After a two-year hiatus from the Korean music industry, TVXQ made a triumphant return last week. On January 12th, members Yunho and Changmin held a press conference to discuss the various issues surrounding their comeback.
Yunho started, “We came back for the first time in two years and three months, and I swelled with emotions when I saw how many fans came. I wanted to show everyone an amazing live and worked hard to achieve it, but unfortunately, I caught a cold. Although I received IV treatments, my voice still didn’t improve in the morning, so I worried a lot. It still hasn’t improved yet.”
Changmin added, “I don’t think I was as nervous as I thought I would be. It was really exciting and fun.”
When asked about the efforts they took on as a two-membered TVXQ, Yunho replied, “While preparing for the album with only two members, I thought that I had to make it live up to the standards of ‘TVXQ’. TVXQ was known for its strong performances and lives, so there wasn’t a single thing we could slack off on. We brought about a lot of changes on the high notes, and switched parts for every different genre.”
Changmin said, “There’s pressure in having to carry the name of ‘TVXQ’ as two members. Ever since our debut, Yunho-hyung was known for his dancing, so I didn’t want to bring down the performance. In other words, I didn’t want to lose by comparison (laughter).”
While on the topic of dancing, the reporter brought up the unique point in their choreography where they ‘push down’ on the heads of their backup dancers. Yunho elaborated, “We heard that the vocals for this album were similar to our former albums. We tried to investigate different ways to show off our strengths through the choreography, and so we brought in talented dancers. By putting in moves that were dictated by the beat, we tried to have our choreography express the dignity of TVXQ and to send the following message: ‘We’ll be taking control of the stage.’”
Reporters then turned to the strong bonds between TVXQ and their labelmates. Both Changmin and Yunho revealed, “At the time of our comeback, Lee Soo Man sent us a text saying that we were ‘jackpot.’ He gave us his support, asking us to do our best from now on. Yoo Young Jin also thinks very preciously of TVXQ. The fact that he’s even by our side gave us a source of strength. BoA and Kang Ta also watched and reviewed our first broadcast.”
Then what is the relationship like between Yunho and Changmin? Changmin replied, “Our relationship has gotten stronger over the past two years. His personality is the complete opposite of mine, so there were some conflicts, but I’ve become very affectionate towards him and have come to understand and accept who he is.”
Yunho replied, “If I’m like fire, Changmin is like water. He’s really like my wife. Our personalities began to mesh, and we’ve gotten a lot closer as a result. Don’t lasers shoot from our eyes on stage? We’ve worked hard in preparing something that could stop people from looking at us with worried eyes, and to not disappoint ourselves as well. We’ve come to understand each other like a married couple.”
The interview shifted over to a very sensitive topic: JYJ.
Calmly, Yunho said, “For two years and three months, I waited for those three friends. Since they’re still not here, I figured that someone had to protect ‘TVXQ’ instead of just continuing to wait. ‘TVXQ’ was created as a cumulative effort between a company named SM Entertainment, five members, and our fans. In order to make sure it would never be forgotten, we figured that this would be the best way to protect TVXQ.”
He continued, “I’ve always had a positive mindset, but it’s gotten a lot more positive now. During that difficult time, I would just grabbed a water bottle and ride around on the seven subway lines; sometimes I even went mountain climbing. I felt a lot of affection for the little things. In a way, those difficulties became a sort of ‘happiness’ – I was glad that it had occurred when I was younger, so that I could mature from it. I’m not sure whether this path is right, but I do believe that everything will work out if we all try hard.”
“They were all personal wounds, and the pain from my ‘leader’ role was greater, but not once did I ask anyone to ‘Listen to what I have to say.’ What’s already happened is too big for just the two of us to solve on our own. I believe the answer is to just spare our words on issues regarding the law, and to just work hard on our singing and promotions.”
When asked about their personal thoughts on the dispute between JYJ and SM Entertainment, Yunho replied, “I just want them to hurry up and come back to TVXQ. Under the name of music, everything was great, but further promotions created a difference in values. Those values are personal problems, and I don’t want to go into anything long-winded on that. I just want them to be healthy. The only thing I can ask is for them to come back. The three have crossed the line and have gone too far for us to catch them. I just want them to solve the dispute with our company, and hurry up and come back. It was difficult. It hurt. I felt a sense of resentment against people. As opposed to hate, I was hurt. But I just accepted it all. Honestly, I didn’t have the time to harbor hate against anyone.”
“Once, I met a little kid and I asked him who his favorite singer or group was, and he replied that he liked SNSD. When I asked whether he knew of TVXQ, he said that he didn’t. It may be because he’s young, but it felt disappointing because we weren’t promoting.”
Yunho continued, “Three may have left, but I don’t want ‘TVXQ’ to be forgotten. We have to do well and go down a positive path. Even if it’s just the two of us, we have to protect our name and position.”
Changmin said, “The media has been creating an issue out of it, and the situation has turned into an offensive and defensive battle. I think it’s definite that people are curious for the thoughts from all five of us. What I want to say is that all five exist in this spot because we shared a time of precious hardships.”
When further asked whether he had anything to say to the three JYJ members, he simply said, “No.”
When a reporter mentioned that the JYJ members stated that they tried to contact them, Yunho answered, “That’s not true. We’ve never received contact. And even if we want to contact them, their numbers have changed, so we might not have accepted the call because of the unfamiliar number. There’s been a lot of prank calls lately, it’s difficult for us to take every call.”
Yunho continued, “It’s really frustrating. I hope the media doesn’t confuse our fans. It’s been so noisy lately, I’m really apologetic to not only my fans, but to my family as well.”
Regarding the controversy surrounding their lyrics for “Keep Your Head Down,” Yunho stated, “The lyrics are not the truth, so it cannot be considered as a ‘diss’ against them.”
Changmin added, “A diss is criticizing and attacking the truth. The song can’t be a diss since there is no truth in it.”
Regarding Junsu’s infamous tweet, Yunho said, “When I first read Junsu’s tweet, I thought, ‘He’s making a mistake.’ I can get over what he said about me, but to use the term ‘enemy’ against not only our staff, but to our seniors as well, was not right of him.”
Changmin added, “To label not only Lee Soo Man, but the staff who have suffered for TVXQ as ‘enemies’ isn’t respectful as a human being.”
Both members are currently involved in dramas, with Yunho in “Poseidon” and Changmin in “Paradise Ranch.”
Changmin said, “As opposed to just saying the generic response of ‘My first attempt at acting was hard,’ the six months I spent in Jeju Island was an opportunity for me to reflect. I became more confident in myself. The time spent there filming was truly amazing for me, and despite it being difficult, I’ll never forget them.”
Yunho said, “The viewer ratings for my drama, ‘Heading to the Ground,‘ may have literally headed to the ground, but I was able to improve myself through acting. I’m working hard on showing a better image of myself through ‘Poseidon,’ and I’m trying to avoid rushing into it.”
When asked about their 2011 year-end plans and whether they’d choose between an acting award or a music award, Yunho replied, “Depends on what Changmin chooses… (laughter).”
Changmin replied, “I don’t want to give up either of those. I’d choose for both of us to receive an award from each. As painful as it was over the past two years and three months, I hope we achieve good results. No matter what award we win, I think it’ll be very meaningful for us because of the long hiatus we went through to get it.”
When asked about how they felt in being seniors to so many juniors heading over to the Japanese market, Changmin said, “Before us, BoA-sunbae worked hard on her own and achieved good results, making TVXQ’s advancement that much easier. I think I would’ve been upset if we worked hard on creating that road and nobody walked on it. Fortunately, SNSD, SHINee, and Super Junior as well as many others are working hard on their Japanese promotions, so it makes me feel proud. I am kind of jealous, too.”
He continued, “The Japanese market is not something to be taken lightly, so I’m against people thinking of it as a way to earn quick money. I hope they’ll begin promoting from the roots in representation of Korea.”
Now that the boys have passed their teens, the topic of dating was brought up.
Changmin answered, “I’m quiet, while Yunho-hyung is a lot more dynamic. I just like playing on the computer and hanging out with my hometown friends and having some drinks.”
Yunho replied, “I go bowling with my close friends. I don’t like drinking, so even if I do go out to drink with friends, I don’t drink.”
Right when Yunho ‘killed the atmosphere’ by saying he didn’t have a girlfriend, Changmin piped in by revealing that he had broken up with his girlfriend 10 months ago. When asked about the reason behind the break-up, he gave a bitter smile and replied that it was due to their international promotions. And even if they date, they wouldn’t be making it public.
Concluding with a message to their fans, TVXQ said, “We feel so guilty in having you wait for two years and three months. We know that you were all miserable because of us, so we’ll be showing you just how hard we’re working in order to show an improved image.”
