TXT’s Yeonjun Apologizes After “Deja Vu” Live Encore On “M!Countdown” Earns Criticism

Recently, TXT returned with “Deja Vu” and have since been promoting the track. This includes attending music shows like M! Countdown, where the group won their second award for the track up against HYBE labelmates ILLIT. 

(left to right) ILLIT and TXT. | Mnet

Like many music show wins, TXT participated in the customary live encore following their award speeches. The live encores serve as a way of measuring an artist’s live skills as they happen without backing tracks.

TXT are known for their vocal skills, so many have high expectations for the group.

라이브 하나도 안빼고 부르는 앵콜 느낌 너무 좋은데?… pic.twitter.com/9P6kWbW2CD

— ‎오물조물 (@txt_sarangdan2) April 11, 2024

Surprisingly, netizens were disappointed with the group’s encore, specifically pointing out some members.

| theqoo

 

• It seems like the expectations for idol live performances are incredibly low. Shouldn’t the basic expectation be to perform well? Isn’t that what we should be talking about after they’ve finished?
• Ah… hmm… Is this the best live performance idols can offer? Why is everyone off-key like this? Yeonjun seems to be better, at least.
• I’m really sorry, but excluding Hueningkai, it’s pretty terrible… It feels like the others are completely off-key
• Am I mistaken? Everyone sounds good, except Yeonjun.

However, some offered an explanation for the group’s performance. The day before, the group were in Japan for the Asia Star Entertainer Awards 2024, where they performed and accepted multiple awards before flying back to Korea to make it to M! Countdown.

Because of this, and the fact they performed just before the award announcement, the group’s condition was not as good as usual, they explained.

| theqoo

• Ah, looking at the comments, it seems like they had a late-night schedule the day before, so maybe their condition wasn’t good. Moreover, they did an encore right after the ending stage.
• TXT, you usually do well, but this time, right after finishing the stage, you seemed tired, so the beginning wasn’t great, but it got better as it went on. So, it seems like your condition wasn’t great that day. I want to ask you if you have a bad performance every now and then and don’t make mistakes in exams or at work, etc. If TXT really had no skills, they would’ve been criticized a lot for not being able to encore every time. It shows that they’re holding back.
• It seems like you had a really busy day yesterday, starting with attending an awards ceremony in Japan until late at night and then returning to Korea to go to a music show. Even though I live near Yokohama, I attended the awards ceremony and then had a tough day at work today. Going to Korea, the beauty shop, and then going to a music show… It’s understandable if you’re feeling a bit out of it. Saying that you did well in all of that might just be putting up a shield; it’s inevitable that your condition wouldn’t be at its best. It’s okay if you didn’t sing well; everyone understands that these situations can be tough. We all believe in your ability to perform well in live performances like with Yeonjun.

A commenter on Weverse left a similar message assuring the group, and Yeonjun specifically, that they did their best despite being tired.

Yeonjun responded to this comment with an apology and thanked fans for their support. He promised that the next encore would be better, calling the schedule and tiredness “excuses.”

| TXT/Weverse

Fan: Jjun-ie, it was tiring going straight to a music show after you landed in Korea, right? Jjun-ie isn’t someone who does not enjoy encore performances…it’s okay jjun-ie, you did your best and were cool, and its okay to take it easy when you’re exhausted. it is okay if you are feeling well and don’t do well, so get some rest quickly and let’s be healthy when we see each other again, congrats on winning #1!
Yeonjun: (comments are from bottom to top) What’s this, I’m very touched.
Yeonjun: Ah, my live vocals were really bad today, I’m sorry MOA.
Yeonjun: These are all just excuses and I was bad, lol. I’ll be better when we have the chance to do it again, MOA. Thank you so much for first place!

With how tough it can be to handle harsh criticism, we are glad to see Yeonjun is not taking things so hard!