Wednesday, July 08, 2009

[09.07.07] Lee Minwoo: 2NE1 captures people’s attention… 2PM feels like Shinhwa

11 years after Shinhwa made its debut, Shinhwa member Lee Minwoo has expressed his thoughts and views about the younger idol groups today.

Having just released his Vol 4.5 mini-album ‘Minnovation, Lee Minwoo told Joy News 24 in a recent interview that he’s been watching the ‘idol scene’, and expressed some of his views.

“Pop culture trends are dependent on the competitiveness at that time. Looking at the music industry these days, I get nostalgic reminiscing about Shinhwa 10 years ago. The trends then led us into becoming a brand, and I’m happy to see the younger groups after us working so hard continuously.”

Lee Minwoo hopes that idol group members will all have enough self-confidence, “When people say that SNSD is very popular, that’s because of their hard work and efforts. Though a lot of the credit has to go to the producers and the staff, the members themselves also worked hard to gain that confidence.”

“When I recall our own suffering back then, I would start thinking, how hard did the juniors have to work to obtain their superstar status, and how satisfied and happy they must be.”

Lee Minwoo also had some encouraging words, “The idol groups all seem to have their own distinct qualities. First, SNSD has that clean and pure image; the Wonder Girls are strong in gaining the favour of the public with their retro styles; while 2NE1 infects people with their passionate, powerful and chameleon-like charm.”


He singled out 2NE1 in particular. “They’ve attracted attention and stand out with their exceptional strengths. They seem to have great passion towards music, so even though they don’t have much stage experience, it feels like they do because of their colourful performances.”

For male idol groups, whether it’s DBSK, Super Junior, Big Bang or 2PM, Lee Minwoo favours them all. 2PM especially reminds him of Shinhwa in the past. He explained that in terms of their stylish costumes or their special sense of unity and teamwork, they resemble Shinhwa a great deal.

Lee Minwoo confidently expressed that he still likes the term ‘idol’ a lot. “That’s the confidence from being part of Shinhwa. The confidence that we won’t let any member fall behind, the pride of being able to live up to the name of Shinhwa.”

Since his time in Shinhwa, Lee Minwoo has been continuously improving on his lyric-writing and songwriting skills, and he has unknowingly moved into the ranks of musicians and producers. His accumulated passion is all concentrated in his latest mini-album.

“Whether it’s as a Shinhwa member or as M the solo act, I feel that everything seems to be destiny at work, and I want to do my best. My destined enjoyment and happiness is all in this album, and I hope to go about the upcoming activities comfortable and in peace as Minwoo the person.”

Credits: Joy News 24 + Su-mi@absolutshinhwa

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