Infinite is a seven-member boy group
composed of Sunggyu, Dongwoo, Woohyun, Hoya, Sungyeol, L, and Sungjong
under Woollim Entertainment, also home to Epik High and Nell. The group
debuted on June 9, 2010 with "Come Back Again (다시돌아와)" being their first
promotional song under first single, "First Invasion." They promoted
another song, "She's Back" afterwards.
They made a comeback with
"Before the Dawn (BTD)" in January 7, 2011. The song immediately became a
huge hit not only in Korea but also overseas. Their choreography
accompanying the song called the "Scorpion dance" has brought a
widespread attention to the group. The song has also brought them to
debut in Japan with "To-Ra-Wa" which gave them success as rookies in the
said country. Not a month later after ending promotional duties with
BTD, on March 7, 2011, they released the very catchy "Nothing's Over"
under their first ever single album, "Inspirit," which is also the same
name given to their fans club.
"The cheaser "
In the current music industry, Infinite is obviously the most self-made group. Along with splendid marketing, they did some acting and variety at the same time, without any help, they made their characters familiar and thanks only to their performances, they raised their popularity. In a time where the members’ names and personal talents are used in front line, Infinite is one of the rare teams to be remembered for their music first. Furthermore, their performance stands out with the guitar riffs of their song and their choreography, showing a totally different temperature than the trend these days’. These last 2 years weren’t an easy path made of luck and know-how, it’s the story of their efforts to convince people of their thoughts while they stayed quiet. Also, Infinite made their successful comeback with ‘The Chaser’ that gained the public’s trust and the fandom’s love.
However, the young men are saying that their trophies are still amazing and surprising. They told us that even now, what was important was practicing and making efforts as well as the people around them who strive for the team’s success. Their excessive modesty could even be mistaken for insincere greetings. But rather than taking about themselves, leader Sunggyu talks with even more heat when praising the other members and even every time his hyungs’ reply, maknae Sungjong nods and repeatedly comments: “It’s really like that”, “Hyung, you really became cool”; when listening to the seven members’ stories with young men’s freshness and youths’ passion in both of their hands, we got to know that their shiniest weapon was their innocence. The tears they shed on stage and the sweat dripping in their practice room are still absolutely real. Also when sharing stories with them, we didn’t get bored at all. Right now, we’re revealing seven stories that can guess what is going to make the day of Infinite who are stepping on the takeoff board.
Sunggyu - “The team being successful is always my top priority”
We thought he was the delicate voice who used a lot of breath but it seems that for this album his voice got a lot stronger.
Sunggyu: I was in charge of the chorus in ‘The Chaser’, but I did my best to make my voice cooly louder to give a refreshing feeling. It’s a song where I personally did a lot of new experimentations.
It’s known that the CEO always participates deeply in the whole producing too but, concretely, what kind of concept did he suggest this time?
Sunggyu: When we just debuted, we were watching movies together or when we were filming the music videos, he told us ‘Your eyes have to show it better’ while showing us personally but now, he doesn’t talk to us about this by himself that much.
L: Now he trusts us and leaves it to us, instead he jokes more. He told us ‘This time you will have to go wearing hanboks’ (T/N: Traditional Korean outfits). (Laughs)
Sungyeol: Really, until the day before our comeback, I thought we would have to tie our hair in topknots.
Sunggyu: He only talked to us about things like these. ‘This time you have to show something more Korean’, ‘It will have to hold the Orient’s beauty’.
As the main vocal, appearing on KBS ‘Immortal Song’ gives you a chance to win, did you prepare something especially for it?
Woohyun: I appeared on ‘Immortal Song’ too and I got a lot of aunt and mother fans, I think that Sunggyu hyung will get a lot of mother fans too.
Sunggyu: Actually, there isn’t such a thing as bids for victory. It’s just about overcoming my nervousness to do well because no matter who sees it, if I do my best, they will think nice of me. Also, the bids for victory are Infinite to me. The team being successful is always my top priority.
With your solo activities and overseas promotions, your schedule must have been busy, it seems that it got harder, little by little to take care of your dongsaengs as a hyung, who is the leader.
Sunggyu: I think it got easier instead. Because even if I don’t say it they all know how I feel.
L: Right. Because we know he’s scary. (Laughs)
As your dorm got better, you must have less things to nag about too.
Sunggyu: Because we’re all busy, we don’t really have the time to talk about our life in the dorms, because I don’t clean, I’m not in the position to say anything to the other members about it.
L: Yeah, I’m the one working hard cleaning!
Sungjong: L hyung is the really clean style. He cleans up every messy thing.
Sunggyu: If you get married to this kind of man it would be tiring, really. Because it’s not good if he’s too detailed.
L: No. I would clean everything and even wash the dishes? I feel good only if I do so.
If so, what did Sunggyu scolded you the most about lately?
Sunggyu: I really don’t say anything to them. These days the misunderstandings about me keep on piling up. I said it on SBS (Strong Heart) too but people think that I get tired the fastest. I actually get a lot of medications as gifts, I’m not even the style to take these meticulously, even worse, I thought that rather than taking vitamins as pills, it was better to get them from fruits, I’m the style to be really bad at doing things for my body. Really, the thing I take care of the most importantly is food. It’s all I need.
L “Following the concept, I change my character”
These days, the word ‘L-Co-Removed’ (T/N: L-Cosplay-Removed, the fans made this up from the word ‘Ordinary-Person-Cosplay-Removed, the fans call him that when he takes off his ‘L cosplay’ and is his normal Myungsoo self) is popular among the fans. It seems that when coming off stage, you show the real Kim Myungsoo more clearly than the L concept.
L: Following my mood, I also think I got a bit brighter.
Sungyeol: We also think that he’s really different on stage.
L: Oh, how?
Sungyeol: Ah, it’s not the Myungsoo we knew, why does he look so cool on stage?
Sungjong: Myungsoo hyung has a fresh charm and the hyung on stage shows charisma. He has two kinds of charms.
L always introduced himself saying that he was in charge of ‘the cowardly image’; for this stage too, does the concept have the same extension?
L: It changes for each song. When we were doing ‘Be Mine,” I had a cowardly expression, now I’m trying to show an image that is a bit more manly. Following the concept, I change my character little by little, I try to have emotions that match it. Like how Sunggyu hyung had a wounded sexy charisma. (Laughs)
Did accomplishing your performances this way help for your acting? tvN ’s Hyunsoo’s character has actually a lot of common points with L on stage. Since he gives a taciturn and serious feeling.
Sunggyu: That’s why it was easy. Because he lived while transforming from daily Myungsoo who is very mischievious to L on stage, he could suddenly transform to serious Hyunsoo when he was filming. (Laughs)
L: Of course, there’s that (Laughs) but there were also a lot of difficult points. L and Hyunsoo are similar but in fact, L is a celebrity while Hyunsoo is a character that can exist in real life. I studied this subtle difference and got ready, but I was really worried because if I got it wrong, it would look like both were L. Moreover, because I personally never received acting lessons, I received a lot of help there.
Sungjong: Really, this hyung did a lot of research.
For this concept, you also showed to the fans that you matured as a vocalist.
L: It’s not to the point where I can brag about it, it’s because Toy’s ‘Living By Your Side For A While’ (T/N: The song Myungsoo sang at Second Invasion) was the song I sang when I attended the auditions for Infinite. Because I wanted to set a stage with a special meaning to me, I went to suggest to the CEO myself that I would sing that song. And for the encore concert I sang ‘Love Generation’, I selected this song because I felt like I had to repay the fans who cheered for us at the concert. It’s the performance that made me think that Inspirits are my girlfriends, because the reaction was so big I was really taken aback.
For this album’s promotions, it looks like you really expressed your love for the fans a lot.
Woohyun: Rather than thinking we got 1st place because we did well, I was even more thankful to the people who cheered for us so it made me cry.
L: Truthfully, I was really worried about the hiatus. But the only fact that our fans were waiting for us like this, made me really very happy. Being able to be 1st once again, I think that’s why we got even more moved than when we got 1st for the first time. I’m thankful to everyone who loves our song but I really felt that my love and thankfulness for the fans got even bigger for this comeback.
Sungjong “When we were practicing, I practiced my expressions over and over while looking in the mirror”
Sungjong showed his acting in Tooniverse (Makirae Show) too. Compared to the quantity, it was the acting with the biggest impact in the team.
Sungyeol: Of course he became the president of elementary schoolers after doing that! He received tons of lemon candies as gifts. (Laughs)
L: His popularity with children is really no joke. Once, we were filming in front of an elementary school and all the kids went, “Oh, it’s Sungjongie there!”. (Laughs) That time we realized Sungjongie’s popularity.
Sungjong: (Sighs) They didn’t even say ‘Sungjongie’. They said “It’s the person who appeared in Makirae Show!” When I heard that I realized that the children watched it more than what I thought. Because I didn’t receive private lessons, it was awkward but since it’s a program that young friends watch, I did my best to be bright.
Woohyun: But Sungjongie is really popular to noonas too. When they just see Sungjongie they go “Woojjujjujju”. (T/N: Sound you make to amuse babies)
But when you sang ‘The Chaser’ this time, you received a lot of reviews saying that your stare got a lot more intense.
Sungjong: Ah, (while bowing) thank you. The hyungs monitored me and gave me a lot of advice, it helped me a lot. When we were practicing, I practiced my expressions over and over while looking in the mirror.
More especially, during the concert, you had a ‘Troublemaker’ performance which became a hot topic. Unexpectedly, Sungjong gave up on the woman’s choreography?
Sungyeol: Ah, suddenly this friend, in the morning, I opened my eyes and was hungry to death and he suddenly asked ‘Hyung, do you want to do Troublemaker?” At first I was confused.
Sungjong: I got the idea first so I went to suggest it to the CEO. But the song wasn’t a problem, the most important thing was that it wasn’t me who was going to have the girl’s role but Sungyeol hyung. (Laughs) How was it?
Sungyeol: Of course I thought that it was this friend who was going to do it so I said “Alright, you’re going to pick Hyunah-sshi?” but he said no! Since he directly said he wasn’t going to do it, I refused. But he kept on trying to persuade me, I wanted to do an unprecedented transformation so in the end I agreed. The conditions for me doing it was that he had to kiss me for real. (Laughs) It’s because I wanted to show something even cooler than what we already did. So the both of us did our best to get ready. I even exercised to get ready to rip my clothes.
Sungjong: We wanted to show a reversal.
L: In my opinion, the performance of these two was the flower of the concert. The screams were even louder than for the group performances.
Sungyeol is also the tallest member but is there a special reason why you selected him to be your female partner?
Sungjong: He’s also good looking, and I felt like hyung would do it well. (Laughs) And since he never showed this kind of image, I thought that it would be exceptional. As for me too, until now, I think that I showed more girl group dances than a cool image so I kind of wanted to show a different side of me.
Sungyeol: But because my parents were at the concert that day, I was embarrassed. (Laughs)
Sungjong: That’s why….. I was really sorry to Sungyeolie hyung’s parents.
Sungyeol: Well, they just talked about the concert and didn’t say much about that performance. We’ll keep it to ourselves. (Laughs)
Sungyeol “There were times where I lied but I’m the honest kind”
Sungyeol is the one doing the performance’s opening for ‘The Chaser’. You must’ve been really pressured?
Sungyeol: I was scared because it was the first start. They told me to confidently beat the stage while doing a model walking but matching the rhythm is really hard. So I emphasized on my expression, I think I managed well to put away my usual playfulness in my voice and on my face.
When you first debuted, you gave a really mischievious feeling but these days you got more quiet. You also tried to win seriously on Mnet (ranking king) Brain Battle, (Laughs)
Sungyeol: Ah, because I got 1st place in the pilot survey at that time, I wanted to keep that ranking so I played the game sincerely. I couldn’t disappoint the fans who picked me so I didn’t thinking about air time and I wanted to appear at the last second when they all fought with each other and tidy up everything but…… it didn’t went as I wanted.
Sunggyu: Because it was the Brain King, I wanted to do my best too. I got greedy, the writer noona told me where there was a good weapon so I just believed what she said and as I moved there I met Woohyun-sshi too soon. It’s a pity. I didn’t think of my character and wanted to do well but that image sticking with me, it was to the extent where I thought it was God’s will.
Analyzing other people’s moves while going by himself, Sungyeol’s smart image strengthened too.
Sungyeol: That time, it was just that everything the other did was noticeable. I didn’t especially watch or something like that, I think it just got edited well on broadcast.
Your observation skills are good too but it seems that your personality is the one to tell everything you observed. You said you couldn’t lie at all.
Sungjong: It’s because he has nothing to hide.
Sungyeol: Ah, there were times where I lied too but I’m the honest kind. But because I’m so frank, even in situations where the other side could be hurt, I would just say it all. In the past, I already said something bluntly to Sungjongie about his expression, he was maybe embarrassed about it. Now that I think of it, I’m sorry.
Sungjong: But isn’t it good instead that he talks honestly? In the end, thanks to the advice hyung gave me, I fixed my lacking part so it helped a lot. It’s just…… it’s also out of pride. (Laughs) Just kidding.
Also, truthfully, how did you feel doing the showcase after riding the helicopter? It must’ve been scary..
Sungyeol: It wasn’t scary at all. I even prepared medicine in case I got airsickness but I didn’t need it. It wasn’t only me, the other members too, it was something tiring to experience so we enjoyed it and even better. When we were moving, we even fell asleep comfortably.
Sunggyu: More than that, CEO told us to not be pressured about it. ‘Did I ever tell you anything after seeing you on stage? I’m always trusting you guys. You’re doing well so let’s do it as you’re already doing it. ’ He told us that and we got the showcase and rode the helicopter.
Sungyeol: (Laughs) He prepared the helicopter so we wouldn’t be pressured!
Dongwoo “(At 1000 Songs Challenge) Woohyun sang and I focused on supporting him”
We heard that today you recorded SBS (1000 Songs Challenge).
Dongwoo: Woohyun-sshi sang and I focused on supporting him. (Laughs)
Woohyun: I think I sang around 100 songs and Dongwoo-sshi is a friend with good reactions so we recorded well. His cheers were like the cheers of 100 warriors.
Hoya: If you just have a tambourine in one hand, you don’t have anything to be scared of.
Dongwoo: Instead the people in the audience were looking at me weirdly. Because I was working even harder than them. (Laughter)
Hoya: Maybe they felt a sense of crisis when they saw hyung. (T/N: Because he was giving better reactions than the audience)
You’re always smiling but it looks like you’re always sincerely happy.
Dongwoo: Woah, it’s really fun. Even today during (1000 Songs Challenge), there were talks from time to time, Jang Yoonjung sunbaenim is quite funny. He talked so well that I laughed a lot.
Hoya: Oh, are you dissing the other sunbaenims saying that they aren’t funny! Lee Hwijae sunbaenim was there too!
Dongwoo: No, personal preference, personal preference!
Sunggyu: You have to write it in big letters. ‘Jang Dongwoo, Jang Yoonjung sunbaenim over Lee Hwijae sunbaenim!’ ‘As expected, singer over gagman!’
Dongwoo: What is this, are you making up article titles now? (Laughs) You can’t do that.
It seems that Dongwoo always suffers these kinds of things. (Laughs)
Hoya: Even when I was practicing on my acting, Dongwoo hyung got tricked.
Dongwoo: This friend’s acting improved so much it surprised me. He suddenly told me his lines from his drama but I got tricked and asked him what happened. (Laughs)
Sunggyu: It’s because Dongwoo’s reactions are good, Sungyeol’s are nice too, I also always practiced with Dongwoo when I was doing the musical. He replied to all of my lines. Even for the laughter points, if Dongwoo laughs, they laughed at the same moment as him on stage, he’s a really precious member when we’re preparing. So maybe among us, the member who acts the best is Dongwoo. Because at point the leading increases. He gets immersed in it too! (Laughs)
Hoya: He can just read it though (Laughs)
If so, doesn’t Dongwoo feel like challenging acting too?
Dongwoo: I’m interested in doing things like sketches at radios but I think it would be too hard to do it in front of a camera. Once I did some acting on MBC Everyone (Laughs) Was it ‘What is this?’, I feel like it was pathetic myself…… Even if any director saw it, they wouldn’t want me, so rather than a drama, I want to try a sitcom. If I just get the opportunity!
Hoya: “I also usually record my songs on my recorder and listen to them”
The choreography of ‘The Chaser’ doesn’t have a definite point like the scorpion dance, so you must’ve have studied how to keep on maintaining the tension?
Hoya: For this song, there’s no dance break, we had to show the dance in a flow during the whole song. Especially during the chorus, we had to show sexiness, so we studied a lot how to show the line of our legs sexily. We needed enough sexiness for the girl who left to come back. Hahaha.
Sunggyu: We prepared the album when we were all busy with our solo activities but we didn’t have enough time to practice the choreography so we were really worried right up to our comeback.
Hoya: It was a situation where we had to rent a ballet classroom or a yoga center in Japan to practice. Anyway, after making our comeback and, as we kept going on stage, I feel like the performance was completed little by little.
Not only for the dance but the voices you sing with received more reviews saying they were sexy. It looks like you practiced your singing intensively.
Hoya: I also usually record my songs on a recorder to listen to them, I’m constantly practicing my singing. I keep on practicing rapping with Dongwoo hyung, and as for the singing, Sunggyu hyung gives me lessons. Sunggyu hyung is my singing teacher.
Sunggyu: Aw, I don’t teach him anything. He is a friend who sings better than what you would think.
The two of you show a good chemistry (T/N: Literally ‘Show a good breath’ in Korean) on variety shows too. It’s the kind when Sunggyu does a comment and Hoya returns it to him.
Hoya: Ah, that’s lung piercing (Laughs) I’m the kind to practice a lot in my daily life. I also usually put on the TV while eating with Sunggyu hyung and we talk back to each other.
Sunggyu: Hoya has the style of a striker.
Hoya: The entertainment world’s striker, the gag world’s striker.
Sunggyu: You’re Messi, Messi
Hoya: Uh… Infinite’s shoot-dol
The reaction to the punch line you’ve been pushing the most “I say Ho! You say Ya!” seems to be a bit little?
Hoya: I’ve been pushing it for 2 years but there’s still not many results.
Sunggyu: Far from pushing it, it seems that he’s been pulling it.
Hoya: The fans said they liked it but I don’t really know about other people. I hope it can become a punch line soon on Ranking King.
Woohyun “I receive advices from SHINee’s Key for my airport fashion”
Woohyun is the style to throw in comment until it makes people laugh in variety shows?
Sunggyu: He is also a friend who works really hard. As a member in the same group as him, I’m proud and I think that he’s cool. Hoya works hard too but during a broadcast, Woohyunnie will try to make around 200 funny points.
Woohyun: The other friends are doing well, so I’m just enjoying it.
Sunggyu: He says this now but Woohyun thinks the most before a broadcast and works hard to get ready.
Woohyun: Aah, I’m this kind of sensitive and thoughtful person. (Laughs)
Sunggyu: Unexpectedly, he’s a considerate friend who does a lot of sacrifices for the team. Ah, because I said ‘unexpectedly’ it’s a bit weird?
He looks like he’s also the kind to prepare thoroughly his fashion too. You’ve been wearing glasses often these days, is it an item your close friend SHINee’s Key recommended to you? (Laughs)
Woohyun: I’ve been wearing glasses because I’m from the elite, (Laughs) I never received any advices from Key. He looks like he would recommend good things but he never did. (Angry) These days I got to know a lot of informations on brands too so I feel like he’s been keeping me in check too!
Sunggyu: Ayy, that’s not it. Woohyun takes pictures of his clothes and receives the confirmation from Key.
Woohyun: I do that a bit for the airport fashion. (Docile) I usually have two styles left at my final choice, I could just wear one when going and the other when coming back but it makes me worry like this. Now I know the basics. When I leave, I wear colorful and fancy clothes that give off a ‘Now I’m going abroad’ feeling, when coming back I wear a relaxed style that shows that I’m tired.
Hoya: Aha, when going, a fancy feeling. When coming back, an ‘off from work’ feeling!
Sunggyu: Because he’s so professional, Sungyeol sees Woohyun as an icon. Woohyun gives fashion advice to Sungyeol too.
Woohyun: But I never gave this kind of advice…… (Laughs) You’re just accusing me.
When you get greedy during funny situations like these, there must be a lot of times where your stories don’t match and you expose other members or exaggerate things too.
Woohyun: That’s why our members are so funny. Because we can’t predict it ourselves either. (Laughs) These days L is really funny too, Sunggyu hyung and Hoya are always funny, it would be nice if Dongwoo was a bit funny. He keeps on having fun by himself so I’m curious about what’s so funny too. He’s always laughing alone.
Dongwoo: It’s funny! (Laughs)
Hoya: You have to share the fun, hyung is only imagining it and is already laughing. You have to go a step further.
As your variety skills got better, it feels like it got stronger music wise too. Especially in the song ‘That Year’s Summer’ from the album, you show a different image from your usual image.
Woohyun: That’s right for the main vocals too but it’s a song where the voices match well to show the big progress of the sub-vocals. That’s why it’s a song that the fans really like. For once, it’s not me but L who’s in charge of the high notes so it broke the register, (Laughs) I think it was nice because it showed a new taste in the group’s voice.
Not for the group but personally, which song was the newest experimentation to you?
Woohyun: I’m the kind to put more strength in my voice but in ‘With” I used less strength and I tried to make it appealing so I personally like it a lot. There are several voices in this song but even so, to not make it boring to the people listening to the album, I kept on trying to do various things. I lost a lot of weight so I think that I look a bit more trim now (Laughs) Starting from this album, I’ll try to challenge again my singing skills.
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