Singer and producer Park Jin-young, better known as J.Y. Park, released a new digital single “Easy Lover,” on Nov. 4. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment
In the field of K-pop, it's hard to miss the name Park Jin-young, a legendary producer and singer who is better known as J.Y. Park.
Throughout his decades in the K-pop scene, the artist has become one of the significant pillars of the industry, leading the major K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment and producing global stars like TWICE and Stray Kids.
Beyond his work as a producer, Park still proves himself strong as a singer, celebrating 30 years of his music career, releasing new singles and holding concerts.
A poster for Park's upcoming concert "Still JYP,” to be held at Tokyo Dome City Hall in Japan on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21, next year / Courtesy of JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment announced that Park will be holding his 30th anniversary concert, "Still JYP," in Korea and Japan in the coming months. He will open his solo concert with a three-day show from Dec. 27 to Dec. 29 at Olympic Hall in Seoul, followed by a Tokyo concert at Tokyo Dome City Hall on Feb. 20 and 21 next year.
His solo concert in Japan comes about two years after he held "GROOVE BACK IN JAPAN" in 2023.
"Going beyond his role as a leading K-pop producer who equally embodies skill, strictness and warmth, he plans to showcase his true worth as a 'World Wide Entertainer' and radiate his presence as artist Park Jin-young in the performance," the agency said in the release.
Earlier this month, Park released the new digital single "Easy Lover" in celebration of his anniversary, about a year after the song "Changed Man." The modern soul punk genre song features an addictive chorus with energetic melodies, relating a story about an unstoppable love with someone.
Debuting in 1994 with the album "Blue City," the singer instantly made his name with its title song "Don't Leave Me," gaining attention with performances in bold outfits, like his iconic clear plastic pants. After releasing a string of hits, like "Proposal Song" (1995), "Elevator" (1995) and "She Was Pretty" (1997), he founded his entertainment company, Tae-Hong Planning in 1997, which was later renamed JYP Entertainment.
His breakthrough as a producer came when he debuted Rain, who immediately shot to stardom with his debut album "Bad Man" in 2002. Throughout the early 2000s, Park scouted talents and successfully produced K-pop groups like 2PM, Wonder Girls, Miss A and GOT7, propelling the company to become one of the top three K-pop labels, along with YG Entertainment and SM Entertainment.
He continued to be at the forefront of the K-pop industry, fostering new global stars and debuting groups like ITZY and Stray Kids. Park's JYP Entertainment also helped widen the spectrum of the K-pop scene, housing different genre musicians like rock bands Day6 and Xdinary Heroes.
Scenes from Park's recent special concert with KBS / Courtesy of KBS
The artist is the only person among the heads of major K-pop labels to remain active as a singer. While maintaining his producing job, he has released a handful of hit songs, collaborating with other artists like Sunmi for "When We Disco" (2020), BIBI for "FEVER" (2019) and Rain for "Switch to Me" (2021).
Encompassing 30 years of his career as a singer, Park held a special concert with the broadcaster KBS in September, putting on various performances of his own songs, including ones he composed and produced.
"It's been 30 years since I first stood before you all. From my debut until now, I've only wanted one thing. And that one thing was to dance and sing for a long time, comfort you and give you strength and inspiration. It was my long-held dream, (which) I've finally fulfilled these 30 years," the singer said during the concert.
"When 20 years had passed, I wrote songs to avoid becoming complacent. I thought that only after 30 years could I possibly be called a legend."
The singer proves himself to still be relevant, putting on buzz-worthy stages like his recent performance of "Easy Lover" on SBS's weekly music program "Inkigayo," where he donned red hair and a punk rock outfit, collaborating with rookie artists Jun Han and Jungsu, both members of Xdinary Heroes.
The singer is set to perform at this year's MAMA Awards, collaborating with American singer and rapper Anderson .Paak, which will take place Thursday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.