TVXQ Praised by Popular Japanese Celebrity Fukuyama Masaharu

Japan’s popular male celebrity Fukuyama Masaharu praised TVXQ during a radio show on Feb. 19^th, proving how popular the boy group still is in Japan. Fukuyama started off by saying, “In today’s pop industry, you have to be able to do both singing and dancing really well. It must be good to be a good dancer.” He continued, “I really admire TVXQ’s dance moves. TVXQ is so cool these days,” as he stared to sing after TVXQ’s latest single, “Why (Keep Your Head Down).” Later requesting “Why?” as the opening song of the show, Fukuyama said he wasn’t sure what it meant to be a ‘good dancer,’ but TVXQ’s moves looked very well-choreographed and good-looking. Fukuyama is best known for his singing career and was on the show as a special guest to celebrate his million-selling album “The Best Bang!!” He is one of Japan’s most influential celebrities, with numerous hit albums and countless popular TV shows, and constantly ranks high in surveys of popular celebrities in Japan.

 A few days earlier, TVXQ was also praised by another popular celebrity in Japan, Chikada Haruo. Chikada, a rock musician and critic best known for his harsh columns, recently wrote a magazine piece under the title, “The downsized, modernized TVXQ is the perfect answer!?” He wrote, “I want to first evaluate “Why?” in terms of their musical aspects, not visual effects. The song’s heavy sound is shocking, but it’s even more surprising that their vocal depth is not overshadowed by that sound. It turns out TVXQ’s member downsizing resulted in an overall upgrade from the past.”

TVXQ’s latest single “Why?” has sold more than 230,000 copies in six days since its release on Jan. 26^th and received a Platinum Award from the Recording Industry Association of Japan recently (only given to artists selling over 250,000 copies). It’s also recorded more than half a million downloads, breaking the group’s previous digital downloads record. With results like these and praise from prominent celebrities/critics in Japan, it seems safe to say TVXQ’s popularity won’t be waning anytime soon.

(Original story written in Korean by @hurlkie; Translated by @eugenekim222)