't you gonna love.

(A) Lonely. I really don't have a girlfriend. I gave up on love. I'm thinking if I should get matchmaked and then get married when I turn 30. Haha.

(Q) What's your aim for the year.

(A) I have plans to do aggressive activities overseas like in China, etc. Also have plans to do a solo concert at the end of the year. I will need to sing throughout a full 2 hours so I will be seemingly releasing many albums in this year. 2011 will turn to be an extremely busy year for me. 


Source: http://isplus.joinsmsn.com/article/628/5207628.html?cloc=
English translation: ode@ss501ode.blogspot.com