[INTERVIEW] NU’EST Makes A Powerful Comeback

Up-and-coming K-pop boy band NUEST has staged an impressive comeback performance on M.net’s “M Countdown” with their latest track, “Hello.” The 5-member group showed off their vocal skills in the ballad, which portrays the suffering of a guy who unwittingly comes upon his girlfriend spending time with another man. Before they sang their comeback tune, the five boys reminded fans of their former hit, “Hello Hello,” dancing in perfect sync. The group’s comeback comes after a hiatus of 7 months. TenAsia English met NU’EST at their comeback showcase held in Seoul.

It’s been a long time since we last saw you perform live and your comeback tune seems to demonstrate a deeper sense of maturity.

NU`EST: We think we’ve matured quite a bit in the last seven months. We were out of the public eye but we were incredibly busy touring abroad and practicing our new tracks. We hope our fans will notice this deepened sense of maturity (laugh).


We’ve tried to change our image a little since the last two albums but we’ve kept the real essence of NU’EST. It’s also because it’s winter now and we wanted to go with this rather melancholy season.

There are many different idols active on the K-pop scene these days. Tell me about one thing that you all feel proud of, something that no other boy band could imitate.

NU`EST: We worked really hard on our live performances. That is key to success, we feel. We’ve done a lot of work on that aspect and we feel confident about our live work.

Who do you feel are your strongest rivals?

NU`EST: Every boy band that debuted around the same time as us. They’re all our rivals.

You’ve been compared to B.A.P ever since you made your debut. Does that bother you?

NU`EST: We’d be lying if we said we weren’t bothered by the comparison.
BAEKHO: B.A.P are really successful and I feel jealous at times.

JR: They have a different concept from us so I’m not so bothered by them nowadays.

You seem to have become way more manly since the last time I saw you.

Minhyun: I’ve exercised a lot and I think I’ve grown in height. I think I’ve become more manly compared to last year.
JR: We’ve become more mature onstage as well.

BAEKHO: Yes, we have become more mature in our skills as musicians.
ARON: Oh, you guys have said everything so I have nothing else left to say! (laugh)


The choreography for your comeback song, “Hello” makes use of the necktie you have on. Tell me more.

NU`EST: It’s easy to do, so we feel sure that everyone will enjoy singing and dancing to this tune.
MINHYUN: I enjoy listening to this genre of music in my spare time so I loved practicing for this tune.
BAEKHO: The song is quite tragic if you listen to the lyrics. It’s about a man who sees his girl with another man.


Can you tell me about your ideal woman?

JR: My ideal woman is someone who takes care of me well.
MINHYUN: I don’t care what she looks like as long as she takes care of me well.
BAEKHO: My ideal woman is someone cute with big eyes.

ARON: Mine is someone who is girly and who has a nice, bright smile.
REN: My ideal woman is Lee Hyori.

You’ve been active abroad more than in Korea. Will that stay the same from now?

NU`EST: Working abroad has helped us become more mature but if we’re not as active in Korea, we probably won’t be able to beat our rivals such as B.A.P. We’ll continue our activities abroad, focusing on countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand and also focus more on activities in Korea, too.


There are currently many idol stars who have branched out into acting. Will you be doing similar things?

NU`EST: BAEKHO andREN are appearing in the TV drama series, “Jeon Woochi” and the other members are hoping to do similar things in future. We also try to do our best in acting for our music videos and onstage as we perform our songs. We want to be known for our sensitivity. We’re not afraid of revealing our sensitive side. We also want to be better known both in and outside of Korea.

cr: 10asia INTERVIEW