Boyfriend wants recognition for their musical talent, not their looks

Rookie idol group, Boyfriend, recently had an interview with Economy Today and expressed their sincere desire to gain recognition for their talents.

Compromised of six members, Boyfriend’s average age is just 17.5 years old. Three of the members recently entered high school and the oldest member is just 22 years old.
Their pure and cute concept is reminiscent of Fin.K.L’s debut days, and a simple wink is all it takes to win a noona fan’s heart.

Despite their school-boy charms, Boyfriend possesses maturity with their determination and persistance to succeed. Boyfriend’s leader, Donghyun, trained under strict discipline for nearly five years. He woke up between 3 and 5AM to practice everyday, so the lack of sleep he endures right now is merely an opportunity for him to shine and make Boyfriend a nationally loved group like SNSD. He stated, “When I was a senior in high school, I was on a show called ‘Conduct Zero‘, and my current company’s CEO and president contacted me. I trained for five years and now I’m Boyfriend’s leader.”

Their self-titled debut single, “Boyfriend“, was created by the famous composer, Brave Brothers. The members practiced eight hours a day for two months to perfect their performance. Donghyun commented, “The song has a unique rhythm and melodious flow to it. It portrays a boy’s wish to be your boyfriend and stay by your side.”

Twins Youngmin and Kwangmin gained popularity for being “Kim Hyun Joong look-alikes”, and Minwoo was an actor before his singing debut. The twins modeled for a pictorial at the age of one and have starred in over 300 commercials to date. Minwoo debuted as an actor in a short film and received a ‘Best Actor’ award for his role.

Surprisingly, Youngmin also has prior acting experience from his role in Jang Dong Gun’s Hollywood debut film, ‘The Warrior’s Way‘. He stated, “The director wanted to meet me after seeing my profile, and I auditioned and got the role. I only met Jang Dong Gun sunbae while filming, and was unable to meet any of the foreign actors. I want to focus on singing first and try acting if I get the chance.”

All of the members, except Jungmin, received support from their families when they expressed their desire to become singers. Youngmin and Kwangmin’s father dreamed of being a singer himself and Minwoo’s mother recognized Minwoo’s love for standing on stage and supported him all the way.

On the other hand, Jungmin had to prove his talent to his parents before getting their consent. He personally entered in a song festival and brought an award home. His parents then gave him a chance to pursue a singing career. Jungmin stated, “When I was a third year in middle school, a hyung of mine performed on the streets of Hongdae. I saw the performance and was dazed by the guitar and djembe sounds. I thought to myself, ‘Ahh~ That’s cool‘ and ‘I want to perform at a place like that‘. You know, street performances are up close and personal. You can be more intimate with your audience. I want to try a performance like that someday.”

Boyfriend is often mistaken for being a group that wants to succeed with their looks, but they’ve made it certain that they want to be recognized for their musical talents.
Donghyun, who dreamed of becoming a pianist as a child, wants to compose his own songs later on. Jungmin has plans to learn a variety of instruments and Kwangmin, who is a fan of Dynamic Duo, wants to write his own rap lyrics. Meanwhile, Hyunseung hopes to produce Boyfriend’s album five years from now.

Source + Images: Economy Today via Nate