[Trans] 130822 Henry
KKBOXHK Interview – Part 1 –
Music and performance
Title: The Multi-talented
Super Junior-M Henry
[Intro not interesting, so
not translating]
Q: This is your first solo
album and you’re also the
first SM Entertainment
artist to have a solo debut in
13 years. How do you feel?
A: I wasn’t under a lot of
pressure at first, but after
hearing you describe me in
that way, I do feel that I’m
carrying a tremendous
burden. That’s why I’ve spent
a lot of time preparing for
this album. I want to bring
the best music and stages to
the audience. At the moment,
I feel that I haven’t done too
badly. I’m not only speaking
of the title song, ‘Trap’, but
also other songs on the album
which I composed. Most of my
time was spent on the
composition process.
Although there are only 6
songs on the album, we
actually recorded 17/18
songs from which we chose
the best 6. A lot of time was
also spent on deciding what
concepts would best match
with the musical style.
Q: Of the 6 songs, which is
your favorite?
A: I don’t have a favorite
because each song has its
own unique style. When I feel
like having fun, I listen to
‘Ready 2 Love’ because it
reminds me of club music.
When I feel a bit down, I
listen to ‘I Would’. If I’m out
having fun with friends, I
listen to ‘Holiday’.
Q: You’re able to sing, dance,
compose music and lyrics.
That’s very multi-talented.
How would you describe your
musical style?
A: I’d say that I’m not tied
down by one particular style
as I enjoy a variety of styles.
What has influenced me the
most is American pop music,
hip hop and R&B etc. Because
my personality is pretty
outgoing, I prefer music that
is rhythmically strong.
Recently, I’ve been listening
to Justin Timberlake’s new
album. He’s really cool. As for
Hong Kong artists, I’ve
enjoyed Jackie Cheung’s
music since I was a child. He
is just superb and my
favorite song of his is ‘A
Goodbye Kiss’.
Q: Where do you derive your
inspiration when writing
songs?
A: A lot of times, I get it from
listening to other people’s
music. When I hear something
that I like, I’d think, “I have
to rush back to the studio and
compose a new song!” Often,
I get inspired when I’m
overseas, just like arriving in
HK today and looking at the
ocean view immediately made
me want to return to the
studio and compose a song
about HK.
Q: When did you begin taking
an interest in music?
A: I started violin lessons
when I was 5, piano lessons
when I was 6. At that time, I
wasn’t totally immersed
because it was my mom who
made me take lessons. It
wasn’t until when I was 10
and won an award at a
competition that I truly
began developing an interest
in music. As for composing, I
only started learning after I
arrived in Korea. I didn’t
particularly have a huge
interest in popular music (nor
was I really exposed to it)
before arriving in Korea.
After that, I began producing
pop music. It must have been
5 or 6 years since I began
composing. At that point, I
had debuted for 2-3 years
and craved a breakthrough,
and also really wanted to
create my own music.
Q: How do you prepare
yourself before a
performance?
A: It’s very important for me
to fully prepare for every
aspect of my performance. In
the past when I performed
with Super Junior-M, I only
needed to do my own part
well. This time, I perform on
my own from beginning to
end. Since I have to sing and
dance at the same time, I
often ran out of breath in
the middle when I first
started practising. That was
why since a year ago, I began
training myself by singing as
I jogged. Right now, I can
manage but still need to
continue to practise.
Personal
Q: Do you often come to HK?
What’s your impression of the
city?
A: I do have a lot of relatives
and friends here, so I come to
see them whenever I have
time. There aren’t that many
opportunities for us to meet.
My favorite activity is going
for dim sum. Chicken feet and
fried dumplings are really
delicious! On this trip, I will
be eating lots (laugh).
Q: Who is the most important
person in your life?
A: To me, the most important
people are my family – my dad,
mom, older brother and
younger sister. In the music
world, there are too many
whom I consider important.
For example, producers like
Justin Timberlake and Red
One give me lots of
inspiration and I study how
they compose.
Q: You just said that your
music brings joy to people.
How would you describe your
personality?
A: Outgoing and fun, and I
easily get close to people. I
also have a lot of interests. I
enjoy photography, producing
videos and I hope that I can
direct music videos and micro
blog films in the future. If
the opportunity arises, I’d
love to try acting and fashion
design too. There are too
many things I want to do.
Q: What you just named are
your personal dreams?
A: I’m the type who only has
goals, not dreams. Dreams
can only be had when asleep
and when you wake up, all you
can do is day-dream about
those things. When you
transform your dreams into
goals, they become realities
that you can strive for,
things that you can achieve.
When there is something that
I want to do, I definitely
charge ahead without
hesitation, and decide on the
best strategy to ensure that
I succeed.
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