RIDING THE KOREAN WAVE
Want to be a K-pop star? It's all about hard work, explains Nichkhun Horvejkul
Writer: ONSIRI PRAVATTIYAGUL
Published: 15/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: OutlookAll things Korean are still all the rage. It's hard to fathom why the trend is still going strong, but that's for the intellectuals to debate or the elites to continue poking fun at as much as they want. K-pop looks to be here for the long haul. Elevating the die-hard fandom to another level is Nichkhun Horvejkul, the first Thai national to feature in a Korean music group.
Nichkhun is very Thai.
Since 2006 Nichkhun, or Khunnie to his fans, has been signed to JYP Entertainment (former home of Rain and current mother ship to the Wonder Girls), first as a trainee and he has now debuted with his seven-member boy band 2PM in September last year. During his trainee years, Nichkhun made sporadic appearances in Thai advertisements on the strength of his association with JYP Entertainment and his pretty-boy looks. With 2PM blossoming into its own, topping music charts and appearing in numerous TV shows, Nichkhun's star stock has simply rocketed.
Needless to say, the Thai contingent was all over Nichkhun even before 2PM came to life, but now it has just been confirmed that our hometown boy is really making it. 2PM's latest visit to the Kingdom last week even drove the point further. Even when it rained, starry-eyed fans clamoured around, clutching high hopes and mobile phones for hours on end to catch a four-song performance. Even if that wasn't enough to satisfy the longings, consider yourself lucky, for Nichkhun's schedule is packed to the extreme. It's all about work, work and work for the 21-year-old. His adorable mother, whom 'Outlook' was fortunate to be introduced to, revealed that her youngest son sleeps about three hours and can hardly make time to see her and other family members when they travel to Korea.
"I don't get to sleep much. If I'm not working, I'll be practicing. I am doing a lot of work, but it's fun. I really love what I'm doing now. So it's fine," said Nichkhun.
Born in California, then moving back to Thailand when he was 18 months old, Nichkhun was shipped off to school in New Zealand when he was 12 and then enrolled in high school in California. It was there that JYP Entertainment during a Korean festival spotted him. The scout thought Nichkhun was Korean, but even after finding out otherwise still insisted Nichkhun come for an audition, which he initially refused, though numbers were exchanged. The calls came, and at the end Nichkhun agreed to meet at a coffee shop since he didn't want to do any acting, dancing or singing for the camera, and he hoped the public place would prevent it, but that didn't happen. They continued to film and asked him to dance, but when he objected to the lack of music as an excuse, they brought round a car and blasted the music out ghetto style.
Even without formal training in singing and dancing, Nichkhun's tape was impressive enough that they flew him over. He and his family finally decided to give it a shot since it presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He signed on as a trainee, but don't think just anyone can get in.
"They recruit every year on a very small scale. Very small numbers. It doesn't automatically mean everyone will get to release an album. Trainees are trained and segmented into what they want to do in the coming year. They have tests and processes. They put you through training in singing, dancing, acting and rapping. They also teach you how to conduct yourself too," said Nichkhun. "The two-year training period wasn't so hard. I wasn't so busy. Just training, practicing and learning Korean and Chinese," he added.
Compared to others who might have had prior training or interest in showbiz, Nichkhun had none. He was more of a sporty type.
"I have to try harder than anyone because I didn't have any foundation ... There was a time when I was lazy and disheartened. I didn't want to practice. I wanted to quit. I wanted to go home and go back to school in the US. I talked to my parents who prompted me to reconsider and rethink my decision. They didn't force me to stay, but they gave me advice. I think they saw some potential in me so they've been supporting me all along. At the end, I decided to stay on," he said, adding that even trainees are contractually and legally bound.
(UPPER ROW) Chunsung, Wooyoung, Junsu and Junho; (LOWER ROW) Taecyeon, Jaebeom and Nichkhun.
And it was a good decision to keep on trucking. 2PM is now set to take on Korea and Thailand. Nichkhun himself couldn't be happier.
"2PM is a perfect group. We're a good match. I am happy to be in this group. We have different characters, but the chemistry is just right. We're natural and individualistic. We get along very well too," he said.
The Korean entertainment industry is known for churning out Asian stars one after another. It's lauded for producing the kind of pop music that is not too hard to stomach since its productions are often polished and lavished with thoughts spread through every atom of a song from melodies, dance moves to stage costumes. It's applauded for having international production standards while remaining easily accessible. Brushing the cool factor aside, the Koreans seem to know what works and what rakes in the cash. But with glittering success, there comes criticism. Overworked stars are hospitalised while no-work has-beens commit suicide. The media also makes suggestions of low pay and exploitation.
"There's that side to it too, yes. But, well, just look at it from another side. You get training on the job when you work. You can apply what you learn doing this in other industries as well, even in your daily life. If you give it all you've got, success is right in front of your eyes. If you can think positively, you can change everything. Take me for example, I am extremely exhausted, and I don't have time, but I look at it as an experience-building thing. I get to meet a lot of people from the industry, and these contacts might come in handy in the future. Opportunities are everywhere. If I keep [my positive thoughts] with me, I'll feel encouraged to keep on working," he said.
But isn't a highly structured, highly controlled way of working a tad too forceful?
"Human beings like to be sabai (did he speaks Thai here?? I think he means human beings like to be in comfortable or laying back condition). But sometimes, being sabai doesn't make you successful. Being trained and practicing hard changes a lot of things. They teach you the meaning of hard work and how you can succeed if you keep on practicing," said Nichkhun.
For someone who has worked in both countries, Nichkhun has had a chance to compare.
"Promotion and support systems are vastly different. I've heard that for some artists in Thailand, they are released within three months. It's a shame. I think Thai artists are talented but they're not properly supported or promoted. It saddens me a bit. I really want the Thai music industry to move forward. I want to see it changed, but there's nothing I can really do. Everyone must learn on his/her own," he said, adding that when time allows and opportunities arise he would love to work more in Thailand.
Even if Nichkhun stresses the importance of his job and how success comes through hard work at the expense of privacy and personal time, it can't be so simple that he can just brush feelings off.
"Of course I have my moments. There are times I want to be alone and do things alone. There are times that I feel like I want to have a girlfriend or hang out with other friends or travel. But when you're working a lot, you hardly have time to feel like that anyway.
"And then you think about work and your future, you kind of forget about it," he said.
Recently, Nichkhun was featured in a so-called reality show titled Scandal. The premise is that a regular girl becomes a famous star's "girlfriend" for seven days. They go on dates and act like a real couple. At the end of a week, if any "real" feelings develop, the girl and the star can exchange real phone numbers and take it from there. Nichkhun's session was rather heart-wrenching, for his one-week girlfriend seemed to be falling hard and fast for the gentle and romantic Nichkhun. The show culled many hateful comments directed at the girl from fans who viewed her as an enemy who got too close to their beloved Khunnie. Questions over the legitimacy of the show also arose.
"Of course knowing someone for a period of time, you are bound to develop some good feelings. But when you think about what you're doing right now, the kind of job you have, it's not really possible to make it happen. Surely, you can let yourself [be involved], but if you consider your work, you'll see how it can't happen. I choose work for the time being," said Nichkhun.
Nichkhun decided to leave it as it was after agonising over it on camera. The main reason for him to sever the tie and stop any further developments was his status as an idol singer since the fans wouldn't be too chuffed when they found out. It might be hard for you to decipher such notions in this day and age when TVs have colour, but you probably are not a teenage girl who dreams her life away. But Nichkhun understands that. He understands what it takes.
"This is my chance, and I don't want to ruin it by having a girlfriend. I don't want to lose my fans and let them down. Burdensome? Hmmm, I'm only human. I think about it, but I try to remain positive. I just look ahead," he said.
