Reporter: EXO-M has had performances and schedules quite often in Shanghai recently, please talk about your impressions of Shanghai, like what dishes do you like the most?
EXO-M: Shanghai’s night view is very pretty, this world renounced business centre is quite a bustling place, we really hope to have the chance to explore it properly, but currently we do not have the chance to go out and do so, the food is very delicious too.
Yixing: Because we cannot go out, we can only order some Chinese dishes in the hotel to satisfy our cravings.
Kris: I like the stir fried rice cakes, when Shanghai delicacies are mentioned, naturally soya bean milk and fried dough fritters will come to mind, everyone really likes eating those, and also Xiao Long Bao.
читать дальшеJongdae: Shanghai’s weather is very good and pleasing, the fans are also very passionate, last night I finally had the chance to try authentic Chinese cuisine, one of those was a very unique delicacy – Duck’s tongue, I felt very amazed, because I’ve never eaten it in Korea before, it’s a completely new experience. We also really want to eat 大闸蟹 (hairy crabs), we’ve always wanted to try it but still haven’t managed to eat it, the next time we must definitely try it.
Q: In the future will the Chinese market still be the main focus.
K: Yes, you can say that, EXO-M itself was created specifically for the Chinese market, we will definitely come to China frequently for schedules. Previously we had more schedules in China, because all 12 of us were together.
Q: What do you think is your advantage in having a strong foothold in the Chinese market?
YX: Do we really have a strong foothold? We still have many areas in which we are lacking; we are really just starting out, moving forward step by step.
Q: Previously you went to Germany to shoot for your photobook, when will this photobook be released, and did any interesting things happen?
K: When the photobook will be released is still the company’ decision. Germany has this really special bicycle, six people can ride it together, sitting in a circle, with one person steering, it’s really amazing.
YX: It was the first time I went to Germany, and the first time I saw that all the taxis were all Mercedes-Benz and I got a shock, although Mercedes-Benz is a a local German brand, but it’s still surprising that the taxis were all from such a good brand.
Q: Do you have plans for a new album?
K: We are currently in the midst of preparing, and do not have a specific release date for now, we still have to keep the contents secret, but all along we have always sung both Korean and Chinese songs together.
Q: A group of young and energetic boys staying together in a dorm, what kind of roles do you play respectively, like who has better cooking skills?
YX: Normally in our dorm from Monday to Friday there is a auntie that helps take care of the basic household chores, helps us put our clothes in the washing machine, and hangs them up to dry after washing. During the weekends, we are all in charge of our own selves, whatever we want to eat we have to make it ourselves. Xiumin’s coffee is the best, especially fragrant, Luhan’s ramen is extremely good, Duizhang is in charge of inventing new dishes, I know how to do some homecooked dishes, like stir fried eggs with tomatoes and stir fried eggs with cucumbers. Although some of our members are from Korea and some from China, our tastes are very similar.
Q: Then who is the cleanest?
(All members point to Xiumin in unison) XM: The messiest is probably Manager Hyung haha
Q: What was your childhood dream, if you are not an artist, what career would you choose?
K: When I was younger I wanted to be a space navigator, and even naively wanted to invent a kind of medicine that makes people immortal, because I was a child then, and all kids want their parents to live for a long time. After I grew up I wanted to be a basketball player, my favourite basketball player is Kobe Bryant. Sadly, now I do not have much time to play basketball anymore, if in the future we are participating in any shows, Idol Olympics is more suitable for me.
YX: I’ll talk about the time when I was the most naïve and innocent, my first dream was to be the head of state/president, and be the one who manages the country. How old was I at the time, a five or six year old child talking about country matters, even my mum was laughing.
LH: Soccer player. I like Cristiano Ronaldo the most; since he joined Manchester United I’ve liked him a lot.
XM: A businessman
JD: Vocal teacher/trainer
Tao: Dance performer
Q: Your respective ideal types?
K: I like girls who are like angels, very innocent and have pretty eyes.
YX: I like the type that has a sultry/seductive charm, most importantly the girl must love me. (T/N: That’s the dictionary explanation of the phrase he used in the article, no kidding.)
LH: Long hair, white skin, a small face with big eyes, like a goddess.
XM: I have no specific requirement for looks, but she must be able to capture my heart.
JD: Girls whose eyes look very nice when they smile
T: Pretty, have a good figure, regal, like a princess so I can “hold her in my palms” (T/N: Along the lines of treat her like the apple of my eye and cherish her like she is a precious treasure etc.)
Q: How do your view the miraculous album sales that you have achieved?
YX: We have currently already gone past 910,000. This miracle is definitely due to all the people who have helped us, thank you to the behind the scenes crew who have worked together with us, and also to everyone who bought our album, not just the fans, there are also a lot of people other than fans who like our album, and also thank you to those fans who are far away and who we are unable to meet. We can only achieve what we have today because of them.
Q: How do you adjust after you have achieved such popularity/fame?
K: We don’t actually think we are very popular, our fans have definitely given us a lot of confidence, but also because of this, we will not let ourselves get arrogant, and will instead work even harder to repay the fans. (YX: Continue looking for ways to progress with our feet on the ground) Yes, because no matter what, there is still a long way to go, and a lot of seniors we can learn from.
Q: If you were to think of artistes that you want to pay tribute to, what will your list be like?
T: I want to become the best rapper in China, I have no one artiste that I respect the most, but there are artiste created music pieces I respect the most, their creations are all very outstanding.
JD: DBSK seniors. When watching their performances, they are doing dances that are very vigorous, but their ability to song and dance at the same time is very impactful/shocking, so every time I see their performance stages I am always full of respect.
XM: Me too, at least within the Korean entertainment circle. At the moment I have not had the chance to interact much with China’s artistes, I hope in the future there will be more chances to interact and meet.
LH: All the seniors in the company.
YX: I respect all the behind the scenes music producers.
K: Still Michael Jackson, he is a legend, even up till now, a lot of music elements originated from his creations, he is a very impressive and brave person. But I am just respectful of him, I still am not good enough to want to try and take on his dances.
Q: In the entertainment world, do the members have a “I want to become like him/her in the future” type of role model/goal that they work towards?
K: We hope that EXO-M can become a distinctive unit, and not become just like the rest. Our seniors are definitely deserving of our respect, but they are not targets that we must achieve, we hope to have better progress/development in the future, and have achievements that are our own.
Tao: We do not want to become followers of other people; we will let them become our followers.
Article Cr: 天天新报 2013年10月18日 版
Picture Cr: Fayore from weibo
Translations Cr: rellasoo
Picture Cr: Fayore from weibo
Translations Cr: rellasoo