“I want to become a trot singer”… ‘From idol to actor’ Jeong Dong-won, Lee Chan-won, and Young Tak trying to break away from the 5060 class [TEN Starfield]

[Ten Asia = Reporter Kim Se-ah]

《Kim Se-ah’s One Step》
Reporter Kim Se-ah of Ten Asia looks at entertainment industry issues from a distance and reports news from an objective perspective. Sometimes one step closer, sometimes one step further.

It would be a mistake to think that he is a singer who only sings trot. There are endless transformations of trot singers who are turning their attention to younger generations beyond those in their 50s and 60s.

Singer Jeong Dong-won recently transformed into an idol and showed an unconventional appearance. On the 11th, Jeong Dong-won released her first single ‘who Am I’ featuring AI and her new solo idol, JD1. By launching a new sub-character, & # 39; JD1 & # 39;, she took her first step as an idol other than the trot singer that the public was used to.

Jeong Dong-won called his alt-character ‘JD1’ an “independent persona newly created to challenge various genres rather than being limited to the Trot genre.”In order to transform into an idol, Jeong Dong-won participated in various aspects such as song, choreography, and styling for about two years and put a lot of effort into production.

Seeing his debut as an idol, some members of the public said, “He really looks like an idol, from his singing to his choreography.”He gave a favorable review, saying, “There is no feeling of a trot singer at all.” Regarding this, Jeong Dong-won said, “JD1 and Jeong Dong-won’s music styles are completely different,”and “Jung Dong-won’s usual music style is sexual or pop music, but JD1 was created to mainly do K-pop idol music.”They have a completely different concept. He explained.

Jeong Dong-won’s challenge goes beyond being a singer and continues on the screen as well. Jeong Dong-won made his screen debut through the movie ‘New Normal’ in November last year. Regarding this, Jeong Dong-won said, “Actually, when I first received the offer, I had never acted before, so I was curious why the director chose me. He said, “I was able to be a little more courageous because it was a role of a student like me.” Even though it was his first movie appearance, Jeong Dong-won was praised as saying, “I thought he was just a trot singer, but his acting was natural.”

If there is a Jeong Dong-won who transcends genres, Lee Chan-won is active in broadcasting. Lee Chan-won is JTBC’s ‘Talk Partner 25:00′, KBS2’Immortal Songs’, KBS2’Problem Son of the Rooftop’, JTBC’Broadcast Judge ‘, KBS2 ‘Pyeon Restaurant’ He made a mark on the public by appearing on broadcasts such as

In particular, Lee Chan-won received favorable reviews for his humorous yet disciplined hosting. The menu he developed at ‘Pyeon Restaurant’ also attracted attention. ‘Jintobaegi Map Ssak Galbi’, launched by Lee Chan-won through the program, became a hit product, recording sales of 6 million units in one year and three months. In addition, ‘Chanto Tteokgal Beach Burger’ ‘Chantobaegi soybean paste rice’ Various menus such as these became popular, achieving cumulative sales of more than 13 million units.

The industry’s opinion is that through this, we were able to approach Generation Z, who visit convenience stores relatively frequently, in a friendly way. Lee Chan-won took advantage of his talent and turned his attention to baseball commentary. Chan-won Lee started as a special commentator for MBC Sports Plus at the game between Samsung Lions and We Wyverns (now SSG Landers) in October 2020, and has participated in the ‘Hope Plus Charity Baseball Tournament’ for two consecutive years. He was invited as a special commentator and continued his commentary.

Despite being a trot singer, he was praised by baseball fans for his knowledge and eloquence comparable to that of a professional commentator. In fact, Chan-won Lee prepared to become a sportscaster before his debut as a singer. Fans of 10 professional baseball teams also praised his skills, saying that he practiced while watching baseball broadcasts and highlights every day. In this way, Lee Chan-won is expanding his scope beyond his singing to broadcasting, cooking, and sports, expanding his fan base, which was previously limited to the 5060 generation, to all generations.

Singer Young Tak is expanding his scope as an actor. Young Tak successfully made his acting debut in the JTBC Saturday-Sunday drama Strong Woman Gang Nam-soon in November last year. Previously, Young Tak made special appearances in the MBC drama ‘Old School Intern’, TV Chosun’Wind, Clouds and Rain’, and tvN’Surviving as a Celebrity Manager’. Although she has appeared briefly, Strong Woman Kang Nam-soon is her first time acting in a drama.

Young Tak played the role of Oh Young Tak, a detective at the Gangnam Han River District Drug Investigation Unit, where hot-blooded detective Kang Hee Sik (played by Ong Seong Wu) is assigned. Oh Young-tak is Kang Hee-sik’s partner and a person with the spirit of saying everything he has to say. Together with Ong Seong-wu, he showed off the tiki-taka chemistry of being crispy on the outside but moist on the inside. Young Tak decided to appear in the drama because he felt his charm so much while making a cameo appearance. He said, “While I was thinking about taking on a proper challenge, an opportunity to audition arose and I joined as a supporting actor.”

Actually, the public reaction was not bad. The common opinion is that “despite being a trot singer who has never acted officially, her acting was natural and not exaggerated.”Director Kim Jeong-sik, who was in charge of directing, also praised Young Tak, saying, “Even though he has no acting experience, he is really good.” ‘Strong Woman Gang Nam-soon’ recorded 10.4% in the final episode and ranked first on non-terrestrial TV, allowing Young Tak to successfully complete his debut as an actor.

Why are they challenging various fields beyond being trot singers? Since the fan base is limited due to the genre being enjoyed by older audiences, it seems that broadcasting and breaking away from the genre were chosen as elements to overcome this limitation.

It was judged that the existing demand from middle-aged people alone was not enough. In addition, like other idols and singers, they do not focus on just one area, but work in various areas and expand their fan base to younger generations in addition to the 50s and 60s generation, which was their main target, showing their will to establish themselves as entertainers rather than being limited to trot singers. Voices of support are growing as they take on the challenge of expanding beyond genre limitations.

Kim Se-ah, Ten Asia Reporter haesmik@tenasia.co.kr