Time does not cancel the ties, transforms them. Nine years of Astro have taught that music is never only sound, but continuity, roots and new directions. And precisely from that story, made up of Sold out concerts and melodies who have gone through continents, Zoonizini is born today: the unit made up of MJ and Jinjin.
A name that looks like a game, but that is actually a manifesto. “Zoons” and “Zini” meet, mix, become something unpublished. Their first exit, the album says, could only evoke the randomness and unpredictability of the launch of a nut: a symbol of the infinite faces of talent, of the personalities who complete and challenge each other, without ever giving up their identity.
On the one hand MJ, a powerful and theatrical voice, who after his solo debut with Happy Virus and years of experience in the musicals built the solidity of an interpreter capable of exciting with every note. On the other Jinjin, leader and producer, creative soul of Astro and mind behind many of their songs, who with his independent project Jin Lab has shown how much his writing is now a recognizable brand.
Six years after having trodden international stages together, MJ and Jinjin decided to risk again, choosing to launch the nut. A choice that knows of freedom, but also of awareness: Zoonizini is not an experiment, it is the natural next step of two artists who have already shown that they can hold the weight of a story and the charm of a future that wants to protagonists.
And while fans are waiting to discover every nuance of this debut, there is a certainty that does not need dice or luck: Zoonizini is more than one unit, it is a bet. With fate. Won at the start.
Panorama spoke exclusively with them.
For those who now discover Zoonizini, how would you present yourself and what is the meaning behind the name of the new unit?
MJ: They are MJ, and they are the “zoons” of Zoonizini. The name combines “Zoons”, from my real name Kim Myung Jun, with “Zini” from Jinjin. We wanted a name that anyone could remember at the first listening, so we chose Zoonizini.
Jinjin: I am Jinjin, Zini “by Zoonizini, and again the leader. It was MJ who invented the name of the Unit, and I loved it from the first moment I heard it.
Both are part of the Astro journey from the debut in 2016. Looking back, what did you teach you to be in the astro that now brought inside Zoonizini?
Jinjin: I think he had a huge influence in general. I tried to apply many of the things I studied and thought about the concepts we made in the star, including how the public and the Aroha perceived them, at the album of Zoonizini. I believe that not only the previous albums, but all the different experiences I have experienced have contributed to making Zoonizini’s album even more complete.
MJ, your voice was central to the identity of the astro. How did you approach the re-imagine your vocal color for this new unit?
MJ: With this unit album I think I have really tried to show much more my falsetto, which we have not often had the opportunity to exhibit during group activities.
Jinjin, from driving the star to the construction of Jin Lab, showed many faces of yourself as an artist. How did this creative process shaped your job on DICE?
Jinjin: I understood one thing by making music with Jin Lab and the Astro. I reflected a lot on how the audience and the Aroha would have perceived my music and what our color could be. I thought we had to create music that we could enjoy to present a more complete stage. Thanks to the many experiences, my working speed has increased and I was able to make decisions with more safety.
Astro music has often balanced brightness and maturity. With Zoonizini, what new spectrum or contrast did you want to highlight?
Jinjin: The greatest difference compared to the music of the Astro is that we have lightened the choreography a lot. We wanted people to say: “They are really having fun on stage, they seem so relaxed.” We wanted to show us simply for how we are.
The album says revolves around the metaphor of the dice launch and embrace the case. Was there a personal moment for each of you who inspired this concept?
MJ: For each album or program I always have the same attitude. I think, since I worked hard to prepare myself, if I continue to make my best and give everything, my efforts will shine one day.
Jinjin: Once we turn the video clip while we work on an album, it seems to me that there is no more way of going back. The process of creating an album is hard, but I think that process itself is like launching dice. I tend to leave to fate the way the album will be welcomed.
“Some Things Never Change” has a nostalgic but refreshing tone. What specific memories or emotions did you want to revive the listeners through this track?
MJ: I think this song is perfect to drive or travel with friends. Growing up, mature and age, but when we are with people with whom we feel at ease they resurface the sides of who we were young. I hope this song can report those memories of who we were then.
Among the B-Side-“New World,” “Utopia,” “Favorite Memory,” “Starlight Voyage” and “Restart”-which you feel your identity as zoniizini feel better, and why?
Jinjin: I would say the title track “Some Things Never Change” as the song that best captures our identity. Some could see it as a childish, but I believe that if we are happy there is no happiness bigger than that. We wanted to naturally catch the identity of Zoonizini, that is, to have fun and be happy, and I think that the title track expresses it at its best. As a second choice I would say “Utopia”. He painted the image of me and MJ on stage really well, and shows us clearly as we have fun, so I recommend it.
You have both explored musicals, trots, solo projects and production. How have these individual experiences enriched your chemistry in this unit?
Jinjin: I pay attention to many things when I work, so I usually become very sensitive, but MJ is the complete opposite, and this has helped me a lot. I also think that the experiences we have built individually have really contributed to the quality of the album and strengthen our chemistry.
Almost ten years in your careers: how do you feel to start something that is at the same time so new yet built on years of shared history?
MJ: We really worked hard on this album, so our expectations were high. Thinking of returning to music programs after so long and meeting fans made us feel as if we were going back to our days from Rookie. The wait and excitement were so strong that I found myself waiting with impatience to get on stage.
Zoonizini is the third unit of the Astro. What makes your couple unique compared to the other sub-units that fans have already seen?
Jinjin: Since both MJ and I have a bright energy, we tried to bring that atmosphere to the album. To highlight our chemistry even more, we chose “friendship” as the main keyword of the album.
You have trod some of the largest stages with the star. What kind of energy or message do you hope to transmit to fans specifically how Zoonizini during live performances?
MJ: We wanted to convey a luminous energy to the fans who look at our stage.
Both are known to bring fans to the fans. What do you hope that people feel after listening to this album from start to finish?
Jinjin: Through says we wanted to send the message “Let’s not let ourselves tie from the standards or the rules of others, let’s enjoy every moment in our own way, wherever we are.” After listening to all the tracks, I hope you can live every moment happily, just like the meaning contained in the album.
To conclude, if you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?
MJ: I want to describe myself as a “refuge house”. When you are tired or exhausted, I hope you can watch my videos or listen to my songs and hear you recharge, even for a moment.
Jinjin: I am a “producer”. I participated in the entire production of this album and, since it is the first time that I immersed myself so deeply, I want to call myself a producer.
