Interview with Xiah: "There is no Kim Junsu, there is Mozart."

2010.02.12 16:17:52
Central Daily News: Joins.com

After the performance, I waited for Junsu in a waiting room. I heard a story that Xiah Junsu (Kim Junsu, age 24) always sings songs wherever he is. When I heard someone singing a song from outside of the entrance door, Xiah Junsu entered the room. He is the hot topic in the performance world these days.

"Mozart!" the first musical Xiah Junsu challenged to perform during a conflict with management company, SM Entertainment; this showed the ticket-selling power and an amazing interest by the public. The high evaluation was given when he created those powerful stages, which made him look like a veteran in the musical world.

The interview was conducted in a condition to only ask questions about the musical performance, and not about the current issue. This is the first domestic media's interview after "MIROTIC" in 2008. Xiah Junsu chose his words carefully, but he was bright and cheerful during the whole interview time. When he repeated the words, "Anyone has hard times in one's life,” I was able to imagine his recent situation somehow.

◆ The stage he wanted to try = The musical offer came to him suddenly. He was asked to be a 'pinch hitter' of Cho Songmo who injured his foot. When German musical author met Xiah Junsu for the first time, the author praised Junsu's singing ability. "I had the admiration for the musical, but I did not think that would come true so soon." "I predicted that it may be in three years later or so, but there occurred a problem (conflict with the management company), and my earnest desire to perform at the domestic stage arose in me; at that same time, this opportunity was offered last year."

It was the music of "Mozart" that moved him. "I thought that I would feel sorry if I missed such good songs and music. Also, I was drawn into a life of such a musician who was happy because he was a genius, but he was also miserable at the same time."

◆ Xiahzart, not Mozart = Junsu decided to perform, but at the very beginning, everything was pitch-black. He received assessment to be the best vocalist as a pop idol, but the musical world's utterance, breathing, and singing method was something new to him altogether. He mentioned that his husky voice was a challenging matter as well. The overseas activities continued, and he was given only fifteen days to practice. Not only that, acting in musicals was also something new to him. "I was not able to change the way I sing in a ballad-type utterance entirely in such a given time, with such short notice to practice, and I thought that even if I practice two or three times more as compared to the others, I would fall short. After having been troubled thinking it over, I made up my mind that I will do Mozart in my own style. If there are four Mozarts, then I will do my own style of Mozart." It was the birth of "Xiahzart," which was named by his fans. (His name Xiah and the name Mozart combined together.)

The results were more than expected. Seo Bomsoku who play the role of a father in the musical commented, "He did not learn to perform musicals, and he did not act out, so I felt like approaching a real Mozart. It was way better than bringing the opposite effect with an exaggerated performance.”

2010.02.12 16:18:04
Central Daily News: Joins.com

◆ Kind of like a "TVXQ" style = "Musical is the genre wherein a performance is maximized with a song, and a song is maximized by a performance. Because I did not know acting in the musical field, I decided to think, 'How about Mozart? How would he react?'"

Xiah Junsu is usually an optimist, but he experienced a feeling of strain like he was being choked at the time of his first performance. "It felt like I went back to the time of our debut. There is no Kim Junsu anymore, and there is only Mozart. I went onstage thinking that music is all I have, and both the pain and the happiness of Mozart for the sake of music resembled my own feelings."

It was the first big single performance for him alone. Of course, it was burdensome for him. He always performs as one of the five members (1/5) of TVXQ.

"Other TVXQ members cover for me when I make mistakes, but I thought that in a musical, it would be a fight for me alone. However, it turns out that when I say my lines slow, my partner copes with it quickly, and other actors take care of it as if I am languid, and we all exchange our performances like that. Kind of like the other musical actors are the members of TVXQ (LOL)."

◆ An idol, fan culture = There were many objections to his challenge at this time. It was anticipated by him. "I am the lead character who is from an idol group, and it could be said that I am a person who is displeased by the various people that live in a musical world all the time. But there is really much that I am thankful for, and I think that I am very fortunate. All of them are warm and they talk to me casually. There were many bashful scenes such as the kiss scene, or intense performances, but I was able to execute them well, thanks to everyone's grace. I am thankful."

According to Lee Songjung, a musical director, "Xiah Junsu is the type of person who is the first one to greet and talk to his co-actors and the seniors, and he always creates an interesting and fun atmosphere." Just like the director mentioned, Xiah Junsu's special affinity (bright and cheerful personality) had helped him. "There are many fans who have encountered a musical for the very first time, and there are considerably quite a number of persons who are drowning in to its charm. I am happy if I am able to contribute to the expansion of musical market."

This performance was said to be "the performance that the fans had completed." The intensive degree of the fans completed the performance itself. The prediction that female fans would change the atmosphere of the musical came off. "Our fans sorted everything out, and knew where they were at. Some of them even studied the point to view the musical in the right way by learning it at a fan page."

He says that so far, there was not even a single musical work he watched properly at a theater. The reason is because he was chased around by a long trainee period and a busy schedule. However, he already carried an atmosphere that he had become "The musical missionary." "I fall into the charm of the musical more and more while standing onstage. Will spectators watch the musical 10,000,000 times, kind of like a movie sometime in the coming years? I want to perform the musical again someday in the future."


Source: Central Daily News: 1, 2
Translation: Junsulv @ OneTVXQ.com
Credits: OneTVXQ.com { One World. One Red Ocean. One TVXQ! }
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