From their deep gazes to their modern choreography, everything about U-KISS’s latest comeback seems to show off how manly the boys have become. The group first earned their ‘Strong Idol’ nickname after with their “Man Man Ha Ni” promotion and has returned even stronger than ever with their 4th mini-album, “Break Time.”
– Your group earned a lot of popularity with hook songs such as “Man Man Ha Ni” and “Bingeul Bingeul.” Is your comeback song another hook song?
Kibum: “They may all be hook songs but they each have their own differences. For the first two, our choreography was easy for the public to follow while our comeback features harder moves. We focused on giving a more fantastic performance this time around.”
– The last part of your choreography leaves a lasting impression.
Dongho: “It’s the part where we drop our handkerchiefs. This is a secret, but we pick them up right away after the song ends. We don’t have a separate staff that picks them.”
– Do you have any episodes to share regarding the production of your album?
Kevin: “Dongho almost died while doing the photo shoot for our album jacket pictures. We were in an abandoned factory for the shoot and Dongho was up on the 2nd floor. All of a sudden, the floor broke and his foot fell through. He could’ve fallen from the 2nd floor if he wasn’t careful.”
– It seems all of you have worked out for this album.
Soohyun: “We didn’t diet to lose weight. We exercised consistently in order to get muscles. Eli especially lost about 10kg in one month after he started working out. It hasn’t been that long for me since I just started, but I lost about 3kg as well.”
– What does it mean to live life as an idol in this generation?
Alexander: “It’s an extreme and special honor. I’m just thankful that we receive so much love. However, as much as there are positive things about the life style, there are just as many things we must give up. It’s difficult for us to casually go out for a drink or even date since we’re idols.”
– Do you currently live in a dorm?
Kibum: “At the time our group was formed, our members were too young so we didn’t dorm together. Our agency also felt that there’d be too many cultural differences since most of our members are from overseas. We all leave for work from our own homes.”
– How do you start your mornings?
Kevin: “I use public transportation or my parents will sometimes drive me to work. Kiseop uses the subway but doesn’t like it because he thinks it’s embarrassing when people notice who he is.”
– Are you interested in any female idols?
Alexander: “It changes every week. For this week, miss A? (laughter).”
– Did you ever date after debuting?
Soohyun: “I have. I’m dating my fans (laughter). Honestly, I’ve never dated after we debuted. Whenever I see female idols, I do want to get their numbers or get closer, but I never move those thoughts into actions.”
– What is your most memorable performance?
Dongho: “Our recent concert in the Philippines was the most memorable. About 38,000 fans came to see us. All of us were so nervous at the time, but just the thought of performing in a concert made just for us made our hearts swell. We had an extremely fun time with our fans, I almost cried when they shouted for an encore at the end.”
– Do you have any plans for a concert in Korea?
Dongho: “We don’t, for now. We’re planning a Japanese concert in December. Maybe it’s because we’ve promoted more overseas, but we’re more accepted by the international audience than in Korea. I think we’ll be holding a Korean concert next year.”
– You’ve never won #1 yet. Does it disappoint you?
Kibum: “It is disappointing. There are some groups that win #1 even a month after they debut. It’s sometimes embarrassing not having won anything up to this point, but it makes us more determined to try harder than ever. We hope to win someday, please give us your love.”
[indo trans]
– Grup kalian makin populer dengan lagu2 yg menarik seperti “Man Man Ha Ni” dan “Bingeul Bingeul.” Apakah lagu kalian yg baru ini juga akan membuat orang lain gampang jatuh hati ?
Kibum: “Semuanya adalah lagu yg akan bikin kepincut tapi mereka punya perbedaan. Untuk lagu2 sebelumnya koreo kami lebih mudah jadi gampang diikuti orang lain, tapi comeback kami yg ini punya gerakan yg lebih rumit. kami fokus untuk memberikan penampilan fantastik kali ini.”
– Koreo terbaru kalian meninggalkan kesan.
Dongho: “Ada bagian tarian dimana kami menjatuhkan sapu tangan. Ini rahasia sih, tapi kami sendiri yg mengambilnya setelah penampilan selesai, kami tidak punya staf yg bertugas mengambilkannya.”
– Apa kalian punya cerita untuk dibagikan dalam proses pembuatan album kalian?
Kevin: “Dongho hampir mati saat pemotretan untuk cover album. Kami melakukan pemotretan di gedung bekas pabrik yg bangkrut dan saat itu Dongho ada di lantai 2. Tiba2, lantainya roboh dan kakinya terjatuh, untuk dia siap, jadinya dia tidak jatuh ke lantai dasar.”
– Tampaknya, kalian semua berlatih fisik khusus untuk album ini.
Soohyun: “Kami tidak diet untuk menurunkan berat badan. Kami olahraga teratur untuk membentuk otot. Eli turun 10 kg dalam 1 bulan setelah mulai fitness. Aku sendiri karena baru2 ini mulainya, hanya kehilangan 1-3 kg.”
– Apa rasanya hidup menjadi idola generasi sekarang?
Alexander: “Sangat luar biasa dan sebuah kehormatan. Aku berterimakasih karena banyak yg mencintai kami. Meskipun banyak hal baiknya, tapi tetp ada beberapa hal yg harus kami tinggalkan. Sulit bagi kami untuk jalan2, minum2 bahkan berkencan karena kami adlaah idola..”
– Apa kalian tinggal di asrama?
Kibum: “Saat grup kami dibentuk, kami masih terlalu muda, jadi kami tidak tinggal bersama di asrama. Agensi kami juga merasa banyak perbedaan budaya karena latar belakang kami banyak dari negara luar. Kami berangkat kerja dari rumah kami masing2.”
– Bagaimana kalian memulai pagi hari ?
Kevin: “Aku memakai kendaraan umum ataupun orang tuaku mengantarku untuk kerja. Kiseop memakai subway tapi tidak menyukainya, karena akan membuatnya malu jika ada orang yg mengenalinya.”
– Apa kalian menyukai idola wanita?
Alexander: “Berubah2 tiap minggunya. Minggu ini, miss A? (tertawa).”
– Apakah kalian pernah pacaran setelah debut?
Soohyun: “Ya. Dengan fans2 ku. (tertawa). Jujur ya, aku belum pernah pacaran setelah debut. Setiap kali melihat member idola wanita, aku ingin minta nomer hape mereka atau ingin lebih dekat dengan mereka, tapi aku tidak pernah melakukannya.”
– Penampilan yg paling berkesan bagi kalian ?
Dongho: “Konser kami di Filipina baru2 ini sangat berkesan. Ada sekitar 38,000 fans yg datang. Kami sangat gugup saat itu, tapi kami pikir kalau tampil di konser itu memang akan membuat hati terhanyut. Kami bahkan menikmati waktu senang2 dengan fans, bahkan aku hampir menangis ketika mereka berteriak di akhir penampilan.”
– Apakah ada rencana menggelar konser di Korea ?
Dongho: “Belum, setidaknya untuk saat ini. Tapi, kami akan menggelar konser di Jepang Desember ini. Munkin karena kami promonya lebih ke luar negeri, makanya kami lebih diterima di luar daripada di Korea. Aku pikir kami akan menggelar konser di Korea tahun depan.”
– Kalian belum pernah menjadi juara 1. Apakah itu membbuatmu kecewa?
Kibum: “Mengecewakan memang. Ada beberapa grup langsung bisa juara 1 meski baru debut sebulan. Memalukan rasanya sampai saat ini kami belum pernah menang apa2, tapi itu membuat kami berusaha jauh lebih keras lagi. Kami harap, kami bisa menang suatu saat nanti, dukung kami ya.”
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