[Interview] MYNAME "Before debut, we practice 16 hours a day and were regulars in the emergency room"

With the comeback of Girls’ Generation and Wondergirls, the flood of rookie groups are put on hold, but many boygroups are making their debut one after another saying, “We were waiting for this time.” The one that definitely stood out among them is MYNAME, a group known as ‘Hwanhee Boys’ which Hwanhee devoted himself to training the members, and have been capturing attention from before their debut.

5-member idol group MYNAME stand out for their looks, aggressive and synchronized group dance, and even combining it with fantastic vocals and rap skills, receiving praise as ‘prepared rookies’. Japan’s Oricon sees the potential in these guys and will set up a special page for them on their website, showing exceptional interest in them.
They took off the strong charisma they have on stage when we met for an interview, and the members were joking among themselves, never stopping the smiles.
Despite the young average age of 20.5 years, MYNAME catches attention for their unique careers.

Seyong (21) was known as a ‘former JYP trainee’ and has caught fans’ attention for being featured in Hwanhee’s performances. He also appeared in many dramas, including KBS2′s ‘Believe In Love’. JunQ(19) was a science textbook model who looks like Lee Seunggi and is called ‘Lee Seunggi’s doppelganger’. He was a model student and student body president in elementary school, but on stage, he is a charismatic rapper with deep vocals.

Insoo(23) was on Mnet’s ‘SuperstarK 2’. Graduating from Anyang Arts High School and Sejong University as a dance major, he came with 7 years of ballet experience. In that time, he taught Miss A’s Suzy (T/N: It’s actually rythm gymnast Shin Suji.) and rythm gymnast Son Yeonjae, receiving recognition for his talents.

“Ballerinos and singers are all artists. Actually, I do get stressed because my habits from ballet dancing is restricting our current choreography. I’m learning dance choreography from dongsaeng Seyong now.”(Insoo)
Gunwoo(23) has a lot of interest in fashion. He worked at a clothing store in Apgujeong, and whenever he has time now, he reforms his own clothes. Maknae Chaejin(17) did arts from 2nd year in elementary school till 2nd year in middle school, at a rocket launch meeting in Namyangju, he even won first place in the nationals, showing a different side of him.

Like other idols, MYNAME trained for a long time of 2 years and 3 months. From 3 months before their debut, they trained for 16 hours a day from 2pm to 8am the next day. It greatly helped them after debut to have a lifestyle where they sleep when other are awake.

“If we had practices in the day, I think we wouldn’t have been able to get used to our current schedule. Our body’s biorhythms have gotten accustomed to the music industry’s schedule. We go back after our daily activities are done and practice our choreography early in the morning, then go to sleep.”(Insoo)

While they were joking with one another during the interview, we asked them if they frequently talk to one another when they are together. “Now, matching our hand movements is more important. We really keep repeating our practices until every ounce of strength is drained from our bodies.”

“JunQ collapsed during practice because of dehydration before, and maknae Chaejin also went to the emergency room for breathing difficulties. We pushed ourselves too far many times by dancing aggressively without rest. Because of that, we frequent the emergency room in thenearby university hospital.”(Gunwoo)

They debut song Message is about the heartbreak of not receiving a text message reply from the girl he loves. Such meaning are usually sung as ballads, but they made it into a dance song with aggressive choreography, presenting a rebellious charm.

When asked about their characteristics, they replied, “We can rap and sing, and can even do activities as a soloist or as a unit. We can not only dance b-boying, but can also sing songs like Westlife’s ‘My Love’. We monitor other rookie groups but none of them are similar to us,” showing their confidence.

But what these guys really need now it to shed the label ‘Hwanhee Boys’, and letting people know their name MYNAME.

“It’s true that we feel burdened. I don’t think it’s easy to shed the image of being ‘raised by Hwanhee sunbaenim’. We are confident of working hard and not fall short of the anticipation. With Hwanhee sunbaenim emphasizing his advice to ‘Become modest and never lose’, we willwork hard to become 2011′s best rookie group.”(JunQ)

Source: eNews
Translation: MYNAMESG

Cr: mynameint