The so-called 'traditional idols' who only appear on music programs and release albums are starting to slowly disappear.
As idols' activities gain a wider range, new types of idols started to appear. As characters like Gag-dol, Entertainer-dol, Beast-dol, Girl-dol, Elementary-dol, etc. set themselves into members of idol groups, it's not easy anymore to find variety programs without an idol on it. It isn't an exaggeration if one says that it is the entertaining idols' era.
The most idol between all the entertaining idols which catches the eye is 2AM's JoKwon. 2AM is a 4-member male ballad group created by JYP. The leader of this group, JoKwon, is gaining a lot of popularity by showing his identity as an "Universal Idol", showing his talents in singing, dancing, his talent in variety shows, and even MCing.
JoKwon's wits are truthfully the best among the idols these days. Wherever, whenever, if you ask him to do something, he presents with a big laugh with his unique talents. He also got a nickname, "Kkap Kwon" because he was said to do everything with "Kkae Bang Jung", or overdoing everything. "Kkap Kwon" JoKwon is breaking the stereotyped views on idols, becoming the most wanted celebrity on variety shows of 2010. When one usually thinks about an idol, they think right away of the proverb very pom-saeng-pom-sa (live for style, die for style- Korean proverb), but JoKwon approaches the public as a friendly image, far from the normal pom-saeng-pom-sa image of idols.
The program where JoKwon appeals to the public most is the variety show, MBC's "We Got Married". In here, JoKwon appears as a younger, cute husband who also is witty, paired up with Brown Eyed Girls' member, Gain, becoming a very cute, popular couple. They show their real, truthful selves, earning the suspicion of many that they were actually dating.
MBC's "Three Wheels" is a program that gives JoKwon the opportunity to show his true worth. This is a program where joom-marellas (ahjummas with style) pressure even the most experienced variety experts up to breaking point. JoKwon makes regular appearances here as the youngest, showing his excellent dancing skills that equaled the ones of a girl idol, his unique face expressions, and his appropriately timed ad-libs make him an excellent mood maker.
In the program JoKwon recently entered, SBS' "Family Outing Season 2", JoKwon was allowed to show yet more aspects of himself. Even though there was a fixed script, JoKwon quickly claimed his character as "Kkap Kwon" by doing Girls' Generation's "Gee" and Kim Yuna's "Dance of Death" in his unique style, causing big laughter from the audience. There is a lot of positive expectation for JoKwon's activity in "Family Outing 2", although it would be have to be observed more before the public voices their opinion. It is sure, however, that JoKwon will not be edited out often.
JoKwon was a highly anticipated auditionee who had went on the "Project Excavating Gifted Children" in 2001, a collaboration between JYP and SBS. JoKwon, then a 6th grader, showed an energetic performance of Lee Jung Hyun's "Wa", and then went through 8 years of being a trainee. He released 2AM's debut album "This Song" in 2008. He had pretty much spent all of his 10s in JYP. JYP is famous for their strict management system, even managing the trainee/celebrity's school life if the trainee/celebrity was a student. The fact that JoKwon has such a free character, even after the 8 years of being trainee, is a situation uncalled of.
Also, it is dangerous for a ballad singer, who lives on their mood in their songs, to have an opposite character to their ballad songs. This is reasonable, since JYP even issued a ban on "Kkap" to JoKwon, only to undo it later. However, seeing the success of 2AM's new song "Even If I Die, I Can't Send You Away", it proves that JoKwon's varying images appealed well to the viewers.
The fact that singers have to go around on variety shows is definitely not an embraced fact. As long as our country's music world takes variety show appearances as not a choice, but a requirement, it will be like this. Above all this, JoKwon's activities shine because he genuinely enjoys the variety programs and also handles it very well. He grows as a willing(?) entertainer, rather than a forced, fake interest in variety just to become famous. This is because he has natural talent and also has the ability to sense what the taste of the public turns to.
When people see JoKwon singing an emotional ballad song, they check twice, unbelieving, if the singer was the same JoKwon that looked as if he'd lost his mind on shows. However, it is the truth that JoKwon's victories in variety shows had a significant part in raising 2AM's popularity, and let 2AM's songs be yet more loved.
"Kkap Kwon" JoKwon, created through the 8 years of growth and polishing abilities. When you see him reminiscing about his trainee years, saying, "There are barely any memories of being in my 10s', and I always had to live through the fear of being cut from JYP," you can see that the JoKwon that was doing the "Madam Imitation" that JYP so disliked wasn't all of JoKwon. If one listens to 2AM's songs only because of the interest piqued by JoKwon's variety wits, they can only be pleasantly surprised by his vocal skills and emotion he puts in the songs that rival his wittiness in variety. People have a lot of hope for this young man full of wits and passion to be a longlasting provider of joy towards the viewers who watch him.
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CREDITS : Daum (SOURCE); JinaStar@2ONEDAY.COM (TRANS)
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