[INTERVIEW] Boy band TEEN TOP - Part 1

Interview with boy band TEEN TOP

TEEN TOP member C.A.P [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

My name is C.A.P. My real name is Bang Min-soo.
I was born on November 4, 1992. I have a sister who is three years older than me and another one that is a year older than me.
I graduated from high school this year and I will be a freshmen majoring in dance at Dong Seoul University. It's not ballet even though it's dance but rather more of modern dance.
I spent most of my time in the rehearsal studio, from ten in the morning till ten at night, except for when I eat, for about three to four months when preparing for our debut song "Clap." I also had to work out since I had to reveal my upper torso in our music video for "Clap." I once skipped out [on dance practice and working out] because I was having such a hard time but no one would understood why I did. But the other members now tell me they understand how I felt back then since they've begun going to the gym as well...(laugh) (Ricky: I could understand how he felt and if I'd probably do the same thing if I was C.A.P.)
We split up the house into different sections for the housework and we play games such as rock, paper, scissors to decide who cleans which area. The hardest job is cleaning the bathroom and Niel is usually the one who ends up doing it. Ah, we never rig the game.
The jumpsuit that Chunji, Ricky and I wore while shooting the group dance sequence for our music video "Supa Luv" tore in the pants area. We were told to continue dancing since it didn't show and Chunji and Ricky were wearing black underwear but I was wearing zebra print so I've been afraid that the white part of it was going to show. Fortunately, no one has discovered it yet.
I want to become like T.O.P from boy band Big Bang. I met him recently at the waiting room for a show and tried real hard to keep a conversation going with him but I felt like a commoner trying to speak to an aristocrat. I dream of performing on stage with him one day but I don't know how that will turn out since both are voices are mid-to-low pitched.
I never intended to but our fans seem to be afraid of me. (L.Joe: C.A.P has recently gained a lot more male fans.) My male fans are usually guys who like to go to the gym. (laugh)
I like to exercise my body moderately, to the extent that I will work on the areas that need work. Lately, I have been focusing on my chest. (Ricky: I can honestly say that I am jealous. C.A.P can wear a sleeveless shirt during the summer and look cool. Niel: I swam with my shirt on during the swimming competition even though I wanted to take it off.)
A lot of people had asked us to take a group shot wearing our school uniforms before I graduated from high school. But I had thrown away all my winter uniform and I couldn't take the photos in my summer uniform that I had gotten altered. (Niel: His pants are baggy.) When I first got them altered, I thought it would be fun but it became too embarrassing to wear after about a month so I wore around my gym clothes instead.
I want to give our fans confirmation that we have received their gifts but it's hard to do so when they send us underwear. (laugh) Our fans started sending me alcohol once I turned twenty but so prove that too...

TEEN TOP member Chunji [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

My name is Chunji. My real name is Lee Chan-hee.
I was born on October 5, 1993. My hometown is Seongnam in the Gyeonggi Province and I have a brother who is five years older than me.
I have wanted to become a singer since I was in elementary school so I took part in a vocal training club when I was in middle school. But my high school didn't have that sort of club so I went to a voice academy and went for auditions after that.
C.A.P looked very scary when we were trainees. He wore gangster hip-hop style clothes and I felt that I shouldn't approach him the wrong way but he has turned out to be the cutest. C.A.P always copies Ricky whenever he acts cute in the car or at home and C.A.P gets angry when no one reacts to what he does. (Ricky: That's why he always tells me to laugh. Niel: You better laugh now when I'm speaking nicely to you! (laugh) C.A.P: That makes me sad...)
All we ever do at our dorm is wash and go to sleep. We all just lie down on the floor and sleep since it is a single-room apartment. I take my dirty clothes home once a week and bring it back the following week.
Honestly, we felt that "Supa Luv" wasn't the right song when we first heard it. The song didn't have a point or a catchy chorus and since the recording was done in English it felt like a pop song but we came to love it the more we listened to it.
I keep winking on stage for our performance of "Supa Luv." Our choreographer told us to practice an expression each but at times I blink both of my eyes.
I play games on my iPod whenever we have free time in the dressing room and when that gets boring we play hand games or read fan letters.
I want to sing a ballad song if we get the chance to hold a concert. L.Joe told me that he was going to compose a song for me. Once L.Joe began to play the piano telling me that it was the song he wrote for me but it turned out to be the theme song to cartoon "Galaxy Express." (laugh) (Niel: I also asked L.Joe for a song but I'm afraid that it may cause problems of plagiarism...)
We were in Japan for our activities during this Lunar New Year. I was sad that I wasn't able to spend it with my family but it was great because there aren't many opportunities like this.

TEEN TOP member L.Joe [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

My name is L.Joe. My actual name is Lee Byung-hun. I received the name L.Joe from my friends in the United States. L stands for Lee and it's combined with my name Joe.
I was born on November 23, 1993 in Gunsan of the North Jeolla Province of South Korea. We moved to the United States when I was in fifth grade and my family moved back to Korea because I became a singer here. We live in Ansan in the Gyeonggi Province except for my brother who is five years older than me. He stayed back for school.
I had a hard time when I first went to the United States because of Mexicans who discriminated me. After learning some English I created an Asian team and started to fight them. (Niel: You led them on!) However, you get expelled from school for fighting so we just cursed at each other in the bathroom. The best way to get ahead of your enemy is by listening to their curses or else you lose.
But, I was a model student and got As. It's just that the members don't believe me. (C.A.P: He looks like a model student in his school identification card) My dream was to become a doctor who specialized in cardiothoracic surgery. (C.A.P: Then my dream is to become a lawyer!)
I went to an acting academy during my summer vacation when I was a freshman in high school. I then heard about an audition, went for it and unexpectedly made it. I recited my own rap and sang songs by Epik high and Dynamic Duo but the videos of me that are uploaded onto the Internet...I really want to erase them...
I began to like G-Dragon from boy band Big Bang from when he promoted his song "Heartbreaker." He has a very sexy gaze. I had the chance to say hello to him in the waiting room and I was more nervous than when I gave my debut stage performance. Seriously, that was the first time I thought a guy looked so cool. I couldn't say anything to him because I was so nervous and when I get another chance to talk to him... Uhm, I will ask him to memorize my name.
Neil's tone goes really well with the song "Supa Luv" so I think that's why the composer gave him more parts but it kind of hurts when we read comments saying the rest of us don't sing. Everyone is a great singer and I think the parts have been divided up fairly.
My part for "Supa Luv" reflects how one is supposed to chase after a girl but it was hard to express that since I have never done that before. That's why I did a lot of heavy breathing during the recording.
I look at myself in the mirror to look for the perfect angles in showing my expressions on stage. I will be able to give off the right expression and look good on TV at a certain point. (C.A.P: So it doesn't matter how you are being shot?) That is why I change my look every day and yesterday I stuck out my tongue a bit. What kind of reaction did I get? I don't know. (Niel: To be honest, he looked cool and it's something that I can't pull off. Chunji: It goes better with L.Joe.)
I have played the piano for about five years. I have a lot of interest in composing songs and I promised the other five members that I would write each of them a song. I know that they will be all over me when the song becomes a hit. (laugh)

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Reporter : Choi Ji-Eun five@
Reporter : Lee Seung-Han fourteen@
Photographer : Chae ki-won ten@
Editor : Lucia Hong luciahong@, Jang Kyung-Jin three@