The Reason Why First-Generation Singer Chooses Not To Have Celebrity Friends

Brian Joo, a member of the K-Pop duo Fly to the Sky, revealed that he doesn’t have celebrity friends—and he has his reasons.

On December 26, Brian appeared as a guest on Studio Suze‘s YouTube channel show hosted by TV personality Jang Sung Kyu. In the show called Don’t Forget Your Breakfast, Jang Sung Kyu visited Brian’s house in Pyeongtaek, a city in Gyeonggi Province about 45 minutes away from Seoul by car.

As he does in every episode, Jang Sung Kyu entered the the guest’s room as he was still in bed and woke him up. He explored some areas of Brian’s house, which was an extra special event as Brian is currently gaining lots of love for his show, Cleaning Freak Brian, where he helps guests clean their “messy” homes.

Regarding the reason for living in Pyeongtaek instead of Seoul, Brian Joo shared that the city didn’t suit him.

I don’t fit well with the city. I felt stuffy living in the city. Even when I came home after a day of work, I felt like my work is not finished. It feels like I’m always on standby.

— Brian Joo

Brian then shared how he found his current house in Pyeongtaek. He also made the production team gasp by revealing how much he paid for it. Despite its big size, the house was on the cheaper side.

I came to Pyeongtaek and drove by this apartment, and I thought, ‘Hey, that place is nice.’ It’s quiet. Also, it’s 39 pyeong (128.93 sq meters), and the price was incredible. Guess how much I paid for it. I can tell you. It was only ₩370 million KRW (about $285,000 USD).

— Brian Joo

Because of this affordable price, Brian Joo claimed that he could not see himself moving back to Seoul. Then, he shared another reason why he enjoys living in Pyeongtaek.

Also, I told you I have a lot of foreigner friends, right? Many of my friends who lived in Yongsan moved to Pyeongtaek [because the U.S. army base moved there]. So, it was dull in Seoul because I had no one to hang out with. And I’m not that close to any celebrities and didn’t know many celebrities in my neighborhood.

— Brian Joo

Jang Sung Kyu was a bit surprised because Brian appears to have many celebrity friends, as he has met so many throughout his 24-year career. He asked Brian the burning question: “Why don’t you have close celebrity friends?” and Brian gave his reason.

They’re not all like this but during my most active days [as a singer], there was so much rivalry among celebrities. I hated it. If you meet them while they’re doing well and they have a hit song continuously ranking #1, their behavior and attitude change.

— Brian Joo

On a different variety show, Brian Joo once shared an anecdote about meeting his junior after a while and being shocked by what his junior said. During this interview, he mentioned this again.

I met [a celebrity] in the green room after a long time of not seeing each other, so I was very happy to see him. I said, ‘Hey, I see you’ve been doing well. Why didn’t you hit me up?’ and he said, ‘Hyung, these days, success is your senior.’

— Brian Joo

He further explained that there were also celebrity friends who unfollowed him on social media, which not only shocked him but made him wonder if he did anything wrong.

Brian clarified again that “not all celebrities are like this,” but it changed his view of them.

I know not all celebrities are like this, but I did lose my trust in them.

— Brian Joo

Brian is a Korean-American singer who debuted in 1999 as a member of the popular R&B duo Fly to the Sky alongside singer Hwanhee. He recently became popular—with some saying he is in his “second heyday”—because of his humorous YouTube channel, Cleaning Freak Brian, where he shows off his meticulous personality and dramatic responses to anything dirty.

Check out the full episode of Brian in Don’t Forget Your Breakfast here.