[Interview] SHINee Interview Elle Girl Korea June 2011 – (1)

About a year ago, Elle Girl Japan asked for related materials and our opinions in their preparation for an article on K-pop. One of the questions was which boy group’s debut in Japan is most expected, and Elle Girl Korea’s answer was SHINee.

The five slim boys’ slogan, “(we are) a contemporary band,” was elusive in the beginning, but now the public understands what it means intuitively. In their pursuit of what is new and best in everything from music and performance to fashion, SHINee was born to be global.

The joint interview both magazines have planned on for months was made in a studio in Shinsa-dong on an April afternoon. An Elle Girl Japan editor came over to Seoul to meet with SHINee whose debut in Japan had been scheduled, and set the place for the meeting with the five members with Elle Girl Korea.

There was a bit of tension as people communicated in Japanese, English and Korean in the studio, but when SHINee came in, the atmosphere became livelier. The members looked in a good condition, maybe because they were resting well during a break. They showed no hint of exhaustion or nervousness while greeting the staff and talking about the photoshoot.

During their interview with Elle Girl Japan, they showed off their Japanese and introduced themselves excitedly as if they were back to their debut days. In the following photoshoot, they left behind their usual attitude as ‘chic fashionistas’ and acted free like backstage ‘rock boys.’ The five members laughed, played with each other, and made expressions unseen before. Whether it was because they liked the photoshoot together for a magazine pictorial they didn’t have for a long time, or because they were excited about their debut in Japan, they were full of restless and positive energy.

After the photoshoot was finished, I asked Yukiko, the Elle Girl Japan editor, how she felt about SHINee. “I watched SHINee’s performances through Youtube and had an impression they are very stylish. On today’s meeting, the different personalities of the five members seemed to have synergy. They are cute, professional, and awesome.”

SHInee will start their promotions as their Japanese debut single Replay is released on 22 June. The Japanese version of “Noona Is So Pretty” must melt Japanese noonas’s hearts. I feel sorry about having fewer chances to see them in Korea, but look forward to seeing their shining performances on new stages. I hope they will enjoy it truly most of all, like they did today!

Credit: Jujugal.