[09.07.31] Lee Minwoo: I’m glad that no one left their seats during the 3-hour concert

After being in showbiz for more than 10 years, Lee Minwoo says without hesitation that he still feels a rush of emotion whenever he’s on the stage.

“It’s always exhilarating to be on stage no matter what. Though I still feel rather composed. It’s true that I’m not nervous when looking at the camera and when I’m expressing myself.”

So what is going on in the mind of M – who always gives superb explosive performances and charms the audience with his stage charisma – when he’s standing on stage?

“I won’t have distracting thoughts. If I were to think ‘I’m going to do this at this point’, I will definitely make mistakes. As far as I can I try to abandon my consciousness and just think ‘On the stage, I’m M, not Lee Minwoo. Only I can sing this song on this stage’, before I head for the stage.”

Always insisting on performing live, his mantra is ‘never get distracted before a performance’.

“My first solo performance was on a huge stage, like during an awards show. But before the live telecast I was doing an interview and cut short the interview as I hurried onto the stage. I was holding my microphone instead on wearing it, and I ran some distance before reaching the platform. By then the song had started but I couldn’t remember a single line. I held my breath and I couldn’t recall the lyrics at all…and I smiled and danced past the first four lines before I caught onto the song. I was really mad at myself for the mistake. This is what I mean by getting distracted, because I messed up during the second part again while thinking about it. Just like this, if I can’t focus before the performance begins, I’ll mess things up when I’m on the stage.”

When asked if he makes mistakes or forgets his steps for his dance, he said, “Basically I don’t make mistakes when I’m dancing, but if I do, I’ll just fill in with some freestyle moves.”

When one talks about M Lee Minwoo, dance is something that will definitely crop up. How much does he practise then?

“I practise everyday for a month before the first performance, about 4-6 hours. For the concert on 16th August, each session is about 8 hours.”

Does he still have strength left to dance after practising for 8 hours each time?

Although dance is important, coordination with the others and the expression is important too. Perhaps people may think that my energy is exhausted during the concert, but I forget everything when I get on stage. The satisfaction at the end of it all makes the hard work all worth it. I think concerts can make people grow, and develop themselves.”

With his concerts lasting an average of 2 and a half hours, he added, “I had a concert once when it went on for more than 3 hours. And it was very meaningful because no one left their seats at all. The crew members said that if the performance is long, people will leave early. But no one did in this case, and I felt a great sense of satisfaction.”

He said that he usually thinks of a story when he plans for a concert, as contents with a theme will leave a deeper impression.

“Surprisingly there are many male fans who come along, and recently more and more fans from overseas too. I’m glad to be able to create an atmosphere when people can dance happily, sing and party the night away. I often hope that fans can enjoy themselves and have fun freely, but nowadays everyone has so much fun that even I get surprised.”

“Although dance is important, coordination with the others and the expression is important too. Perhaps people may think that my energy is exhausted during the concert, but I forget everything when I get on stage. The satisfaction at the end of it all makes the hard work all worth it. I think concerts can make people grow, and develop themselves.”

With his concerts lasting an average of 2 and a half hours, he added, “I had a concert once when it went on for more than 3 hours. And it was very meaningful because no one left their seats at all. The crew members said that if the performance is long, people will leave early. But no one did in this case, and I felt a great sense of satisfaction.”

He said that he usually thinks of a story when he plans for a concert, as contents with a theme will leave a deeper impression.

“Surprisingly there are many male fans who come along, and recently more and more fans from overseas too. I’m glad to be able to create an atmosphere when people can dance happily, sing and party the night away. I often hope that fans can enjoy themselves and have fun freely, but nowadays everyone has so much fun that even I get surprised.”

Credits: bntnews + Singles + Sumi@AbsolutShinhwa