✰ 4Minute Interviews ✰

4Minute as one of MTV’s Top KPOP Airport Fashionistas



As more KPOP Idols fly into different countries around Asia from time to time, we get more chances of seeing them on airports showing off their smart and lovely sense of fashion. With this, MTV Korea decided to make their list of their Top KPOP Airport Fashionistas.

4Minute landed on the 8th spot with the statement:

“4minute carries their unique and colorful style over into their personal clothes! They also seem to have kept their love of all things short.”

Other artists included on their list are DBSK, WonderGirls, Big Bang, Shinee, SNSD, 2PM, Kara and CNBLue.

Source: MTVK

‘CECI’ magazine holds an in-depth interview with 4minute



The sexy ladies of 4minute recently took part in a photoshoot with “CECI” magazine from the set of their upcoming music video! The members also shared some deep thoughts on their careers and on each other.

Check it out below!

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Jun Ji Yoon: “When you receive attention from the public, it’s inevitable that there are times when you become the center of gossip and hate. In the face of such hate, our members decided to take it all in with modesty, and show our improvements in return.


Still, we were quite hurt; comments that judged our musical qualities as ‘poor’ drove daggers into our hearts. Unlike other girl groups, we have a boyish, powerful charm that sets us apart, and we want people to feel that passion on stage.

Ever since our debut, our team mantra has been: ‘Not the best, but the only.’ We will stand on stage with every ounce of strength we have in order for our talents to be acknowledged. All of us are of the attitude that it’s not the size of the stage that matters, but the opportunity itself. We hope to become a team that is able to pull off different songs, styles, and performances with determination.”



Kim HyunA: “It’s definitely an honor that we received a ‘New Artist’ award at the ‘2010 Billboard Japan Awards’, in addition to having so many opportunities to tour overseas. There are so many times where I’m touched because of the heartwarming moments from our international fans; a fan would give me medicine when I’m seen coughing, or they would memorize our lyrics and support chants in Korean and follow along with us as we perform.


I’m pursuing this career path because I randomly thought that I wanted to ‘dance and sing’ when I was standing before a stoplight during my third year of elementary school, but there was never one moment where I felt secure.

I think it’s because every new day presented a new opportunity to learn that I was able to enjoy my long years of training. It’s the same now, because with each visit overseas, we gain experience and learn new things.

To me, the only way you can be absolutely sure of anything is to put in the time and effort. Assurance is measured by the time and effort you put into something.”



Heo Gayoon: “If someone were to ask me to give up something in my dorm in exchange for a diamond, without hesitation, I’d respond, ‘You can take everything except my members.’ I’m curious as to how far, how long, and what kind of stages we’ll create under the name of ‘4minute’.


I want to find out for ourselves, but I know that I have the confidence to go far and long if it’s with the five of us. With our comeback album in April, you’ll be able to see just how much stronger we’ve become.

Not only the members, but the composers, writers, choreographers, stylists, and many others are all giving up countless nights in order to achieve a stronger image in style, choreography, and our music.”



Kwon Sohyun: “I dreamt of becoming an actress before I joined the idol group ‘Orange‘ when I was in elementary school. We didn’t achieve great results at the time, so I gave up my dream of becoming a singer.


I saw a senior at my school pursue her dreams of becoming a singer and debut in the industry, which made me feel an inferiority complex. It was at that moment that I realized what I truly wanted to do.

I was not a trainee when I first joined Cube Entertainment; I was at a ‘preparation level’ where I had to pass skills tests every three months in order to remain with the company. It’s easy for anyone to feel nervous with such an opaque future ahead of them, so I took small steps and focused on one goal at a time. My initial goal was to become a trainee and I worked with full force towards that.

That habit has remained with me even now because I still focus on one day at a time. To me, it’s more important to overcome and withstand the present as opposed to worrying over a future you’ll never know.

I’m satisfied with the present, and my efforts in learning how to prevent myself from being idle.”

Source: CECI

Ceci invites you to 4minute’s comeback backstage party !

4minute featured in the April issue of Ceci. The girls struck the pose for their “Last Minute at Backstage” photoshoot, talked about their achievements and hinted at their impending comeback in an interview.

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The 5 girls who only care about music became a hot issue just 100 days after their debut, shining by themselves when on stage. 4minute’s comeback backstage party. In their boudoir, we captured their fashion style.



Kim Hyunah
Hot Issue – Took Japan and Asia by storm
I’m honored that we received the 2010 Billboard Japan New Artist Award, that we ran an overseas tour and did much more. There have been a lot of times when I was touched by our foreign fans. When they see us coughing, they buy us medicine, they pay attention and give feedback to every of our appearances in concerts, they even learn the Korean lyrics and fanchants so they can sing along, which I find heartwarming. During my 3rd year in elementary school, as I was standing in front of a traffic light, I suddenly thought “I want to dance and sing”; I picked this path even though it never seemed it could give me a secure future. I think it’s because I liked and was excited about what I was learning day by day that I was able to make it through the trainee days and enjoy that period. Even now, it’s still the same. It’s good and exciting to gain experience abroad and learn stuff. As for confidence, I think that, as you take your time and strive hard, it will come as big as your efforts.



Heo Gayoon
Diamond – A treasure I will never trade
If someone asks me “In your dorms, what is the treasure that you would never trade, even for a diamond?”, I will answer without any hesitation “Take anything from me but the members”. I’m curious as for how long we will have the chance to provide great performances, as for how far we will be able to go under the name of 4minute. I wish I already knew about it but I’m pretty sure we will go far as five members. You will be able to see how stronger 4minute has got in our full-length album scheduled to be released in the beginning of April. Not only the members, but the composers, the lyricists, the choreographers, the stylists and even the company’s staff have been spending sleepless nights and struggling. Our style, our choreography, everything from us has got stronger.



Kwon Sohyun
For Muzik – The trainee days that made me doubt about my future
I dreamt about acting when I joined the idol group Orange while I was attending elementary school. At that time, the results we achieved weren’t great and I once ditched my dreams of becoming a singer. However, I saw that a senior in my school made her debut and I felt an inferiority complex. I fully realized what I really wanted to do. When I joined 4minute’s agency, CUBE Entertainment, I wasn’t a trainee but in the “in preparations” lot. For 3 months, I had to go through tests : I had to keep improving if I didn’t want to leave the company. Anyone gets nervous and anxious if they start to think about their uncertain future. Instead of a distant future, I focused on a closer one that was to become a trainee. Up until now, I’m used to concentrating on the time that’s just ahead of me. It’s more important to me to endure the present rather than worry about a future that is uncertain. I’m really satisfied with the present as I’m learning how to prevent myself from becoming lazy.



Jeon Jiyoon
Hot Issue – When we become the topic of discussions
When we try to capture the public’s attention, we unintentionally become the object of gossips as well as the object of malicious comments. When it comes to malicious comments, I think that the members modestly accept the criticisms whatever they are then to desire to show a better image. There were also times that we were hurt despite our hardened hearts. In particular, we earned the hurtful nickname “deudminit” in reference to how some people think little of our music. Compared to other girl groups, we deliver boyish and powerful performances that don’t necessarily abide by the general standards. I wish that people could apprehend our color through our passionate gestures and emphatic expressions that inflame the stage. Since our debut, our team slogan has been “Rather than the Best, the Only”. In order to make 4minute’s unique charms recognized, we want to perform a lot and bring the best of us. That’s what all the members think. We have the mindset to think about the opportunity that’s given to us, instead of caring about how big the stage is. This is with such attitude that we want to become a group that always impressively showcases extraordinary content such as songs, style, performances.

Source : Ceci
Translating & editing : Meeli @4-minute.com

4minute’s interview with ELLE girl – Jihyun

[11.03.00] 4minute’s interview with ELLE girl – Jihyun



Nam Jihyun
4minute’s leader and her pretty smiling face, Jihyun. She has adored dancing for years and regularly went on stage during events at school, but she didn’t dream of being a singer. “While I was attending high school, my homeroom teacher asked about how I found the idea of becoming a singer. It was distressful, because I thought that I would have to drop out of school. I didn’t give in and decided that I would have to go to university.” From Incheon to Seoul, she attended dance hagwons – Korean private cram schools – and, after a very harsh training, she got in Sangmyeong University as a major in dance. The irony is that she then paid attention to a singing career for the first time and, after considering it, tried out for it through an audition. The video of her first and last audition from that day has been circulating on the Internet since the beginning of this year and gained the netizens’ interest. “I didn’t know that my audition video would become such an ‘issue’. It feels great. Because it was pretty much different back then. I thought that if I fail the audition, I would just stick to attend university.”

Fortunately, she debuted with 4minute after this audition turned out to be the only one she’d pass. Compared to other aspiring singers who failed auditions so many times and went through wearisome preparations, she came off really well. However, she doesn’t feel burdened at all about becoming a group’s leader in just 6 months of trainee life spent. “Can I do well? What kind of leader will I be?” after thinking about it what was her conclusion ? ” As every team has its own color, the leaders too have their different way to handle things. The members are the type to do well at everything by themselves. And, in anybody’s life, a leader is a plus. To sum it up, my role consists in taking the lead and setting an example.” The words she say the most often to her members “I’m sorry I couldn’t take well care of you” somehow speak for the “gentle in appearance but tough in spirit” leadership the mature leader assumed.

As soon as 4minute debuted, it established itself as a group with the individuality to provide powerful performances. In between her regular activities and scheduled domestic performances, Jihyun was the very first member to get the chance to give acting a go. She made her name appear on the list of “actor-dols” (idols who land acting roles in dramas, etc.) by filming the now-ended SBS drama ‘It’s Okay, Daddy’s Girl’. However, because of her hectic filming schedule she didn’t get enough time to prepare her appearances and got back with an unchanged stress. “I was afraid the filming would be disturbed because of me. I didn’t get much airtime , so luckily we were able to wrap it up safely. I learned a lot by watching the actors at my side being absorbed in their roles.” Being a singer and an actor, the two hares Jihyun is willing to chase and honestly admits it as being greed. Even after the drama ended, she still receives phone calls from the writers who also give her words of encouragement and pieces of advice.
However, the thing that is the most important to her now is the preparations of 4minute’s new album. From morning to evening, they record songs and from night to dawn, they practice their dance routines ; this is how they spend their days. After she said she wanted to get 4minute more recognized so even seniors would know about them, we asked her again “Is that greed?”. She answered “I want 4minute to appeal to many more people through various activities in the field of popular culture. After some time, I wish that all the 5 members will be ‘artists’ that are not embarrassed to be called so. Usually, I’m not able to express this. I only write it in my diary.” Her youth is ripe like a fruit is well ripe even inside, we root for the dream Jihyun wrote and that packed her diary.

Source : ELLE girl (pictures) + 야루가윤 (scans)
Translating & editing : Meeli & Chris @4-minute.com

4minute’s interview with ELLE girl – Gayoon

[11.03.00] 4minute’s interview with ELLE girl – Gayoon


Heo Gayoon
Until we met Gayoon for the first time, we could only think about her ‘airport fashion’ and the ‘Gangnam woman’. But my, like a lively girl, she puts her hand over her mouth when she laughs and her laughing appearance is pretty plain and peaceful. “Because I emerged as the ‘Gangnam woman’, it had been burdensome for a long time. I just like fashion for fun but it’s because when something is caught on camera and spread on the Internet, it gets overinterpreted.” Regarding fashion, we got to know ‘Heo Gayoon’ as a keyword but it seems that not only she pays attention to her outfits on stage, but she cares even more about her casual appearance. “I really like clothes so whenever I have free time, I’ll be pretty much shopping. Recently, during a filming, we wore Steve J & Joni P’s clothes and I became a fan. I like unique things, things that are uncommon, I find interesting the splashed patterned or colored clothes that people don’t dare to try.” As expected, whenever the topic of fashion is brought up, she doesn’t cease talking. “When we determine the style concept or the hairstyles, with the members we go look for pictures of foreign musicians or magazines and we suggest our ideas. Even though, as far as now, it couldn’t have been reflected through our appearances that much.”

In the meantime, 4minute has been focusing on their promotion activities abroad. The foreign fans’ enthusiasm about 4minute’s music surprised the girls and moved them. When we asked her about the impending new start of their domestic promotions, after a breathing space out of hesitation, Gayoon answered “We’ll soon hit our 2-year anniversary mark after our debut. The truth is that I haven’t realized it yet. Lately, while watching shows, the variety skills… Honestly I’m really not confident in this kind of things and it has become very burdensome. When we go to the variety programs recording studios, besides us all the idol singers are close with one another. Even BEAST who are in the same agency than us. That really surprised me.” Still, as their period of promotions matched with theirs, they logically managed to get closer with Miss A. In particular, Gayoon exercises with Jia. Except exercising, lately, her only hobby has been to write lyrics in her free time in the recording studio located in the basement of the dorms. “When the composers give us a new song, I try to match it with the lyrics I wrote. Besides that, I don’t spend my spare time in any particular way. In any case, I’m having fun.” After assimilating their everyday schedule, there are times she feels emptiness, late at night. During those times, she scrawls things or writes lyrics and expresses her thoughts in her diary.

Nevertheless, this spring, Gayoon is having another start. She entered as a freshman in Dongguk University’s department of Theater and Film that she dreamt of. For the moment, day by day, she carries out a very hectic life. “I’m afraid of the senior-junior hierarchy and I couldn’t attend the inauguration ceremony either. Since I’m entering as a freshman 2 years later than others, I’m worried about if I will be able to hang out with friends of the same age. There are a lot of seniors or people I have to work with who also attend TV shows, but I personally want to hang out a lot with ordinary people during my university student days. “What if I become a loner because I can’t attend university that much?” Like people of her age, she worries about these things, we invited her to talk about the album and, as many thoughts flow in, she becomes serious. “It’s been a long time since we released an album, we worried a lot about this and that. Individually, we also had difficulties. We’re currently working hard during practice sessions as if we were to debut again. This time, whatever the harm we get, we’ll try to do really well.” For the first time during the interview, her thrilling chuckling face faded away.

Source : ELLE girl (pictures) + 야루가윤 (scans)
Translating & editing : Meeli & Chris @4-minute.com

4minute’s interview with ELLE girl – Jiyoon

[11.03.00] 4minute’s interview with ELLE girl – Jiyoon



Jeon Jiyoon
Perfectionistic on stage, the girl with gentle eyes and an easy-going laughter, Jiyoon. Nevertheless, in charge of 4minute’s charisma since the beginning, her answers are straightforward as well, as expected. “Lately, time flies really fast and girl groups keep flowing in, we have 2 albums and it’s been a while we had promotions so we somehow felt we were lagging behind.” she said, reminiscing the days that have passed, slightly turning her head. Besides Japan, the 4minute girls went from places to places to hold events and performances including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries. Even though they didn’t have many activities in Korea, they barely had any rest. Even though she must have been tired and exhausted, Jiyoon’s answers were still mature.
“Considering that we are rookies, it might be because we have delivered a variety of unique performances that we have been able to plan things in our own way–no matter what situation or in which setting, we are able to adjust to it.” In particular, through their promotions in Japan, they gained stage experience, time management skills and much more but they also have been hurt at times. “We were compared to SNSD or Kara a lot so we were hurt inside. Even if being able to compete with these girl groups is good in itself, there are many things we haven’t been able to show yet, being put in the lot of the leading groups right away didn’t feel right.”

When we asked her if she didn’t want to try out other types of promotions like other idols, asides the regular performances, she answered what we expected from her “Lately, if you only watch TV, it seems that idols are on every channel. In commercials, sitcoms, and even dramas. I came to think “The idol trend is real’. While observing the other idol groups’ promotions activities, I get to take a step back from the world I live in and see the activities of my peer idol groups.” This is what she concluded. They still want to let people know more about 4minute’s abilities and charms and want to focus on displaying these on their own. “My parents wished that I would appear more on TV. Besides that, there’s nothing I feel really sorry for.”

The origin of Jiyoon’s sedate passion is music as expected. It is still vague but she plans to learn how to play instruments and music composition. Since she casually sort out genres, she doesn’t listen to music in itself, but lately she’s falling for hip hop. Lately, she’s attentively listening to Nicki Minaj’s album, a rapper who’s drawing interest in the US. “I really like Beyoncé and I’m still sad that I couldn’t go to her concert as I was fulfilling promotion activities. So, whenever I have spare time, I rewatch the videos of her concert. Strangely, every time I watch them, I get excited and all pumped up.” Being busy working on the recordings of the songs, she found herself a personal hobby for her spare time. She can’t go to theater usually so instead she enjoys watching romantic or comedy movies on VOD. To relieve the stress and the fatigue from their dance practice sessions, she has started yoga. “Because we have to assimilate a strenuous dance routine, when I do yoga the stress fades away and I like the feeling of being peaceful.” Ahead of their domestic promotion activities after a long time, it seems they got distressed a lot but, as she did it immediately during her first greetings, she wore an easygoing smile. “The desire to perform on stage is growing. I really like performing. Lately, I only think about that. This time, I really want to see a “4minute syndrome” take form. And I also want to hold a big concert around the conclusion of these promotions. Will you come?”

Source : ELLE girl (pictures) + 야루가윤 (scans)
Translating & editing : Meeli & Chris @4-minute.com


4minute’s interview with ELLE girl – Sohyun

[11.03.00] 4minute’s interview with ELLE girl – Sohyun



Kwon Sohyun
The 18-year-old 4minute’s maknae, Sohyun. We thought that she would definitely be the type to do aegyo because of her big eyes in her round face. Along with a low voice, Sohyun is a considerate girl who listens closely to everything someone says to her. “Hello, yesterday we came back from Japan late so I didn’t sleep much.” They’ve carried out activities with singles and albums and dropped their first full-length album in Japan; she didn’t forget to tell that she was proud about it. Her apparently bloated face was pitiable, we asked her if it wasn’t difficult to attend TV shows being young as she is. Even though there aren’t times she feels lonely because she spends most of her time in company with the members, Sohyun thinks a lot about this or that. “This year, we’ll already hit our 2-year anniversary but we didn’t release many albums. I don’t know how time will pass as we run promotions with one album after a long time.”

When asked if there’s one thing 4minute thinks it has changed, between their debut date and now, she said ‘familiarity’. “The truth is that we were awkward with the camera at first. It was interesting but unfamiliar at the same time. However, while filming for a reality program, 4minute’s Mr. Teacher, we got a lot more familiar with the camera. At first, we didn’t know how to look in front of it and we also felt uncomfortable but we gradually became accustomed to it. Having a camera only for me feels great too somehow.” Because 4minute has established itself as a group with a a sexy and strong image, she felt sorry that it was difficult to become closer to the people they meet on TV shows. “There are a lot of people who were surprised because of my baby-like facial expressions and my easygoing chatting as they only saw me standing on stage.” Still, she talked about her closeness with the f(x) or the KARA members whom with she shares the same age and that she’s used to meeting on her own.

Sohyun’s face lightened, whereas she kept looking serious and relaxed throughout the interview. “Ah! I bought the new iPad few days ago, I’m really excited. I organize my albums and I listen to music… Since i was young, rather than food or shopping, I liked technology devices more so whenever the new products come out, I pestered my mother and went to change my phone.” This Sohyun somehow looks friendly on Twitter too. “I’m still young and I’ve felt that I lacked experience many times; while singing, I had difficulties. During these times, the thing I liked to do the most lately is watching Twitter. I get to know the thoughts of many people that I don’t know. What they do in their everyday life, their love affairs, where they are going, this kind of things. Once in a while, I also post something and upload a picture, and the responses the people send are funny.” When time passes and that her personal thoughts and experience become more well-founded, we wonder about the song Sohyun will make us listen to. To conclude the interview, we asked her about what she wanted to achieve in 2011. “When we were working on the album, I heard that we improved our singing skills a lot so I was happy about it. There have been times we were hurt during our promotion activities in Japan, it wasn’t serious. But since the members were hurt, to get better, we want to show our Korean fans an amazing image of the 5 members from our overseas activities, an image that we couldn’t fully show them before and, this, all by ourselves.” We listened to Sohyun’s impressive resolution to look forward to 4minute’s comeback performances even more.

Source : ELLE girl (pictures) + 야루가윤 (scans)
Translating & editing : Meeli & Chris @4-minute.com

4minute’s Cyworld STAR BGM interview

4minute who released their first full-length album [4MINUTES LEFT]!

They have always drawn the public’s attention with their powerful songs and performances, the Kpop girl group 4minute released their first full-length album!

Included in their first full-length album released few days after the single ‘Heart to Heart’, the “shadow title track” ‘Mirror, Mirror’, is a song that emphasizes 4minute’s forte, their powerful sexy side. At the moment, the members and the fans, who have shown different opinions on the song to pick as the title track etc, are enthusiastically thinking over it.

With what kind of determination are the 4minute members engaged to fulfill their impending activities for their full-length album? Let’s listen to the girl’s stories and the songs they usually enjoy listening to.

4minute, please greet the Cyworld users.
>Gayoon : Hello, I’m 4minute’s Gayoon! We’re coming back after a year of absence and are very pleased to meet you. You’ve been waiting for us for a long time, right?^^ In the upcoming times, you’ll get to see a good image of us often.

>Sohyun : I’m 4minute’s youngest member, Sohyun. We’re starting our domestic promotions for the first time in one year and the feeling is new. As it’s a comeback after a long time, we’ve packed this album with good songs, and since we’ve improved very much, please love it a lot!

>Jihyun : Hello. I’m 4minute’s Jihyun! We feel thankful towards everyone who has waited for our comeback for a long time. This time, we’ve strived for the preparations in order to show you 4minute’s feminine image and other charms that we couldn’t show you before. Everyone, please anticipate it a lot !

>Hyunah : To all the Cyworld users, hello. I’m 4minute’s Hyunah! Have you been doing well? 4minute has finally come back! We, 4minute, will show to everyone, who has waited and waited for us, a handsome image through our songs and performances that will definitely not disappoint you. Please watch out for us!

>Jiyoon : In charge of the charisma and the cuteness in 4minute, I’m Jiyoon. ^^ While spending this year in a productive way, 4minute prepared this album. This time, everyone will get to see us with songs that can move one’s heart and since we will be fulfilling activities, please be considerate and give us lots of love.



What kind of particularities do the mini album (Heart to Heart) and the first full-length album (4MINUTES LEFT) have?

>Hyunah : In ‘Heart to Heart’, we’re meeting fans in a new way with a girlish fresh and bubbly image different from the strong image 4minute has shown. It seems that many people found it changing and liked it. Before making our comeback, because they have sent us a lot of love, we are also excited and bearing anticipation ahead of our first performance.

>Sohyun : Even if it feels like ‘Heart to Heart’ and ‘Mirror, Mirror’ are poles apart for their concept, in this album, overall, the strongest particularity is that, for the first time, we picked a song talking about love as a title track. It’s about time that 4minute, who has experienced love, makes you listen to a song about a love story.

>Jihyun : While we were preparing this album, except Sohyun, we all ushered in our 20s. And I think that we’ll get to show you a more mature image with our emotional side and music-wise.

>Gayoon : We have improved in order to prepare a music that will enable us to get closer to our many fans; it’s also about living up to the expectations of the fans who have loved our music and performances. While we came to think about how the fans would perceive the melodies, the lyrics, the concept, etc., we aimed for perfection even more. We have upgraded the unchanged established image that we have assumed so far, I hope that you will enthusiastically watch out for all the efforts we made to appeal with images that are totally opposite.

It is known that 4minute’s promotion activities are progressively turning out to be successful, how does it feel?

>Sohyun : We had our first concert in Japan. A lot of fans came to our second concert and filled the venue whereas it happened not a long time after our debut; I then realized our popularity. It was on stage that I realized it the most.

>Jiyoon : Sometimes, when we were walking on the streets in Japan, we were recognized and it felt great. Also, not long ago, at the Japanese Billboard Awards ceremony, we received a good award. Back then, because many people cheered on us and encouraged us, we gained a lot of strength!



If one says 4minute, we think of their powerful performances ! How about the members’ anecdotes from the preparations?

>Gayoon : Since our debut, when we blended music and visuals together, I think that we could truly display our color. A lot of fans also said the same. So, in order to play with music that will entertain your eyes and your ears, we put a lot more of energy into it. We also longed to change our looks a lot and tried out many things.

>Jihyun : Because it is 4minute’s first full-length album and that we had to show an even more enhanced image of us in response to the expectations of many people for our songs and dance routines, we found enough time and practiced hard individually on our own. Because I think that our album and performances will come off as perfect as the members have strived for on their own, we are also anticipating it a lot.

Is there an aspect that can make you say confidently “4minute is different than the other girl groups !”?

>Sohyun : It’s teamwork !

>Jihyun : Above all, our teamwork is good : I think that it has become our very mainspring; it enables the members to be engaged in the activities in the best condition and with the best mindset possible. Because we know each other very well and because we understand each other, whenever we want to show our best image we help each other, consequently it’s paying off on stage.

> Hyunah : That’s right, teamwork ! Also, 4minute is said to be ‘powerful’ if we consider the 4minute with its strong performances. Isn’t our strong color the thing that differentiates 4minute from the other girl groups and 4minute’s very own charm? Haha



Introduce the 4minute song you want to make the Cyworld users listen to.

>Sohyun : ‘Calmly and Naturally’. It’s 4minute’s first ballad and a song that shows another image of us, and many people liked it. It played many times on radio stations too. And whenever we sing it we pay even more attention to our voices and our feelings, I remember this because the fans really liked it.

>Jihyun : There are songs, aside from the popular title tracks like ‘Hot Issue’, ‘Muzik’, ‘HUH’, ‘I MY ME MINE’, in which we displayed other concepts with minor changes. There’s ‘What a Girl Wants’ that we used as a follow-up track for the first time. It’s a song that paints the girlish 4minute’s childishness and I think it’s a song that suits spring very well.

>Gayoon : For me, it’s ‘Invitation’. With the other members we liked it so much we wanted to have it as the title track. In particular, while preparing the performances for our Japanese concert, we practiced the dance routine together. When you add the powerful dance routine to the song, it’s a song in which you get to feel its high energy even more. I hope the Cyworld fans will listen to it.

What about the songs filled with stories that are special to the members?

>Hyunah : I recommend G.NA unni’s ‘I Miss You Already’. Lately, while studying lyrics composition, I expressed and wrote a lot of thoughts. It’s a song that I like to listen to when I’m alone imagining things. Even if I’ve always liked G.NA unni, her resonating and tender voice suits very well the sad lyrics.

>Gayoon : I’ll also recommend a G.NA’s song. I covered it with BEAST’s Yoseob. It’s a song that suits the season of love, spring. I’ll recommend ‘The Things I Want to Do Once I Have a Lover (with Rain)’. We, 4minute, also want to brag about the things only lovers can do, like in the lyrics, once we get a lover.

>Jiyoon : It’s a song from the latest rising artist Katy Perry. Even though I like all her songs, among the ones I listen the most, there’s ‘Firework’. I think that her powerful appearance during live stages displays perfectly the energy of this song. It’s an artist, among many others, that I want to learn a lot from.

>Sohyun : It’s Keyshia Cole’s ‘Fallin Out‘. It’s one of the songs I listen to when I’m spending time alone. It’s a song in which her sad voice and the charming melody are very beautiful.

>Jihyun : I’ll recommend Britney Spears’s ‘Lucky’. Even if there are times I feel lonely, I always have to feel thankful towards the fans, as 4minute’s Jihyun. Also, I feel really lucky to have fans who remained with us and who haven’t forgotten 4minute and have kept supporting us while we were away. ^^

Source : Cyworld STAR BGM
Translating & editing : Meeli @4-minute.com

4minute’s interview with Sports Hanguk



■ 4minute, who has released their first full album
Bruises from their fierce dance – Plan to wear kneepads
Confidence in becoming a performance-driven girl group – Growth in their international fanbase

“These are not the kneepads you’re thinking of.”

If the main character of any drama saw these girls’ performance, he would have recited a monologue about it . No matter how many times you see it, kneepads definitely do not match girl groups, but it’s a different story with 4minute.

These girls have chosen their spot as “performance” representatives. While wearing their kneepads, they sweep the floor and shake their bodies, making male fans mesmerized. They even started the interview with the topic of their kneepads.

“It was decided the day before our first performance that we would wear kneepads. Before that, we didn’t even think of kneepads. It was very foolish,” Heo Gayoon said while laughing.

“We were thinking of doing the dance with long pants. We already had many bruises on our knees from practicing. We were so eager to perform well that we didn’t have any time to think about the pain,” Kwon Sohyun said.

Along with their hit song (which they made a comeback with on the 7th), they’ve become one of the trendiest group. Their lyrics that repeat the word ‘mirror’ 78 times and their fierce dance movements display unique charms. The “spread legs dance” is causing a lot of controversy while capturing the interest of fans. The 4minute members did not expect so much attention at all. They may have been bothered by this peculiar attention.

“It’s sexy. It’s not a cute dance. (laughs) I was so lost in the performance at first that I was confused why people were making such a fuss,” Kim Hyunah said.

“I think female fans feel vicarious gratification when they watch our confident and fierce appearance. It strengthens them. And it feels like we have male fans now thanks to this song. We do this because we like it, right?” Jeon Jiyoon laughs.



4minute, who released , , , , the Japanese single and more, doesn’t have any rivals when it comes to performances. They have toured Japan and other parts of Asia and their fandom has grown. Their popularity overseas can be measured : on their Youtube, 4minute’s music videos have received more than 20 millions views. They have developed the confidence to carry out activities anywhere in Asia and have now returned in Korea. Through the promotion activities they had conducted for a long time, their teamwork tightened and became more disciplined.

“We had 2 concert tours in Japan. Every time a single came out, our ranks on music charts were higher than the previous times. When we saw that the number of fans who really liked our strong music increased, we realized the meaning of the saying that there isn’t any boundary when it comes to music.” Kim Hyunah

If there are things that they have gained, there are things they have lost. They neglected their domestic promotion activities. During that one-year gap, the members went back to the trainee lifestyle and adopted the mindset that they were to debut again. Their eagerness filtered through Gayoon’s words “Going back to the basics felt like it was a new start”.

The time of the flowing in of girl groups in their 20s has arrived. Junior groups that rely on the quality of their performances like 4minute have appeared. The members revealed that they observed the junior groups that came out, their strong impact and they felt an odd competitive spirit. They revealed “We ended eating healthy foods only”. The members prepared themselves to be engaged in a showdown of more powerful and dareful performances.

Jeon Jiyoon said “As more and more girl groups that focus on their performances keep coming in, we just think that we can’t give way here. In a way, it’s flattering. We’ve become role models. Even if there are many groups similar to ours, we want to make a stand in the game with our very own performances”. As for Nam Jihyun, she said “Before the start of our promotion activities, we worried a lot about if we could do well for these performances. Whenever we pull it off, we feel alive. We foolishly persevere with difficult and meticulous performances. This is who we are.”

Source : Sports Hanguk via NATE
Translating & editing : Chris & Meeli @4-minute.com

4minute’s interview with STARNEWS



For the first time, the 5-member girl group 4minute talked about the controversy over the dance routine for their new hot song ‘Mirror, Mirror’ and the decision to change it.

In the afternoon of April 13th, the 5 members of 4minute (Kim Hyunah, Jeon Jiyoon, Heo Gayoon, Nam Jihyun and Kwon Sohyun) had an interview with STARNEWS about their first full-length album released earlier this month.

On this occasion, the members expressed their opinions on the controversy surrounding a part of their dance routine for ‘Mirror, Mirror’ that was deemed racy and that is still being vexed on online portals. This is the first time the members have stated their opinions.

The youngest member Kwon Sohyun said “At first, when the ‘spread legs dance’ controversy sparked, we didn’t even know there was a controversy surrounding us” and “Because while we have been practicing the dance routine for ‘Mirror, Mirror’ for a long time, we didn’t think it could be suggestive, not even once”.

She added while smiling “It’s a pity that a controversy aroused over a choreography that we have practiced for a long time. Our new changed choreography is prominent as well”

Nam Jihyun revealed “I thought I should be thankful and consider the interest coming from this controversy, whatever it is” and “In the upcoming times, we’ll work hard on our promotion activities with our modified dance routine.”

Kim Hyunah said laughingly “Even though we’re embarrassed, it was even more surprising that we earned such great interest for our dance routine” and “Even though many wanted us to changed the choreography and said it was disturbing, we will be able to try something new and I like it.”

Jeon Jiyoon revealed “We earned interest from the controversy, I think that it’s better that unresponsiveness” and “I try to view this controversy in a positive light. We’ll get to show another type of performances again and it’s great.”

Heo Gayoon “Our new album came out after a year-long hiatus and it seems we received a lot of interest for various aspects, so I tend to think that this controversy is just one facet of this interest” and “Amidst this controversy, our fans empowered us so we gained strength.”

Meanwhile, since their latest consecutive appearances on the 3 Korean major broadcasting channels, 4minute has been bogged down in a controversy over a part of their dance routine for ‘Mirror, Mirror’ that was deemed sexy and shocking. On stage, the members wore short hot pants and spread their legs while on their knees. The netizens called that part the “spread legs dance” and brought up the controversy.

Source : STARNEWS
Translating & editing : Meeli @4-minute.com


4Minute: Thought of becoming trainees again to prepare for their 1st Full Album



4Minute has just officially returned: more feminine and more matured. “This change has been well-thought of and in fact, we all worked hard in order to develop,” one explained.

4Minute has been in the music industry for almost 3 years already. They debuted last June 18, 2009. When they released their first Mini-album, the girls started to hit their marks on people’s mind; however, spectacular growth and development has been more evident from them when they finally released their first ever Full Korean Album entitled, 4MINUTES LEFT. It’s been almost a year now since their last release in Korea and in order to make up to the spaces they missed, they decided to make an effective and ambitious step, also to finally reach their goals.



“For the first full-length album, lyrics had been taken good care by each member.”

The youngest member revealed, “While in the midst of our preparation for the album, we’d always think that everything’s not yet enough. We paid attention to the very little details – the words, facial expressions, make-up, performance, so right now, I’m very proud of what it has become. Many people liked it and I recommend everyone to carefully listen and understand the lyrics of the songs.”

She added with confidence, “On this album, the songs have strong beats and has a sophisticated allurement to it. I also tried to show more of my feminine side to it in order to show more of my different image to everyone.”

Members Kwon Sohyun and Jeon Jiyoon enthusiastically participated on composing the raps of the title tracks of the full album.

For the main title-track, “Mirror Mirror”, Kwon Sohyun helped on writing its rap parts. She shyly said, “I practiced for it little by little. Shinsadong-oppa helped us directly. We do recorded several times, but through their assistance and praises, I’ve been encouraged to do better. I believe that it was a marvelous and a good experience.”

This burning passion of the girls can be seen as the girls did their best to achieve the ideal body. The members, especially, HyunA’s eyes are usually focused to beef. “Our attitude felt like we returned to becoming trainees again. We’ll eat our dinner together at 10:00 in the evening and by 6:00 AM, we’ll go start practicing. This is our first full-length album and I think, we really have to work this hard,” HyunA answered.

“The “spread-leg” dance controversy gave us a scary and embarrassing thought.”

In the last 9 days, 4Minute has been busy for their Comeback stages, including their performance at MBC’s Music Core, as part of their promotions for their 4MINUTES LEFT album. They performed their title tracks: “Mirror Mirror” and “Heart to Heart.” The reaction for their performances has become very explosive. After sweeping the music charts, their repetitive and intense lyrics as well as their dance choreography garnered so much interest from the audience. However, an unexpected issue came in when their dance for “Mirror Mirror” became controversial for its sexuality. The members were all surprised upon knowing this and somehow, made them feel embarrassed.

The leader, Nam Jihyun, expressed her feelings and said, “At first, I was really embarrassed about it. We actually prepared and practiced hard for the dance movements to give everyone a new look and style. This issue, most especially, the “spread-leg” dance, was really unexpected. We believe that it’s just one of the important parts of our performance that should be looked forward for.”

Their agency officials has just made certain modifications for the last 12 days on 4Minute’s controversial choreography.

“We’ll focus first with our domestic promotions and activities, then International activities would follow.”

Last year, 4Minute obviously focused more on their international activities. Their activities, especially in Japan, gave them various opportunities to achieve global expansion and make their dreams possible. In Japan, they successfully had two-sold-out concerts in just 10 minutes, marking a record for the group.

Also, last February, 4Minute was chosen by Japan’s Billboard Music Awards to receive the “KPOP New-Artist Award.”

However, for local fans, the long-year of waiting is over.

The youngest, Kwon Sohyun, said, “We’ll focus more with our domestic promotional activities. We’ll just probably be back with our international activities once we’re done with our promotions locally.”

HyunA added, “The album has just been released for less than a week. Our follow-up promotions is now being planned so expect us to really work hard. We’ll continue to answer our fans’ high expectations. All I can say is that, expect something different.”



Source: Asiae
Reporting + Translating + Editing: ashleylovesasia@4-minute.com

4minute’s interview with STARNEWS, INTER, part 3



The 5-member girl group 4minute exposed their determination through their amusing whines.

4minute – consisting of Nam Jihyun, Jeon Jiyoon, Heo Gayoon, Kim Hyunah and Kwon Sohyun – released their first full-length album earlier this month, just 2 years after their debut in June 2009 with ‘Hot Issue’. Their two title tracks ‘Mirror, Mirror’ and ‘Heart to Heart’ are two of the most popular songs at the moment.

In a recent interview with STARNEWS, 4minute talked about their first full-length album and shared stories about the 6-member popular idol group BEAST and the solo singer G.NA, also under CUBE Entertainment.

4minute’s Heo Gayoon said laughingly “We’re close to BEAST, we consider them as older cousins” and “Now, we really look like a family.”

A member stated “We’re the first CUBE group that got the chance to debut, so, accordingly, our CEO’s and the company staff’s love and interest were, partly, only for us” then laughingly revealed “However, after us, BEAST and G.NA debuted. After the fans, the CEO and the company employees also shared their concern between us. Haha”

Heo Gayoon exposed the close friendship 4minute has with BEAST and G.NA “Of course, the company employees are still giving us lots of affection, but we’re going to strive hard in the upcoming times, so we can gain back the interest we used to receive before”. She went on “The truth is that we didn’t stop saying that we’re proud of BEAST and G.Na and that we consider them awesome because of that”.

Kwon Sohyun smiled while se said “We really like BEAST oppa and G.Na unni” and “It’s thank to BEAST and G.NA that I’m even prouder to be part of CUBE Entertainment”.

She then added “This year, we’ll have many domestic promotion activities, so BEAST and G.Na unni can also consider us an awesome group.”

Source : STARNEWS via NATE
Translating & editing : Meeli @4-minute.com


4minute’s interview with OSEN



The popular girl group 4minute made their comeback with their first full-length album ’4minutes Left’ that marked a reinforcement of their femininity and they are also earning the support of male fans. Since their debut, it’s the first time they wore skirts and sang about love; 4minute wore big smiles as they said “Women have to look pretty after all.”

“The truth is that we don’t have a lot of male fans. because we sported a military concept and sang about finding one’s confidence, the female fans’ response has always been greater. This time, we’re wearing skirts. Our make-up is also tenderer. During the week of our comeback, we noticed the male fans a lot. People who took a break in their army service even came to our fan signings. Women have to look pretty after all. (laughs)” (Hyunah)

In this album, they come off more feminine and friendlier. 4minute has established itself as a strong girl group and their polished performances as well as their powerful songs became their distinctive trademark, but in this album, they intended to show 4minute’s charms to more people.

“We have the confidence to say that we’re a group that shows music. We also have a good competitive spirit when it comes to display various things on stage. During the one-year gap that has passed, we monitored the fans’ opinions a lot. Because a lot of them said they wanted us to have songs that are easy to listen to and that they also wanted us to have a friendlier image, we picked the path that could meet their demands without ditching our color. We also wanted to hear that we’re pretty.” (Kwon Sohyun)



Since last year, 4minute has been focusing on their promotion activities in Japan and thus picked the same path as other girl groups. Rather than a Korean group, 4minute appeals as artists that rely on the quality of their performances. Compared to other groups, their impact has been less strong, but they’re steadily getting more clout.

“There have been times we were depressed as well. When we thought about dancing in a cute way. But I think it wasn’t that worrisome. While other groups regularly became greatly discussed topics, we got to appeal with another color. I think it’s great.” (Hyunah)

Now, 4minute has become the topic of discussions like a ‘Hot Issue’ at last. Because they had to change a part of their dance routine for ‘Mirror, Mirror’, that was deemed racy and that brought up a controversy.

“We had 6 versions for the modified dance routine. Everyday, in training suits, we went to the practice room and worked even harder during practice sessions than we did for our debut. We watched a lot of foreign artists’ performances and, during the 2 months we spent on practicing the choreography, we didn’t think it could be controversial.” (Nam Jihyun)

4minute changed that part of their choreography and are carrying on their promotion activities. Even if they’re okay with the fact they changed their choreography, they dreaded they might lose the public’s interest in their performances.

“We changed our dance routine, but please show us affection and be considerate. We will work hard.” (Jeon Jiyoon)

Source : OSEN
Translating & editing : Meeli @4-minute.com

4minute expresses their love for B2ST and G.NA



In their latest interview with Star News, 4minute showed their support and love for label mates B2ST and G.NA.

With a laugh, Gayoon revealed, “The members of B2ST are like our cousins, we’re all very close, just like family. We can be called the first team to debut under Cube Entertainment, so we received a lot of love from our CEO and company employees as the only child. But with the debuts of B2ST and G.NA after us, the attention became divided (laughter).”

She continued, “Of course, they still give us so much love, but we’re going to be working harder so that their interest in us will be like old times. The fact that we think preciously of B2ST and G.NA will never change.”

Sohyun added, “B2ST oppas and G.NA unni are all so great. It’s because we have B2ST and G.NA that we’re even more proud of Cube Entertainment.”

She concluded, “We’ll be promoting in Korea a lot this year so that we can become a team that B2ST and G.NA will think is amazing as well.”

Source: Star News via Nate

4minute’s interview with Kuki News



Girl group 4minute has come back. For the past year, they have been fulfilling overseas activities and now they’re coming back with more refined works.

This comeback has its other sense. It is because the 2-year-old music group 4minute brought in their first full-length album and, thus, came back. Even though, in the past, full-length albums were deservedly released, lately, according to the recent trend to release music as fast as possible, releasing a full-length album is, indeed, a challenge. Nevertheless, for singers, a full-length album means it’s their very own album.

A member stated “I think we were very joyful. We worked hard in order that we could take part, not only in the recording of the songs that this album features, but also in the lyrics composition, the choreography, the style concept, and the making of the jacket cover. When our finished album came out, we thought that we reaped the fruits of our efforts. Therefore, while we were preparing this album, we were engaged in the workings with the mindset of a rookie.”

As soon as they released their 2 title tracks ‘Heart to Heart’ and ‘Mirror, Mirror’, 4minute was hit with a controversy. Because of their ‘spread legs dance’. Regarding this, the general audience’s response was mixed. Some claimed that it was too much since there was an underage member in the group but many also argued that the standards for dramas and variety programs shouldn’t be so strict. In a week, they changed their dance routine.

One member revealed “We don’t think of it as a controversy. We thought of the great interest we were given. We had been focusing on our promotion activities abroad so our domestic activities were insignificant and the fans told us that they expected a lot. We think of the good observations and the pieces of advice. When we were to change our dance routine, people kept asking us not to change it. We missed even more the dance routine we have been preparing and practicing for 3 months and, because the changed dance routine that we prepared in a short amount of time seemed unsatisfactory, we thought that we won’t be able to show a more polished image of ourselves.”

Their comeback happens after a year but they didn’t rest in the meantime. Because there have been many girl groups. When one used to say “Even if I know the name of the group, it’s difficult to learn the members’ names”, now one says “It’s hard to learn the name of the groups as well”. Just for the first half of the year, 20 groups have debuted or made their comeback, in total. Still, when we asked 4minute – one of the leading groups – if it was favorable to them, they shook their head.

One member answered “The path that is ahead of us is long. There are people that still don’t know who we are. We have to improve a little more so they could really know us. During the preparations of our album, we assumed the mindset of a rookie group, because we had to go further. We’re a group that will soon hit its 2-year anniversary but when we only consider the number of months, there have only been 9 months of promotion activities. Moreover, the girl groups that are currently debuting are all doing good. That’s why we can’t help but think we have to work harder.”

The oldest member, Nam Jihyun, started an acting career during the group’s hiatus. She debuted through the drama ‘It’s Okay, Daddy’s Girl’. The 4minute member’s first acting performance received good responses. In addition, she has also drawn interest at another time : she was even accused of plastic surgery because of a picture released at the time of their comeback.

She revealed “The funny thing is that many people didn’t know that I was a singer, even the seniors. I had to tell the director that I was a singer. So, while I was filming for the drama, I thought that I’d have to let more people know more about 4minute. Regarding the accusations of plastic surgery, I was surprised as well. The day that picture was revealed, starting from the morning, friends called me and asked me about it. At the university, the way people looked at me was different. However, I didn’t do any plastic surgery and this anecdote wasn’t much a bitter story, so it’s all right.”

During their hiatus in Korea, 4minute rode a wave of popularity abroad. Their promotion activities have been expanded to Japan and various Southeast Asian countries. Like other Hallyu artists, they’re enjoying a rise in popularity on Youtube.

A member said “We fulfilled promotion activities in Japan and received one award at the Japan Billboard Awards ceremony. Thanks to our promotion activities, we’ve particularly gained stage experience. Even if we mess up, we don’t get embarrassed. On Youtube, we managed to get the honor of the most watched Korean artist. Foreign fans are watching over us a lot. On the contrary, the Korean fans asked us why we weren’t doing domestic promotion activities. So, we are to work hard for the promotion activities for this album.”

During their debut days, the public’s interest focused on the former Wonder Girls member Hyunah. However, now, time has flied fast, each member has carried out activities on TV shows and such and they have experienced a rise in popularity as well. How has the fans’ concern changed?

“Hyunah is still the most popular member. But it’s mainly because she was active before she became a 4minute member. Nevertheless, the thing that has changed is that each member’s fanbase has grown. We can assert it by watching the replies on twitter or on the fansites. However, I wish that, instead of each member’s popularity, 4minute’s popularity will go higher.” (Jiyoon)

The album they have made neatly and progressively isn’t trivial. It is their first full-length album. Now, they talk about achieving the dream of holding a solo concert in Korea. But, of course, holding a concert for an idol group is quite a business.

One member expressed her thoughts on the matter “Expectations are high. On one hand, holding a concert in Korea doesn’t seem easy. It seems that not that many people go see a concert held by an idol group. I don’t think that people would enjoy all the songs on an idol group’s album. On the other hand, because we included a lot of refined songs in this album, We’d be glad to hold a concert if we get the opportunity. We have to receive a lot of love for this to happen.”

Source : Kuki News
Translating & editing : Meeli @4-minute.com