The Beginning For JYJ

JYJ, the K-pop vocal trio that left superstar boy band TVXQ over a contract dispute with management more than a year ago, announced it has collaborated with Kanye West and Rodney Jerkins for debut album The Beginning.

It will be the first English-language release for Kim “Hero” Jaejung, Park “Micky” Yuchun and Kim “Xiah” Junsu.

The first single, “Ayyy Girl,” which will be available for download Oct. 19, is produced by West, who also adds his own vocals.

Jerkins will contribute two tracks to the album, “Empty” and “Be My Girl.” Each of the three members will also contribute a composition. In all, the album will contain seven new original tracks and three remixes. The overall project is being overseen by top Asian music producer Jae Chong and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Music starting Oct. 12.

Then on Oct. 15, JYJ will embark on a showcase tour of Asia and the U.S.

The trio has signed with East Asia Entertainment, which will represent them as concert artists in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. EAE will also set up commercial, movie and TV drama deals in these three territories. The group’s first concert will be at the Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai Oct. 23.

With TVXQ, the trio set several Guinness Book records, including the largest official fan club in the world for a pop group (800,000 members) and the most photographed celebrities in the world (appearing 500 million times in various media).

They also hold the record for most No. 1 singles in Japan for a foreign group, with nine.