Left to right: Jung-Shin, Jong-Hyun, Yong Hwa and Min Hyuk
Having just flown in to Singapore last night, the boys from CNBlue – Jung Yong Hwa, Lee Jong-Hyun, Lee Jung-Shin and Kang Min Hyuk – showed no signs of fatigue during their hour-long press conference held earlier at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.
A group that laughs together, stays together
In fact, their jovial nature and hearty laughter peppered the press conference, with the entire band bursting out into laughter at one point because bassist Jung-Shin ended his answer with a guffaw.
When probed for the reason behind their laughs, they unanimously said that Jung-Shin’s laugh cracked them up.
And it’s evident that this cohesion contributes to their success as a foursome.
Street gigs in Japan
After all, they’ve come a long way since performing on the streets of Japan to their world tour today.
Leader of the band Yong Hwa definitely hasn’t forgotten those tough days. “We are very thankful that people recognise us now, but when we first started out, no one did. We are very grateful and privileged to be where we are at the moment. We still hope that maybe one day we can still play in the street for fun, probably with a mask on our faces!”
Jong-Hyun added, “Because of those hard times, we learn to appreciate what we have at the moment. We would not be here without our fans and we are thankful.”
Expect a fun-filled concert
Being just the second stop of their world tour, after Taiwan, they added that they are very excited to see all their Singaporean fans and promised that it will be a very fun concert.
Yong Hwa also mentioned that their wish is “for fans to go crazy and scream their lungs out when we sing!”
The band said that what makes them stand out from the usual Korean idol groups is the fact that they write their own music and play their own instruments. So while they said they won’t be making many costume changes during the show, what fans can look forward to is a night of live music, the foursome playing various instruments and songs from their latest hit album, re: blue.
Token of friendship
The host then brought up local singer JJ Lin who watched them in concert in Taiwan and took a picture with them backstage, Yong Hwa immediately piped in and said in English, “Yes JJ, he’s my friend!”
He even mentioned that the tee shirt he was wearing was a gift from JJ and he wore it in JJ’s home country to show his appreciation for this token of friendship.
Dramas and other gigs
When asked if they are looking forward to other acting gigs after their recent involvement in drama serials (all of them have at least one serial under their belt), Min-Hyuk, the maknae (youngest member) of the group said he has been getting offers but would like to focus on the world tour for now. Jung-Shin agreed and said they would both like to do more if given the opportunity after the tour is over.
Yong-Hwa said he would love to play a character who’s more like his real self – bubbly and cheerful.
He then added in English, “I’m a funny guy!”, eliciting laughter from the floor.
Charm goes a long way
The band even endeared themselves even more to the crowd when they brought along five boxes of traditional Korean snacks for those among the media who asked questions.
They even learnt certain Singlish phrases from the host to make sure they impress the crowd tomorrow night.
And just as they were about to walk out of the room, the ever charismatic Yong Hwa gave a last shout out, “I love you lah! Everybody happy lah!”
Judging by their enthusiasm and passion for their craft, fans are definitely in for a treat tomorrow.
The CNBlue Blue Moon World Tour Live in Singapore will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on April 13, 7pm.
Photos courtesy of One Production.