The Shops At Skyview - Moon Jong Up Recap
July 9 marked Moon Jong Up's first visit to the United States as a solo artist. He put on his first-ever performance in New York at the K-Fun Event after appearing in the acclaimed South Korean reality show Peak Time where he participated in TEAM 24:00, ranking first in the global individual vote and third in the team group category.
Photo Courtesy of Wesley Sin
HALSUG was invited to attend Moon Jong Up’s first press conference in the United States at The Shops at Skyview in Queens, New York, where we talked exclusively with him about his upcoming plans, life after Peak Time, and what he expects to achieve as an artist in the near future.
Since visiting New York to perform as part of his former K-Pop group B.A.P. in Times Square 10 years ago, Jong Up returned to begin promoting his solo career. He mentioned that performing on his own without his team members has been more challenging now since he has more responsibilities and duties to cover on his own. Although it’s a very new experience to him, it is also exciting at the same time.
Jong Up prepared some performances that helped him gain popularity during his time in Peak Time such as "This That Shhh” produced by Jay Park. He mentioned that he was very worried about performing this song alone, but with the support of the AKF dance crew, he was able to put on an exceptional show that his fans loved, making him even more excited for the event. He then made sure to let us know that he was also going to be performing a solo song.
His time during the JTBC reality show helped elevate his popularity to an international level, but it wasn't always as easy as it seemed. Jong Up shared that the most challenging part about being a part of the reality show was joining on his own without his B.A.P. team members; however, it was a challenge that he was very glad to have taken on since it’s what allowed him to return to New York to meet and interact with his fans for the first time after four years.
When asked about his dream collaboration, reminiscing on his past as part of B.A.P., Jong Up told us that one of his biggest hopes in the near future is to collaborate again with his old team members. And with that, he surprised us with huge news regarding his future as a soloist—he is currently working very hard on his first solo album! So, we should expect to hear more about it very soon.
Jong Up finished his time with us by sharing a wholehearted piece of advice for his fans and everyone who looks up to him—“Know how important it is to challenge yourselves and do your best in order to achieve what you’re aiming for. Let’s keep growing together!”
After the press conference, Moon Jong Up headed out to The Shops at Skyview to finally meet his fans and showcase his first performance, “This That Shhh.” Over a hundred fans from all around the world were holding posters and signs with their idol’s face, and the place was filled with their voices chanting and proclaiming his name.
Following his first performance, he held a short Q&A with Wesley Sin, the main organizer of the K-Fun Event, who asked him about his time in New York, his new music, and his favorite Korean food. Jong Up then participated in the event by collaborating with artists Jihyo and Jason Lee by personalizing a t-shirt that one lucky fan got to take home. Then, he cooked gimbap under the guidance of chef Hansong Kim, which two lucky fans got to share with him! Subsequently, Jong Up mixed a drink with the help of mixologist Debbie, and once again, shared it with two lucky fans.
After concluding with all the scheduled collaborations planned for the K-Fun Event, Jong Up continued engaging with fans by answering their questions, during which he made sure to share the news about his upcoming album. He also opened up the possibility of giving concerts again in the near future!
As another surprise, he performed a short version of his acclaimed Peak Time performance, Christopher’s song “Bad,” at a fan’s request, and followed up with one last performance to his solo song “US” before heading out to prepare to finally meet his fans during the scheduled meet & greet.
Photo Cr: Ana Garcia
We can’t wait to see what the future holds in store for Jong Up, and we certainly can’t wait for his album to be released!
A huge thank you to Wesley Sin and his team for having us and making this event possible.