Thursday, July 02, 2009

[09.07.01] Lee Minwoo: Other than my name, everything about me has changed

Shinhwa member Lee Minwoo has recently released his latest mini-album titled ‘Minnovation’, symbolizing a combination of himself (his stage name ‘M’) and ‘Innovation’.

“The activities for the 4th album didn’t perform up to expectations, and I was very disappointed with myself. But somehow an unyielding pride arose from my frustration. With this album I want to let everyone know that I’m not done yet, and that I still have many songs that I can fully represent myself with.”

The title track ‘Minnovation’ fuses electronic sounds with a hiphop beat and aims to let listeners feel the most popular musical trends now. The strong drumbeats creates a sense of tension right at the beginning of the song.

As a producer, singer and performer, the most important thing to him is the creation of the stage concept. He has gathered the best dancers and is now working on the choreography for the stage performance that we’ve yet to see at the moment.

“There are a total of 8 dancers, and they won’t lose no matter who they’re facing off against. The concept is that of a downtown ‘dance battle’, where everyone may be smiling as they dance on their own separate stages, but a psychological battle is brewing as none of them would want to lose to any other dancer. It’s the same for me too, so I’m even more nervous standing on stage now.”

The album also attracts attention for its meticulous composition. It contains 6 carefully selected songs with different themes such as hiphop, dance and R&B, and the album design also makes use of vivid fluorescent colors that are representative of his personality. ‘The M Style 2009 Remix’ is one of the 2 remixed tracks on the album, and it’s a clear representation of the revolution that the album is trying to convey.

“I seem to have become stereotyped, I don’t want to get stuck in the same style all the time. I need to understand the changing tastes of the public, and my songs, performances and style have all evolved. If you listen to the album without any bias, you’ll be able to hear the change.”

Just before the release of the album, his breakup with Amy was announced. He has gone public with all his relationships and he has always been honest in his ‘love communication’, however this kind of honesty always hurts him a great deal. Thus before embarking on his promotional activities, he has declared a “ban on love”. My sincerity has been distorted and misunderstood.

“I’ve always said that I want to be honest and be faithful. But nowadays, I’m not so sure anymore. I’ve heard from other people that I’ve become more mature after going through so many things.”

“Falling in love? (He waves his hand) Not for the time being. I want to focus on music.”

Credits: Hankooki + Su-mi@absolutshinhwa

No comments: