INFINITE: "It's not about winning No. 1, but showing that we have grown with every album"

INFINITE during their showcase "THE MISSION" [Woollim Entertainment]

Announcing their comeback to the music scene with their third mini-album "INFINITIZE," INFINITE visited their fans in five cities -- Gwangju, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon and Seoul -- as part of their showcase titled, "THE MISSION," to commemorate their new release on May 15.

"We didn't think it was possible when we first heard about it (visiting five cities in one day), knowing how much short time we had. But we wouldn't be here at our last stop in Seoul without everyone's help that has made this possible," INFINITE's leader Sung-kyu said during the press conference in Seoul before performing at their last stop in the city.

"It was really great being able to meet all our INSPIRITS (official name of INFINITE's fan club) in other cities because we don't have many opportunities to visit other cities that often. I also want to thank the members for putting on awesome performances throughout the day."

In their album "INFINITIZE" released on the same day, the boys listed "INFINITIZE," "Chaser," "Feel So Bad," "Summer," "Only Tears," "I Like You" and "With..."

When introducing “INFINITIZE,” the boys, who have now grown up to be men, seemed confident in speaking to reporters about what they hope to accomplish with their latest release and growing up as artists.

INFINITE performing during their showcase "THE MISSION" in Seoul, South Korea on May 15, 2012.[Woollim Entertainment]

"K-pop has become such a big sensation but we didn't want to follow what's been done and produce trendy songs. We wanted to release a modern track that embodies traditional Korean music genre," Sung-kyu said when explaining about their title track "Chaser."

"The lyrics say read, 'I will protect you,' which kind of expresses how I want to protect our fans from any harm," he added, causing a roar of laughter among reporters.

Lead vocalist Woo-young chimed in saying, "While as a group, the most important thing that stands out about us is our teamwork. We were able to grow up as artists because, ironically, of the difficulties that we went through as a group."

"And it's not about winning first place, though it would be great to do so (laugh), but it's about showing that we have grown as musicians with every album that we produce. We want to show our fans and the viewers what we have prepared a lot. We hope that we can keep up with their expectations with 'INFINITIZE.'"

After wrapping up their press conference, INFINITE graced their last stage of the day at the Olympic Hall in Seoul, where they met with some 7,000 local and international fans.

In Seoul, the boys kicked off their album commemoration ceremony with a powerful performance of their title track "Chaser" and made their fans swoon as they greeted INSPIRITS in different languages.

Their showcase continued as they sang their ballad "Only Tears" and the boys left their audience screaming for more as they busted out their moves for their hit song "Be Mine."

The boys will begin promoting “INFINITIZE” with their comeback performance on Mnet’s cable music channel “M! CountDown” this Thursday.

INFINITE members talking to their fans during their showcase "THE MISSION" held in Seoul, South Korea on May 15, 2012. [Woollim Entertainment]

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