Lucero Santiago
For the second time, exclusively for fans from Mexico and Latin America, we bring to E.L.F. a unique interview with Super Junior, one of the bands that pioneered Kpop, who talked to us about their trajectory, future plans, and memorable anecdotes with their latin fans. Are you ready?
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South Korea. The first time I heard Super Junior’s music felt like a kind of serendipity, that moment where you’re not looking for anything and suddenly it appears in your life. 15 years later, in the South Korean capital the voices of this group are still relevant, it’s common listening to their songs in coffee shops, whether it is as soloists or together.
In Seoul’s subway, ads for their birthdays or past anniversary can be seen. And, when turning on the TV it’s inevitable to see them as hosts or guests in variety shows.
SuJu, as they are also known, changed the rules of the game, opened doors and walked giant steps in a time where social media and digital platforms, and South Korea, began to open up to the world. A one year project became 15 years of career since their debut in 2005.
Their name appears in books, academic articles and even speeches of prestigious universities such as Oxford that talk about the emergence of the industry called Korean Wave, where Kpop became alive and Super Junior took place.
Three years after the first interview we had with them, we’re once more with the members of the crowned as best boyband by Billboard in 2020. From Mexico to Saudi Arabia, from Peru all the way to China they were able to cross the Pacific Ocean multiple times, and conquer the five continents.
Super Junior doesn’t stop.
Super Junior( 슈퍼주니어) / Photo: Courtesy
Kmagazine: How does it feel to be the king and a legendary K-pop band?
Yesung: All we’ve done is work hard since debut, and along the way, ‘Hallyu (Korean Wave)’ and ‘K-pop’ became a phenomenon. We were blessed with such great opportunities because of it. Even now, we’re still moving forward.
Ryeowook: Thank you for saying that and for thinking of us in such a way! We’ll continue to work harder as Super Junior, and prepare a variety of projects and albums for all of our global fans.
Leeteuk: The reason why we were able to continue strong until now and receive so much love is because of our fans. More so than us having made achievements on our own, it’s really E.L.F. who helped us achieve many great accomplishments.
Shindong: It feels a bit early to use the word “legend” because to me the word gives off a bit of a “used to be a legend in the past” vibe. We’re still here and working hard as Super Junior so more so than being legends, I think it feels right to say we’re colleagues working together.
National and International press -Rolling Stone, Billboard, the GRAMMYs- call them “legends”, “kings of Kpop”, “veterans”, “pioneers” and several other adjectives, for the role they’ve taken in the industry.
And it should be noted that until now they are the Kpop group with the most active members, 9, with 15 years of musical career. Soon to be 16.
“Us, Super Junior, are ready to welcome our second prime of our career”
At the end of 2020 and start of 2021, the group celebrated their 15th. anniversary with their 10th. full length album The Renaissance, alongside a series of online concerts that connected with their fans around the globe. When asking about this celebration the answer was clear: The group is preparing for a second wave.
Kmagazine: Your last album: “The Renaissance”. What does it mean for you to be reborn or go through a renaissance, after 15 years of career?
Ryeowook: It could mean a new start. I think it can also be thought of as us, Super Junior, being ready to welcome our second prime of our career after having gone through our first. The title The Renaissance expresses our gratitude to our fans who were with us during that time, along with our desires to continue walking together.
Also, Yesung, Leeteuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Heechul, Shindong, Kyuhyun and Eunhyuk surprised E.L.F with “House Party”, single with which they decided to send a message to their following in order to cope with the current pandemic the world is dealing with.
Said song was recognized by the World Health Organization for having a positive message.
Kmagazine: Let’s imagine you have the opportunity to have one with your best and most loyal friends: E.L.F. How would you do it, where, and what would each of you bring or prepare for your guests?
Ryeowook: I’d love to meet our fans in person rather than through an online concert. I’d want to get a huge mansion so I can invite our fans for a concert and a fan meet. I think that’ll be a lot of fun!
Eunhyuk: I’d like to see how our fans are enjoying the party. Instead of preparing certain things for the party, I think it’d be fun to just get together and see what our fans will do. Our fans have always watched us, so it’d be fun to switch positions and watch our fans instead.
Super Junior( 슈퍼주니어) House Party
Kmagazine: You celebrated your 15th. anniversary together with E.L.F. How do you picture them in your mind?
Yesung: For me, they are the ultimate source of strength that I can rely on, and are my everything.
Leeteuk: E.L.F. feels like family to me now. They have been by our side for 15 years, always cheering for us and supporting us. On one hand, I’m very thankful yet on the other, I am also sorry to our fans at the same time. I hope our E.L.F. will continue to walk together with us for an even longer time than they’ve been until now.
Kyuhyun: My people. I may make mistakes, and might not be able to show my best all the time, but E.L.F. are the ones who continuously support me and are on my side. I’m very grateful for them.
Shindong: We are now like a family who trust in each other. It feels very much like we are coexisting -we exist because of them, and likewise, they are here as E.L.F. because of us.
The Last Man Standing
When Super Junior debuted, Lee Soo-man, founder of SM Entertainment, wanted to make a group that would open the doors in Asia. He made it. And with it, different challenges in their careers arrived, such as coming back after serving in the military, which is mandatory in South Korea. Second challenge unblocked.
We add to that how multifaceted each of the members have become: TV actors, variety shows hosts, producers, soloists, entrepreneurs, altruistics and, why not, they also tried their luck on YouTube. The next unavoidable question is: What’s next?
Kmagazine: With 15 years of career, do you have new challenges to accomplish on your list? Which ones?
Leeteuk: I’d like to have another interview like this 15 years from now. Rather than taking on a new challenge, I’d like to be with our fans for an even longer period of time than we’ve been together for.
Shindong: For quite some time, I’ve been wanting to make a musical or musical film based on our stories with our members. I think the fans will enjoy it and it’ll be fun for us as well.
Siwon: I think our next step is to support upcoming, new artists. That would be our new step and new challenge!
Kmagazine: Could you tell us what would you consider a significant turning point in your evolution as an artist, whether solo or as a team?
Yesung: There have been many significant moments in my career, but I believe I was able to grow even more as an artist by working on my solo albums. Every time I release an album, I think about what new things I could try with the album or tracks. With my recent solo album as well, I was excited to try a new genre and type of music that I like. I hope to become an artist who continues to grow, and I look forward to meeting fans with even better music.
Eunhyuk: More so than a turning point, it’s our fans who continue to motivate us. If you’ve been in this industry for a while, there may be times where you fall into mannerism or a slump or come across certain setbacks, but when that happens, it’s always our fans who continue to stay with us and look at us. They give us so much support so this motivates us to take another step forward
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This 15 years of career wouldn’t be anything without the work of a great leader, and even if everyone have a crucial role, in Kpop it forged the classic way by a strong hand. That responsibility was given to Leeteuk, to whom we didn’t doubt to ask tips for leadership.
Kmagazine: Leeteuk, as a leader, if you’d write a book about leadership, could you tell us what is the most important advice to be considered for being a good leader like you?
Leeteuk: To be a good leader, it’s important to meet great teammates. However, I believe it’s also equally important to give compliments, and show warmth and love towards your teammates in order to be a good leader.
Kmagazine: Your discipline guys and hard work are traits that a lot of fans admire about you. What motivates you to strive for excellence?
Yesung: For me, I try to take good care of myself by keeping a healthy diet. Also, I always have so much fun exploring new ideas and new music we’d like to try. So I’ve gradually started to produce my own albums as well. I love putting my own ideas, not just into my performance, but into posters, designs, and catchphrases as well to further develop my own style. I’m glad our fans enjoy it, and I will continue to work even harder!
Recently, Yesung released his album Beautiful Night, where he introduced phrases in spanish, a language he’s been learning because he considers it’s very important to communicate with his E.L.F. Also, he gave his first online concert, “I’ll Light Your Way”.
Siwon: I think it’s all about having responsibility. By having responsibility, we’re giving back to all of our fans for their love and support.
Kmagazine: What is the music that the current Super Junior wants to do?
Eunhyuk: Music always changes with the passing of time so I’d like to keep taking on new challenges. Instead of sticking to one genre, my goal is to continue trying out new looks, music and performances.
Shindong: It’ll be different for each member, but for me, I believe there’ll be a market for children’s song so it’d be interesting for Super Junior to try one out. I think all our members would write great lyrics for it because they’re very pure-hearted, so I wonder what it’d be like if we recorded a children’s song that we wrote ourselves.
It isn’t surprising that there are new audiences. Kpop today has become a global phenomenon, this year there are more than 100 million followers of the Korean Wave around the world, according to the Korean Tourism Organization. Which is why it isn’t only the generation that Super Junior started 15 years ago that supports their music, but also a new wave of young people of different ages has started to include songs from these artists on their playlists.
Which are your favorite new Kpop bands that you like so much?
Shindong: aespa is the group right now! I hear ‘Next Level’ everywhere I go, and NCT DREAM also released a new album recently which has some great tracks. There’s a track called ‘Hello Future’ and it has such a refreshing vibe that I feel uplifted when I listen to it.
Love and other things…
Kmagazine: What is love for you guys?
Eunhyuk: Love is something you have to protect. It’s about protecting the ones you love and keeping the promises you’ve made to your loved ones, as well as knowing how to protect your own heart and mind while loving yourself.
Kmagazine: Kpop idols have great influential power in their fans, and there are many people who wrote to us and explained to us why Super Junior is so important for their mental health. How do you feel about having that power to heal mental health?
Kyuhyun: We’re always influenced and empowered to work harder when we see the way our fans always think so well of us and their passion towards us. It’s similar to the question ”Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” I think we’ve been influenced by our fans, but our fans might feel as if they’ve been influenced by us.
The latin power got etched in their memories
Super Junior en México. Foto: Cortesía
Regarding the international market, Super Junior managed to build unique relationships with their different E.L.F. form all over the world.
Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brasil aren’t the exception, the fans, being considered a very passionate audience, make the memories remain engraved in the memory of those idols who have stepped on this lands, a fact the group also recalled:
Kmagazine: Mexican and Latin E.L.F. have missed you. Could you send them a message?
Leeteuk: First, I miss our Mexican and Latin E.L.Fs a lot. I really miss the energy and cheers of our fans from when we performed in Mexico and South America. I hope that we can meet soon, and wish everyone good health until then.
Eunhyuk: It’s been a long time since we saw our Mexican and Latin fans in person. During our South America tour, I saw how many fans are supporting us from far away, and even after coming back, I still hold that near and dear to my heart. I remember during our outdoor concert in Peru, I told our fans that even when I come back to Korea, I will think of them when I look at the moon because it was so beautiful that night. When I look at the moon, it actually does remind me a lot of that moment along with our concert and the places we visited. I miss it a lot, and would love to visit our fans again once the pandemic is over.
Shindong: It’s been a while since we met our fans in Mexico and Latin America face to face and have only been able to meet online, but I hope that things get better soon so we can meet in person. Until then, make sure to stay healthy. We’ll see each other soon!
Ryeowook: I heard there’s a lot of Super Junior fans in Latin America and we’ve actually had a chance to visit and connect with our fans there before. I hope the pandemic gets better soon so that we can meet each other again. Until then, please stay healthy. I miss you all and love you guys so much.
Yesung: I still have dreams these days of the times we met our fans in Mexico and Latin America, and quite often think about the memories we’ve made together. I’ve been trying to use social media to communicate more with fans using different languages like Spanish, and truly look forward to meeting in person again. I am filled with excitement from the thought of seeing you all, and look forward to being able to soon!
A few days after the interview, Yesung decided to share some pictures taken in Mexico from their last performance.
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Super Junior is the boyband that demonstrated the value of the latin market, opening the doors so that other Kpop acts erased the obstacles and started paying attention to their followers from this side of the planet.
This is how it became possible to see them for the first time in 2013 with their Super Show 5 World Tour, also Super Camp, and in 2018 they steped on latin lands again with the Super Show 7.
They arrived in Mexico, Peru and Chile with their characteristic blue ocean to promote the single “Lo siento”. They showed once more why they are a band that reinvents and isn’t afraid to experiment with new sounds, they invited singer Leslie Grace, and entered the Latin Billboard charts. They took a prize home.
Super Junior durante su presentación en el Concierto Telehit 25 años. Fotografía: K-magazine
Then, the unexpected happened: Super Junior did something that, up until now, no one had ever done in the industry, and became viral again.
They made a tribute to the spanish language, to Luis Miguel, the most successful hispanic music soloist till now, with a cover of the song “Ahora te puedes marchar”, and recreated every move from the 1987 video.
They also collaborated with Reik, one of the most important bands of the region. And, it can’t be forgotten: Super Junior shook the Aztec Stadium, a place where only Michael Jackson, U2, Paul McCartney and Shakira have performed. Leaving their mark in front of, approximately, 70 thousand attendees.
And the story goes on…
Super Junior doesn’t stop.
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You can read the Spanish version here:
Entrevista Exclusiva: Super Junior( 슈퍼주니어), el brillo Azul Zafiro que no se detiene
Translation: Gabriela Mulia Jiménez.
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Fighting!