I was a hardcore fan of the drama "You're Beautiful." It was a first "Hong-sisters drama" for me and despite--or perhaps because of --the cliche, stereotypical plot about a cross-dressed girl getting involved with a group of "beautiful" boys who end up all falling for her, I absolutely loved it. It had such a strong appeal to those of us who grew up in the 90's as young girls reading Japanese girl mangas and fangirling over teen boy bands. The script was very well-written with lively characters and catchy yet romantic lines to maximize the viewers' fantasies, who were still young girls at heart. Not to mention the actors--who definitely deserve the word "beautiful."
At the time, though, I was more into Hwang Taekyung than Kang Shinwoo. Jang's acting was quite impressive to me and Yonghwa--sorry^^;;;--was just a good-looking fresh face who did an okay job as a first timer. Shinwoo's flat character didn't help much either. He was just another sweet guy who falls for the girl but can never win her heart, where his main role is to provoke the main guy's jealousy and weep in misery without ever confessing his love. In Shinwoo's case, sip tea and weep in misery while witnessing everything on the roof. Hence, the nickname attributed to him by the YAB drama gallery fans--"the roof spirit", or "the veranda fairy."
It was when he sang A Song for a Fool that I started to really notice him and his singing abilities. (I wondered then, why the hell in the world does A.N.Jell need another vocalist? They have Jeremy AND Shinwoo?!? but that's beside the point.)
(Shinwoo singing his heart out--as if he's auditioning in front of Minam?^^;;;)
When the drama ended, I found out that Shinwoo will be debuting as a singer. He even had a band experience in Japan, they said. Then I saw their Now or Never performance at a Japanese livehouse on youtube. I was surprised.
(His vocal ability's not as mature as these days, but wow. When he crescendos down at 2:51 then growl/yells at 3:03 with OH BABY IT'S NOW OR NEVER-!!, my favorite part in NoN, it still gives me goosebumps. Why had I not noticed it then?)
OMG, THIS IS NOT SHINWOO'S VOICE, I thought. He's SO GOOD!...and HARD ROCK?! He was good, but the genre wasn't to my taste as I was more into indie folk music at the time, so I forgot about him. Then I went on a month-long trip to Europe. (I regret not having bought NoN and Voice singles back then. ouch...)
When I came back in early Feb, CNBLUE was already No. 1 in the charts. But then they were also in the middle of the crazy whirlwind of multiple scandals, being accused of plagiarism and one of the managers was caught being violent to fans. On top of that, FnC had alienated the entire indie rock scene by first claiming that CNBLUE is an indie band, then dissing the indie scene as not being good enough as source of plagiarism (?!?!?!?!). Did I confess how much I don't like I'm a Loner? It had a weird enka/trot-esque vibe and the lyrics--especially English--were just awful. "One two three four five six seven and night"? "sad sad sad sad sad sad tonight"???? Sure, a lot of k-pop songs have butchered English lyrics. Um--that's why I don't like them.
Still, I thought, damn, SHINWOO CAN SING. And I'd been an A.N.JELL fangirl for a few months, so I still wished to keep up with them and had been a regular visitor at the DC JYH gallery.
Then I started watching an Mnet program called "CNBLUETORY." To be honest, it was so dull for an idol reality show. They talked about their love for music, how seriously they think of being in a band, blah blah blah. I understand why--it was filmed in the midst of their scandals, and it wouldn't have looked good if they fooled around and made funny remarks (still, Making the Artist, which was shot roughly at the similar time period, is so much better and the boys have fun/play music so naturally. Perhaps because it's less accessible to the general public and only the fans would actually watch it? Who knows.)
Anyways, I was watching it regardlessly. One day, they announced that they're planning a street concert at Coex. It was 15 mins by bus from where I lived (by car, like 5 mins.) When the day came, I hesitated a little...but still went. And THAT made a world's difference.
There, I heard him sing and the boys play Just Please live. Then Harder to Breathe.
(beware of the screaming fangirls...do you hear English? Impressive, they already had some English fanbase at this point.)
Minhyuk-focused cams where you can hear YH more clearly.
Still, the top 2 are precious for their capture of YH's rich facial expressions. He sings with his entire self, not just his mouth eh? :)
I knew they could play live, unlike what some people accused them. But they were much better than I thought they'd be. Although they weren't technically fancy or anything, they were performing as one band and really enjoying their music. Did I mention how great Yonghwa's vocals were?? I had stand far away behind them because of the hundreds of people that gathered in front of them, and it still cut through everything and reached my ears clearly and powerfully. I could feel my heart beating fast.
That was the 28th of February, 2010. More than a month after their debut.
At that point, I had no idea what a full-package chameleon this guy was. I just wanted to keep my eyes on him. I had absolutely no idea either, that I would be on a non-stop, two-year (and probably more) rollercoaster ride of fangirling.
Thank you so much for this. I always like to know when and why fans fell for him. In case you feel like reading my story too.
ReplyDeleteI watch K dramas occasionally but not a big fan. When I saw that popular drama blog posting the first YAB poster and commenting that it looks like a Sailor Moon poster and introducing the plot, I decided that it's a must-see. Just because I love Sailor Moon and I have a thing for girl-dressed-up-as-boy stories.
The drama was a big hit among overseas fans. I camped at the soompi thread and various Chinese sites looking for previews, BTS and all sorts of tidbits. While everybody's crazy over Taekyung, I couldn't take my eyes off Shinwoo. Second guy syndrome? No. I even dislike his character of not fighting hard enough for love. Some soompier commented that the way he held the guitar looked like he's a pro. Another replied that he's actually in a band. Out of curiosity, I downloaded NON. I ain't even a rock music fan but I fell in love with all the songs, and ordered the mini album right away. It must've been their singing in English that I could relate more to. Thanks to ardent fans who told what lines were sung by whom, I was attracted to Yonghwa's very versatile voice since the very beginning. While I watched YAB, I was actually attracted by the BTS more, where I saw the playful and absolutely cute side of Yonghwa. How many times have I said I LOVE that Mnet Rising Star interview?! Of course I enjoyed the drama lots. It's been a long time since I watched a drama without fast forwarding.
If I have to give a date when I became a fan, it’d be Nov 14, 2009, the day CNBLUE were guests at FTIsland’s Men’s Stories concert. Yonghwa actually wrote a message asking for fans’ support on the official YAB board (which I translated from Chinese and posted to the soompi thread, but nobody replied. Ouch!). Anyway, I read Chinese fans reporting how “shocked” they were seeing a very “wild” Shinwoo. I watched fancams seeing his moves on stage and hearing his powerful vocals myself. Then I know it’s a singer/musician that I’ve fallen for.
After YAB, I waited for and followed CNBLUE’s Korean debut with enthusiasm. Watching CNBLUE is like watching a movie. Seeing their passing through various tests, I know what they’re made of. And I feel so proud of what they’ve achieved.
Most CNBLUE fans have a favorite member, and my fave is definitely Yonghwa. It’s through Yonghwa that I knew CNBLUE. And he’s continuously surprising me with his music talents, stage presence, happily/ruggedly/calmly handsome looks (sorry for random adverbs) … I feel frustrated at times, for I read neither Korean nor Japanese. But I feel so blessed that they’ve come to my city once and are coming again today!
Music brings people together. Yonghwa’s music (and awesomeness) brings us together … I totally need to talk to someone who feel the same, for I’m embarrassed that I sound like a crazy sixteen-year-old most of the time.
klaritia/ Thank you so much for making me feel extremely happy and proud that I tried the translated version. I really appreciate your taking time to write out the story. (I always enjoy reading about those moments too:) )
ReplyDeleteI wish I had noticed Shinwoo earlier like you. (I envy you esp. for getting the the NoN album!) Why didn't I have the eye (and the ear?)? I think I'm usually suspicious of too-good-looking-guys and their talent. Anyhow, it was fun to watch YAB all over again with a totally different perspective once I became YH's fan. (tho I ffed a lot more, haha)
I really loved the BTS scenes too. He was playful, fun, and so musically talented. Some people say they like Shinwoo more than Yonghwa, but noooo. Yonghwa was the real deal for me. I was really impressed with how he took notes off the mp3 player and played the piano instead of TK. Too bad that BTS came out later from Japan. (maybe I should be glad it came out in the first place? with the ratings in Korea, it probably couldn't have aired or gotten uploaded.)
Just heart the use of your adverbs, please keep them coming! Do you know how much I respect you for being such a devoted fan in spite of the language barrier? I don't think I could ever be so ardent and passionate for such a long time about someone who speaks a language I don't understand (so thankful that YH had the guts to write Eng lyrics for their Japanese albums). I really appreciate your presence in the fandom, so I'm happy if I could help any bit along the way. Even if it's just you reading my English entries, I'll keep them coming :).
In many ways Yong Hwa surprised me but I gotta say that the Music Bank debut was one of the most shocking expriences I had since I listened to Seo Tae Ji's songs. (Of course some of STJ fans will kill me over this.. but who cares ) And even more amazing thing is that he continuously shows me some aspects that I would never expect from a young artist like him. I sincerely hope he could suprise me with all these wonders forever hahahaha
ReplyDeletekiwiwitch/ oh the STJ fans, hahaha. I wish they'd get furious and look up if YH can really sing, then become his fans. :) I wish they could listen to him sing at concerts!
ReplyDeleteI'm also looking forward to find out how many more times in the world this guy can surprise me. I think he will. Am I setting the expectations too high? (don't think so.)
BTW thanks for taking your time to leave a separate English comment. And thanks a million for enjoying that tumblr with me :) It's so much more entertaining when someone else finds it funny too.
Thank you for the translations and for sharing how you came to know and love Yong Hwa. I followed a tweet to your site (thanks Jenna!) and feel like I've struck gold. Seen your name being credited with translations in tweets and really want to thank you - these translations are a life saver for those of us who do not speak Korean or Japanese.
ReplyDeleteI was truly amazed by how similar our stories were i.e. knew YH from YAB but not impressed by his character, except that it was that one short Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer verse in YAB that first caught my attention to the vocalist behind Shin Woo. It was a short phrase and he was immediately followed by Hong Ki but I remember being stunned by how clear and powerful his voice was, especially coming from one as 'beautiful' as him. It was a Y,Why fan-cam from their showcase that made my jaw truly drop (voice, emotions and the fact that he wrote that masterpiece of a song!) and start to really follow him, and the release of Tattoo sealed the deal that his compositions are my style. I've yet to attend a CNBLUE concert though so I can only read in envy about how much better his voice is in person.
While I've learnt to treasure each and every member of CNBLUE as they've progressed, there is just something extra special about Jung Yong Hwa. Perhaps a combination of raw musical talent, quick wit (love him in Running Man), warm personality, confident leadership and wisdom way beyond his years that's made me an ardent fan. I'm still trying to convince my hubs that if we have ever have a son, we should name him Yong Hwa. :P
checkinout/ Hello :) Thanks for visiting! I've only just started, so I'm not sure if there's much resource for you yet to call it "gold"...but hopefully more will come.^^
ReplyDeleteAh, the Rudolph scene! haha. I was pretty impressed too, but the whole scene was too funny and cringe-worthy that I forgot about his voice right away.
Y, why is truly a masterpiece:) It was my favorite YH song for the longest time (I think it still is emotionally). It's also where my nickname comes from--it's actually H, eich but most sites don't let you add commas so it stuck like a German word or something. :( He really gives all his heart whenever he sings it, it almost makes me cry. T.T I dunno where you live, but hopefully they'll visit you sometime soon? They go to most parts of Asia, and they have plans in Europe and other places as well I heard. You definitely need to go!! ^^
YH is really special. I think it's more his talent and his personality that really drew me in. (I usually don't like good looking guys, haha) All the things you mentioned--leadership, quick wit, warmth, wisdom--plus his perseverence and work ethic. Oh the list never ends. I appreciate so much how he's endured all the scandals and critique on top of the inhumanly hectic schedule, and still manages to always smile and stay humble.
As we Korean fans call him, he's a sand pit trap (directly translated, "ant hell")--the more you get to know him, there's no way out. Although if this is hell, I'm pretty happy here^^;; as I'm sure you are. :)
It's nice to read all your story when was and how did you fell for him ;)
ReplyDeleteWell, my story ain't particularly same as you heich. Well, there's similarity about know him first from YAB. well, as for me I didn't actually know him from YAB, I just saw him as one of the actors. I actually love K drama, and back then when YAB aired in my country, I just watched 2 or three eps of it since it aired at the time I had to go to take a course (feel kinda unlucky, hhe) And because of that I didn't even really noticed him.
I know about Yong once I watched WGM program. At that time, I just joined my friend who watched it, actually she watched eps 8 or 9, I forgot. Then, I continued to watch the next eps. The more I watched the program, the more good things I got about him.
First, he is a decent guy, very decent one. I like her attitude who respects girl so much (This is the main strong point why I praised him so much ^^)
Second, from this program also I find out he is a singer, and member of CNBLUE. I really had no idea for the first time about CNBLUE. For sure, I thought CNB is an idol group who also dance (this is the result I watch the program not from the very first eps) and when I just re-started to watch from the very first eps, it (for sure) gave me a shock. "Aaah, there is also a band who play instrument in Korea?" that's what I thought. Really, I was so blur about Korean music/ Kpop since I only focus on following the K-drama trend not the music one, and I only know some KPop artists form my friends (and they are all do dance so I end up with that thought -really I made a very random summary). Even from the first time he and CNB had already blow my mind. Then, I finally could see he sang I'm a Loner. Outside the lyrics (before I google it) I could clearly know, this guy has very strong voice and he can play instrument (not only guitar, he also can play piano and clarinet). I also feel so lucky to know that he can compose song (Banmal song), he even can do bit-box and something like DJ-ing. This guy really draws a lot of attention to me to know more about him :)
Third, he is handsome guy. Well, I think he is a kinda rare one. Why I thought like that, because he looks so handsome not only as physically (no doubt with it) but there a lot of inner beauty that he has. As I mentioned, his attitude, his personality, and his ability on music make him look more handsome.
Since at that time, I try to know more about him and CNB. Aa I feel so lucky to be their fans. Yong and CNB succeed to make me keep following their updates and always being curious about them (which I never done before to other artist/musician, but I like it hhheeee)