10.05.31 Musician's ChoiceKim Pyung (Writer specializing in popular music)
TVXQ's U-Know Yunho, who can be anything from an actor to a model Music to listen to on a rainy day 俳優からモデルまでこなす東方神起のユノユンホ。 雨の日に聴きたい音楽。
Leader of TVXQ, who heated up Asia Let's meet U-Know Yunho's recommended songs. アジアを熱くした東方神起のリーダー。 ユノユンホのオススメの曲を見てみよう。
◆ U-Know Yunho's 'Music to listen to on a rainy day' ユノユンホの「雨の日に聴きたい曲」
When I went to visit TVXQ's leader U-Know Yunho on the 24th, it was drizzling as I made my way to my destination. It was weather that seemed to match the 'Musician's Choice' theme he had chosen for the week which was "Music to listen to on a rainy day". 24日、私が東方神起のリーダーユノユンホを尋ねた日は霧雨が降っていた。彼が'Musician's Choice'のために選んだテーマ「雨の日に聴きたい曲」におあつらえ向きの天気だ。
He, who had been waiting in front of the SM Entertainment office, happily welcomed this writer. Wearing casual clothes, he smiled brightly and said, "I feel good because it's raining outside." 彼はSMエンターテイメントのオフィスの前でにこやかに私を出迎えてくれた。普段着でにっこりと明るく言った。 「雨が降ってるからいい気分です。」
"Rainy days are times for me to reflect on myself. Other friends usually go drinking on days like this, but I drive my car to an arboretum or I choose some good music to listen to." 「雨の日は僕にとって自分を省みるときです。他の友だちはたいていこんな日には飲みに行ったりしますが、僕は車で植物園に行くか聴くための音楽を選んだりしています。」
When asked about his recent activities, he brought up his photoshoot first. "I went to Hong Kong for a photoshoot, and it was nice to have a personal interview as I was partaking in the photoshoot. 最近の活動を聞くと、彼は最初に写真撮影をあげた。 「撮影で香港に行きました。撮影のことで個人的にインタビューを受けるのはうれしいです。」
I've always been showing people the bright side of myself, but I never really had the chance to talk about personal things." 「僕はみんなに自分の明るい面を見せてきました。 でも個人的なことを話す機会は本当にないんです。」
We were curious of his next solo venture. U-Know Yunho said, "I don't want to let go of the music life that I've had for the past 5, 6 years and I've also been considering upgrading my acting skills." He also said, "What I want to say the most is that I want to challenge the limits I've set on myself from more than one side." 私たちは彼の次のソロ活動に興味があった。 ユノユンホは「僕はここ5～6年やってきた音楽活動を離れるつもりはありません。それに役者としての演技のスキルも磨きたいと思っています。」 「僕が一番言いたいのは、限界に挑戦したいということです。自分をさらにステップアップしたいのです。」
It was a surprise yet understandable to see U-Know Yunho, who admired Michael Jackson, create a music list that consisted of songs with sad or solitary melodies rather than dance-orientated songs. Also, seeing such a list gave us a feel of his extensive musical taste from Rock to New Age. マイケルジャクソンを尊敬しているユノユンホが東洋のダンス音楽ではなく、悲しい歌やソロのメロディーの入った音楽リストを作るとは驚きだったが理解はできた。 リストを見ると、ロックからニューエイジまで、彼の広い音楽の趣味を知ることができた。
"I usually listen to music while I'm on the move. I don't discriminate between genres; if I like the feel of a song, I'll get it and put it in my playlist right away. At times when I feel like I'm going to explode, I sometimes listen to heavy metal music, and when my body's exhausted, I listen to calm instrumentals. However, it can be said that the music I'm introducing today conveys what I'm feeling these days." 僕はいつも移動の時音楽を聴いています。とくにジャンルにはこだわりません。気に入った曲があるとプレイリストに入れます。 腹が立ったときはヘビメタを聴いたり、疲れているときは静かなインストルメンタルを聴いたりします。 でも今日紹介する音楽は、最近僕が感じていることを表現しているかも知れません。
U-Know Yunho's dream is to be the founder of a welfare center. Influenced by his father who enjoys helping those in need, he is actively seeking out voluntary service activities he can do to help the poor and needy. ユノユンホの夢は、救護院を設立することだ。父親の影響で彼は困っている人を助けるボランティア活動に積極的に参加してきた。
He usually makes people feel flustered with his clipped tone and short yet strong accent which he may have inherited from being the group's leader since his debut, 彼はグループのリーダーと言う立場から、デビュー以来省略されたトーンと短く強いアクセントで話す印象を与えてきた。
but he slowly yet surely opened up in this interview with a softer tone and deep breaths. His words "I've matured as much as I've been hurt," seemed to approach the writer more sincerely than ever. しかしこのインタビューでは彼はゆっくりと確実にやわらかいトーンと深い息遣いで話してくれた。 「僕は傷ついたのと同じくらい深く成熟しました。」 という彼の言葉が、今まで以上により深く私に心に届いたようだった。
◆ U-Know Yunho's First Album Choice: Chris Spheeris' [Best of Chris Spheeris: 1990-2000]
"Two years ago, there was a time when I listened to all the CDs our fans sent us. This was one of the albums in that pile of CDs and I was immediately hooked. Although there are a lot of instruments involved, there is a sound that isn't lost, and it's the sound of nature. That sound seemed to just grab my heart. There wasn't a distinct melody, but shall I say that the tune was able to express everything that it needed to? From then on, I searched for this artiste online and listened to his songs whenever it rained. The guitar part is the prettiest in this album. Most guitar parts from other sources rely on strength or technique, but the guitar in this album isn't overused and you can tell that the singer tried to keep the sound as close to the sound of nature as possible. I felt like the guitar part represented his heart and his feelings. It has a calm yet mysterious feeling to it."
◆ U-Know Yunho's Second Album Choice: Kevin Kern's [Summer Daydreams]
"One of the songs called 'Return to Love' is a very famous song that is used in dramas and CFs, and all the songs included in this album calm your heart. I think I listen to this song the most when I feel depressed. It cleanses your heart, but it also has a sad and sorrowful feel to it. I first found out about the song in the drama [Autumn in my Heart]. After that, I listened to it a ridiculous number of times. I found myself hearing it a lot even when I hadn't turned it on myself. I heard it on the streets, I heard it at home, I heard it in the cafes... It's a song that I've heard so much that it's left a great impact in my life. Sometimes, I think that I'd like to try this kind of music one day. Like taking this music and formatting it by adding narration to it or commentary through DJ-ing?"
◆ U-Know Yunho's Third Album Choice: Kim Hyun Shik's 김핸식 [3rd Album]
"I first found out about Kim Hyun Shik's music through the voices of Kim Bum Soo and Yu Jae Ha. I liked the songs so much that I practiced them a lot for a while. I thought that I needed to be familiar with the original to do so, so that was when I found the artiste Kim Hyun Shik. The song that first caught my eye was 'Eclipsed Road'. I've said before that I like singers like Michael Bolton or Lim Jae Bum, and Kim Hyun Shik's voice was just what I wanted. It wasn't pure and clear, and the charm that came from his thick and burning voice struck a chord in my heart. I usually listen to this album on a rainy day right before I sleep. You can find its true charm if you listen to it then."
◆ U-Know Yunho's Fourth Album Choice: X-JAPAN's [Star Box]
"They are one of my favorite artistes. In 9th or 10th grade, I had a cousin who played the bass guitar, and she was a fan of this group. I began to like rock music because of her. But these artistes' music didn't feel like rock. More so in 'Endless Rain'. This song really captures that feeling of singing with a heart full of longing, and I think that, that is the true charm of X-JAPAN. I like their songs because they both appeal and don't appeal to the masses. I want to follow their example of being a genius, yet striving to always be one step ahead of trends. I think this song's mixture of Eastern and Western influences contain all the charms that the band holds."
◆ U-Know Yunho's Fifth Album Choice: Az Yet's [Az Yet]
"Sometimes, I like to go jogging when it rains, and I listen to this album a lot when I do. It might be because I'm the bass part in our team, but I find myself paying a lot of attention to that part. Their style is a little different from BoyzIIMen, but the bass part is so amazing that it feels like they're playing with their musical ranges. The part doesn't lose its focus, but it leads the other parts like the melody. This music is great for when I go jogging or when I'm enjoying a glass of wine. The music itself doesn't feel very sophisticated, that may be exactly why I'm attracted to it. I think people will like this music if they like harmonies. I also feel that men will enjoy this music more than women."
◆ "I'm going to keep the promise I made with myself and then I'll cry my eyes out."
The subject was changed to Michael Jackson. U-Know Yunho recently got on stage for the pop star's domestic tribute concert. There is a famous story circulating that the American staff, who had looked down upon U-Know Yunho as an artiste famous only in Asia, changed their attitudes after they watched him perform. U-Know Yunho said, "I want to be an artiste like Michael Jackson who shines regardless of time," and "I hope to be viewed as someone who keeps maturing and growing as a person and as a singer who is not fazed by the rumors floating around."
"I think that I've pretended to be bright a lot as the team's leader till now. But I'm someone who feels lonely very easily, so I constantly have to discipline myself to pay attention and come to my senses. 僕は今までチームのリーダーとして明るくふるまってきました。 でもすぐに孤独を感じてしまう人間です。 だから常に意識的に自分をコントロールして、 感覚を取り戻さなくてはなりません。
Music has always cleansed my loneliness and sorrow. People say that I'm so strong-hearted that I never cry, but I'm only restraining myself to keep the promise I made with myself. When I get to the top, I want to cry my eyes out just once." 音楽はいつも僕の孤独と悲しみを消し去ってくれます。 人々は、僕が強い心を持っていて決して泣かないといいます。 でも僕は自分との約束を守るために自分を押さえているだけです。 頂点を極めた時、一度だけ思いっきり泣きたいです。
