Super Junior Interview With MTVAsiaAwards (2 Aug 2008)

Super Junior: Nothing Junior About This Super Band
August 02, 2008

1, 2, 3… 13?

Thirteen of the hottest, most talented boys in Asia under one single band? No way! But it's true, alright. And they've been setting about wrecking havoc in all the young girls' hearts from day one. Meet Super Junior, one of Korea's leading boy bands and heartthrobs, every single gorgeous one of them.

Bursting onto the K-pop scene in 2005, the then 12 member band released their first album, Super Junior05 (Twins), which met with a warm reception. Their first single "U," a catchy R&B ditty quickly took the charts by storm, sweeping many an award, and cementing Super Junior as one of the rising names to look out for.

Kyuhyun was then added to this rambunctious band of brothers in 2006, and 12 became the magical 13. In 2007, the band launched their sophomore effort, Don't Don. The album did extremely well, and was among the top Korean albums of the year.

Now, MTV Asia brings you a much-envied tete a tet session with the delectable boys. Just six of them, but who's complaining? Leeteuk, Eunhyuk, Siwon, Sungmin, Donghae and Kyuhyun get set to share what love means to them, how to avoid getting recognized, and some of their weird habits.

***


Welcome to the MAAs as first time nominees of Favorite Artist of Korea! The theme surrounding this year's MAAs revolves around the letter 'M.' What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the letter 'M?'

Siwon: Super Junior – M!

Leeteuk: Music! MTV! Man!

You've always had radical hairstyles and outfits. With the constant changing of image, what is the real Super Junior like?

Eunhyuk: The hairstyles and outfits have ranged from cute to wild. But we're more colorful and are much more multi-faceted in personality and character than that.

Having said that, your new album is a remarkable departure from the bubbly image of your first. What are some of your thoughts on this change?

Leeteuk: The first album portrayed us as more boyish and adorable. As for the second album, we have grown up a little more, and so this is us in a more manly light.

Right now there seems to be quite a large number of Korean boy bands coming, and they're mostly all going down the K-pop and ballad route. So how do you distinguish yourselves from them musically?

Leeteuk: Well first and foremost, we have 13 members. So that's already a huge difference, and a memorable one to boot. And each and every one of our members has a different and unique voice. Aside from that, we also do other stuff like acting and DJing. So we have a more well-rounded portfolio.

Speaking of which, I think one of your most memorable shows has got to be Full House, the home-stay chronicle with Anya and Eva. I'm sure a lot of us are curious to know how that came about, and whether Super Junior is planning to open their home in future again.

Leeteuk: The Full House experience was a very moving and rewarding one. We learned a lot from it, and we're also really glad that we've been able to share a bit of the Korean culture with our foreign friends. If there's ever the opportunity, we’d definitely like to be doing this again.

Erm… Well actually I didn't think of that but now… Let's just move on, eh? With 13 people in a band, the leader (Leeteuk) is usually the one who's the main spokesperson. And some of the members are also more outspoken than others. So in that case, how do all the members get equal representation in the band?

Eunhyuk: Well, each of us have our own talent and contribution to the band. Kyuhyun is vocally powerful, Sungmin is our poster boy of cuteness, Donghae is a good dancer.

Donghae: Shiwon has the global face, and Euhyuk is known for his rapping. So in a way, we all get a fair share of showing what we're good at.

What about the younger ones then? Donghae, Sungmin and Kyuhyun. Do they get bullied all the time?

Leeteuk: Yes. It's mostly what they're there for! [Laughs]

Living and touring together all the time, what are some of the weirdest habits of some of the members?

Siwon: Every time I go on a holiday, I always carry the most bags.

Sungmin: He brings almost everything possible, and he organizes them neatly.

Leeteuk: So if we need exercise equipment, or even some kind of medicine, we'll just go to him. He's the best possible roommate to have.

Siwon: We always have some kind of a bet to see which roommate we'll get.

You've been on the tour the past couple of months for the Super Show. Why isn't Singapore one of your stops?

Leeteuk: Well yeah, we've actually been going to a lot of other places in Asia. We did the first show in Thailand, and we're planning nine more stops. We'd actually have loved to make a stop at Singapore. Why haven't you called us?!

Ahhh I see. Our bad. Don't worry. I'll be sure to speak to my boss about it.

Super Junior: YEAH!!!

A lot of your songs talk about love. What exactly does it mean to you, anyway?

Kyuhyun: Love is sweet.

Sungmin: I haven't really known what love is all about actually.

Awwww. Soon, soon.

Leeteuk: Love is being lovesick.

Oh dear. Why so negative?

Leeteuk: I haven't had very good experiences with it. [Laughs]

Oops okay I'm sorry!

Donghae: Love is romantic.

Siwon: Love is patient.

Finally, tell us a little-known fact about Super Junior.

Eunhyuk: Well, in all our reality TV shows we are usually very honest about ourselves, and so our fans know most everything about us.

Leeteuk: Even to the point of knowing about Eunhyuk's smelly feet. [Laughs]

Eunhyuk: No! No!

Alright, I believe you, I do! Thanks, boys, for talking to me. Good luck! And… bye!

anne406 wrote:oh my god!!i just watched their performance..goodness gracious,the 11 of them are looking super fine!!the 1st performance,yesung and khuhyun blew me away with their voice..god,i just love them..and the 2nd performance,1 word:HOT!!the song,the dance steps,the boys especially shiwon(haha..) are hot,hot,hot!!btw,are those songs will be added into their new album??the songs are lovely especially the ballad..oh goodness,cant wait for thier comeback!!SuJu fighting!!

anne406 wrote:^really??well,my mistake..i started to like them a lil late(around end of last year i think)..so i didnt know all their
songs about anyways,you should watch the performance..very nice!!

What about the younger ones then? Donghae, Sungmin and Kyuhyun. Do they get bullied all the time?

Leeteuk: Yes. It's mostly what they're there for! [Laughs]

faith wrote:Kinda interesting that they got the favourite artiste in korea award. Does that make them the most popular one?