What question do you want to ask your favorite K-pop idol? In “FanTalk,” the Korea JoongAng Daily relays fans’ questions directly to the stars. What would you ask? Send your questions to @CelebConfirmed on Twitter and @celeb.confirmed on Instagram.

Boy band 8TURN made its debut on Jan. 30 with its first EP “8Turnrise.” The team of eight — Jaeyun, Kyungmin, Myungho, Minho, Yoonsung, Haemin, Yungyu and Seungheon — were initially dubbed BOM (Boys of MNH), the highly anticipated first male act by MNH Entertainment.

The group’s name signifies its ambitious start, meaning it is now the eight members' turn to shine in the K-pop scene. It is also derived from the fact that the number 8 turned sideways is an infinity symbol, signifying the group’s future possibilities.

Shortly before its debut, the eight rookie members sat down to share stories from their trainee days, as well as answer questions from fans and watch fans’ video messages submitted to the Korea JoongAng Daily’s official social media outlets. Even before the band’s official fandom name is decided, messages flowed in from fans around the world.


How does it feel to debut? (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Kyungmin: I’ve been a trainee for a long time, so debuting doesn’t feel real to me yet. I’m excited, and everything seems new, but I guess these emotions mean I’m growing.

Yungyu: I’m so happy that we all get to debut and be active together — and that fans are already watching us and sending support. We’ve been given an opportunity to show our charms.

Kyungmin: We filmed a lot of things for our debut, and getting to show ourselves all primped up was such a happy experience.

Minho: Our debut lead track “TIC TAC” is inspired by the skateboarding trick [of the same name]. It’s a hip-hop number about how we won’t be confined by any set rules.

Yungyu: It sings that we’re going to go our own way. The song is a dance track mixing hip-hop and Latin, and it comes with a great performance. Give it a listen.

What was the hardest moment while preparing for debut? (submitted by @tania)

Myungho: We’ve all prepared so hard. [The training period] was tough, but we were all in it together and did our best. It was fun times.

Seungheon: They’re moments that will never come again.

Yoonsung: When the choreography [for our debut song] came out, we practiced it for 10 hours every day, even when we were exhausted. It was tough and fun at the same time. All eight of us would get so tired at the end of the day, so we’d play the Mafia game together to cheer up during hard times.

Haemin: I mean, it’s our own song, but listening [to ‘TIC TAC’ during practice] all day can be a bit too much! Was it just me who felt that way? Now I can dance to it even in my sleep.

Jaeyun: I feel like I’m a picky leader that made the members tired. We monitor [footage of] our group practices, and I’m the type to point out every tiny detail. My nerves were on edge. But after two to three weeks of practice, I was satisfied with the result, thinking “Hey, we’re pretty good!” I was assured that we are on the right path, and our teamwork is great.

How does it feel to see video messages from international fans? (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Myungho: I honestly almost cried. I’m so thankful that we already have fans. We’ll make sure we show our best, so please keep sending us love.

Haemin: This is my first time really seeing our fans with my own eyes. I can really feel it now.

Seungheon: We’ve been feeling a lot of support from online comments that we get, but video messages really hit home.

Yoonsung: It feels like all that weight of our hard practice has been lifted.

Kyungmin: Most of all, we want to entertain people’s ears and eyes. All of us grew up seeing other amazing K-pop artists who gave us the dream to become artists ourselves. We hope we also become role models who inspire other people to dream.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]