U-KISS’s Jun Opens Up About UNB, Their Final Concert In Japan, And More

In a recent interview, U-KISS’s Jun talked about U-KISS, UNB, and his upcoming solo debut in Japan.

Jun shared, “I wanted people to anticipate whether I would have a solo debut in Japan or in Korea. I was cautious because it was my first solo activity. I don’t know what will happen in Korea, so I’m preparing everything. It took five years for me to release my first solo album after my debut. I feel good because I think I’ve been recognized. I think it’s the result of two to three years of hard practice.”

He continued, “The Japanese staff said, ‘Thank you for your hard work. Let’s do well,’ and I think that became my opportunity [to do a solo album]. If I hadn’t done my best, they wouldn’t have thought that way. I can be proud of myself. Back then, I really worked hard to become successful. Now, the meaning of success has changed a lot. It’s not about things like popularity, but I think it’s good to be able to do a lot of things that I can do and want to do.”

Titled “Phenomenal World,” his first solo album contains the theme of talking to yourself in the mirror. It was supposed to be released in February, but it was pushed back to April, and Jun explained the reason was so that he could prepare it perfectly.

Jun shared, “The music genre is something I haven’t tried before in U-KISS, so I’m looking forward to it. It was a challenge for me and all the staff, so I put a lot of effort into the song.” The choreography of the song was created after Jun and the choreographer discussed it together.

Jun revealed that he has never performed any cute songs since his debut except during his concerts. Concerning that, he said, “Fans want to see a cute performance that suits my age. If I have a chance, I’d like to try it. I saw music shows, and MXM has cute stages. Kim Dong Hyun suits bright songs, and he’s cute. I thought, ‘If I want to try cute songs, I should do it like them.'”

He explained, “It’s not like I really want to do bright songs. Usually, people want to try a sexy style when they start something bright first. UNB’s Kijoong is like that. He wants to do [something] cool rather than cute things. I told Kijoong, ‘Whatever you do, you’re cute. You’re cool, but at your age, you’re cuter.”

Jun also talked about the differences between U-KISS and UNB. He said, “Overall, U-KISS is quiet but UNB has high energy. Even when we practice, we can’t decide a song properly. When I’m with U-KISS, you make your own opinions and decide on the song in 2 to 30 minutes. But with UNB, we suddenly start talking about something else.”

He added, “Actually, the older members of UNB are like babies. When we’re together, we become hyper [first] and then they organize everything midway. Hojung and I plead, ‘Let’s practice please.’ I’ve been a trainee for a long time since I was young, so I think it’s very important to allocate time during practice. It’s fun to practice.”

UNB will have their final concerts in Japan, with one in Osaka on January 25 and another in Tokyo on January 27. They will end their activities in Japan and not in Korea. Concerning that, Jun relayed his apologies, saying, “I feel really apologetic. UNB was born in Korea through the votes of the unit makers. We wanted to return all the love we got from UNME [fan club name], but I wonder how many times we repaid [the love] or how well it was delivered during our one-year promotion. Honestly it doesn’t feel like enough, so I personally feel sorry, and I’m very sorry to my members as well.”

He continued, “Even having our last concert in Japan is something to be grateful for, but it would have been better if there was a chance to say good-bye properly in Korea. I feel like I’m on a long trip, but I can’t say hello to my parents. I’m so sorry. We are also disappointed that we can’t finish our promotions in Korea. It’s heartbreaking to think of the people who will feel as regretful as we do.”

Jun also gave an update on what the UNB members are up to. He shared, “My members and I are all busy. Hansol is preparing for a NewKidd’s album, Feeldog is dancing, Daewon is doing fan meetings, Euijin is in ‘Somebody,’ Chan is doing all kinds of preparations, and Kijoong and Marco are also busy preparing. I’m happy that we’re all busy. That’s why we had appeared in ‘The Unit,’ and everything is going as planned.”

Jun shared the differences between Korean fans and Japanese fans as well. He described, “Korean fans are always passionate. They scream so loud that I can’t hear the music in my in-ear monitor. I’m happy about that, but I’m worried about their throats. My ears are a little bad, so I play music the loudest in my in-ear monitor, but it’s enough to pierce it. I was surprised when I won the Rookie Award at the 2018 MBC Drama Awards. I was grateful and happy that someone was cheering for me, but there’s a lot of fine dust, so I’m worried about their throat conditions.”

Jun said, “Japanese fans concentrate very well when I’m performing. When I sing a ballad, some fans clasp their hands together and watch me while others close their eyes and listen.” He added, “When I performed in Japan, I was surprised, not only by Korean fans, but also those in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United States, and Brazil. I thought it was nice and I became proud of the fans who stood for about 10 hours on the streets to cheer me on and enjoy the moment just because they like me and want to support me. I feel like I need their kind of passion when I do something.”

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