[TRANS] EXO's Kai 'Chose SM Over Ballet 12 Years Ago'

EXO's Kai "Chose SM Over Ballet 12 Years Ago, Wants to Be Called 'The Best' 12 Years Later"

EXO's connection with Sports Seoul, who sponsors Seoul Music Awards, is deep. They held a rookie award in the 22nd Awards (held in 2013), their 1st (Seoul Music Awards) following their debut in 2012, and received a bonsang, digital album award, and daesang at the 23rd Awards in 2014. The received a bonsang, iQiyi popularity award, and daesang for the second consecutive year last 2015. In 2016 they received a bonsang, daesang, and Hallyu Special Award, also holding the honor of a "triple crown" (for daesangs) in their 3rd consecutive year. EXO became a team that achieved the miracle of "3 consecutive daesang wins" for the first time in history at the 25th Seoul Music Awards.

Kai especially became a hot topic when he spilled tears while giving a winning speech at the 25th Seoul Music Awards, which was held on his birthday (January 14th).

- You revealed that "I feel happy because I received a great award on my birthday" and spilled tears at last year's Seoul Music Awards

"All music award shows' daesangs are precious, but the daesang trophy we received at last year's Seoul Music Awards in January on my birthday is worth picking as the best birthday present I've received in my life. I know it isn't easy to win daesangs for 3 consecutive years. I felt that our fans were supporting us that much, and that award felt like a birthday present. So I remember working harder/more diligently for our performance (after receiving the award).

The reason why I cried while giving a winning speech that day? Honestly, 2015's activites weren't really easy for me personally. Starting in January, we worked hard filming a music video and I briefly encountered a personal slump. Then I comforted and settled my heart by looking at other people dreaming of becoming singers and telling myself "Let's work hard. Let's be happy." I spent my year like that, but it's because we finished well that we won that award. Awards always have meaning, but that award (especially) felt precious in that moment.

This is the second year of the rooster that Kai is encountering since he was born. Kai says he remembers how he was eliminated from his current company, SM Entertainment, and held a wound in his heart 12 years ago in the last year of the rooster, but within 12 years he is standing tall at the top as a member of an idol group with fired up aspirations for new challenges. Kai, who is picked as someone at the top level of dancing among the nation's idols, expressed his hope wish to see the word '(the) best' attached before his name in the year of the rooster that has returned after 12 years.

- If you look around you, is there a characteristic of the year of the rooster celebrities?

"The year of the rooster celebrity friend that I am closest to is SHINee's Taemin. There aren't many year of the rooster celebrities around me, so I don't really know, but there is a common factor between Taemin and I. We lose our possessions easily and are clumsy. (Laughs) Our tendency to focus (solely) on one task is also similar."

- Activity plans and aspirations for 2017, the year of the rooster

"I'm going to crazily do a lot. I want to do something like mad, and I think that I need to do a lot. Of course I need to diligently dance and sing, but if I will be given a new challenge task, I want to also give that my best. Personally, I want to record videos of (me) dancing and show them to fans on various channels/platforms. I would also like to do many EXO activities."

- Something you want to heard at the end of 2017

"Rather than something I want to hear, there is something I want to say. Like I said earlier, when someone asks how the year 2016 was, I end up saying "regretful." When 2017 ends, I would like to be able to say in an interview, 'It was a fruitful time. I was happy.'"

- You recently filmed the web drama '7 First Kisses'. (Do you have any) greed/particular interest in acting?

"I've only filmed a few web drama episodes so far, so I don't think I'm at the level to proudly say anything acting/being an actor. I think I'm at the point of gradually realizing the charm (of acting). I've been living constantly knowing (only how to) dance and sing, but I was given the not so easy challenging task of acting. But I'm gradually falling for its charm. I'm very lacking and am still learning a lot, and even though there is much I need to learn from now on, it's very fun and I think I know why actors love acting. I still lack experience, but the happy memories I feel whilst filming are growing. It's always the best to have fun while doing anything, so I think acting will also make me as happy as dancing and singing do."

- What did you do in 2005's year of the rooster 12 years ago?

"2005, I was in 6th grade. I did ballet since I was 8 years old and I thought of specializing/majoring in it in middle school. Unlike me, my father told me to audition for SM Entertainment. OF all days, the SM audition overlapped with my middle school (I'm assuming entrance or to discuss majoring in ballet) interview. Standing at a crossroad of decisions, I decided 'Then I need to do ballet.' But my father said 'If you pass the SM audition, I'll buy you a Nintendo.' So I closed my dream to go to middle school with ballet and did the SM audition. I failed/was eliminated that time. (Laughs)

Even though I was young, I got the feeling that all at once I failed my life. I thought, 'For the time being, let's do ballet and idol preparation together' and prepared for ballet and the (SM) audition in the next year. I remember watching lots of Rain sunbae's and Michael Jackson's videos. It was 2007, in my second year of middle school, when I was contacted by SM. At that time I went in (to SM) not even as a trainee, but as an apprentice, which is one level lower than a trainee. (Laughs)"

- It's interesting that your father wholeheartedly supported/pushed you (to audition)

"My father's original dream was in the arts, but he said he couldn't fulfill it because his family was against it. So he let me do everything I wanted to do. Since when I was young, I went to every art and music hagwon (a private academy for learning specialized subjects apart from school). The area I was most interested in was dance. So I started ballet when I was 8 years old, won 1st place at a national competition and did quite a lot.

Doing the SM audition also wasn't because I wished to do it, but because my father prepared it for me. He filmed all my dance videos with a camcorder since I was 8 years old, and he made it possible for me to audition by sending those videos to SM. There were crises when I failed that SM audition, but my father said he believed in me. Nowadays when I see him, he'll tell me, 'I knew you would do well/succeed. Even looking at it from an outside perspective (not biased as Kai's father), you did very well when you were young.'"

- Imagining yourself 12 years later

"Honestly, I can't imagine (how I'll be) 12 years from now. It isn't something I think about often. First, I'm going to keep dancing until I can't feel enjoyment from it anymore. It's fun, so it isn't easy for me to think of quitting dance. I'll probably be dancing even when I'm 36 years old. Or I might be doing a job related to (dance). A personal wish? When I become 36 years old, I want to hear that I'm the 'best' in whatever field I'm in. Of course, maintaining that won't be easy, but I don't want to let that go. At the least, I would like to be called 'Kai is the best dancer in our country' 12 years later."

source article: http://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=468&aid=0000224850
trans cr: @ctribeat
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