Part 1's generously translated by CNBlackYong @ http://cnblackyong.tumblr.com/post/19217872366/trans-heartstrings-guidebook-interview-yh-part1
-Yonghwa, when you're dating someone, are you also as gentle as Shin?
YH: When I'm dating, I tend to show how much I like her as much as possible. But because I'm a Busan guy, I'm not quite good at doing "events". I'd like to at least tell her all that I can. So I try to express my feelings as best as possible through words.
-Shin is in an unrequited love with an older woman--in real life, how do you feel about dating an older woman? Between Yoonsu and Gyuwon, which one's your type?
YH: I haven't fallen in love with someone older, but I don't really care about age. My principle is that it doesn't matter as long as I like (the person). As for YS and GW--it'd be nice to mix half of each: YS's feminine and cool character, GW's always lighthearted and positive way of working hard on everything. If these two are perfectly combined....though, it'd be hard to meet someone like that.
[Participation in composition of OST. Song completed in 30 minutes]
-There were many scenes in the drama where you had to play instruments. Wasn't it difficult to prepare for those scenes?
YH: It was really difficult because unlike real performances, I had to repeat the same part over and over in the drama and I also had to practice new songs for which only parts were aired. To add, the drama was almost shot live from the midpoint. Since I'm the main character, there were many lines to memorize, and on top of that, I had a new song for every episode so I was always rushed to prepare everything.
-But you always held the guitar in your hands between shoots, playing CNBLUE's songs and such. I thought you must really love the guitar.
YH: I do. Whenever I hold the guitar, I feel secure. There were many times where I just played the guitar mindlessly. When there is a scene for me to play the guitar, I never let go of it from my hands. Usually when I shoot a drama and can't play the guitar for a while, my skills tend to rust. But while filming this drama, my skills got better. I'm really grateful for the drama "Heartstrings".
-You participated in the composition of "Because I Miss You". How did you write that song?
YH: We needed a song to sing when (Shin) missed his father. When Mr. HSH was writing the song, I was sitting on a sofa listening to it and thinking, "I have a feeling I'll be writing the song." In my mind, I had an idea of how I would like the song to be. When he went to the restroom, I recorded the melody that came up on my mind. After coming back from the restroom, he heard the melody and asked, "What is this?" I said, "I tried my hand at it. Please give it a listen." He said, "You did a good job. Then I'll write the lyrics." So this is how it turned out (laughs). The song was finished in 30 minutes. He wrote the words, I composed the music. The best combination! (laughs) The head of our drama's production company told us, "Yonghwa and Mr. Han are geniuses." Hahaha.
-How was the recording process? Was it smooth?
YH: No. After the song was completed, I recorded it all night. Because it's not a song where I shout out my voice, it was unexpectedly difficult, giving me quite a hard time.
But as long as it took, I was very satisfied with the end result. The script made it easy for me to immerse my feelings into the song as well. While singing, I thought of the father in the drama. I reminded myself, "'Because I Miss You' is a song that allowed a son, whose real father appeared for the first time in 20 years, to share feelings with him over music."
-Were there any other parts where your ideas were incorporated?
YH: There's a song that I sing to console Gyuwon through the school radio. I told Mr.Han "A song that sounds like a low whisper would be nice" and he wrote that song. I recorded the song the night it came out. Such things happened often (smiles).
[In the midst of tight schedule, he enjoyed shooting and never stopped smiling]
-I heard the filming schedule was very tight and it was quite hard for you physically.
YH: The most difficult time was when I had to be awake for 3-4 days straight. I didn't even have time to go get IV. It was quite tough. Usually, getting an IV takes about 2 hours, so if I have that much time off-shoot, I can go. One time, that wasn't even possible, so I got the 2-hr IV in 1 hour. Getting it too hastily made my face get all puffed up (smiles bitterly).
-Though it must have been hard, you kept a bright character at the sets.
YH: Yeah. Even if it was hard, I tried not to reveal it. I wished everyone who saw me would feel good. The atmosphere at sets was very lively. I thought, everyone's tired and has a hard time so it won't do good if I put on a tired face... Thanks to this, even though there were many trying times from episode 1 to 15, I learned to persevere (smiles).
For me, as long as I have 1 or 2 things that make me feel good, all the stress goes away. I'm not someone who keeps all the pent-up stress.
-Kang Min Hyuk, who also stars in the drama with you, said you helped him a lot.
YH: It was a hard time for MH, too. His real personality's not like that of JH, but he still had to act it out. It seems like he felt quite a pressure. I tried to care for him so that he would feel less burdened and relaxed when acting. I think he did a very good job.
-Song Chang Eui and So Yi Hyun are your seniors. How did they help you?
YH: From the beginning, CE was so friendly to me. He told me many things. He would always say, "As long as it's memorable to you, the rating doesn't matter." Yi Hyun also encouraged me, "Don't worry about the surroundings. Just have fun filming at the shoots." The two of them are very experienced and were at ease on site, so I learned much from them.
-Your fans supported you through sending you snacks, etc.
YH: During the shooting of "You are Beautiful", Geun Suk's fans had ordered on-site buffet. I was so amazed when I saw it and thought, "Wow...the fans would even order on-site buffet, that's incredible. GS's is very popular indeed." (Pointing at a picture in the YAB Guidebook) Yes, this was it. Look at this face! (laughs)
-Looks like you think the food is great anyway (laughs)
YH: That's how I felt back then. But now that my fans order on-site buffet, I felt much more responsibility than before. I thought, I really need to take initiative and work harder. Honestly, I do get mad when I'm tired. But I thought to myself, "I must never show any sign of that and I need to work very, very hard!"
That's why I was never angry during the shoots. The more (tired I was), I joked around with the director.
It's all thanks to the fans. They give me great strength. I thought, all I can do to repay them is to work hard at what I can do, and give all I have at shooting the drama. I was happy to receive much support, aside from the rating.
[The script for the last episode went under much editing with SH]
-The location of the filming was mostly the Seoul Institute of the Arts. How was it like filming at a college?
YH: At the beginning, people would yell "It's JYH!" and make a fuss. The college students would come to watch us. But in the middle, it turned to "Ah..it's JYH" and "Now it feels like he goes to our school." I even borrowed their shower stall (laughs).
It was fun playing catch with MH on the school's lawn, drinking coffee and eating sandwiches. I enjoyed filming at the college than the studio shoots.
-Towards the end, Shin says goodbye to GW and sends her off to England. Did you sympathize with that decision?
YH: No. I didn't quite understand. I thought, "1 year's not that long a time..." If it was me, I wouldn't say goodbye. I would have simply said, "See you in a while." It's not like the injury won't heal forever either. He could say, "By the time you come back from England, I'll be healed." But Shin was different. While reading the script I blurted out, "Hey, what? Why would you say this?" (smiles bitterly).
Originally, Shin was crying throughout the entire episode 15. So we changed quite a few lines after discussing it with SH and the director. SH even wrote lines for me. The episode 15 almost needs to credit SH under the "author" title. She did a very good job. She needs to become a writer (laughs). I didn't know how to fix things, so all I did was say "That's good!" (laughs).
-What was the most memorable scene?
After breaking up with GW once, we meet again in front of our houses and I receive the LP record that I had asked her to keep. That record is the most important thing to Shin, the memento of his father. Upon receiving it back, he must have felt complicated emotions. They were apart for 1 year, but neither of them had forgotten one another. Shin still likes GW, but he couldn't say anything... I liked how these feelings came together nicely.
-Lastly, could you say something to the viewers?
"Heartstrings" leaves many hidden stories, like the encounter of Shin and Yoon Su and the moment GW and Shin began to like one another, to the viewers. Please be imaginative when you watch. This drama isn't only about what you see (laughs). The relationships are quite complicated too, so before watching, please take a look at the graph that explains them (laughs). Lastly, I think you'll enjoy this drama more fully if you pay attention to the colorful cinematography and the various thematic music for each episode.
Showing posts with label eng. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eng. Show all posts
Apr 15, 2012
"Drive"-Incubus
Sometimes I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I cant help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer
It's driven me before, it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal
Lately I'm beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there
So if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive, oh oh
It's driven me before, it seems to be the way
That everyone else get around
Lately, I'm beginning to find that when I drive myself, my light is found
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there
Would you choose water over wine
Hold the wheel and drive
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there
----------------------------
So, so glad that neither you nor we have to choose water over wine, ever again.
Feb 9, 2012
PLEASE Release CNBLUE's Own Songs in Korea!
There's a rumor circulating among Korean fans that CNBLUE's next Korean single will again be written by Kim Do-hun. Though it's unconfirmed, it doesn't seem unrealistic considering FNC's continuous usage of the "two-track strategy" in Korea and Japan. Even if it won't be his song again this time, or whether or not it will have an impact on FNC's decision to use KDH's song, we CANNOT just stand and watch FNC crush CNBLUE's musical progress in the last two years by yet again releasing a song written by an outside composer. Even if all of this goes in vain, I think we should definitely have our voices heard, so I propose the following to ALL BOICES OF THE WORLD:
While reserving our conclusion that this rumor is true, why don't we express to FNC our strong wish for songs written by CNBLUE to become the new single in Korea? Let's gather our forces and be as effective and serious as possible.
So far the results of my brainstorming (not in particular order):
1. The fans' wish: CNBLUE to release singles written by CNBLUE in Korea from now on
2. Public reaction to songs: KDH and CNBLUE, perhaps captured comments on message boards, etc?
3. Actual sales: Falling statistics since I'm a loner->Love->Intuition on digital charts, Oricon records for IMH/WYA
4. KDH's public image as a composer (re:plagiarism)/ CNBLUE's distorted public image due to using his songs ("not a real band", "can't even write own music" etc)
Let's brainstorm together! The venue doesn't necessarily have to be this blog only--please feel free to suggest ANYTHING about this matter, such as where to discuss this, what issue to bring up, etc!
*For the moment, I think it might work for me to take Kor/Eng opinions separately and update the summary of each side's discussions. Please let me know if this sounds effective, I'm really open to any suggestions!
Jan 28, 2012
The ACTUAL "feeling" lyrics & YPT results...
feeling
Lyrics by Jung Yong Hwa
Music by Jung Yong Hwa, Ryo
A flower in the spring fallen leave in the fall
That is the paradise
A teardrop in my face, beads of sweat in my face.
That is the paradise
I am confused, I'm at a nonplus
I am in tears, And tear me down.
I am confused, That continues. But I will enjoy those everyday.
It's just a feeling It's just a feeling
That is just a faint feeling
It's just a feeling, It's just a feeling.
Just the feeling changes of mind.
I miss every every everything
and anything anything beside my mind
The sun I see only sits in dark space lighting up my world.
You miss every every everything
and anything anything beside your mind
The sun you see only sits in dark space lighting up your world.
I miss everything, anything beside my mind
A shooting star will light our worlds apart again,
Certainly.
You miss every every everything
and anything anything beside your mind.
The sun you see only sits in dark space lighting up your world.
Waiting for a feeling to come. and close your eyes.
That will shine your mind.
----------------------------------
anyways,
YPT=FAIL...
-nonplus!
(so "I don't know plus" that I heard the first time was the closest?;;;)
-beside!
-And tear me down
-"That" is the paradise
-The sun "I see only sits in dark space lighting up my world
(glad it's not "on my world". also thought I kept hearing an s after "thing", that's why...)
-Just the feeling changes of mind
(???)
-That will shine your mind.
Congrats to all those who scored better than me!! (beads of tears from my eyes)
Anne!! "beads of sweat" is the best Yonglish deciphered ever.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU to EVERYONE who shared this fun experience with me!!
(see you in 3-4 months when the new J single comes out??^-^)
Jan 25, 2012
feeling-transcribed lyrics
Please feel free to contribute/point out errors, etc.
FYI, This post will go through multiple modifications.
*Uncertain parts/fixed parts in red, but really. the whole song is up for debate^^;;
(audio complied by @bluefilia)
feeling
composed, lyrics by Jung Yong Hwa
A flower in the spring
falling leaf in the fall
there is the paradise
A teardrop in my face
beads of sweat in my face
there is the paradise
I am confused
I'm awed at your applause/out of my plans
I am in tears until the dawn
I am confused
that continues/continuous but
I will enjoy this every day
It's just a feeling
It's just a feeling
there is just a faint feeling
It's just a feeling
It's just a feeling
just a feeling
change your mind
I miss every every everything
and anything anything wish on/reset/restart/will set my mind
The sun is the only thing in the space lighting
on my world
A flower in the spring
falling leaf in the fall
there is the paradise
A teardrop in my face
beads of sweat in my face
there is the paradise
It's just a feeling
It's just a feeling
there is just a faint feeling
It's just a feeling
It's just a feeling
just a feeling change your mind
I miss every every everything
and anything anything wish on/reset/restart/will set my mind
The sun is the only thing in the space lighting
on my world
You miss every every everything
and anything anything wish on/reset/restart/will set your mind
The sun is the only thing in the space lighting
on your world
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh
why why
Oh oh oh oh~
I miss everything
Anything but sunlight
Should this/shouldn't its double light
i worst but i get it/Our worst nightmare
Starting now/suddenly
You miss every every everything (everything)
and anything anything wish on/reset/restart/will set your mind
The sun is the only thing in the space lighting
on your world
Waiting for the feelings
Come and close your eyes
Then we'll shine your mind
FYI, This post will go through multiple modifications.
*Uncertain parts/fixed parts in red, but really. the whole song is up for debate^^;;
(audio complied by @bluefilia)
feeling
composed, lyrics by Jung Yong Hwa
A flower in the spring
falling leaf in the fall
there is the paradise
A teardrop in my face
beads of sweat in my face
there is the paradise
I am confused
I'm awed at your applause/out of my plans
I am in tears until the dawn
I am confused
that continues/continuous but
I will enjoy this every day
It's just a feeling
It's just a feeling
there is just a faint feeling
It's just a feeling
It's just a feeling
just a feeling
change your mind
I miss every every everything
and anything anything wish on/reset/restart/will set my mind
The sun is the only thing in the space lighting
on my world
A flower in the spring
falling leaf in the fall
there is the paradise
A teardrop in my face
beads of sweat in my face
there is the paradise
It's just a feeling
It's just a feeling
there is just a faint feeling
It's just a feeling
It's just a feeling
just a feeling change your mind
I miss every every everything
and anything anything wish on/reset/restart/will set my mind
The sun is the only thing in the space lighting
on my world
You miss every every everything
and anything anything wish on/reset/restart/will set your mind
The sun is the only thing in the space lighting
on your world
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh
why why
Oh oh oh oh~
I miss everything
Anything but sunlight
Should this/shouldn't its double light
i worst but i get it/Our worst nightmare
Starting now/suddenly
You miss every every everything (everything)
and anything anything wish on/reset/restart/will set your mind
The sun is the only thing in the space lighting
on your world
Waiting for the feelings
Come and close your eyes
Then we'll shine your mind
Jan 24, 2012
TVfan March, 2012 CNBLUE Special Interview
scans by @bluefilia-many thanks!! :)
Special Interview
Where you are
CNBLUE, a four-member rock band, launched their awaited major debut with a successful nationwide tour in Japan.
Set to release their 2nd single, "Where you are" on Feb.1, they share their much fervor for the big stage!
Here's a look into their jolly conversation, difficult to imagine from their cool vibe onstage.
Although Busy, We're Happiest Right Now
How do you feel, looking back on 2011 with big accomplishments?
-JS: So many things happened. Before our major debut, we had a concert at Yokohama Arena, and also at Yoyogi Gymnasium at the end...it was a very meaningful year.
-MH: It was a year that we made the major debut in Japan, a year of beginning.
-JH: We were really busy. But looking back, I think it's quite happy to be busy.
-YH: In sum, the year 2011 was JS's year. JS made such an accomplishment (laughs).
What kind of accomplishment, exactly?
-YH: He gives me massages when I'm tired (laughs). During our tours, I always use the same room with JS at hotels.
-JH: Then, the person who did not get chosen by YH hyung comes to my room.
-YH: But I like MH these days, too. The other day, he gave me a massage after a concert and he was very good.
In December, you had a first nationwide tour after your major debut, right?
-YH: I was delighted to perform at the Zepp halls in a long time. Yoyogi had its own vibe, being a huge place. We had flaming effects when we sang "In My Head", and it heated up the atmosphere.
-JS: I thought, now we can perform at Zepp, and also at Yoyogi. I was really happy to hear that the tickets were sold out.
-JH: I also really like eating various food from each region. Tebasaki (chicken wings)and hitsumabushi at Nagoya, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and yakisoba at Osaka...I like them all. I think we ate about 50 tebasaki? With MH, the two of us ate around 100 I think (laughs).
_MH: We're usually okay with most Japanese food. We even had gyutan(beef tongue) at Sendai, and tebasaki was really good!
Tell us about your second single, to be released on Feb. 1.
-YH: The title, "Where you are", is a song about a person in despair who is looking for "something" to save her/himself. When I write songs, it's easy to both sing and play the instrument, but JH's "Get away" requires high notes, so I'm a little worried about live performances.
-JS: In "Get away", there's a part where four of us sing together. MH and I usually don't sing, so it was quite fun to record together!
-MH: Right. Since I like all three songs very much, recording them was fun. During our repeated performances, I get better at drumming, but I always get nervous when playing for the first time. "Get Away" was especially difficult because of the fast tempo.
You guys also sing in Japanese lyrics--how do you normally study?
-All: At interviews!
-JH: We don't particularly study Japanese, but we do through interviews.
-YH: While doing many interviews, we hear same words over and over, so we get to naturally remember them as well as new words.
-JS: We watch many dramas, too. From long ago, I liked "Flowershop without Roses" and "Pride". I especially watched "Pride" many times.
-YH: As for me, I recently watched "Osen" starring Ms. Aoi Yu.
How do you want to spend this year?
-YH: (With a straight face) I want to make it MH's year. Last year, I often shared the room with JS, so I want to enjoy tours with MH this year.
-JH: I also want to support the dongsaengs. I'm happy enough right now, so I'm just hoping for nothing bad to happen. I wish all of us good health.
-MH: Yeah. Hopefully nothing will happen. I think that's the best.
-JS: As for me, although my skill's not quite there yet, I want to write a good song. When I tried writing a song, there were so many difficulties.
-YH: It's really hard. But since everyone's putting much effort in it, perhaps we can hear it sometime soon.
-JS: I hope people who listen to my song would say, "ah, this is a good song."
What are some shows that you want to be on?
-YH: I wanna be on SMAPXSMAP! I wanna say, "I want lobster" at Bistro Smap. I laughed hard watching the YAB skits.
-JS: I want to come out on Hey! Hey! Hey! or Music Station.
-MH: I mostly watch movies or dramas...
-JH: Not that I want to be on this show, but I like "London Hearts." It's really funny!
In Japan, do you go out to eat or play?
-JH: We want to, but we have no time.
-YH: A while ago, when we got on a taxi and spoke in Korean, the driver asked, "do you know Girl's Generation?" So I said, "they're very popular in Korea." He seemed to be into Kpop and knew many artists. But he didn't notice us. We're celebrities, too!
-JS: He didn't know until the end. We didn't even wear hats (laughs).
-JH: It means we need to work harder.
-YH: From now on, we'll compete with live performances. (In soft voice) but I'm still hurt...
What's your goal from now on?
-YH: A concert at the Tokyo Dome. Then, the Billboard will be my goal.
-JH: I want to perform many live concerts.
-MH: Yeah. Release albums, perform live...I want to continue that for a long time.
-JS: Right.
-YH: We can do it!
-Column-
How would you describe your members in terms of family?
-MH: Um..though it's hard, JS is the mom and YH the dad. JH's my hyung but a twin brother? (laughs) Um...actually, just a hyung.
-JS: I'd be the youngest? And JH is the oldest hyung, YH is the father, MH the mother (laughs). Because MH listens well to what everyone says.
-YH: So I'm the father? Really? I think we're all brothers. I'm the oldest and JS the youngest.
-JS: We often say MH's the mom and YH hyung's the dad. But it actually feels more like 4 brothers. JS and MH as the youngest, and YH hyung really seems like a hyung.
-Indiv. pages-
YH: To say objectively, I'm probably a very positive and outgoing person...who always tries to smile. Because I'm the oldest, I'm a leader who tries to be nice to the dongsaengs (laughs). JS's fun when he's with us, but in front of others he gets shy and would not speak to them. He changes outside. It'd be nice if he could show more of his everyday self. These days, I'm into playing games on ipad. Each one of us has an ipad, and I overused mine so it's being charged right now (laughs).
Thanks&Sorry to members
-to JH: I'm sorry I couldn't take care of our members that much as a leader. Thanks for practicing with them when I'm not around.
MH: I like playing games, so when I'm free I usually play soccer games or shooting games. Other than that, I watch baseball or check soccer news, though I can't do it much nowadays because of tour preparations...Now that we've lived together for a long time, there isn't much I would like them to fix. If I had to point out someone...it'd be me? I really can't stop myself from falling asleep (laughs). I want to fix that.
Thanks&Sorry to members
-to JS: I'm sorry I'm always nagging you. As rhythm instrumentalists within the band and also as same-age friends, thank you sincerely for being with me and having fun times with me!
JS: I think I'm probably a source of energy? for our members. I purposely try to fool around or make jokes to light up the mood. The difficulty of four guys living together is...JH and I REALLY have specific preference over food (laughs). But our preferences are polar opposites! Sometimes he loves the stuff that I don't like very much. Nowaways, we negotiate and live peacefully, like "I went along with your taste yesterday, so let's eat what I like today!" (laughs)
Thanks&Sorry to members
-to YH: As the leader who heads CNBLUE, thank you for your hard work. I want to apologize about...well, more importantly, I'm extremely happy just being with you, so hwaiting from now on! Let's do it!
JH: It's been 5 years since we began living together. Since four people who have totally different backgrounds live together, there were some difficulties in the beginning but I think we've come to adjust to one another. For example, YH hyung and I take very short time to shower but the dongsaengs take long. I sleep the latest, YH hyung a little before me, and the dongsaengs sleep early--all different. YH hyung and I have work to do, so we sleep late.
Thanks&Sorry to members
-to MH: MH, you're really good at drumming. Thank you always for playing well. I'm sorry I'm doing my own things nowdays and not taking care of you as much as I used to.
Special Interview
Where you are
CNBLUE, a four-member rock band, launched their awaited major debut with a successful nationwide tour in Japan.
Set to release their 2nd single, "Where you are" on Feb.1, they share their much fervor for the big stage!
Here's a look into their jolly conversation, difficult to imagine from their cool vibe onstage.
Although Busy, We're Happiest Right Now
How do you feel, looking back on 2011 with big accomplishments?
-JS: So many things happened. Before our major debut, we had a concert at Yokohama Arena, and also at Yoyogi Gymnasium at the end...it was a very meaningful year.
-MH: It was a year that we made the major debut in Japan, a year of beginning.
-JH: We were really busy. But looking back, I think it's quite happy to be busy.
-YH: In sum, the year 2011 was JS's year. JS made such an accomplishment (laughs).
What kind of accomplishment, exactly?
-YH: He gives me massages when I'm tired (laughs). During our tours, I always use the same room with JS at hotels.
-JH: Then, the person who did not get chosen by YH hyung comes to my room.
-YH: But I like MH these days, too. The other day, he gave me a massage after a concert and he was very good.
In December, you had a first nationwide tour after your major debut, right?
-YH: I was delighted to perform at the Zepp halls in a long time. Yoyogi had its own vibe, being a huge place. We had flaming effects when we sang "In My Head", and it heated up the atmosphere.
-JS: I thought, now we can perform at Zepp, and also at Yoyogi. I was really happy to hear that the tickets were sold out.
-JH: I also really like eating various food from each region. Tebasaki (chicken wings)and hitsumabushi at Nagoya, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and yakisoba at Osaka...I like them all. I think we ate about 50 tebasaki? With MH, the two of us ate around 100 I think (laughs).
_MH: We're usually okay with most Japanese food. We even had gyutan(beef tongue) at Sendai, and tebasaki was really good!
Tell us about your second single, to be released on Feb. 1.
-YH: The title, "Where you are", is a song about a person in despair who is looking for "something" to save her/himself. When I write songs, it's easy to both sing and play the instrument, but JH's "Get away" requires high notes, so I'm a little worried about live performances.
-JS: In "Get away", there's a part where four of us sing together. MH and I usually don't sing, so it was quite fun to record together!
-MH: Right. Since I like all three songs very much, recording them was fun. During our repeated performances, I get better at drumming, but I always get nervous when playing for the first time. "Get Away" was especially difficult because of the fast tempo.
You guys also sing in Japanese lyrics--how do you normally study?
-All: At interviews!
-JH: We don't particularly study Japanese, but we do through interviews.
-YH: While doing many interviews, we hear same words over and over, so we get to naturally remember them as well as new words.
-JS: We watch many dramas, too. From long ago, I liked "Flowershop without Roses" and "Pride". I especially watched "Pride" many times.
-YH: As for me, I recently watched "Osen" starring Ms. Aoi Yu.
How do you want to spend this year?
-YH: (With a straight face) I want to make it MH's year. Last year, I often shared the room with JS, so I want to enjoy tours with MH this year.
-JH: I also want to support the dongsaengs. I'm happy enough right now, so I'm just hoping for nothing bad to happen. I wish all of us good health.
-MH: Yeah. Hopefully nothing will happen. I think that's the best.
-JS: As for me, although my skill's not quite there yet, I want to write a good song. When I tried writing a song, there were so many difficulties.
-YH: It's really hard. But since everyone's putting much effort in it, perhaps we can hear it sometime soon.
-JS: I hope people who listen to my song would say, "ah, this is a good song."
What are some shows that you want to be on?
-YH: I wanna be on SMAPXSMAP! I wanna say, "I want lobster" at Bistro Smap. I laughed hard watching the YAB skits.
-JS: I want to come out on Hey! Hey! Hey! or Music Station.
-MH: I mostly watch movies or dramas...
-JH: Not that I want to be on this show, but I like "London Hearts." It's really funny!
In Japan, do you go out to eat or play?
-JH: We want to, but we have no time.
-YH: A while ago, when we got on a taxi and spoke in Korean, the driver asked, "do you know Girl's Generation?" So I said, "they're very popular in Korea." He seemed to be into Kpop and knew many artists. But he didn't notice us. We're celebrities, too!
-JS: He didn't know until the end. We didn't even wear hats (laughs).
-JH: It means we need to work harder.
-YH: From now on, we'll compete with live performances. (In soft voice) but I'm still hurt...
What's your goal from now on?
-YH: A concert at the Tokyo Dome. Then, the Billboard will be my goal.
-JH: I want to perform many live concerts.
-MH: Yeah. Release albums, perform live...I want to continue that for a long time.
-JS: Right.
-YH: We can do it!
-Column-
How would you describe your members in terms of family?
-MH: Um..though it's hard, JS is the mom and YH the dad. JH's my hyung but a twin brother? (laughs) Um...actually, just a hyung.
-JS: I'd be the youngest? And JH is the oldest hyung, YH is the father, MH the mother (laughs). Because MH listens well to what everyone says.
-YH: So I'm the father? Really? I think we're all brothers. I'm the oldest and JS the youngest.
-JS: We often say MH's the mom and YH hyung's the dad. But it actually feels more like 4 brothers. JS and MH as the youngest, and YH hyung really seems like a hyung.
-Indiv. pages-
YH: To say objectively, I'm probably a very positive and outgoing person...who always tries to smile. Because I'm the oldest, I'm a leader who tries to be nice to the dongsaengs (laughs). JS's fun when he's with us, but in front of others he gets shy and would not speak to them. He changes outside. It'd be nice if he could show more of his everyday self. These days, I'm into playing games on ipad. Each one of us has an ipad, and I overused mine so it's being charged right now (laughs).
Thanks&Sorry to members
-to JH: I'm sorry I couldn't take care of our members that much as a leader. Thanks for practicing with them when I'm not around.
MH: I like playing games, so when I'm free I usually play soccer games or shooting games. Other than that, I watch baseball or check soccer news, though I can't do it much nowadays because of tour preparations...Now that we've lived together for a long time, there isn't much I would like them to fix. If I had to point out someone...it'd be me? I really can't stop myself from falling asleep (laughs). I want to fix that.
Thanks&Sorry to members
-to JS: I'm sorry I'm always nagging you. As rhythm instrumentalists within the band and also as same-age friends, thank you sincerely for being with me and having fun times with me!
JS: I think I'm probably a source of energy? for our members. I purposely try to fool around or make jokes to light up the mood. The difficulty of four guys living together is...JH and I REALLY have specific preference over food (laughs). But our preferences are polar opposites! Sometimes he loves the stuff that I don't like very much. Nowaways, we negotiate and live peacefully, like "I went along with your taste yesterday, so let's eat what I like today!" (laughs)
Thanks&Sorry to members
-to YH: As the leader who heads CNBLUE, thank you for your hard work. I want to apologize about...well, more importantly, I'm extremely happy just being with you, so hwaiting from now on! Let's do it!
JH: It's been 5 years since we began living together. Since four people who have totally different backgrounds live together, there were some difficulties in the beginning but I think we've come to adjust to one another. For example, YH hyung and I take very short time to shower but the dongsaengs take long. I sleep the latest, YH hyung a little before me, and the dongsaengs sleep early--all different. YH hyung and I have work to do, so we sleep late.
Thanks&Sorry to members
-to MH: MH, you're really good at drumming. Thank you always for playing well. I'm sorry I'm doing my own things nowdays and not taking care of you as much as I used to.
Jan 13, 2012
Feb. 2012 Issue of Arena37: CNBLUE Intervew-part 3
cont'd from part 2
-Does such inspiration come to you usually in the middle of the night?
YH Mostly it comes to me when the members go to sleep and it gets quiet.
-After creating a masterpiece, do you ever get caught up in excitement and wake up the sleeping members?
JS That's okay. Even if he shakes us, we don't wake up (laugh).
YH So, I wait until everyone wakes up, and have them listen to the song.
JH When we wake up and listen to a good song first thing in the morning, it makes me very excited and I feel good for the the entire day.
MH If time allows, we start working on it right away.
-Next, the third song "feeling" is quite different from the first two songs. It's a medium-tempo song with a very delicate tone of piano.
YH This song is another new challenge of mine. In a fastistical worldview, I tried putting together vocals that sound like moaning(*the word, 唸る also has meanings like growl/roar/howl)
-You said that the theme of your entire debut single was "dreams and hopes". Is there also a theme that all three songs share this time?
YH The theme is still "dreams and hopes", but compared to our last single, all the songs were upgraded in power. We're sending positive messages that, "no matter what desperate situation you fall into, you should never give up. If you change the way you see it, everything will work out alright." I think that in WYA, the subject of "you" is not a specific someone, but it can change depending on each individual listener.
JH Also, "we continue running" is another theme that runs through the entire album.
-By the way, do you have personalities that usually accept everything positively?
YH I'm the ultimate positive guy!
JS Me, too. I hear that I'm always smiling. I smile whenever I'm down, because it lets me forget about difficult things and makes feel good. So I always try to keep smiling.
JH I also have a positive personality, but YH and JS's degree of positiveness are exactly the same, like twins (laughs).
-Do you think that way yourselves?
YH/JS We're the same!
JS That's why, although I'm younger, I don't have to be as keen to his senses. Instead, MH's personality is our opposite. He's not negative or anything, but he's very quiet and reserved.
-MH, are you usually the one who listens to everyone else?
MH I think so. When I'm keeping quiet, I tend to be pondering about things in my head.
JH But, although MH usually takes the role of the listener, he also talks to us about his opinions and many different things.
MH To the members, I can say anything. But I'm extremely shy to strangers. When I meet people for the first time, I get nervous and can't say anything to them.
-When you first met the members, were you shy in front of the three?
MH Even at our first meeting, the hyungs were all very nice to me, so I almost forgot about being shy in front of strangers. But...
-But?
MH Just to JS, I was shy.
ALL (laughs)
cont'd in part 4
-Does such inspiration come to you usually in the middle of the night?
YH Mostly it comes to me when the members go to sleep and it gets quiet.
-After creating a masterpiece, do you ever get caught up in excitement and wake up the sleeping members?
JS That's okay. Even if he shakes us, we don't wake up (laugh).
YH So, I wait until everyone wakes up, and have them listen to the song.
JH When we wake up and listen to a good song first thing in the morning, it makes me very excited and I feel good for the the entire day.
MH If time allows, we start working on it right away.
-Next, the third song "feeling" is quite different from the first two songs. It's a medium-tempo song with a very delicate tone of piano.
YH This song is another new challenge of mine. In a fastistical worldview, I tried putting together vocals that sound like moaning(*the word, 唸る also has meanings like growl/roar/howl)
-You said that the theme of your entire debut single was "dreams and hopes". Is there also a theme that all three songs share this time?
YH The theme is still "dreams and hopes", but compared to our last single, all the songs were upgraded in power. We're sending positive messages that, "no matter what desperate situation you fall into, you should never give up. If you change the way you see it, everything will work out alright." I think that in WYA, the subject of "you" is not a specific someone, but it can change depending on each individual listener.
JH Also, "we continue running" is another theme that runs through the entire album.
-By the way, do you have personalities that usually accept everything positively?
YH I'm the ultimate positive guy!
JS Me, too. I hear that I'm always smiling. I smile whenever I'm down, because it lets me forget about difficult things and makes feel good. So I always try to keep smiling.
JH I also have a positive personality, but YH and JS's degree of positiveness are exactly the same, like twins (laughs).
-Do you think that way yourselves?
YH/JS We're the same!
JS That's why, although I'm younger, I don't have to be as keen to his senses. Instead, MH's personality is our opposite. He's not negative or anything, but he's very quiet and reserved.
-MH, are you usually the one who listens to everyone else?
MH I think so. When I'm keeping quiet, I tend to be pondering about things in my head.
JH But, although MH usually takes the role of the listener, he also talks to us about his opinions and many different things.
MH To the members, I can say anything. But I'm extremely shy to strangers. When I meet people for the first time, I get nervous and can't say anything to them.
-When you first met the members, were you shy in front of the three?
MH Even at our first meeting, the hyungs were all very nice to me, so I almost forgot about being shy in front of strangers. But...
-But?
MH Just to JS, I was shy.
ALL (laughs)
cont'd in part 4
Jan 12, 2012
120112 Golden Disk "Best Asian Group" Acceptance Speech
sound clip: @bluefilia (much thanks for allowing me to repost!!)
trans/sub: @heich_
Sorry about the first few seconds. I made this with Daum pot encoder, and no matter what I do, the first part comes out like that for some reason. dunno why. Until the actual clip comes up, hopefully you can enjoy this one instead.
Message in Full:
Thank you so much. Once again, we love you, FnC family. And again, WE LOVE YOU, BOICE. We want to share this honor with FTISLAND, who we always spend time together as one family as well as friends. We will always continue to strive for the rest our lives, to (make) music not only for ourselves, but (to make) truly good music for everyone to enjoy listening. Thank you.
I love this speech. YH is so eloquent, yet honest and serious. He really emphasizes when he thanks the fans, and the last part really came straight to my heart. I really hope he fulfills that dream, and I believe he will.
Jan 11, 2012
Feb. 2012 Issue of Arena37: CNBLUE Intervew-part 2
cont'd from part 1
-I thought, once again, that CNBLUE is a band that treats music and rock in a serious manner.
YH We ourselves have grown up listening to rock all this time. As a listener (of music), I really like rock.
-I can deeply sense such devoted love for rock in all three of your recorded songs.
JS We're very happy.
JH Also, to go on about "really loving" things, we love performing live, too. The second song, "Get Away" is a song I wrote specifically for live performances.
-It has a very speedy feel to it. Even just listening it on a CD, I could naturally imagine the live performance of the song.
JH I'm glad my intention worked. To be honest, I wanted to perform this song early at our tour last time, but I restrained myself and we showed just little bit of WYA.
-So you showed a little bit of the new song again this time (smile). How was the fans' reaction?
MH It was very well received. I wish we could release it as soon as possible so that they could listen to the entire song. I'm looking forward to find out how the fans would react at that point.
-You're all such a tease (laughs).
YH After all, we would like that for the very first time, they could hear it in a complete form, the original song by itself.
-Indeed. By the way, JH, when you created "Get away", did you actually watch videos of live performances?
JH Since I already have the experiences of live performances well ingrained in my body, I didn't watch videos to write the song or anything. But in my mind, as I brainstormed about how I'd like to do the next live performance and how to structure the song, I realized that many of our songs are in medium-tempo. From there I thought, If we add more upbeat tune, we would have more intense and energized live performances.
JS By the way, "Get Away" is the most recently written among the songs.
JH It was finished two months ago.
-I see. Last time, YH mentioned that great songs are usually completed in a short amount of time. How long did it take you to complete "WYA"?
YH This song was (written) fast, too. I started at 2 am, and by 4am, I finished creating the basic line.
-Did you prepare yourself mentally saying, "on this day, I will compose a song!"?
YH No, actually, I was shopping online when suddenly a melody came up on my mind. I stopped shopping right away and concentrated on writing the song.
cont'd in part 3
-I thought, once again, that CNBLUE is a band that treats music and rock in a serious manner.
YH We ourselves have grown up listening to rock all this time. As a listener (of music), I really like rock.
-I can deeply sense such devoted love for rock in all three of your recorded songs.
JS We're very happy.
JH Also, to go on about "really loving" things, we love performing live, too. The second song, "Get Away" is a song I wrote specifically for live performances.
-It has a very speedy feel to it. Even just listening it on a CD, I could naturally imagine the live performance of the song.
JH I'm glad my intention worked. To be honest, I wanted to perform this song early at our tour last time, but I restrained myself and we showed just little bit of WYA.
-So you showed a little bit of the new song again this time (smile). How was the fans' reaction?
MH It was very well received. I wish we could release it as soon as possible so that they could listen to the entire song. I'm looking forward to find out how the fans would react at that point.
-You're all such a tease (laughs).
YH After all, we would like that for the very first time, they could hear it in a complete form, the original song by itself.
-Indeed. By the way, JH, when you created "Get away", did you actually watch videos of live performances?
JH Since I already have the experiences of live performances well ingrained in my body, I didn't watch videos to write the song or anything. But in my mind, as I brainstormed about how I'd like to do the next live performance and how to structure the song, I realized that many of our songs are in medium-tempo. From there I thought, If we add more upbeat tune, we would have more intense and energized live performances.
JS By the way, "Get Away" is the most recently written among the songs.
JH It was finished two months ago.
-I see. Last time, YH mentioned that great songs are usually completed in a short amount of time. How long did it take you to complete "WYA"?
YH This song was (written) fast, too. I started at 2 am, and by 4am, I finished creating the basic line.
-Did you prepare yourself mentally saying, "on this day, I will compose a song!"?
YH No, actually, I was shopping online when suddenly a melody came up on my mind. I stopped shopping right away and concentrated on writing the song.
cont'd in part 3
Feb. 2012 Issue of Arena37: CNBLUE Intervew-part 1
*This is quite a long article, so I'll be translating it in parts.
-"Where you are", your second single to be released on Feb 1, composed and written by YH, has a very heavy-scale rock sound.
YH This song was written a short while after writing our debut single, IMH. When I was making this song, I had a definite assurance in my mind that it will be quite a great song.
-You also said you sensed a good vibe when you wrote the debut single, IMH.
YH I got an even better vibe with WYA.
-Last time, the first judges, or obstacles, were the members. How did the three respond?
MH As soon as I heard it, I said OK.
JS The strong melody in the chorus and the groovy sound are quite impressive, I thought it was really the best.
-IMH is also a song full of powerful and groovy feel to it, but WYA seems to have more of such characterstics.
YH I always want to try new challenges. Since this is my second challenge, and because IMH was received well by many Japanese audience, I wrote this song consciously thinking that I needed to present music that is more evolved in diverse ways.
MH The rhythm tempo was faster than IMH, so I was able to feel how much more "rock" this song is compared to IMH.
JS As much as so, it was harder to play the instrument on the beat.
MH I did okay...when I recorded, it was quite smoothly done without much effort.
-Perhaps, for those of audience who first experienced CNBLUE's music with the debut single, may have been shocked by your heavier and more powerful rock sound than any other band.
JH Surely, if one only sees our looks, it might be difficult to imagine what kind of music we play (laughs).
YH Through our last single, we were able to present "this is our music. This is CNBLUE", so we thought in a good way, the listeners would more or less have certain expectations. So this time, we wanted to show more progress stating, "right now, us, the band called CNBLUE, tried a stronger style of rock and this is how the music turned out."
read more: part 2
-"Where you are", your second single to be released on Feb 1, composed and written by YH, has a very heavy-scale rock sound.
YH This song was written a short while after writing our debut single, IMH. When I was making this song, I had a definite assurance in my mind that it will be quite a great song.
-You also said you sensed a good vibe when you wrote the debut single, IMH.
YH I got an even better vibe with WYA.
-Last time, the first judges, or obstacles, were the members. How did the three respond?
MH As soon as I heard it, I said OK.
JS The strong melody in the chorus and the groovy sound are quite impressive, I thought it was really the best.
-IMH is also a song full of powerful and groovy feel to it, but WYA seems to have more of such characterstics.
YH I always want to try new challenges. Since this is my second challenge, and because IMH was received well by many Japanese audience, I wrote this song consciously thinking that I needed to present music that is more evolved in diverse ways.
MH The rhythm tempo was faster than IMH, so I was able to feel how much more "rock" this song is compared to IMH.
JS As much as so, it was harder to play the instrument on the beat.
MH I did okay...when I recorded, it was quite smoothly done without much effort.
-Perhaps, for those of audience who first experienced CNBLUE's music with the debut single, may have been shocked by your heavier and more powerful rock sound than any other band.
JH Surely, if one only sees our looks, it might be difficult to imagine what kind of music we play (laughs).
YH Through our last single, we were able to present "this is our music. This is CNBLUE", so we thought in a good way, the listeners would more or less have certain expectations. So this time, we wanted to show more progress stating, "right now, us, the band called CNBLUE, tried a stronger style of rock and this is how the music turned out."
read more: part 2
Jan 8, 2012
Where You Are English lyrics
*Any changes/contentious parts indicated in red. Feel free to contribute/point out errors, etc!
Where You Are
Release Date: 2012/2/1
Performed by CNBLUE
Lyrics by JUNG YONG HWA、Kenji Tamai
Music by JUNG YONG HWA
Japanese lyrics transcribed by @mi_malice
English transcription and translation by @heich_
I'm breaking down I am screaming out
My time is running out, what do I do now
Oh, give up? Or stand up? I don't know
I wanna break the spell now
I'm drowning now
叫びはもう 輝くこと忘れた月のようさ (sakebiwa mou kagayakukoto wasureta tsukino yousa)
(I) scream now, like the moon that has forgotten how to shine
Somewhere lady, look and smile at me. Yeah-
I'm searching where you are
Oh, shining down on me from where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
Oh, please touch my body and my face
I'm searching where you are
Can you see what I need is where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
You know when I can be where you are
Only then I willl shine bright
I'm tumbling down, I'm falling apart
My time is running out What do I do now
Oh, give up? Or stand up? I don't know.
I wanna break the spell now
落ちていく(ochiteiku)
I'm falling away
I'm losing myself
震える手を日の当たる場所へと (furueru tewo hino ataru bashoeto)
My trembling hands toward where they can reach the sun
Somewhere lady, look and smile at me. Yeah-
I'm searching where you are
Oh, shining down on me from where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
Oh, please touch my body and my face
I'm searching where you are
Can you see what I need is where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
You know when I can be where you are
Only then I willl shine bright
歪んだ世界の霞んだ空だとしても (Yukanda sekaino kasunda soradato shitemo)
Even in the murky sky of this twisted world
鳥のように (torino youni)
Like a bird,
I'm searching where you are right now, and I will fly high-
I'm searching where you are
Oh, shining down on me from where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
Oh, please touch my body and my face
I'm searching where you are
Can you see what I need is where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
You know when I can be where you are
Only then I willl shine
Only then I willl shine
Only then I willl shine
bright
Only then I willl shine bright
Only then I willl shine bright
Japanese lyrics transcribed by @mi_malice
English by @heich_
Where You Are
Release Date: 2012/2/1
Performed by CNBLUE
Lyrics by JUNG YONG HWA、Kenji Tamai
Music by JUNG YONG HWA
Japanese lyrics transcribed by @mi_malice
English transcription and translation by @heich_
I'm breaking down I am screaming out
My time is running out, what do I do now
Oh, give up? Or stand up? I don't know
I wanna break the spell now
I'm drowning now
叫びはもう 輝くこと忘れた月のようさ (sakebiwa mou kagayakukoto wasureta tsukino yousa)
(I) scream now, like the moon that has forgotten how to shine
Somewhere lady, look and smile at me. Yeah-
I'm searching where you are
Oh, shining down on me from where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
Oh, please touch my body and my face
I'm searching where you are
Can you see what I need is where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
You know when I can be where you are
Only then I willl shine bright
I'm tumbling down, I'm falling apart
My time is running out What do I do now
Oh, give up? Or stand up? I don't know.
I wanna break the spell now
落ちていく(ochiteiku)
I'm falling away
I'm losing myself
震える手を日の当たる場所へと (furueru tewo hino ataru bashoeto)
My trembling hands toward where they can reach the sun
Somewhere lady, look and smile at me. Yeah-
I'm searching where you are
Oh, shining down on me from where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
Oh, please touch my body and my face
I'm searching where you are
Can you see what I need is where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
You know when I can be where you are
Only then I willl shine bright
歪んだ世界の霞んだ空だとしても (Yukanda sekaino kasunda soradato shitemo)
Even in the murky sky of this twisted world
鳥のように (torino youni)
Like a bird,
I'm searching where you are right now, and I will fly high-
I'm searching where you are
Oh, shining down on me from where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
Oh, please touch my body and my face
I'm searching where you are
Can you see what I need is where you are
I'll always be right there, baby, always'll be right there, baby
You know when I can be where you are
Only then I willl shine
Only then I willl shine
Only then I willl shine
bright
Only then I willl shine bright
Only then I willl shine bright
Japanese lyrics transcribed by @mi_malice
English by @heich_
Jan 5, 2012
The Confession: When was the Moment you fell for Yonghwa?
My first real post will be about the day I fell for Yonghwa.
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.
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.
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