Group NEXZ members said they studied Korean while enjoying Typhoon Family and King the Land, which Lee Junho appears in.
Recently NEXZ met with OSEN for an interview at a cafe in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District, Seoul, ahead of the release of their mini 3rd album Beat-Boxer and the title track of the same name.
The new album "Beat-Boxer" is a work released six months after mini 2nd album "O-RLY?", and it is an album armed with NEXZ's expanded musical spectrum, solid teamwork and confidence. The title track of the same name combines the English words beat and boxer to express the members' confidence that they will smash the beat on stage with overwhelming energy.
In particular, based on 2000s hip-hop and dance sound with a minimal and unique track, it conveys a fresh and strong image that simultaneously evokes boxing and the dance floor. Tomoya, Yuu and Haru directly participated in creating the choreography for the new song, and with movements that highlight the group's strengths and individuality, they demonstrate their potential as a performance-focused group.
That day the members shared their feelings about returning after six months. First, Hwi said, "We are making a comeback after six months, and we practiced consistently to show growth and a cooler image than the last comeback. I want to thank the staff who helped with the comeback and the fans who waited a long time. We will do our best."
Leader Tomoya said, "I am happy and excited to be making a comeback. I hope this interview becomes an opportunity to showcase our Korean skills."
As they showed confidence in their Korean skills, questions arose about how they improved. Sokun, the only member with Korean nationality, explained, "While promoting in Korea we tried to speak to each other in Korean, and we also spoke Korean when talking with staff. We tried to live naturally in Korean at the dorm and during practice. We started using Korean mainly for trivial and important conversations among ourselves."
Seita said, "I have an episode. When I could not understand Korean, the members were watching Korean movies but I did not watch much because I did not know Korean. These days when they suggest watching a movie I also watch, and I have watched many works with the members without subtitles. I enjoy it a lot, and lately I am into horror movies so it became a hobby."
Yuki also said, "I usually talk about this, and personally I like Korean drama and movies. When I am alone and encounter words I do not know, I look them up and study bit by bit."
When asked which works became good teaching materials for learning Korean, Sokun said, "I recently started watching, and I am watching Typhoon Family, in which 2PM Junho sunbaenim appears. It's fun so I keep watching." Yuki added, "I watched King the Land and enjoyed it, so I watched it regularly."
Meanwhile, NEXZ held their first solo domestic concert NEXZ SPECIAL CONCERT at Olympic Hall, Olympic Park, Songpa District, Seoul, from the 25th to the 26th ahead of the comeback
[Photo] Reporter Min Kyunghun
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