[UPDATED] Kim Hyun Joong gives a taste of what's to come with "Please"...

UPDATE --- Posted the newly released MV for KHJ's "Please". Awesome new video with a lot of drama and great dancing. Check it out in the review after the jump!


Originally posted 5/31/11 3:19 PM MNL (GMT +8)

Any fan of Kpop should know who Kim Hyun Joong is. In the firmament of stars of Kpop-dom, if there's one star who's cemented a place in every screaming fan girl's heart (or fanboys for the matter... hehehe!), that would be him.

He first came to fame with the male idol group SS501 as their ever enigmatic and very quirky leader. His exploits on Korean TV shows like "We Got Married" (with his TV wife, Hwang Bo) made him even more popular in Korea. What catapaulted him to fame internationally are his famous roles in the Korean versions of the Japanese mangas "Hana Yori Dango" / "Boys Over Flowers" (which has had tons of iterations over the years --- Taiwan's "Meteor Garden" with the ever famous Chinese F4, and Japans own production starring Arashi's Matsumoto Jun), and "Itazura no Kiss" / "It All Started With A Kiss" (which was titled "Playful Kiss" in the Korean drama).

Now, no matter how many times we scream and jitter at the very sight of his awesome smile, we have to always remember that his roots are in his music. I've heard SS501, and I have to say that the group is mighty talented (although my biases lean elsewhere though ... hehehe!). With the group in hiatus, it's usually an opportunity for their individual members to launch their own solo efforts (like fellow SS501 members Park Jung Min and Heo Young Saeng, who have also both released solo projects this year).

Hyun Joong is scheduled to release his solo mini-album sometime soon titled "Breakdown" (although a date hasn't been disclosed by his managing agency), but to build anticipation for it, it's launching track, "Please" is already out as digital single. One of my close friends, Grace (who made me aware of the impending release of this single), has been waiting for this album for the longest time. I'm pretty sure thousands of other Henecians ("Henecia" is the name of the official fan club of Kim Hyun Joong) are doing the same thing too.

Prior to the release of the digital single, momentum was built for the launch by the upload of an online teaser for the digital single "Please". It shows scenes of Hyun Joong on the roof of a building while performing the dance for the track, along with romantic cut scenes between him and the female lead of the video.

What caught my attention here though was HIS SHORT HAIR!!! It's the first time I've seem him with short hair --- and the look suits him (I've always liked clean-cut guys hehehe!). It's also apparent that's he's built up more mass since he looks more buff than when I last saw him in "Playful Kiss" --- the look gives him a more mature, sophisticated vibe.

MV Teaser for "Please" by Kim Hyun Joong

I just listened to "Please", and it's an awesome R&B track. The theme of the song is not uncommon in Kpop though --- discovering infidelity, and dealing conflicting emotions of love and hate. The rhythm of the song is catchy and infectious, and I love the way the background intrumentals (piano and violin) are able to build and heighten the emotion of the song.

Hyun Joong's voice is well-suited for R&B since it has a mellow and breathy characteristic to it. No question that Hyun Joong can handle a tune very well (especially with low and mid tones), but definitely he needs some help with his range since some editing was needed to stretch his voice for the high notes. Doesn't take away from the fact that he handled this song very well (and he nailed the pronunciation for the English parts of the song! Awesome!).

"Please" by Kim Hyun Joong (Audio with Eng Subs)

UPDATE!!! "Please" by Kim Hyun Joong (MV with Eng Subs)

You've got to admire Korean producers for always choosing very sophisticated sets and backgrounds for their videos. I love the pad that they used for the video --- the stylish monochrome setting added upped the the sexy atmosphere 100%! I also loved the scene on top of the building (you should check out the shots at around 3:22 to 3:27 in the MV... awesome panoramic shot of the Seoul skyline... or at least I think it's Seoul hehehe!)

I guess the scene that would get most of the fangirls and fanboys crazy and buzzing would be the part where the female lead dominates over Hyung Joong by squatting over him and grabs him by the neck. The "sexy dominatrix" act is pretty daring, and, IMHO, a pretty good touch to build on the tension in the story of the MV --- I'm not really sure how folks would react to it though.

Definitely looking forward to the full mini-album soon! I'm pretty sure if the other songs on the album are going to be as good as this one, it'll turn out to be a hit!