Covered Event

[SINGAPORE] Jimin Inspires Youth at SHINE NOW 2019

Park Jimin, or fondly known as Jamie to Baby Js, recently made a visit to Singapore for the inaugural SHINE NOW 2019 event. This event featured various artistes to promote a shining experience to life, to constantly push the boundaries of creativity, as well as for the public and creators to congregate, participate, discover, network and advance their craft or career. Jimin took part in one of the conferences as she sat down with Baby Js to share her growth as an artiste, as well as some advice for youth who are still figuring their paths in life.

In Conversation with Park Jimin

Jimin first started off the conversation with a bright smile and talked about her experiences starting out as a young K-pop star. She also shared how it inspired her to venture into doing music with her other friends in the later years of her career. While there was a huge contrast between being told what to do when she was young versus being able to explore her interests, she felt all these were experiences that were valuable to her and shaped her to be the person that she is today.

A few interesting topics that were brought up were how Jimin does not like to do only one thing in her life, and she enjoys the uncertainty that every decision leads her to. In fact, she mentioned that to her, it was a waste of time to only do one thing for the rest of her life even though she might like it, as she will never know when she will find another thing that she will like more.

On top of that, Jimin mentioned that she has really bad self-control and time management (which is probably why she has expressed she will not be releasing her own label anytime soon)! Being her own manager means that she can travel outside of Korea and meet Baby Js and try new music, however it is hard for her as no one is controlling her to guide her what to do or where to go. This was something that the crowd could relate with, and it showed that just because we are adults, it does not mean that everything has to be smooth sailing. Behind the glitz and glamour of every K-pop idol, there are struggles that they face.

Knowing that things are unpredictable makes Jimin enjoy life much better knowing that she will be happy with anything that she is doing as those are the choices that lead to her who she is. And she does not just stop at making choices, as she thinks about how her choices can affect and create a positive impact on the people around her.

Perhaps one of the favourite topics that was brought up was Jimin’s method of coping with slumps and down periods, and her answer was simple – to give yourself time to heal and to try to be positive about it, and we will eventually emerge as a stronger person than before the slump. It was also heartening that Jimin brought up that the K-pop industry has been more accepting towards mental health issues and efforts have been put in to create an industry with greater care and empathy.

Behind The Success Stories in Music

We had the opportunity to sit in for one of the panel talks held at *SCAPE The Treetop. It was an intimate session where youths who are interested in a career in the music industry were able to listen to anecdotes and get to know more about the music-making process, to the promotion of the music produced. The panel guests consisted of Martin Hong from Choann, Jon Chua from Zendyll Productions and CJ Kim from Warner South Korea.

The three guests are not only in the music industry, but they are also the A&R people in their respective companies. A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire. That being said, they are in charge of scouting for talents and are responsible for the development, both commercially and artistically, of the company’s songwriters and artists.

Remember seeing MONSTA X on an episode of We Bare Bears? CJ Kim was one of the major forces behind it. Having been working in the K-Pop industry for nine years, CJ is in charge of marketing, branding and launching K-Pop groups into the western music industry. She shared that she is currently working with AB6IX and CIX.

According to CJ Kim, in Korea, the budget for an indie group’s music is at least USD$10, whereas it starts at USD$50K for a K-Pop group. For example, a BTS music video would cost around USD$1M or more, due to its production quality and such. She usually tells artists that they “only have 5 seconds to hold their (the general public’s) attention”.

CJ divulged more about how it is very important for artists to interact with fans, be it on social media and in real life. When BTS first launched into the western music industry, the company’s management was such that it was willing to have BTS be interviewed by anyone who wanted the chance to get to know the idols. Such opportunities serve as platforms for the public to get to know the BTS members and the songs they sing.

It is also useful to pay attention to current trends that are popular among K-Pop fans, and leverage on them as well. Ever seen a gif of MONSTA X Hyungwon where he picked up his microphone as if wanting to say something, but then gave up and decided to sip on his Starbucks drink? When Hyungwon replied to Starbucks with two selfies of himself sipping on a drink, CJ noted that it received the most engagement out of all of MONSTA X’s tweets!

Boyfriends (and Girlfriends) of Instagram: A Photography Crash Course

We also attended a photography course held by self-taught photographer Jeryl Tan. He taught us some tips and tricks on taking some really Instagram-worthy photos!

During the short course, we practiced what we learnt by photographing our friends around *SCAPE The Treetop and applying different compositions in photography such as the rules of third and leading lines. These techniques help us better understand the story to our photos and create that aesthetic vibe that we aim for our Instagram feeds.

He shared with us that good photos can also be captured on our smartphones! Photography is not just about the tools you have but also the skills each photographer possesses. The overall feed and how photos are placed together is also important in curating a great Instagram feed or just about any photography collection.

After this session with Jeryl at SHINE NOW, we can’t wait to start practicing and shooting great photos for our Instagram feeds!

The Closing Plenary

It was finally time for the concert after two whole days of inspiring panel talks and workshops. Jimin was one out of the few artists slated to perform on that night. Local artists like RRILEY, Narelle Kheng and YASAI also entertained the crowd and ensured that everyone was having a great time.

Jimin finally appeared on the stage looking adorable in an oversized sweater and denim pants. The sweater is an official merchandise that Baby Js can order on her official website! She opened the set with “Stay Beautiful”, captivating the audience with her voice. Everyone cheered even louder when Jimin went on to perform “Young해 (20)”, which features DAY6 Young K on the track.

With Baby Js feeling the heat from the performance, Jimin finally revealed that once HoHo is done with the military service in February 2020, M.O.L.A will have a surprise for fans who have been waiting for them. M.O.L.A is an unofficial group consisting of Jimin, UNIQ/X1 Cho Seungyoun, Nathan, PENTAGON Kino, SEVENTEEN Vernon, and HoHo. With the new year comes great surprises!

Jimin wrapped up the show with a cover of Frozen 2‘s official soundtrack, “Into The Unknown”, which had everyone singing along. She had garnered millions of views on her YouTube channel for this particular cover, and it was a privilege to many to have been able to see Jimin perform it live!

It was a successful event created by youths, for youths. Expectations, though high, were met. It was fun, and panel talks were intimate yet filled with knowledge. We hope to see Park Jimin again soon!

We would like to thank Gushcloud and NYC Shine for the media accreditation.

Written by: Aqilah
Photos c/o: Shopee

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