Best Boyfriend

K-pop boy band hits Bangkok

By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb and
courtesy of NGroup and Jed See Concert Official Fanpage

Since releasing their debut single “Boyfriend” in 2011, six-member K-pop group Boyfriend have been known for their adorable songs and bright, lively image. The group recently surprised their fans with their new album, Obsession, the title track of which features powerful hip-hop beats. The music video for “Obsession” is also a surprise, with the guys showing off their masculine bodies, fierce facial expressions and vigorous dance moves.

From August 8 to 10, Boyfriend visited their Thai Best Friend fan club in the City of Angels, more than two years after their previous visit to Thailand. While in Bangkok, the group performed at the Jed See Concert (7 Coloured Concert), which aired on Channel 7. They also took part in the Young Model Contest at The Mall Ngamwongwan, and held several meet and greet events that allowed Thai Best Friend to take pictures of the guys and get their autographs.

BEST FRIENDS

On August 8, Student Weekly attended a news conference and had a short exclusive interview with Boyfriend — leader Kim Donghyun, 25, lead vocalist Shim Hyunseong, 21, Lee Jeongmin, 20, Jo Youngmin, 19, rapper Jo Kwangmin, 19 and lead dancer No Minwoo, 19 — at the MBK building.

Pretty actress Pancake Khemanit was the MC at the event, and she asked the guys how they came up with their name. Minwoo explained that the crew from the group’s music label gave them their name because they wanted the guys to be like boyfriends to their fans. Despite already knowing the meaning behind the name, Boyfriend’s fans screamed with satisfaction at Minwoo’s explanation.

NEW IMAGE

Since Boyfriend’s new single “Obsession” marked a change in their musical style and image, the guys were asked how they felt about the change from adorable pop to powerful hip-hop. Donghyun said that they were initially worried about how their fans would react to the new single. However, the guys were happy to have something new to show their fans, especially since they were now more grown-up.

THAI TALK

To impress their Thai fans, the members of Boyfriend prepared some Thai phrases. Donghyun came out with the latest popular slang phrase, “moongming froongfring” (sparkling and cute). Youngmin and Minwoo made everybody laugh with the useful phrases they’d learned when Youngmin asked where the restroom was and Minwoo said that he was hungry.

NO NERVES

During our exclusive chat with Boyfriend, we wondered if the guys ever felt nervous onstage. Donghyun, who did most of the talking during the interview, said that they used to feel tense when they were still rookies.

“When we first started, we got so nervous that we had stomach aches and fevers,” Donghyun said. “But once we’d performed a lot of shows, we didn’t feel anxious anymore.”

FARAWAY FANS

Earlier this year, Boyfriend became the first K-pop group to hold a fan meeting in Puerto Rico. They also had showcases in the US cities of Chicago and Dallas. Donghyun said that fans in each country had their own unique style and charm. He also noticed that different types of weather made the fans behave differently.

“It’s hot in Puerto Rico, and fans in countries with hot weather seemed to be more energetic than fans in cold places,” Donghyun said.

SKILLFUL SINGERS

Since many people question the musical abilities of boy bands that attract fans primarily with their looks, Boyfriend decided to demonstrate their singing talent on their music label’s Starship TV YouTube account. The guys told us how they chose which songs to sing.

Donghyun, who belts out a version of Justin Bieber’s “Beauty and a Beat,” explained that he liked the song and video a lot, so he arranged it in an acoustic style. Hyunseong sang a ballad originally by Big Bang’s Taeyang, called “You’re Mine.” Hyunseong said that he wanted to sing a romantic song for his fans.

Minwoo was the only member of the group to sing his own original song. The main dancer sang with veteran star Junggigo on “Love On,” a song from the soundtrack of the TV series, High School. Minwoo said that he wanted the fans to hear his rapping part in the song clearly, so he decided do a new version for YouTube.

 

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