Marie Claire August 2020 Interview with Hyunjae & Juyeon

Interview with Hyunjae & Juyeon

 

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Q: <Road to Kingdom>, through which seven idol teams competed with stages, has come to an end.

→ Juyeon: "The moment our name was called onstage during the final live broadcast, all the moments during which we struggled up to that point flashed by (in my head). The faces of the many staff who worked hard with The Boyz members came to mind first."

→ Hyunjae: "I still clearly remember the scene of our practice room, where the members promised together to leave behind a legendary stage, even if we couldn't achieve first place."


Q: How did you feel when you first heard that you would be going on a survival program for the first time?

→ Juyeon: "Honestly, I felt pressure before felt excitement. But I gradually came to enjoy the competition more and more, thanks to the atmosphere where we could clap for each other for trying to show our best onstage. And also, because we generally showed a refreshing concept onstage since debut, I had a thirst to do intense performances. (Road to Kingdom) was a time when that thirst was completely quenched."

Q: What do you think is the point you have improved the most in while doing this competition?

→ Juyeon: "Because there were no audience members, we had a lot of performances where we utilized camerawork in many different ways. Our teamwork with the camera directors gradually fit together better, so I think we may be able to apply that (to our stages) for music shows in the future. And I think the most valuable result is how I also gained the confidence to do be able to do anything, no matter what it is."

→ Hyunjae: "There hasn't been an instance even once when we became careless, even when we placed first. We always looked over the other teams' stages and became motivated (by them). In particular, Pentagon sunbaenim's (T/N: "senior artist") 90 Second performance was most memorable. I felt that there were many points we could learn from them, such as their level of immersion into the stage and expressions, as well as their close teamwork."


Q: Many people foresaw The Boyz winning, and that became reality.

→ Juyeon: "I think that the members' ability to understand different stories and to express their emotions for each stage has brought out good results. Whether it be the 'Hwarang' concept of the 90 Second performance, the thief concept of 'Danger', or the revolutionary concept of 'Reveal, it was important to immerse ourselves in each character like an actor does while acting, but also to continue studying facial expressions and gestures."

→ Hyunjae: "Because we have many members, we were able to use the stage as a wide space, as well as utilize each member's strengths in many different ways."

Q: In which stage were the members' opinions reflected the most?

→ Hyunjae: "When we designed the 'Reveal' stage, Jacob came up with the idea of using motifs from <The Hunger Games>. We did a reinterpretation by connecting it with the crown being stolen in 'Danger', then having that crown be stolen from us by some force, then starting a revolution to take it back in 'Reveal'. It was fun connecting everything into one large story, up to the final stage 'Checkmate', where we ultimately take the throne. If you look closely, you can see the Hunger Games badges on our outfits, which were designed personally by Kevin. There is a different phrase written on them for each member."


Q: 'Reveal' is a song that The Boyz did promotions for recently. It was interesting to see the original song's theme be interpreted into a different story. Also, the moment where Hyunjae and Sunwoo ride on and raise the great flags can be chosen as the 'best scene'.

→ Juyeon: "When we designed the stage with a "revolution" concept, we imagined what performance would become the center of it. At that time, our choreography teacher gave the idea of using flags, which was conceived from "Gossaum" (T/N: aka a 'loop fight'), a folk game where people ride on big wood (poles), then clash and fight with each other. At first, we were all half in disbelief about whether it was possible to make this a reality onstage."


Q: It was like Cirque du Soleil. Did you have any fears?

→ Hyunjae: "Honestly, it was scary during practice (laughs). But because I was immersed into it onstage, I didn't feel scared at all. Even if I'd fallen, I think it wouldn't have hurt."

→ Juyeon: "The height of the flags was 3 meters. If you add on Hyunjae hyung's height, the total height goes over 5 meters."


Q: Your cover stages included 'Danger' and 'Quasi una fantasia'. You probably felt a lot of pressure because you had to show a different kind of charm in comparison to the original songs.

→ Hyunjae: "’Danger' is originally a soloist's song, so we worried about whether it was a performance that could be shown by a team. After doing this stage, our respect for SHINee's Taemin sunbaenim grew even more. Because he always fills up the stage by himself."

→ Juyeon: "’Quasi un fantasia' illustrates the process of going on to paradise. We went onstage without wearing shoes for the first time because of its characteristic delicate dance, so it felt strange. Out of everything, the core performance is the scene where a bare tree branch gradually blooms into peach blossoms, but I made a mistake during it. I wasn't able to find my flower because there were a lot of flower petals flying around (laughs). I still find it regrettable."

Q: If you had to choose a legendary stage by The Boyz, which would it be?

→ Juyeon: "The final performance, 'Checkmate'. It felt like the finale after all the stages we showed up to then, from the introductory performance through 'Reveal'. I find the choreo in the first passage of the chorus where we jump and sit with our knees to be the most memorable. Up to that point, we had to succeed at many missions. When the camera was filming other members, we had to personally move props onstage, so we had to move about very busily (laughs). In particular, when we succeeded at the risky mission where Eric has to throw a prop and Haknyeon has to catch it, I gained the confidence to do even better. I also find the rope performance I did with Hyunjae hyung inside the big box to be memorable. The rope didn't have any elasticity, so we had to take care to capture the feeling of a dance in which we were pulling and being pulled by each other while dancing."

→ Hyunjae: "There's a scene at the end of 'Checkmate' where the members stand in a single line, and at that moment, I felt ecstatic. I could feel that all of us were thinking the same thing. The 90 Second performance, which we did with the 'Hwarang' concept, is also meaningful to me. It's the first performance we did, and it was a stage we put a lot of time into."


Q: You won the ticket to move onto <Kingdom> with your win this time. What kind of image do you want to show at <Kingdom>?

→ Hyunjae: "I plan to gather up all the energy we received from the other teams and pour it all into <Kingdom>. So that all the time spent up to now doesn't become in vain. I want to work more on my vocal skills and challenge myself to do high notes onstage as well."

→ Juyeon: "If I improve more on my vocal skills like Hyunjae hyung, as expected, think the range that I can express onstage will become wider."


Q: It seems like you'd receive strength just from knowing that you're not alone onstage.

→ Hyunjae: "Believing in each other's ability to do well in each of our own roles creates synergy. If I'd been alone, I never would have been able to complete a stage like this. The thing we said most often while participating in <Road to Kingdom> was, 'It's okay if we don't get first place, let's just show what we've prepared well'. The slogan we cheer before going up onstage is "The Boyz, Get it? Got it!" Amazingly, when I hear this, my strength soars up."


Q: What are the moments when you rely on each other the most?

→ Juyeon: "When hyung buys me food? (laughs) receive a lot of strength just from knowing I have a person who will lend me an ear when I'm tired or when I have worries. Hyunjae hyung is always very mischievous, but he's a member that becomes a foundation/center for us during crucial moments."

→ Hyunjae: "I'm always thankful because as the team's main dancer, Juyeon leads us well during practice. I feel secure just from standing onstage together."

Q: If you were given the chance to enjoy a summer vacation, how do you want to spend it?

→ Juyeon: "I want to enjoy doing refreshing aquatic sports. It's already fun just imagining it."

→ Hyunjae: "We got to go once before to film for <Come On! The Boyz>. I think out of all the days since I was born, that was the day l laughed the most. I want to experience the same feeling I had on that day again. Of course, when this interview ends, we have to go back to our practice room..." (laughs)


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(translated by @dearhyunjaes)

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(Original interview)