♥ JYJ ♥

JYJ

JYJ (formerly known as JAEJOONG/YUCHUN/JUNSU in Japan) is a three-member pop group, formed by three members of the South Korean boyband TVXQ: Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu. Their group name is taken from the first letters of each members' names.

Their debut Japanese language EP The... reached No. 1 on the Japanese Oricon albums chart.[1] The band's English language global debut album, The Beginning, was released in October 2010. JYJ's second studio album and first Korean language Album In Heaven was released on September 28, 2011.

History

2009: Lawsuit with SM Entertainment

In mid-2009, the three members who were to become JYJ filed a lawsuit against their South Korean record label, SM Entertainment, arguing that the 13-year length and structure of their exclusive contracts as well as the terms of profit distribution were unilaterally disadvantageous towards the artists and should be invalidated. The Seoul Central District Court in October 2009 ruled in favor of JYJ affirming their right to independently engage in entertainment activities and granted JYJ's injunction suspending the JYJ-SM contract; its ruling emphatically pointed out it was a "subjugating contract" with terms that are grossly incompatible with Korean labor and contract law.The three members of JYJ continued their activities in Japan for over half a year after the filing of the injunction until their Japanese agency, Avex, announced a group hiatus in early 2010.

2010: Debut as JYJ - Japan Tour and The Beginning

The three-member group was announced in April 2010 by Rhythm Zone, a sub-label of Avex. The group performed two rounds of lives: their four-day Thanksgiving Live in Dome at Osaka Dome and Tokyo Dome concerts in June, and performances at the nation wide A-Nation tour throughout August. The group's debut release, the extended play The..., was released in September 2010, and debuted at number one on Oricon albums charts. The DVD for their Thanksgiving Live in Dome concert sold 116,000 copies and their album The... sold 140,000 albums in the first week after being released, with both debuting at No. 1 on the Oricon DVD and album charts in the same week.

In September 2010, Avex Entertainment announced the suspension all of JYJ's Japanese activities. Avex claims this stems from issues the label had with the president of the group's Korean management, C-JeS Entertainment. JYJ stated it was a conflict over new terms demanded by Avex in contract renegotiation.

The group released their English-language global debut album under Warner Music Asia, The Beginning, on October 12, with the Kanye West produced single "Ayyy Girl" as the lead track. JYJ promoted the new album via a worldwide showcase tour throughout October and November with dates in South Korea, Southeast Asia and the United States. Two weeks before the release of the album, 500,000 copies of the regular edition had been pre-ordered and pre-sales for the 99,999-copies of the special edition of The Beginning reached numbers of 400,000 requests.

In spite of a JYJ ban in the Entertainment Departments of Korea's three main terrestrial broadcasters, JYJ had their first public broadcast performance in South Korea on December 31, 2010 at the 2010 KBS Drama Awards. They song 찾았다 “Found You” – a ballad track from the drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal which starred Yoochun.

2011: Worldwide Tour and In Heaven

JYJ released their extended play, Their Rooms, Our Story on January 25, 2011 in the format of a "music essay." Despite the majority of sales being counted in the books rather than CD category, it sold well enough to chart on Hanteo.

In the spring of 2011, JYJ launched their first Worldwide Tour as a group with concerts held in Thailand, Taiwan, China, Canada, and the United States. In addition, JYJ held 2 rounds of a special charity concert in the middle of the Tour in Toyko to benefit those affected by the Tōhoku Earthquake. They also held two special encore concert performances in South Korea: one in Busan and the other in Gwangju.

In September, JYJ released their second group album and first Korean language album entitled In Heaven. There were over 300, 000 pre-orders on the first day alone of advance sales. The album sold 165,000 copies within 3 days of being released and surpassed 350,000 sales in October.

JYJ held their "Unforgettable Live Concert in Japan" on October 15 and October 16 with over 84,000 in attendance. They were praised for the choice to hold these concerts in Ibaraki Prefecture, a region hard hit economically by the Tohoku Earthquake of 2011. JYJ also extended their World Tour by adding a European leg in October and November with dates in Barcelona, Spain and Berlin, Germany.

Member Profile

HERO JaeJoong

Stage Name: HERO | YoungWoong JaeJoong (영웅재중 or 英雄在中)

Real Name?: Kim Jae Joong (김재중)

Birthdate: January 26, 1986

Birthplace: Chungnam (충남 or 忠南)

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 63 kg

Blood Type: O

Hobbies: Playing computer games, listening to music, playing the piano, composing, cooking

Specialty: Singing

Position: Main vocal

MICKY YooChun

Stage Name: MICKY | Micky YooChun (믹키유천 or 秘奇有天/秘奇有仟)

Real Name: Park Yoo Chun (박유천)

Birthdate: June 4, 1986

Birthplace: Seoul (서울 or 漢城)

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 60 kg

Blood Type: O

Hobbies: Composing music/lyrics/rap, piano, RC카 드라이빙,튜닝(RCcar driving, tuning)

Specialty: Singing, composing

Position: Middle low vocal

XIAH JunSu

Stage Name: XIAH | Xiah JunSu (시아준수 or ??俊秀)

Real Name: Kim Jun Su (김준수)

Birthdate: December 15, 1986, though his parents registered him on January 1, 1987

Birthplace: Gyeonggi (경기 or 京畿道)

Height: 178 cm

Weight: 63 kg

Blood Type: B

Hobbies: Piano, soccer

Specialty: Singing, dancing

Position: Middle high vocal

Discography

Studio Album

2010 - The Beginning
Released: October 14, 2010
Language: English
Formats: CD, Digital Download

2011 -  In Heaven
Released: September 27, 2011
Language: Korean
Formats: CD, Digital Download

Extended plays

2010 -  The...
Released: September 8, 2010
Language: Japanese
Formats: CD, digital download

2011 -  Their Rooms "Our Story" (우리 이야기 "Our Story")
Released: January 15, 2011[39]
Language: Korean


Soundtrack contributions

Sungkyunkwan Scandal OST (성균관 스캔들)
Released: September 2010
"찾았다" (Found You) - JYJ
"For You It's Separation, For Me It's Waiting" - Jaejoong
"Too Love" - Junsu

Miss Ripley OST
Released: July 2011
* "너를 위한 빈자리" (The Empty Space for You) - Yoochun

Scent of a Woman OST
Released: 4 August 2011
* "You Are So Beautiful" - Junsu

Protect the Boss OST (보스를 지켜라)
Released: August 2011
* "I'll Protect You" - Jaejoong


Endorsements

JYJ has endorsed:
Lotte Duty Free
LG
Nature Republic
NII
Penzal Q


Awards

2011, Channel [V] Thailand Music Video Awards: Popular Asian Artist