[TRANS] 190530 IZE Magazine Interview ①
SPOTLIGHT | ONF Hyojin ① "We went through a difficult experience together so we became closer"
ONF who made their debut on August 2017 is a team who made a special career in a short span of time. They all went to the JTBC survival program "Mixnine" where two of their members made it to the debut group but the debut was eventually canceled. "I'm happy that we were able to come back as ONF soon." Hyojin who prepared to debut as second placer in "Mixnine" told the situation then in a relaxed manner. He says that he's embarassed everytime he speaks and filled the studio with his laughs, creating a relaxed environment.
Q: Please do a self-introduction and show off yourself.
A: Hello, I am ONF's emotional leader Hyojin. I take the main vocal and ON team leader roles, and I really like ballads. My face is small and I look like a deer. I often hear that I look like a rabbit and a squirrel. I am the timid and shy type but once you get to know me, I am an energetic and fun friend.
Q: I can tell that you have a bright personality by the way the camera captures you smiling often.
A: I usually smile a lot, but when I force it by thinking "I have to smile, I have to smile" it doesn't come out well. I'm really nervous when I film on my own so that's also a reason. I'm less nervous when I'm with the members.
Q: You can't immediately tell the gender (of a person) when you first hear the name "Hyojin."
A: It's written as Hyo (dawn) and Jin (treasure). It's a name given by my parents which means "Treasure of the dawn." When I was little, I felt like it was a girl's name so I received stress from it. Nowadays, the boundary between a girl's name and a boy's name is gone. Way back, when they hear my name, a lot of people immediately assumes I'm a girl. Of course I really like my name now.
Q: You placed 2nd in the final rankings of JTBC "Mixnine." Did you feel any burden to be on the higher rank?
A: Honestly, I don't think I had that big burden. I'm also not that type to aim for a higher rank. I just did exactly how I was like when I was a trainee. I was able to adapt well because I trained for a long period of time.
Q: You must've felt bad that the debut didn't push through.
A: Honestly, all of the members were worried. Laun and I both made it to the debut team, and we were thinking how the team without us two will proceed. It's sad that the debut got canceled, but I'm happy that I was able to come back as ONF soon.
Q: Did that opportunity become a good asset to the team?
A: Everyone worked very hard. As for MK, I saw him go through a survival program so I knew that I was going to receive stress from it. So although I had thoughts of not wanting to join, I also thought of wanting to make it an experience since it's my first time, and I was curious as to what things will happen along the way. Everyone went through a difficilult experience together so we all became closer. We had a really fun time preparing for our comeback.
Q: It also showed through "Mixnine," but you're an idol member with good balance in terms of singing, dancing, and acting on stage.
A: I'm really not good at dancing. Even when I first auditioned as a trainee. I received a lot of stress during my life's first dance lesson in the company. It's to the point where I thought "Is this really the right path for me?" I was very upset because my dance teacher then wasn't giving me his attention. He doesn't even call my name.
Q: You must've been really upset.
A: I did feel like I was being discriminated, but soon it became a motivation. Our dance teacher probably has the same thinking so he was pretending not to notice me. After that, I was determined to overcome the situation so I worked very hard. Around 2014, I was very happy to have received my first compliment after two years. My name was finally called so all the 2 years worth of stress disappeared immediately.
Q: Probably because you've worked that hard that your model student like dancing stands out the most among ONF members.
A: I dance according to what we were taught. That's my weakness. I can say that I don't have my own style of dancing. The other members would learn the choreography and dance it according to their own styles. So when I'm asked to do freestyle dances, I can't. I can't dance to anything but whatever I'm taught.
Q: Don't you think it's because you're still uncomfortable?
A: That's right. I have yet to overcome the dance-related trauma I got when I was a kid. If I'm asked to dance in front of people, I get embarassed and think "I can't dance." I always don't have the confidence.
Q: There are also lots of times where you are the center on stage.
A: "I can't do poorly here." I stand there with persistent thoughts. I can't memorize dances way back, but now since we do it often I can quickly learn dances at one try. When I came in as a trainee, everyone is good at dancing except for me. I don't have an interest in dancing then so I also don't have the will to do so. There were also times where I had to do monthly evaluations alone. I got everything wrong, and it went on for about 6 months. When we're dancing all together and I get a choreography wrong, I had to dance alone.
Q: You have really improved a lot. There must be a time where you received a compliment for it.
A: At first, I didn't really feel that I was cool. When I sing, I slightly feel "Oh, I was good?" (laughs) I really like singing. I'll continue singing even as I age.
Q: We heard you really like Park Hyoshin.
A: He's the one who made me dream of becoming a singer. I sing his songs like "Snow Flower" and "Wild Flower" to warm up my voice. It's not that I can sing them well, but when I warm up my voice with high pitched songs, I can sing comfortably. I usually like ballads, and there are lots of famous songs that I covered but it's mainly because I liked them all after listening to them. Before I appeared on MBC "King of Masked Singer," there were lots of idol singers who didn't sing old songs. At that time, I thought "I can use these as my weapon."
Q: You are also good at singing songs by female singers. That seems difficult.
A: I often sing Ali sunbaenim's songs, and there are emotions there that I can express. Actually, I can connect to the lyrics of female ballads more than male ballads. The lyrics are written by lyricists but the song is expressed by the singer. I can really connect to the emotions of the lyrics expressed by the female singers.
Q: There must be a lot of songs you want to try singing.
A: I'm continuously finding songs to sing lately. I have sung lots of ballads so I want to try singing songs with a different feel. I haven't covered a pop song before. I tried singing an Ariana Grande song but it's hard. I thought I can try again later when my singing skills improve. Sandeul sunbaenim was really cool when he was on a musical so I wanted to challenge a musical too. Right now, I want to focus on music like writing lyrics and composing. I want to expand the things I can do as a singer. First off, I want to be a cool person here.
Source: http://m.ize.co.kr/view.html?no=2019052819107232298
Translations by hyojetion
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