SHINee's Onew, GOT7's Youngjae, And DAY6's Wonpil On Current Challenges, Why They Enjoy Musicals, And More

SHINee’s Onew, DAY6’s Wonpil, and GOT7’s Youngjae recently posed together for Elle Korea!

Currently, the three singers are starring in the musical “Midnight Sun,” which tells the story of Hae Na and Ha Ram who meet and sing the brightest song of the sun. They all play Ha Ram, along with NU’EST’s Baekho and musical actor Jo Hoon.

When asked about watching Youngjae and Wonpil on stage, Onew shared, “It opened last week and I watched nearly every performance from each cast, besides one or two. The Ha Ram that Youngjae portrays has a young boy’s feel to it. Even if he just steps on stage and laughs, that freshness is great enough to become engraved in my mind.”

He continued, “Wonpil is very detail-oriented. He sings as if he’s planned out how high he must sing each note and what beat he should follow. While drawing out the entire story through his song, he also acts very naturally.”

As Ha Ram is a student, they wear school uniforms for the role. When asked to look back on his school days, Onew responded, “I only knew myself. I began training in my second year of high school. I turned my back on the world then. I would just sleep at school. I didn’t talk to anyone, walked around by myself, and ate. It was a time when I didn’t have much time to sleep because I was practicing. Since it was so hard, I think that was my personal way of storing energy.”

Onew also discussed a current challenge for him, saying, “Speaking truthfully, like I am now. If I was like myself in the past, I would just smile and fill up this interview with whatever I could say. However, now I want there to be sincerity in all I do and I want to feel proud of myself. I want to become real.”

As he’s representing DAY6 while on stage, Wonpil was asked about feeling pressure. He responded, “That’s why I want to do better, but I do try not to pay attention to that. DAY6’s motto is ‘Let’s not try to do well.’ It’s our own way of getting rid of pressure and nerves.”

Regarding fans’ surprise at his musical casting, Wonpil shared with a laugh, “I think they’ll all be quite fascinated seeing me dance and act. While I was consistently receiving acting lessons and discovering the fun in acting, ‘Midnight Sun’ came to me. I did wonder whether diving into the real deal right away was the right decision as I hadn’t learned for very long, but I wanted to try.”

In the musical, Hae Na goes through a tough time and is comforted by Ha Ram. To describe his own way of comforting others, Wonpil shared, “I think I would constantly send them messages like ‘You’re going to overcome this’ and ‘You can do it’ in a subtle way. I would also remind them that even though they had tough times in the past, they eventually smiled and became happier.”

After leaving JYP Entertainment early this year, this musical is Youngjae’s first time back on stage. Youngjae shared, “At the end of 2019, I wasn’t able to perform near the end of GOT7’s world tour so it’s a relief that I can stand on stage now like this. Honestly, musicals are something that I’ve wanted to try for awhile. I would watch musical clips of Park Hyo Shin and EXO‘s Suho and the way they were good at both singing and acting looked so cool. Even while practicing, I worried a lot about whether I could do well, so being able to overcome that and stand on stage now feels fascinating.”

Like Onew mentioned, Youngjae appears quite similar to Ha Ram, including his bright and positive energy. Youngjae replied, “Our natural vibe is pretty similar. We try to laugh everything off and we like what we like. Perhaps when I’m on stage, you’ll be able to meet a version of Ha Ram that is a bit brighter.”

Youngjae also shared what he’s gained through “Midnight Sun,” explaining, “I’m the type who can’t really comfort myself. Although I’m in my eighth year of promotions, I have a bit of stage fright and I lack the ability to overcome mistakes. These days, I’m getting on stage with the mindset that I’m doing courage training. Through this challenge, I want to become stronger.”

“Midnight Sun” will be performed starting from May 1 through July 25 at the Kwanglim Arts Center and will be available for streaming all over the globe. Watch the trailer here!

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