REPORTER: Jeannette Francis
JASON JANG: I had a passion for singing in my room, I had a passion for singing in front of people. It's very different from the western world. To be an idol K-Pop artist, aesthetically looks are really important. In Korea, people really look up to celebrities a lot. I've still got that Aussie thing in me, like a down under feel in me. So a lot of my fans will just see me as a neighbour, like the guy who lives next door.
Jason Jang doesn't exactly look like the boy-next-door. His flaming red hair and perfectly powdered complexion is a sign he's one of Korea's cultural elites - a K-Pop star and this is his band - Ledapple. Hoards of Korean-made boy and girl bands are loved by millions across Asia. It's all about colour, clique and catchy tunes for their fan call fans. Welcome to the world of K-Pop.
You might not recognise their faces or their tunes, but these are some of the biggest pop stars in the world and among them. Away from the glitter and glare is a boy from Brisbane.
JASON JANG: I don't know if Aussie people would get used to this. We carry around our own make up box. I found it really weird, but don't get the wrong idea, because it's a normal thing for celebrities in Korea.
LEDAPPLE (Translation): Hi! We’re Ledapple, the band with style.
Going from Queensland to K-Pop has meant big changes. Here Jason's known as Hanbyul, Ledapple's energetic English-speaking vocalist. A few short years ago he shared a classroom with teenage girls. Now it's an arena. Had he stayed in Australia, Jason's life would have been very different to that of Hanbyul. Four years ago, he and his parents were living down under, dealing with complaints because of Jason's singing.
REPORTER: You used to disturb the neighbours back in Brisbane with your singing?
JASON JANG: Yeah, I did, yeah, a lot.
REPORTER: Do your friends back home know where you are now - what are their reactions?
JASON JANG: They say, "I didn't know you could sing". Cause I've never sung in front of my Aussie friends ever.
But, convinced of their son's talent, his parents took a chance. They left their takeaway food business, gathered their savings, and moved their entire lives from Brisbane to Seoul to support their only child.
JASON’S FATHER: One day he will be famous, like maybe a big band, or even Justin Bieber or Bruno Mars. I hope so.
REPORTER: Is there anything you miss about living in Australia?
JASON’S FATHER: I miss the, I used to play golf in Australia. We like golf, to play golf.
JASON JANG: It's kind of embarrassing, but, yeah, this is my dad's collection of all my report cards since High School. I think he's proud of my grades.
He achieved near-perfect results in Year 12, placing him in the top 1% of Queensland graduates and he chose to become, of all things, a dentist.
REPORTER: Why are you laughing?
JASON JANG: It's so embarrassing. A don't say this stuff. A lot of my fans don't know about this as well. I don't like being a nerd in front of my fans.
REPORTER: Do you reckon you're a nerd?
JASON JANG: I think I was a bit of a nerd back in High School, but a sporty nerd.
REPORTER: How came your not eating any Tim Tams?
JASON JANG: Oh, my diet.
His diet has seen him lose 17 kilos. Jason's transformed from a bookish suburban Aussie kid to a K-Pop success with a Twitter following of almost 90,000.
JASON JANG: In 2010 when I was in second-year dentistry, that's when I came to Korea to audition and my audition was a failure. I went back up to the agency and I asked the CEO, I begged that he pick me to be in this group. This is from fans… vitamins.
Now he reads more fan mail than textbooks.
JASON JANG: Vitamins again. Centrum. That's from a Korean fan. They sell this in Korea.
REPORTER: A Korean fan gave you vitamins, Centrum?
JASON JANG: Yeah.
REPORTER: Why?
JASON JANG: I don't know. Maybe they thought I was getting old.
Korean pop is a fickle business. Ageing is not an option in this highly manufactured and extremely superficial industry. South Korea is known for being obsessed with image, so much so, it's the cosmetic surgery capital of the world. One in five women here have had a surgical enhancement. The features they're trying to emulate reflected in K-Pop.
JASON JANG: You have got to look your best every time, if you don't look good, you will fold.
REPORTER: What is this, where are you going tonight?
JASON JANG: I'm going to meet my other red head compatriots and we're going to have a drink. And discuss things, like the status of our hair.
JASON JANG: Hopefully, you guys, all of our fans, would have been able to see what kind of guys we are and how we talk and how we play with each other, so it's good. Play with each other? How we meet... What? How we hang out. How we hang out. We don't play with each other, sorry about that.
BAND MEMBER: You're okay?
JASON JANG: Yeah.
We are heading to meet Hanbyul at a beauty salon. We're running about two hours late for the shoot because he went clubbing last night and failed to come home this morning. We showed up at his house at 7: 00 and he was just AWOL.
JASON JANG: Hello, so sorry.
REPORTER: Hello. What happened?
JASON JANG: We had, after the gathering that we had, we had another session. That was with our manager, and all the members and that went too long.
REPORTER: How are you feeling? I'm feeling good, okay, but my parents are not feeling good.
Jason's parents are still adjusting to the perks of pop and all the partying that comes with it.
JASON JANG: My mother, she is really strict and uptight and she is sort of like a typical Asian parent, you know how there's a stereotype about Asian parents? That's my mum. So it's really hard. Yeah.
BAND MEMBER (Translation): I can’t believe he is bagging his mum on national Australian television. Wow, he is crazy.
Korean pop stars have a high profile right across Asia and ahead of Ledapple's three month tour of Japan, a reality TV crew is recording their every move. The filming continues as the band records a music video. Their new single will debut in their upcoming tour of Japan, where their fan base is even bigger than South Korea.
JASON JANG: The reason why I looked into the K-Pop industry instead of like a career, a singing career back in Australia is because of the perspective that the Aussies have for Asian artists and how difficult it is for an Asian artist to be successful in western countries. That's the only reason why I came back to my parents' home country.
A lot of people recognise us in Japan than in Korea, so it's pretty weird. Hopefully this time around when we release our new single, ‘Who Are You’, in Japan, we will be able to make it on the weekly charts, the top ten on the weekly charts this time around. The last time we were 13th on the weekly charts and our aim this time is to get in the top ten.
I miss my mum already, I miss my mum and my dad. Yeah, I don't feel very well.
I'm on a train heading to a secret location to meet with the band. We were given the address under strict instruction not to share it with anybody, because I think the fear is that it will get out to some of the fans.
REPORTER: Hi, how are you?
JASON JANG: I'm okay.
The band's high profile means they face endless scrutiny and intrusion.
JASON JANG: We keep it shut all the time because a lot of people walk past and because of the red hair or some people actually recognise us.
The band's record company pays their expenses, clearly determined to save money wherever they can.
JASON JANG: We don't have any beds because we wanted to make everything more spacious.
REPORTER: So it's like a floor mattress situation?
JASON JANG: Yes, this is the manager’s and I get to keep the cushion.
The perfectly coifed quintet is in Tokyo, performing at a concert boasting some of the biggest names in K-Pop.
REPORTER: You happy with it? What did you think, good?
MANAGER: So, so.
REPORTER: So, so? Beneath the dark glasses and bravado, there is a fear of failure and of disappointing his parents.
JASON JANG: I have a lot of pressure. I have to say that after they moved to Korea, there's a lot of pressure on me and I'm not enjoying the pressure that much. I feel as if I have to work twice as harder, so that I don't disappoint them because they've made a big sacrifice.
Pressure, too, of another sort. This is a ruthless industry, constantly manufacturing new stars at the expense of old ones.
JASON JANG: Hopefully perform for 20 years, 30 years, like Led Zeppelin.
Ledapple has the look, and the adoration, but a key component is missing - a pay cheque.
REPORTER: How much money do you guys make, it is it a lucrative career?
JASON JANG: If you are popular and you have a lot of fans, then it is very lucrative. All the hard times will just be washed away with how much money you would make. Once you are popular. But the hard thing is getting popular and just having that big bang, like, to the top.
Until that big bang comes, he's relying on his parents, who left their jobs in Australia to move here for him.
REPORTER: Are you guys happy?
JASON’S FATHER: Not really. He has to make money. No money at the moment.
The reality is very few make much money at all. Most of the profits from sales and concerts go to the record label, not the performers themselves. But regardless of whether Ledapple climb to the very top or not, Jason's confident he won't regret ditching dentistry.
JASON JANG: I would have the same amount of passion for it. It's because I like singing much better and I think I'm happier when I'm singing.
REPORTER: What are some of your worries?
JASON JANG: You don't know when you will lose popularity, so that's a big worry. Bye, bye. See you next time.
ANJALI RAO: A somewhat stressed Jason Jang there with Jeannette Francis. You can go online for Jeannette's other K-Pop story about the increasing demand for cosmetic surgery by fans wanting to look like their idols. There is SBS's Pop Asia. Listen online 24 hours a day and you can tune in on SBS 2 every Sunday at 4.00pm.
Reporter/Camera
JEANNETTE FRANCIS
Producer
MEGGIE PALMER
Associate Producer
SUSAN CHEONG
Fixers
LINA YOON
YO NAGAYA
Additional Camera
NOBUTAKA SHIRAHAMA
Researcher
MELANIE MORRISON
Editors
MICAH MCGOWN
NICK O’BRIEN
Translations/Subtitles
LEAH HYEIN NA
HIROKO MOORE
Additional footage and stills provided by Ledapple, Jang family and MNET Australia.