4 years and 9 months. This is the time it took for Jun.K to release a new solo album in Korea. During that period, he has been consistently active with a solo tour, releasing two albums in Japan, engaging in group activities with 2PM, and announcing singles. After an agreement to release an album in Korea this year, Jun.K returned, putting effort into it in his own way. The keywords are "gift" and "easy listening."
Jun.K recently conducted an interview at a café in Gangnam, Seoul, to celebrate the release of his mini album "Dear my muse" and shared stories about the new album.
The new mini album "Dear my muse" is a gift-like album for fans who have long waited for him, releasing it about 4 years and 9 months after the mini album "20 minutes" in December 2020.
Given the long hiatus, there is bound to be some pressure. The most prominent emotion in his 17-year career is gratitude. He said, "As time passes, I feel more and more grateful to the fans who protect my ability to continue making music," and expressed, "I prepared this album with the hope that it would be a gift."
The musical direction follows this sentiment. He said, "This time, rather than setting out to show something, I hope it becomes a gift, and I thought that the song should be comfortable for everyone to listen to. The title track is also an easy listening song, and I thought that if it resonated with the public as well as the fans, it would be a pleasant listening experience. Overall, the album was prepared to be easy listening while also leaning towards the R&B pop genre that I pursue. It's been prepared to minimize pressure and to have less divide among listeners."
The title track "R&B ME (Feat. Changbin of Stray Kids)," which Jun.K participated in writing and composing, infuses new meaning into the R and B of the music genre. It is a melodic pop track that highlights synth sounds and Jun.K's sweet vocals, with lyrics that tell a love story in a cozy and dreamy atmosphere.
Regarding Changbin of Stray Kids joining as a feature, Jun.K expressed, "Originally, it was all singing, but I thought it would be good to have a rap point in the second verse. So I wrote a guide and sent it to the company, and they had a positive reaction. When discussing who would be good for it, I thought of Changbin's voice, and when I asked him, he readily agreed. I suggested changing the lyrics if he wanted, but he said, 'How can I change what my senior has written?' and went straight to recording. I'm grateful that we were able to work together."
He said humbly, "Since I've been debuted for a long time, my image has somewhat worn out, and I think K-pop fans might not know what kind of music I make. Thankfully, Changbin featured on it, and I hope the fans of Stray Kids can at least hear his part. If that happens, I hope they will also give my music a try."
He is originally a "fully formed singer-songwriter" who insists on writing and composing. However, this time he lowered the proportion of composition and focused on curation. He revealed, "In the past, I was attached to every song. This time, I selected those that I thought would be well received if slightly adjusted from the collected songs. It's a collaborative work created in a system that has made it easier to work than before."
He added, "In the past, I had a strong obsession with needing to do something new, but now I contemplate more on 'how it will resonate.' The way of expressing the musical worldview has changed."
The album name and concept motif stem from the gaze exchanged on stage. He said, "Performing is the greatest happiness in my life. I envy the seniors who have held the same position for a long time, and I want to be like that too. The gaze of those who breathe together on stage is hard to describe. After feeling that gratitude for years, it naturally led to the thought that 'it would be nice to give a gift to these people' through the album."
Additionally, ahead of his comeback, Jun.K kicked off a solo tour called "2025 JUN. K SUMMER ROOM TOUR : SP-ICY" in three cities, starting in Osaka, Japan, and covering Yokohama and Taipei with a total of five performances.
In particular, he conducted a special donation event during this tour, sharing valuable moments with fans. Whenever fans purchased teddy bear dolls, the proceeds would be donated to pediatric cancer patients in Japan through the 'Teddy Bear for Kids Campaign' by the Roosevelt Teddy Bear Korean Foundation. Jun.K personally visited the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and Osaka City General Hospital, gifting teddy bears to young cancer patients and sharing warm moments by taking photos together.
Regarding this, he expressed gratitude by saying, "When we perform, we usually sell goods, but I wanted to use the revenue meaningfully. I had repeated meetings with the foundation for pediatric cancer patients and connected them with hospitals in each region for teddy bear donations. The audience could purchase the teddy bears, which would then be donated to the hospitals, and truly many people participated."
[Photo] JYP Entertainment
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