Hello, Cyworld members!
I am XIA, greeting everyone through my official solo album and English single.
Nice to meet you.
1. This time, TARANTALLEGRA is a song that you personallly composed and I was very surprised at its fairly high quality. Since when have you started composing songs? – Gwon Gooyoung
Firstly, the musical aspect of this song is also important but because I pictured out the visual aspect first then composed it, I worked on both composition and filming for the music video at the same time. Besides, the music video was released 1 day before the song itself so I have to work harder on the visual aspect like choreography and fashion etc to make the song even better.
I think I started composing when I was 20. I learnt about the basics of composition and naturally strengthened my skills as what I felt and learnt by myself along the way. At the moment, I still want to learn more about this and also compose more songs.
2. I am curious whether you got the inspirations from which circumstance while composing. From natural scene? Your everyday life? Or, did they just suddenly come to you? -@shiningspot
Everything around me, also everything that happened to me is my inspiration.
If a melody or a beat pops up in my head, I will run to the composing room right away to compose and keep them there. The title song of my solo album was inspired a lot by the role ‘Death’ in musical Elisabeth in terms of its mystical and androgynous vibe.
3. When did you have the idea of adding the sound of gong instrument into the Oriental version of TARANTALLEGRA? Also, is the high-pitched part at the end your ad-lib? -@wnstn4803
It is because TARANTALLEGRA is a song where orchestra was grafted onto pop. Ever since its music was finished, I have thought that if I get to make a remix for my repackage album later on, I will make use of gong instrument in order to revive a Korean sense, and also an Oriental feeling for the song.
When I was young, I have learnt how to play Samul nori like Jang-gu, Buk and Gong. To be honest, because it is an English version, I planned to put aside the idea of adding the sound of traditional instruments but after recording the song, it came to my mind that they would match even better with an English song like this so I decided to add the sound of gong into the record. The reason why I add the ad-lib part at the end is because I want to put the fantasy and oriental sense of the song to the extreme. Imagining about that feeling in my mind, I naturally added in my ad-lib while singing.
(T/N: Samul nori is 4 traditional musical instruments of Korea, including Jang-gu, Buk, KKaeng-kwa-ri and Jing )
4. Is there any interesting episode when you recorded for this album? -@peach_xia
I already felt this when working on the worldwide album last time, I felt really carefree when recording. Because the composer respects the artist and respects his feelings 120%, I feel great when working. It is also the same at the recording time. This time when I was singing, I choked a little bit and started coughing, the composer Automatic told me that I could to have a rest until whenever I wanted and asked me to have a cup of warm tea then continue, etc he cared about me so much that I didn’t even know how to react. It was a nice time working with him.
5. Which music genre do you want to try in the future? To be honest, do you feel the most confident in any area? -@mim-ee
Honestly, rather than talking about which genre I want to try, everything is considered as challenge to me. I think that in music, the desire to always take on new challenge is very important. Rather than dividing the songs into different genre, I want to sing well every song. For the upcoming World tour, instead of a repackage album, I asked for English song and went to the US to work on my English single then released it. To me, processes like these are also considered as one kind of challenge.
6. If you get to have a duet, please tell us who are the BEST 3 female singers that you definitely want to work with and also why you choose them!
Honestly, I want to work with a lot of singers since there are a lot of excellent singers who can convey endless of feelings through their voice. I just hope that in the duet song that we sing, our voice would go well with each other and create a crossover effect. Hmm…If I really have to choose then
3rd is Lyn-noona who owns such a beautiful voice.
Then, 2nd is Baek Jiyoung-sunbaenim. I like every OST song that sunbaenim has sung.
1st is Lee Sora-sunbaenim. I felt really honored that sunbaenim has said she wanted to have a duet with me in an article a while ago and I was very impressed when I saw sunbaenim on ‘I am a singer’.
7. Because you have changed your hair color so often when traveling around for your Asia tour, it has become a hot topic among the fans. Why did you change your hair color that often? Also, which hair color do you like the most? -@bbiyoxiah
Because this is my first solo tour so I have to be well prepared and every single city in the tour is equally important. For every concert, I want to see it as a new start and do my best so I changed my hair color. Plus, because of the different color image of each country, I chose my hair color as a part of fan service. As a result, I dyed my hair to yellow for Thailand, blue for Indonesia and Taiwan, red for Shanghai.
8. For the first time in history, all seats in the Sejong Center were sold out (until now, XIA Junsu is still the only one who can do that). Whenever you perform musical, the seats will be all sold out. I think you feel very different at the curatin call when looking at the full audience. I am curious of how you feel ^^! -@For_XIA
I feel thankful. It seems that I became an extreme perfectionist because of this. I have to do as best as I can on every stage. When performing, I couldn’t see the audience but at the curtain call when I saw the whole audience very clearly, I felt so happy and grateful that tears flowed from my eyes.
Big applause from the audiences who watched a performance where all actors and staff have put in their best, then they cried and laughed with us. That is something that makes me feel so happy and thankful that I cannot express in words. And that naturally gives me motivation to do even better in the next performance.
9. Beside JYJ members, can you list some celebrities that you are close with? I am curious of XIA Junsu’s circle of friends!
I separate them into two big groups. Friends in the entertainment industry, gamers, the ones in my FC MEN team and the sunbaenims in musical industry.
I am close with Kikwang, Doojoon, Jisuk-sunbae, Hyunjoong and Sungkwang-hyung.
I often contact and hang out with some musical sunbaenims like Jo Seungwoo hyung, Seonah-noona, Park Gunhyung-sunbae, Joohyun-noona, Min Younggi-sunbaenim etc.
10. 10 years, 20 years later, what kind of artist will XIA Junsu become? Or, how do you want yourself to be in the future? Like, I think I will still continue to sing this kind of music, or It will be great if everyone always remembers me as such singer..However you want to be! -@XIA_nolene
I don’t think 10 years are too far away. In fact, I think of that as a near future. Of course, I will still take on some challenges 10 years later. Since I will never ever stop challenging myself. I hope I will become an artist in his late 30s that ages nicely. I absolutely don’t have the thought of still being a popular singer until then. Rather than that, it will be great if up to that moment, I am still not afraid of taking on challenges, still love music, still do my best on stage and also I hope to become a Kim Junsu who will get to know more about life and get wiser with age.
XIA Junsu’s recommended BGM
1. 5 songs that recently XIA Junsu has been listening to the most
1st: Gangnam style – Psy
I definitely listen to Psy hyung’s hit song very often recently.
2nd: Beautiful night – BEAST
BEAST dongsaengs’ song
3rd: Cherry blossom ending – Busker Busker
A simple song
4th: Love is dripping – 10cm
5th: So sick – Neyo
Honestly speaking, I don’t listen to any specific song or singer. The songs I listen to are random so it seems like I don’t have such thought like I must definitely recommend the song of this singer. There are times that I listen to a lot of pop songs but when I worked on my song in USA, I also listened to a lot of hip-hop and R&B. To be honest, the song that I listen to the most is my own song. In order to monitor the songs in my released album, I listen to them a lot throughout 1-2 weeks.
2. The song that brings comfort to you when you feel tired and troubled in life or the song that has a deep meaning in your life
Why can’t you love me – Park Euntae (Musical Mozart)
Golden star – Shin Youngsook (Musical Mozart)
All these 2 songs are from the musical Mozart. They are the ones that gave me a lot of comfort.
3. If you have lover, the BEST 3 songs that you want to sing to her
1st: Lullaby – Junsu (XIA)
2nd: That man – Baek Jiyoung
3rd: I love you – Tim
If I have a lover, I will want to sing a lot of sweet songs for her. This song is not in Cyworld Music but I really like the song ‘I have never loved like this’ from the musical ‘Tears of heaven’.
4. Among the songs that you have sung so far, which are the BEST 5 songs that you cherish the most:
1st: Fallen leaves – JYJ
2nd: You are so beautiful – XIA
3rd: TARANTALLEGRA – XIA
4th: I dislike love – XIA
5th: Dew-laden tree – XIA
Source: Cyworld Music via DNBN
Translated by : XIAworld