At the “44th Blue Dragon Film Awards,” on November 24, J.Y.Park (also known as JYP and Park Jin Young) put on a memorable performance that wowed the audience.
J.Y.Park (right) performing with actress Kim Hye Soo (left) | Sports Chosun
A compilation of global hit songs and his own masterpieces, the performance was over five minutes long and COMPLETELY live. JYP’s extravagant outfit and stage attitude reaped all kinds of reactions from the actors in the audience…
…as well as the viewers at home. Countless clips from the performance circulated online, most of them poking fun at JYP and the reactions he received.
All jokes aside I think if I walked through life with the same level of idgaf and delusion as jyp I would be unstoppable https://t.co/r9jXLoIirW
— (@dohsuhs) November 25, 2023
Following the shock and awe, one popular music critic voiced their opinion via Twitter. In a string of tweets, critic Jung Min Jae praised JYP for ditching the pre-recording and going for the true, raw, live performance.
Music critic Jung Min Jae at the 2023 Korean Music Awards | @minjae_jung/Instagram
While admitting that JYP was off pitch and off beat at parts of the performance, the critic commented, “It’s sad to see the excessive teasing and mocking.”
박진영의 청룡영화상 축하 공연을 이제야 봤는데… 멋진 무대였다고 생각한다. 신곡 ‘Changed Man’의 무드에 맞춰 신스 팝 명곡들과 자신의 과거 레퍼토리를 이어붙인 구성이 인상 깊었다. 밴드를 동원한 라이브도 근사했다. 음정과 박자가 불안한 부분도 있었지만, 워낙 어려운 곡이기도 했다.
— 정민재 (@minjae_jung) November 25, 2023
I finally got around to watching Park Jin Young’s Blue Dragon Film Awards performance… and I think it was wonderful. It was impressive how he took the overall concept of his new track, ‘Changed Man,’ and integrated it into a medley of synth pop hit songs as well as his own repertoire. The live band accompaniment was fascinating, too. He might have been off pitch and off beat here and there, but the songs he performed were difficult in nature, to begin with.
I’m a bit torn over the reactions toward his performance. It’s particularly sad to see all the excessive teasing and mocking. While I agree that it would have been perfect had he been able to sing flawlessly on pitch and on beat, I also think that people are being too cruel. Artists have bad days, too, and sometimes their live performances don’t go exactly the way they would have wanted.
An impeccable, recording-level performance is impossible to put together live. In fact, I think recordings and live performances are two entirely different things. Live performances are rough, but it’s full of life and energetic. It’s meant to be different from recordings, and that’s what makes watching live performances fun. Even more so for live performances that come with wild dance moves.
— Jung Min Jae
Jung asked the public to be more generous and open to live performances as such, to promote more live performances from artists.
Sure, it’d be ideal if an artist could pull off powerful choreographies while nailing the vocal to a T. And there are artists out there who can, indeed, do both right. Or, there are artists use ‘Live AR’ tracks to create the illusion that both are possible. And I don’t think that’s bad either. For world tours, when it’s performance after performance, it’s inevitable.
So should Park Jin Young have used a live AR track for a seemingly flawless performance at the Blue Dragon Film Awards? I don’t think so. I quite liked the energy of his performance. I liked the live vocals that I could hear in its truest form. And I realized that I long for more performances like his, even if some parts feel unstable and make me nervous. His performance set a good example.
My personal favorite was Kim Wan Sun’s performance. Now, her stage was perfect. I hope she gets more opportunities to perform, as well as more attention. That being said… I hope the public can be more generous and open to live performances. It’ll promote more live performances from artists. It could only mean more entertainment for us all.
— Jung Min Jae
The tweets have since sparked a debate online. Some agreed with Jung and said the public now has an insatiable desire for absolute perfectionism and that it’s leading to the decline of live performances. Others praised the energetic vibe JYP’s performance had, and how it was different and refreshing to see.
| theqoo “All true. Idol encore lives used to get a lot of views. But people started criticizing the live performances. Now, we don’t get to see as much.” “I get it, but I think the criticism also has to do with the fact that it’s JYP we’re talking about. He has been so strict with his own artists. He has no business being this underprepared.” “From the fans’ POV, we would like our biases to be able to perform their songs live—at least up to a certain acceptable standard. For this reason, fans don’t like it when their biases lip sync. Fans don’t like it when the live performances are botched. It’s something that the artists are expected of.” “I don’t think it was because the public don’t like live performances. It’s moreso because the live performer was JYP.” “I agree. I’d rather watch live performances, even if it means less perfection. Live performances make me want to support the artist.” “Isn’t this the same critic who criticized BLACKPINK for a botched live at Coachella, though…? LMAO.” “Sure… But it’s JYP we’re talking about. We all know how PICKY he got with other people’s live performances. And so, for him to put on a stage like this? Of course, people aren’t going to take a second of it.” “100% agreed.” “But Park Jin Young has never been good at singing live. He failed his mnet stage before, too. The public doesn’t owe him anything and doesn’t have to excuse him for his lack of skills.” “I agree with some of the things being said in the tweets. But JYP is a veteran performer of two decades AND a producer who is far too well known for how he trains his hoobaes. Everyone knows how much he pushes his idols to perform flawlessly. And considering his standards, he f*cked this one up way too bad. LOL.” “The tweets make perfect sense. People want to hate for the sake of hating. And live performances can never be perfect, so that works out.”
On the other hand, some claimed JYP is nothing but a hypocrite for what he demands from the idols under his management versus what he has proved himself to be capable of—ultimately concluding that it’s time for JYP to retire from performing altogether.
| theqoo “The critic’s right.” “But… a vocalist should know how to vocalize. There’s no reason for the public to be understanding of a vocalist’s lack of skills.” “It must be nice to be famous. You could f*ck up the one job you have, and the critics will still tell the public to be more generous toward you. Ha. Let’s be real. The public also knows that live performances are more entertaining.” “Isn’t JYP the one who stresses out his idols because he makes them record the same part over and over again? I think it was someone from ITZY who got traumatized because of his antics… And so, it’s hilarious that he gets to be excused for a terrible performance.” “I don’t know, I was OK with it. Considering it was a super raw live with no AR? All this fuss over nothing.” “I liked JYP’s live performance because it was live-live. I’m not into vocalists who use that AR stuff.” “Yeah… I agree. I’d rather listen to a botched live performance than a fake AR performance.” “Vocalists shouldn’t use AR or Live AR tracks, IMO.” “And WHY should we be generous toward a performer who lacks performing skills…?” “I was listening to the TV in the livingroom from my bedroom, and I literally asked, ‘Whose singing is this bad?’ And when I came outside to check, I realized it was JYP. I almost would’ve understood if it was a rookie. But for a veteran vocalist of 30 years to be performing at that level? It’s unacceptable.” “Yeah, a live performance is ALWAYS better than a lip sync performance.”
Watch JYP’s performance at the “44th Blue Dragon Film Awards” below.
