Thursday Music Talk 2 : Learning Self Authenticity Through ‘eaJ Project’
By: Elika Safira
Tags: Authenticity, Music

Thursday Music Talk 2 : Learning Self Authenticity Through ‘eaJ Project’

“… I talked to my friends about all the struggles (feeling empty and loosing himself). Some of my friends did bring up ‘what if you use your name backward, and that just you going back to your roots and find yourself again’ and I was like, that’s perfect!” – Jae, on eaJ Project

In today’s world, music has become a way to expressing our feeling and announcing to people about who we truly are. As we talked about music, we are actually talking about multiplicity of activities and experiences. Whether it’s the experience we get by listening to the music or the musician’s experience that lead them to produce the music. For me, the value of music is followed by the way we think of it and the experience or memories we associated with it.

Debuted five years ago as a part of Band, Jaehyung Park as the guitarist and the vocalist of Day6 has been doing amazing work with his fellow band mates. As a band they were all developing their own style by writing, composing and arranged their own music which totally give a fresh air in a Kpop industries dominated by Boy/Girl Group.

Day6 as a band is totally doing great and being loved by many of their fans all around the world. And despite being put together by the company, the band been showing a strong bond as family and musician. So it might be a bit shocking when earlier this year Jae opened up about the struggle he has been facing.

Through his insta live (15/01/2020) he talked about mental health and how he slowly can feel like loosing himself and his true identity in music during some period of times. Which I can’t fully understand at first because all of their music are great. He said that he trully grateful with his band and happy to work with them but at times he himself can’t help but feels like there’s something missing.

I later on realized that despite being a part of a band, all the members including Jae is also a person by themselves. And each member as individual could have their own vision in music. Day6 can be such amazing band because all five of them with their great capabilities shared their unique visions as one. But I think each member as individual also need to express their capabilities as musician with their own color. Which thankfully they were all did this year. Especially Jae.

Through eaJ project, I sense the passion of self-fulfilment and aspiration in search of finding true self. I can loudly hear his desire to expressing himself just as he is through his music. He just represent himself by writing a music he wanted to write and sing a music he wanted to sing which totally different with the music he has presented with his band.

None of his work on this project is monetized nor being promoted by his company as he strongly stated that it is his very own personal project and his venture into music alone. And to produce music within a freedom and sincerity of self has resulted amazing work that touch his listener in a way that no music-produced-for-other-purpose could. It’s gives us a result of personal sincerity rather than industry acumen.

Simply in other word, this project is such a reflection of authenticity. Jae through this project somehow push me to seeking the authenticity of myself too. Which i’m trying to find through things that i love the most now ; writing and listening to the music. Jae, through eaJ project makes me learn that we, as human, can highly possible to losing ourselves. And in journey to reclaiming and finding our true self again, we need to be honest with ourself first. We also need the courage to expressing ourself with no intention other than expressing ourselves. Be free and be sincere to yourself. It will lead you to you.