If you’re wondering who’s John-Hoon, he’s none other than Korean actor Kim Jeong Hoon, whose role as Prince Yul Lee in The Princess Hours endeared him to hordes of female fans all across Asia, so much so that according to KBS, he won the accolade of “Most Prince-like Korean Actor” from fans in China, narrowly beating Lee Jun Ki from King and the Clown and perennial favourite Bae Yeong Jun of Winter Sonata.

Not satisfied with mesmerising female fans through only his acting, John-Hoon, “The Lily Prince”, has released his debut Japanese album in November, timing it to coincide with the nation-wide broadcast of The Princess Hours in Japan. Apparently quite a popular figure in Japan already, he drew 1000 fans at an album pre-launch mini-concert in October according to KBS.

He is following in the footsteps of numerous Korean singers who have sought the huge Japanese music market, second in the world only to the United States, which the Recording Industry Association of Japan says has sales worth US$6.5 million (S$10 million) in 2000 and accounted for 17.7% of worldwide music sales.

It was not until BoA’s first album release and the subsequent Hallyu, or Korean Wave, created by the rising popularity of Korean drama series that Korean musicians truly made inroads into Japan.

5 Stella Lights will not be John-Hoon’s first attempt at an album. Before his current foray into acting, he was half of male duo UN (United N-Generation). Partnered by Choi Jeong Won, they released 5 albums of R&B-flavoured pop before disbanding in 2005.

His experience as a singer comes in handy and is evident in the album’s 5 vocal tracks, which are light, effortless and remarkably emotive. Watching him in The Princess Hours, I could hardly believe the sad-faced prince on-screen is one with the soulful voice UrbanWire heard on the CD.

Furthermore, for John-Hoon’s first try at Japanese songs, his pronunciation sounds very natural. If you didn’t know he was Korean, you’d not be faulted for thinking that he is a native Japanese singer. John-Hoon moved to Japan early this year and worked hard on mastering the language.

According to a Universal Music press release, he struggled with juggling the tasks of understanding the meaning of the Japanese lyrics and putting his emotions into his singing at the same time.

The first track on the CD, “Sirius”, stands out as a snappy, jazzy love ballad that showcases John-Hoon’s ability to groove and carry the listener along with his energetic singing. Female fans would probably melt into puddles as John-Hoon beckons them to “fall into his arms under the starry sky”.

“Always and Never”, the second track, continues with the jazzy feel but brings the tempo down a notch to give the ballad a darker, smoother flavour which John-Hoon enhances with his heartfelt crooning.

Tracks 3 and 4, “Bokuranari no Uta” (Our Song) and “I’m Sorry” are R&B power ballads which John-Hoon handles with ease. They go easy on the ear with their strong, rhythmic bass lines. “Bokunari no Uta”, particularly, has an addictive melody line in a minor key that will make you put it on endless repeat on your MP3 or CD player.

The album ends off with “Still Believe”, a beautiful piano-backed ballad that John-Hoon delivers with just the right mix of strength and tenderness. Following the vocal tracks are instrumental versions.

It’s a pity the album only has 5 tracks sung by John-Hoon, as he really whets his listeners’ appetites in the album, leaving them longing for more.

Perhaps the album producers knew they had to make up for the shortfall by including 2 extra goodies in the package. First is a DVD containing the full Japanese PV (Promotional Video) of ‘Sirius’, the making-of video for the ‘Sirius’ PV and short clips of John-Hoon’s appearances at several promotion events in Japan.

The producers also included a 2007 stand-up desk calendar using John-Hoon’s promotional pictures that showcases him in all of his pretty-boy beauty. His fans will snap up this album just on account of being able to see a new side of him every few months during the year. [u mean there are only 4-5 photos??]

In a nutshell,5 Stella Lights is a good effort from John-Hoon and marks him as a rising star to be watched in Japan. It’s only demerit is the paucity of vocal tracks, perhaps caused by the rush to finish the album to coincide with the launch of The Princess Hours in Japan, which is not really compensated for with the extras included with the album. Nonetheless, John-Hoon’s vocals are remarkable and he is definitely worth a listen.

UrbanWire gives 5 Stella Lights 3 out of 5 stars

Official Site (Korean)
Official Site (Japanese)