AKMU Says, “Confident in New Trials… But Worried that It Might Be Thought to be “Reflection of Adolescent Ecocentrism”
(서울=연합뉴스) 이상현 기자 = ‘’We can have energy only when we have a dream.’’
Dominating No.1s on music charts with single ‘’Time and Fallen Leaves’’
(Yonhap=이상현 기자) They are really a ‘’chart monster’’. AKMU dominate No.1 on charts upon the release of their new song and is never coming down from the top.
We are seeing a big clash among popular ‘’singer-songwriters’’ in this October, and the most powerful player here is a duo who has not reached 20 yet. That is brother and sister duo AKMU (LEE CHAN HYUK and LEE SU HYUN) who unveiled single ‘’Time and Fallen Leaves’’ on the 10 this month.
The duo said in an interview at YG Entertainment building located in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul, that they were so nervous about the score for their new song. They could be confident about the success of their first full-length album ‘’PLAY’’, but they were actually quite the reverse.
LEE CHAN HYUK who wrote the song made an unexpected confession that “I had many concerns over whether I should release this song”. That was because he thought the song might not go well with the duo.
“I was worried that some fans might think that this song is just a reflection of adolescent egocentrism, given my age. But I didn’t write the words to sound cool or for anything. I just wrote down what I really felt. It is so fortunate that this song has been well received. This means that I can try something different later.”
When asked about the meaning of the lyrics, LEE CHAN HYUK said, “Our lives have greatly changed after we appeared in K-Pop Star. It’s indeed been a dramatic change. Sometimes I miss the older days. But I can’t go back, and even if I went back, I would feel sorry for missing out on the life that I’m now living. The lyrics are about this kind of complicated feelings.”
In terms of vocals, LEE CHAN HYUK just plays a supportive role while his sister LEE SU HYUN leads the song. Her voice is clear, as always, and goes very well with this season, sounding more mature than ever. She said it was not an easy song at all for a 15-year-old girl.
“This song is about recollecting memories, so I tried to sing it in a composed way to maximize the raw feelings of it. I tried to sing in a spontaneous and calm manner, but it was so hard. In fact, I couldn’t fully understand the sentiment of the song. (Laugh)” (LEE SU HYUN)
They have had a wide base of fans, and their songs have been very successful since they appeared in K-Pop Star, a singing competition. And the success of their latest song “TIME AND FALLEN LEAVES” is remarkable. Of course, the rankings on the music charts are not an absolute measure of success, but they have proved their value among the renowned artists, such as Seo Tae-ji and Kim Dong-ryul.
We’re just at the beginning of our music career, while those artists have achieved so much. Our musical styles differ as well. So we were very flattered to “compete” with them on those charts. It was so unreal.” (LEE CHAN HYUK, LEE SU HYUN)
They spoke in a humble way, but it is undeniable that they are loved by many music fans. When asked about the reason why they have so many fans, they talked about their music.
“When we hear people say that they were comforted by our song, it is actually us who get comforted. The healing power of music is why we continue to write and sing songs. We have been singing about bullying and our dreams and past, because we wanted to comfort the listeners in various ways.” (LEE CHAN HYUK)
I wondered how they have been since the release of their first album. LEE CHAN HYUK said that they have been doing their best to prepare for “AKMU CAMP,” which is scheduled next month. And he went on to say that he became friends with Yoo Seung-woo, a singer-songwriter, and Jeong Seong-ha, a guitarist, and had a good time with them.
When I said that the collaboration of the three very talented “young” musicians could produce something very impressive, LEE CHAN HYUK jokingly said that when his sister SU HYUN sets out as a soloist, perhaps he would rather work with her.
What will ‘AKMU CAMP’ be like, which is scheduled to be held from Nov. 21 to 23?
“We are going to appear as fairies at “AKDONG Island,” said LEE CHAN HYUK. “The audiences will be able to really enjoy themselves.” LEE SU HYUN said, “We are preparing for the concert in a way that the audiences would feel that they had a lot of fun.”
I also wondered what kinds of changes they have gone through since they won the “K-Pop Star” contest last year. They seemed happy to have made progress, and at the same time, they were determined to find another goal for the future.
“We have come to know more about each other. I can really feel that we have made progress when I see the songs of our early days or the K-Pop star video clips. Actually, I have recently realized that my sister’s vocals are very good, as she sings the various kinds of songs that I compose. I don’t usually praise her generously. I just think ‘she’s quite good.’ (Laugh)” (LEE CHAN HYUK)
“Well, same here. I think my brother is ‘quite good at songwriting.’ (Laugh) When we won the competition, I was a little bit confused because it felt like I didn’t have the next goal to pursue. So now I’m working on to find another dream. A person becomes more lively if she has a dream.” (LEE SU HYUN)
2014. 10. 15.
