Rookie Interview: What do you think of him? ② T1419 "2PM→Seventeen Watching Singer's Dream"

Released March 9, 2021 9:55AM

Reporter Hee-yeon Jung

★ Not just stars I know, but stars I've been following! "How about this one?" is an ambitious interview series prepared by Donga.com that digs into the charms of new artists and introduces them to you. If you don't recognize their names and faces, you're in for a treat, because they're artists who will grow into huge stars in the future.★

**◆ Star self-introduction ◆**

1. Group name: T1419 (T-ILSILGU)

2. Debut date: 2021.01.11

3. Members: Noa (leader), Sian, Kevin, Gunwoo, Leo, ON, Zero, Kairi, Kio

4. Agency : MLD Entertainment

5. Album : 1st Single [BEFORE SUNRISE Part. 1]

6. Ipduk Point

Noa: A versatile all-rounder who can be a leader, main rapper, and lyricist

Sian: A charming voice that melts hearts

Kevin: Sweet voice and small face

Leo: The brain of T1419 who has conquered three languages, English, Japanese, and Korean

Gunwoo: Powerful rapping that contradicts his cute appearance

ON: The self-proclaimed representative visual of T1419

Zero: A shy, reverse charmer with a cold exterior

Kairi: A killer smile that disarms you

Kio: The cutest youngest who always wants to be a gentleman

Continued from Interview #1

**Q. The members are of different nationalities and ages, so how did each of you come to dream of becoming a singer?**

ON: It started with a dance club, and for the first time, I received cheers and support in front of an audience, and I liked that feeling. I naturally realized that I liked dancing and being loved by people. I told my father, who was against it, that I should go to an audition and sign a contract, and he thought about it for a long time and agreed, because it was the first time I told him that I wanted to do something.

Kio: I've been a fan of Seventeen since I was in middle school, even going to their concerts. I auditioned a bunch of times, got accepted, and here I am.

Sian: When I was younger, I used to watch the singers on TV and vaguely think, "How fun and eager they are to enjoy the stage with that look in their eyes," and "I want to do it once." I was just an ordinary student who was studying. Then, in middle school, I thought, "I can't wait any longer," so I convinced my parents to let me prepare for the audition. I prepared for a little less than a year, and I started when I moved to the practical dance major.

Kairi: When I was in the first grade, I saw the 2PM seniors perform and felt movement in my heart, so I came here thinking, "I want to give people a dream with my skills like 2PM seniors.

Gunwoo : When I was younger, my dream was to be an actor. In middle school, I was introduced to dance in a dance club, and I became interested in it. What I wanted to do changed a lot without thinking, but dancing was the first thing I liked better than acting. I asked my parents, who were against it, to give me one year. I challenged myself a lot and went to auditions, and in January 2019, after seven months, I joined this company.

Kevin: I used to fence when I was younger, but I quit in middle school because I couldn't handle the injuries. My mom encouraged me to sing, but at the time I was more interested in acting than singing, and I went to school for acting at the same prestigious school as Sian. Then I started dancing, and I realized that I was interested in it and that I had more talent, so I went to audition for fun and got picked up. Even after I left (my old agency) as a trainee, I couldn't get away from it. Sian encouraged me to audition for the current company and I got in.

Noa: I was always a kid who liked to listen to music and dance when I was younger. I never thought about turning it into a career, but when I auditioned, I thought, "This is what I want to do." I've been a trainee at other companies, and I've come full circle. I'm the longest-tenured trainee in the team, at about three years.

Leo: My uncle is a musician in Japan, so I've been interested in music since I was a kid. K-POP is famous in Japan, so I was interested in it too. I also wanted to go abroad and work, so I auditioned for a job and came to Korea.

Zero: I originally wanted to be a soccer player, but when I was in middle school, my parents told me that I needed to study, so I stopped playing soccer, but I liked the songs of BIGBANG seniors and I was also interested in K-POP. I thought, "If I can, I want to be a singer." I studied hard and got into the school that my parents wanted, but I told them, "I want to be a singer." They were against it at first, but I wanted to do it, so they let me.

**Q. So the nine of you got together and became T1419. Noa is the leader. Why were you chosen as the leader?**

Noa: I'm the oldest, and I've been here since the beginning. I was the 'eldest' at the beginning, and then about half a year ago, after the debut was set, we had to choose a leader, so I volunteered.

**Q. What is your leader, Noa, like?**

Sian: When hyung volunteered to be the leader, everyone implicitly agreed and supported it, because he had always shown leadership and everyone trusted him. Since we were trainees, Noa has consistently played a role in uniting and guiding us. Even when we were talking among ourselves, such as at family meetings, we needed one person to take the lead, and I think he played that role well.

**Q. Let's talk about the youngest, what kind of youngest is Kio?**

ON: Kio was born in 2004, and my first impression of him was that he was a baby because he was so chubby and tiny, and I was also young at the time, but he was more like a baby. He went to Japan for a trainee program and came back after a month or two, and he's grown so much, and he's lost a lot of weight. I think he's going to grow up to be really cool when he's Noa's age, but of course, he's still a baby in our eyes.

**Q. What was your first impression of the group name T1419, which means "Teenager 14 to 19" to reflect the age range when you first got together?**

ON: We used to call each other 'MLD Boys', but when we heard the team name, it was unfamiliar to us. We were worried that it would be difficult, but as we kept calling it, it grew on us. It's a meaningful number for us, so I think it's a meaningful number for those who like it as well. It's also an advantage: it's a name made up of numbers and English, so it's easy to refer to around the world. We felt like we were starting a new trend. Oh, there were no other group name candidates.

**Q. You debuted with 'Asurabalbalta', how is your debut song, do you like it?**

Noa: When I saw the lyrics before listening to the guided version, I wondered a lot about what it meant. When I heard the trick, I was convinced that I could crush it.

Gunwoo: I liked it because I like strong songs, and 'Asurabalbalta' itself is powerful. It's a battle song that starts things off, and it's about our aspirations, so it makes you feel grand when you listen to it.

Kevin: I was worried because I'm in charge of the high notes in the team. The dance is dynamic, but the high range is physically demanding, so I was worried that I would be out of tune, so I paid a lot of attention.

**Q. Do you have any concepts you'd like to try in the future?**

Noa: A sexy concept. We want to create our own sexy genre.

Kevin: Sexy has different feelings, so I think it would be great if the 9 of us could challenge each other's sexy. I think it would be great if Noa could do salty sexy, Sian could do deadly sexy, and Kio could do cutie sexy.

ON: We're young and have a boyish image, so I'd like to do a refreshing stage, and I'd like to show how we sing with a bright smile.

Sian: We'd like to show different sides of ourselves, so we can be intense like "Asurabalbalta," or sexy like Kevin and Noah. We'd also like to have exciting songs. We want to come out with songs that will be memorable and become a genre in themselves.

Leo: We also want to showcase cool songs that are suitable for summer. It would be great if we could enjoy rhythm with our fans.

**Q. Who are your role models in the group?**

Noa: BTS seniors. I'm most influenced by them both in terms of performance and musical color.

**Q. Do any of the members have plans to write, compose, and produce their own music like their role models?**

ON: Noa hyung and I took a songwriting class and have been working on it steadily. Among our unreleased songs, the second verse of "Catch Me" was written by Noa, and although it hasn't been released, we've shown it on stage. We'd like to show how we write and produce our own songs in the future.

**Q. Some of the members are interested in becoming an 'entertainment dol'. Is there any entertainment program you would like to appear on?**

Noa: Personally, I'm a big fan of "Home Alone." I really like it and enjoy it. I'm currently living in a house, but I would definitely like to appear on "I~Jungle" in the future.

Kevin: I'd love to go on "Law of the Jungle" with the guys, and "Running Man." I'm a good runner, so I think it would be fun.

Sian: I'd like to appear on a program where we can talk about topics like 'Abnormal Talk'.

Gunwoo: I'd like to be on a 'food show' because I love to eat and go to restaurants, and I'm confident that I can appeal to the members when choosing a menu, and I'm good at expressing flavors.

Kio: I watch a lot of Korean shows, but I really want to go on 'Know Your Brother'.

**Q. Last question, what kind of group and what kind of singer do you want to be?**

ON: I want to be a singer who gives a good influence. Just as we have raised our dreams by watching our K-POP seniors, I think it would be so proud and good if we can become a group where our friends who are preparing to be idols can look at us and dream.

Noa: I hope that our group itself can grow into a team that can become a household name. Recently, I saw 2PM seniors preparing for their comeback on 'I Live Alone', and I was impressed. I hope that we can become a long-lasting team like 2PM seniors, even if we go to the military and meet again.

Sian: If you look at the news these days, I think there are a lot more tough stories than positive topics. I want to be a person who can have a positive impact and be a source of strength. I would be happy if I could have that kind of good.

Following up on Interview #1