It seems like even veteran singer Tablo of Epik High can’t escape the K-pop collecting culture as he revealed that he almost got broke buying albums and photocards for his daughter Haru!
Tablo was the guest in the July 28 episode of Jae Friends, a web show hosted by soloist Kim Jaejoong. In there, the two stars talked about how Hallyu wave grew over the years.
The two started talking about how they first met, recalling how they both debuted in 2005. Tablo was with Epik High, while Jaejoong was under TVXQ, before he left the group and its agency SM Entertainment in 2009.
📌Jaejoong JaeFriends EP.1 with Tablo✨
👓 : we were debut at the same year (2003) and we met at the KBS restroom, you guys come to greet us
👓 : but TVXQ really popular just with one song HUG, while we need 2-3 years..👶🏻 : 😳
Watch now (ENG SUB)
👉🏻https://t.co/oUV9gXBpjh pic.twitter.com/QbQPKckJM9— TVXQ! Fanbase.id ♡ (@dbskfanbaseid) July 27, 2023
Their conversation then transitioned to how K-pop is right now, wherein Tablo revealed that he knows a lot of recent songs.
However, the rapper-songwriter couldn’t help but whine over one aspect: how expensive K-pop is.
Tablo on Haru’s fangirling
The Epik High singer then joked that he almost went broke because he has spent a lot on buying K-pop merchandise for his daughter Haru.
“To be honest, I need to get something from this industry. The amount of money I’m spending on K-pop,” he said.
Jaejoong then asked Tablo what K-pop groups Haru is a fan of. To which, he replied that she’s following BTS, Stray Kids, and SEVENTEEN.
“She likes so many idol groups. Seriously, I’m not kidding. I have like a bunch of CDs. The employee selling the albums, that person could recognize who I am,” he shared.
the lady at hottracks thinks it’s hilarious that I come every week and sweep up kpop cds bc she knows who I am
she even asked, “Don’t you get these gifted to you by the artists?”
I do but I want unsigned unopened ones and she doesn’t get it
— tablo (@blobyblo) July 9, 2023
Additionally, Tablo pointed out the number of versions that albums have right now and their cost. He even teasingly blamed Jaejoong and TVXQ for making it a trend.
“You guys have started that. You guys were the first one. But the stone you guys slightly rolled, it now became a huge rock. There are 20 versions just for one album,” he said.
Tablo complaining about K-Pop album versions and photocards to Jaejoong because they started from TVXQ! 😅😅😅
✅️ TVXQ's 3rd album with 4 versions released in 2006
✅️ TVXQ's collection cards released in 2009 pic.twitter.com/WTDPwrVUj9— 🆂🆃🅴🆅🅸🅴🎈 (@SteVieOliVie) July 29, 2023
Meanwhile, Jaejoong was surprised at Tablo’s remarks, saying that fans could listen to the music on streaming platforms instead. “Is it necessary to buy a CD?” he asked.
Tablo then quipped that it’s because he has to buy the photocards included in the album. “It’s also from you guys. Everything’s all because of you guys. With the amount of albums I’ve bought until now, I almost went bankrupt,” he said.
The exchange quickly went viral on social media, with many fans agreeing to Tablo’s sentiments. Some also found it cute how supportive he is of Haru’s hobby, and shared that they’re curious about her K-pop merchandise collection.
📌Jaejoong <Jae Friends> EP.1 ENG SUB updated!✨
When a dad complain that kids nowadays spent money on albums for its pc..
TVXQ is the first group to start pc culture, and SNSD🙈🙈
👉🏻https://t.co/oUV9gXBpjh@bornfreeonekiss #김재중 #ジェジュン #재친구 #TABLO #타블로 #EPIKHIGH pic.twitter.com/T9CmnYh9lI
— TVXQ! Fanbase.id ♡ (@dbskfanbaseid) July 28, 2023
But in response to a tweet, Tablo jokingly implied that the merchandise might be for himself. “Funny that people think the photocards collection is for Haru,” he wrote.
funny that ppl think the pc collection is for Haru https://t.co/FsjRlrGyjW
— tablo (@blobyblo) July 29, 2023
Haru is the 13- year-old daughter of Tablo with his wife Kang Hye Jung. Tablo previously appeared in the variety show The Return of Superman when Haru was still younger, but they left the show in 2014.
Featured image: Epik High’s Tablo poses for a photo with daughter Haru. Credit: Instagram/Haru Lee