The concert has been considered another significant step forward for K-pop’s global expansion into Europe.
The time was Saturday night (local time) at the Poble Espanyol park in downtown Barcelona. Ringing out through the plaza, surrounded on all sides by traditional buildings representative of the different regions of Spain, were the sounds of “Empty,” the leadoff single from “Beginning,” JYJ’s first album for a worldwide audience. A crowd of around 3,000 people from all over Europe, including Spain, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, and Switzerland, sang along in unison to the chorus. Many danced along with the moves of the performers onstage. The evening’s events showed a K-Pop wind blowing at gale force through the park, which in Korean terms would be a kind of traditional folk village.
JYJ sang songs in English, including “Ayyy Girl” from “Beginning,” as well as numbers in Korea like “Get Out” and “Falling Leaves” from the recently released special disk “In Heaven.”
“We are happy to have been able to keep our promise to visit all of you in a place we have never been before,” member Jaejoong said. “We hope to keep a second promise next time by visiting here again. Unfortunately, this is our last number of the night.”
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the audience members erupted in a groan of disappointment, crying, “No! No!” Jaejoong, perhaps moved by the sincere response from the diverse audience in a faraway country, had tears welling up in his eyes. Yoochun, too, wiped tears away from his eyes.
Saturday’s performance was the smallest given by JYJ to date, but it drew attention as a gauge for the current state of K-Pop’s reception in Europe. This was the first solo performance given in the continent by one of the K-Pop acts that is spearheading the wave. Coming on the heels of the success enjoyed by last June’s SM Town Concert in Paris, which saw a number of SM Entertainment acts appearing, its individual success gave proof of the reality of the Korean Wave in Europe.
Many of the audience members were young European women in the teens and early to mid-20s.
“Spanish music is a bit dull and no fun to dance to,” said Sara, the 27-year-old manager of the Spanish chapter of the fan club Sharing Yoochun. “When I first heard K-pop, I thought it was in the American style, but as I listened more and more I discovered an appeal that is unique to K-Pop.”
Particularly notable was the number of people who fell for K-Pop after previously being fans of Japanese miniseries, animation, and popular music, or J-Pop.
Celine, a 26-year-old from France, explained, “There are around 15 thousand Korean Wave, Hallyu, fans in France, but we are seeing a trend of J-Pop fans moving toward K-Pop.”
JYJ is following up its Spanish performance with a Nov. 6 show in Berlin. Tickets for it sold out the day they went on sale.
Source: By Surh Jung-min, Music Correspondent via Nate
Shared by: JYJ3
At the end of the article ^^
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
I really want to send them a message to not put the name SM *pukes* in a JYJ article (giving them random extra credit for their ‘bought’ fame) but I’ll leave it…………….
Lol^^ ikr~
Now they must use JYJ to promote themselves….. Haha^^
Oooo, the wind is changing direction~~
AMAZING! this was yor first small step my dearest JYJ!
You are amazing!
They do mention kpop and hayllu fans too much -_-
Has anyone else noticed that every single article that has come out so far credits Hallyu and ‘kpop’ as the reason for JYJ’s success. It makes me upset.
How can they block JYJ on one side and take credit for the fans and JYJ’s passion on the other? -they are full of KBS (Korean bull sh**-
But at least the fact that they covered aspects of the concert and did not ignore it like Japan did makes me satisfied.
I feel the same. JYJ maybe started as the hallyu wave band as DBSK. But honestly where they’ve gone so far as JYJ comes from their own efforts. I don’t see the K-govt sponsoring JYJ’s con with tax money like SMtown.
And so sad abt the JPop part, its annoying to read about it tho maybe its true *bitter jpop fan*
The comment about the jpop thing kind of annoyed me lol and im not even a fan of jpop…idk its just sk media is really self-serving and exagerate everything so it just came off as a dig against jpop. ……also annoying that they r suddenly part of the hallyu wave =_____=
IDK, like it or not, they are paving the way for other Korean artists. They’ve already broken new ground with their lawsuit, improving other artists contracts, and proving that success can be had outside of the big companies. This is just another example of them leading the way.
http://www.soompi.com/news/jyjs-concert-in-barcelona
You know what?! It’s all JYJ’s success!
Stop taking the credits off them! Have you no shame!?!
It’s NOT for anyone else!
It’s solely for JYJ!
And don’t tell me anything about SM ventures into Europe coz that is a FAILURE!!
yeah…you right…
it’s JYJ effect, the power of JYJ in the europe….
yeah…yeah…yeah….SM is FAILURE in europe because how dare concert mob and did not dare to perform a single concert, cause what?? Because Sm is a LOSER..^^
And an article with some lazy reporting lol
http://mtvk.com/2011/10/30/jyj-fans-in-barcelona-are-hardcore/
” a seat where magical idol beads of sweat were guaranteed to hit their flesh.”
ㅋㅋㅋ I wonder what magical powers they imbue…
Jaejoong’s will give you flawless skin…
Yoochun’s will give you irresistable charm…
and Junsu’s will give you sensual dancing skills!
HAHAHHA, love that list!
and meh, i’m kind of disgusted with that article. StupidMofos shouldn’t get credit for JYJ, shouldn’t be in the same breath even, unless the sentence is “Court case of JYJ against SM decision is issued today.” sigh!
i am happy for the news. now that they’re bragging jyj as their own, how about u guys let them… i don’t know perform in your korean tv. how about that since u know u so proud of them and all for “spreading” the hallyu wave. just saying
Well said @Mari_sol!!!
Yeah…Don’t know WHY they had to mention them. They did a fine job denying JYJ and now they’re taking credit over what JYJ achieved?
Yeah. NO.
And hey guys, is it true that the Berlin concert’s sold out O_O? I haven’t heard much about it really.
No, it’s definitely not sold out. The VIP and SuperVIP seats were sold out in two minutes, that’s true, but you can still buy the normal tickets on the ticketing site. I’m going to Berlin to the concert and the place can hold some 3800 fans but I think there won’t be more than somewhere around 1500. That’s the usual crowd for Japanese and Korean concerts like Gackt, Miyavi. SMTown had a bit more viewers but there was more then one group present.
Thats not true!! Im going to the Berlin concert too and they are only 6 Tickets left!!
How do you know that? You can’t see the number of sold tickets anywhere, girl. I’m talking from experience, I’ve been to many Asian artist’s concerts before. I’m not saying this to belittle the boys or something, they have way more fans than this number but it’s hard to travel across a whole continent to see them, be it because of money or age or any other reason. Gact is well known in Europe and even his concert wasn’t sold out this year. I think it’s amazing to have fans at all when they don’t do anything here, you can’t see them on TV or hear them on radio, only fallow them on the internet. It’s a huge thing JYJ acheved here in Europe but I’m not delusional enough to think that they can have a sold out concert soon. I wish it to happen with all my might, but it’s impossible, sorry. Later maybe but not now. But you know what? I soooo hope you’re right and the concert is sold out. It would be the best Christmas present for me, ever! 😀
i don’t like these articles
JYJ the best! ^_^
I´m so happy… nothing will change it! ( even read about that company ¬_¬ )
I´m proud of JYJ!
JYJ effect,,,,the power of JYJ….
i’m happy n proud to be JYJ fans….
JYJ is one of kpop artist who dared to perform a single concert in europe and prove their succession
congratulation JYJ…
JYJ D2TB…AKTF
Oh sooo now they r part of the hallyu wave
oic <____<
@CL Only when they think they can use them : /
“Jaejoong, perhaps moved by the sincere response from the diverse audience in a faraway country, had tears welling up in his eyes. Yoochun, too, wiped tears away from his eyes.”
Of course they was moved by Spanish fans love! Every fancam can show how much they love the boys, they were really amazing!
So glad because the guys have such a great time there 🙂
..well i don’t think that JYJ is “..Coming on the heels of the “success” enjoyed by last June’s SM Town Concert in Paris, which saw a number of SM Entertainment acts appearing..”..err..i don’t wish to any Korean or the other nation group to go”on the heels of the “success” enjoyed by last June’s SM Town Concert in Paris”..at least on “success” with French press coverage on that particular event and Korean press making “elephand of a fly” with news from that particular event..brrr..