A guy that guys like. A member of idol group Shinhwa, Lee Minwoo – who has won the hearts of many female fans – has recently been called ‘Minwoo hyung-nim’ a lot. (NB: ‘Hyung-nim is a term of respect which younger guys use to address older guys). Among the fans who search for his music at various music websites, more than half are males, and the number of male fans joining his fan cafe has also been increasing.
“Since my first solo album, I’ve been making music that I want to make, and every year the number of male fans increase. Their level of mania seems like it will increase further.” Fans have expressed the general opinion that “it’s great that he tries things that most singers wouldn’t try”. Rather than to follow the trend, he looks confident as he takes current trends as references instead.
Having written the melody and lyrics for his title track ‘Minnovation’, as well as ‘Summer Time’, Lee Minwoo had imported sound sources from the UK. Besides changing the lyrics of ‘Summer Time’ 4 times, he only picked 6 songs out of tens of other songs. The title track ‘Minnovation’ fuses hiphop perfectly with an electronic beat, and despite its strong and catchy tune, it doesn’t feel like it’s following the trend. “It’s one of the albums that I’m most satisfied with,” Lee Minwoo said. The decision to produce a limited run of 20,000 copies also demonstrates this self-confidence of his.
“I wasn’t fully satisfied with my last album, there were too many styles and it lacked an identity. So this time round I picked only 6 songs so that the style of the album stays consistent. I think the character of the album can be better demonstrated if there are lesser songs.”
Although he rose to the peak as a member of idol group Shinhwa, he started on his solo career in 2003 in order to make his own music. As M, he has released more than 10 albums (including single albums and mini-albums). 3 years ago he set up his own management agency, M Rizing; for the past 10 years he has involved himself in dance choreography, songwriting and lyric-writing; and he has also shown much interest in non-music related businesses such as his series of Wolf M caps and his recent venture into the fashion industry. “If it wasn’t for dance I wouldn’t have started on music, and if I wasn’t interested in the arts I wouldn’t have started a fashion business. I like to follow my imagination, I like toys, and no matter what it is I will want to take up the challenge. I’m someone who dreams of becoming an artist.”
He has dreams of grooming outstanding newcomers as well. “The last 10 years have been spectacular, and now I’m hoping to groom a 2nd-generation Shinhwa. Yang Hyun Suk sonbae was the first to take that path, and I feel really glad to have an idol whose footsteps I can follow in.”
Credits: Herald Biz + Absolut Shinhwa + shinhwa.biz
