“I got goosebumps. The fact that the fans are looking at us and that we’re on stage… It’s a moment I won’t ever forget.”They reminisce like this about the moment they were able to stand in front of the fans through their first showcase. Even though they went through a lot and are a lot more popular now, they won’t ever forget it and will keep it for themselves whenever they’re having a hard time. The sparkling stars EXO-K’s Suho, Kai, D.O, Chanyeol, Sehun and Baekhyun went down on stage with the song ‘MAMA’ and spread their wings. The eyes of the six young boys shining as much as (/just as) their splendid stage makes you smile when you just look at them. EXO-K opened the door and came in with smiles as bright as fresh May’s blue. They said they had to put up with the tiredness from their busy schedules piling up, but that they were very happy since they were doing the job they liked. Baekhyun: “I just don’t think too much that’s it’s tiring. Since it’s what I dreamt of ever since I was young, I always think it’s fun even though (/even if) it’s tiring. Because it’s really what I want to do, I think I always practiced while having fun even before debuting. We’re all really close to each other so we try to receive joyfully the difficult tasks.” They had they debut after a long training period and a long promotion of 100 days. We were curious about how they felt when they finally had their first showcase on March 31st. D.O: “I got goosebumps. I thought that I had to work even harder to show a good image. When I finally got to stand on stage as the fans were looking at me… I was really nervous and it was also tiring but on stage, we were all so happy that we were laughing. People around me also told me ‘You’re finally debuting now’ and congratulated me a lot.” EXO’s title song is ‘MAMA’. The ‘precise choreography’ they show on stage can only make us let out admiring exclamations “So amazing!”. Generally when singers receive a song, they get a ‘feeling’ so what feeling did they get when they first heard ‘MAMA’? Sehun: “At first I thought ‘How great’. It’s really imposing and since it’s really cool I thought that we could show the best of our performance. I was also even more proud because our generation would feel the SMP music more refreshingly.”
These days they’re swamped with hectic schedules but we still asked them what they do during their free time. Kai: “It’s already been over a year since we started living in dorms. It’s really like my home, I don’t call it ‘the dorms’ but ‘my home’. I’m the kind to spend a lot of time with the members.” Chanyeol: “After having our debut, we went to the cinema together. Truthfully, we’re the style to play really well even at home. Since we lived in dorms together while being able to discuss a lot and spent that time playing games too, you don’t even know how much fun it was. If we start a game, the look in our eyes immediately changes. (laughs) We all like sports but when I’m on the same team as Kai, we win most of the times. I think Kai is quite lucky.” EXO-K didn’t hide their friendship either with EXO-M who are promoting separately now but trained with them. Suho: “The practice room feels empty. When we’re practicing together, the company is all noisy but… I miss the other members. We ask about each other when sending video messages on birthdays too though.” EXO-K’s members too also got to stand on stage after a long training period. As for the leader Suho, he spent up to 7 years as a trainee. Suho: “Of course there were hard times but since it was the music I liked and it was a period to reach my dream, I think it was fun and joyful. I once got hurt while dancing too, however I stayed with the members and I wouldn’t exchange that time I spent practicing against anything else. That time became my flesh and blood. Now I get to hear the fans’ cheers on stage but I think I get even more strength while being nervous when hearing that sound.” Kai: “I also spent around 5 years as a trainee. At first, when I became a trainee, I was cold and couldn’t talk well, it was hard to adapt too but without even knowing it I adjusted well and discovered myself giving my best in this trainee life.”
Credit: via SBS E! 뉴스, translation emilie, exok-trans.tumblr.com - slightly edited by ngah (grammar etc.)
Credit: via SBS E! 뉴스, translation emilie, exok-trans.tumblr.com - slightly edited by ngah (grammar etc.)