[INTERVIEW] Boy band MBLAQ - Part 2

10: Rain is the vocal guide and producer of your group and he has taught you many things. But your vocal style is different than Rain's even though one's singing style usually changes according to the song's producer. How did you receiving vocal training?
G.O.: We had a lot of experiences before we debuted , so we had been singing in our own styles for a long time. To a certain extent, we do get told how to deliver the feeling of each song but we decided that we would keep our original voices and the singing styles that we already had.
Seung Ho: A lot of our opinions were pretty much reflected in this album and Ji-hoon doesn't force us to do something. For example, he doesn't assign one member to sing a part which suits another person and makes him practice. We pretty much decide who is going to see which part.

10: The members take care of their work.
Seung Ho: What Ji-hoon emphasized was that we be independent. I think the songs we wrote ourselves are going to be included in the next album. He doesn't try to force us to do something but does it in a subtle way. (laugh) So that we won't feel pressured and as time passes, we would come to accept it ourselves that we are a certain kind of team. I think he already has an image of our stage performance when he gives us the songs, and makes the song click with the image.

10: On MBC variety show "Radio Star," Rain said that he told MBLAQ in the beginning to take care of their image but thought he could let you guys be after seeing you on TV appearances. Did he really say that in the beginning?
Seung Ho: When we first debuted, we usually went on televised music shows and had a strong image. So Ji-hoon didn't have much to worry about. But as we began to do variety shows, one after another, I think he started thinking, "What is going on with these kids." And it started getting more and more out of hand. (laugh) Then he told us to do anything we wanted, saying "I didn't know you guys were this funny."

10: Lee Joon is making quite a fool of himself on variety shows. (laugh)
Joon: I am trying to hold back these days because I feel like I'm showing you too much stuff. One needs some restraint, you know. (laugh)

10: You said all kinds of things about Rain on KBS variety show "Happy Together." Did anything happen after the show aired? (laugh)
Joon: We thought a lot [about what we should say] before doing the show. Whether we should choose the public and get scolded by Ji-hoon, or tell a boring to viewers and be adored by Ji-hoon. (laugh) We chose the viewers because they are bigger in number and said everything we wanted. (laugh) Ji-hoon didn't say much after the episode aired, but he doesn't tell me anything personal these days. (laugh) But to be honest, I'm not really a funny person. And I wasn't trying to be funny on the show.

10: That is the funniest thing of all. (laugh) To say that you are not funny, after everything you said on the show.
Joon: That was like one or two minutes of funny stuff out of a six-hour taping. I don't talk much and my personality has a little dark side too. To be honest, "Happy Together" is a show that gets very high ratings and all I thought about was that I should say anything and everything to make a strong impression on viewers. I didn't care how it would make Ji-hoon look. (laugh) So I blurted out everything.

10: You can practice dancing and singing but it is hard to practice for variety shows. But doing variety shows has become a must for idol group singers. What do you think is the most necessary skill in doing variety shows?
Seung Ho: Gumption, quick reflexes and good timing. You can tell the same story but the timing can either make or break the humor.
Mir: I think timing is the most important thing. I got edited out many times because I didn't have good timing. (laugh)

10: Maybe that is why Mir seems to be having a tough time on MBC Everyone's "Idol Show."
Mir: When I was a trainee, everyone told me I would do great physical comedy because I was the most unique. So in the beginning, people told me that I would be the saviour of the group on variety show appearances. But from a certain point, I began to see sides of other members that I didn't know about and what's more, they were funny without making a fool of themselves. In the beginning, our work schedule would read "Mir, Mir, Mir" but my name started disappearing, one by one. Now I am riding on their coattails. (laugh)

10: For Cheon Dung, "Idol Show" was the first time in experiencing a group variety show appearance. What was it like on the set?
Cheon Dung: It was very.. uh, difficult but other people were so funny. I decided that I would laugh loudly like an audience member and just say something if somebody asks me. So I said some stuff. Then I got ambitious and said I would be the emcee. When funny scenes of other members got posted on the website, I would try to be funny on purpose and say that I wanted to be hilarious like them.

10: You lived overseas and haven't been working in Korea for that long. Isn't it hard for you to communicate in Korean?
Cheon Dung: Nothing too hard. When I read the viewers' stories on the radio, there are many words that are hard to pronounce. But other than that, everything is okay.

10: You prepare more vocal mimicry than anyone else. (laugh)
Joon: That's right. He does a new one every week. (laugh)
Seung Ho: Out of everyone I know who has studied or lived abroad, he has spent the shortest time in Korea but speaks Korean the best. Including all the slangs and stuff. (laugh)

10: Who taught you the Korean slangs? (laugh)
Seung Ho: I teach him one or two.. (laugh)

10: What does your older sister [Sandara Park of girl band 2NE1] say to you about your work?
Cheon Dung: When we were promoting our first album, we kept in touch a lot and she taught me a lot of things. But with this album, she's just like, "I saw you perform."

10: Do you know that some people become shocked upon looking at how small your face is?
Cheon Dung: Oh really?

10: They say it's so small and has great ratio...
Cheon Dung: But some people have said it's weird for a guy to have such small face so I think it was two days ago that I felt hurt because of that.
Joon: Weird? I should die then.
Mir: It's better having a face as big as mine.

10: Joon, you definitely don't have a big face either.
Joon: The people at my agency tell me not to stand next to him. I envy him so much.

10: Cheon Dung, I heard you're interested in composing songs. Are there any songs that you have made so far?
Cheon Dung: I've completed two songs so far but I'm studying the MIDI these days because I'm not good at using it. That's why I'm focusing more on learning how to use the MIDI than composing.

10: What style of music are you interested in?
Cheon Dung: I'm not that particular about it. I just work on whatever I feel is right and expresses me the best. No matter how good the melody sounds, I throw it away if I feel that it isn't me.

10: Joon, I understand that you have a lot of interest in acting but you studied dancing first, right?
Joon: Yes but I had originally wanted to act. I wasn't interested in becoming a singer and was studying acting when a friend of mine asked me to go for an audition with him so I auditioned as an actor. But Rain told me that he thought I would be good as a singer too so that's how I became a singer.
Seung Ho: I thought he must be a fraud in the beginning (laugh) because he joined the agency saying he wants to become an actor but started dancing to become the Joon he is today.

10: Joon, I heard it was by chance that you took up dancing too. You're a very fast learner for that.
Joon: I was a very hard worker. And it was because of the girls -- they kept looking down on me. Dancers are usually strong-minded and most of them are well off. On the other hand my family was in bad shape and I only had one set of dancing clothes. The girls would say that I smell because I would always wear the same set of dancing clothes that I washed everyday and about 15 girls would come up to me and say that I'm really bad so I worked really hard after that. I ended up receiving good grades and the reason I took up dancing in the first place was because I wanted to become an actor.

10: It seems that you're a fast learner considering that the dancing you learned back is different from the choreography that your group uses now. You must have an even harder time than people who haven't danced at all before.
Joon: It's so difficult. I've heard so many times that the rest of my group looks like they are dancing but that I'm not. I've been trying really hard to change my style of dancing.
G.O.: I think Joon has gone through a good process considering the fact that the real great dancers started out in ballet or contemporary dancing. And our group in general have a great sense when it comes to dancing. I used to think that I have more experience because I had released an album before but I now think these guys are better than me.

Senior Reporter : Kang Myoung-Seok two@
Reporter : Choi Ji-Eun five@
Photographer : Chae ki-won ten@
Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
Editor : Lee Ji-Hye seven@