“I was just an idol when I held activities as a member of SS501, so I wanted to reveal my grown-up appearance as a strong man when I decided to debut as a solo singer.” — Kim Hyun Joong (25)
Singer Kim Hyun Joong, who debuted as a solo singer by releasing his first solo album entitled “Break Down,” held a press conference and a showcase at Jang Choong Gymnasium on June 7 and expressed his feelings. He introduced the concept of his new album, saying, “I am 26 years old in Korean age and it is still young to be classified as a grown-up man. I am actually not a type of macho man, but I just wanted to present a difference appearance not as an idol but as a man.” He had already experienced album production when he was a member of a group and he also participated in producing his album this time. He explained, “I visited America last year in June to find out my own songs, and I actively presented my own opinion when creating a dance performance and making a music video.
I have tried to deviate from my previous image in SS501 and tried to improve my performance and make the impact of the performance much stronger. I wanted to be evaluated as ‘He is a real man’ and ‘He can sing a mature song.’” As he already explained, his title song “Break Down” is a dynamic dance song with a strong beat and sound focusing on Kim Hyun Joong’s splendid dance performance. Rapper Double K participated as a featured artist. Kim continued to explain his album, saying, “People might have been curious about Kim Hyun Joong’s style in the first solo album. When I chose the title song, I agonized between ‘Break Down’ and ‘Please,’ and I chose ‘Break Down’ because I want to present a cool dance performance in the hot Summer. Romantic songs with sweet lyrics such as ‘Kiss Kiss’ are also included in my album.” The music video for the title song was unveiled during the showcase, and it also revealed Kim Hyun Joong’s strong image. He appeared as a muscular man with a dark and powerful image in the music video. Kim Hyun Joong said, “I made a promise with my physical trainer to work out for 100 days, and I became very nervous when 50 and 70 days passed, so I worked really hard since then. I also trained to strengthen my physical ability for a better performance as a solo singer while working out and playing soccer.” The fact that his album was the first album since he had moved to his new agency Keyeast, in which Hallyu star Bae Yong Joon is the largest shareholder, raised more anticipation. Kim said, “Bae Yong Joon suggested I study music more, taking this chance, and he had showed any good music or dance video he came across to me. He actively supported my album production by checking videos filming my dance performance. And Bae, who has a talent in taking pictures, suggested shooting my album jacket photo. He seemed to study producing music albums as a representative of an agency. I really appreciated his advice and I am also very satisfied with the support from my agency.”
