MYNAME is the New Hallyu - How They Reached the Top of Japanese Charts

Hallyu, the Korean Wave, has been blowing all over Asia and is now expanding its influence to the world. All Korean artists try to ride this Hallyu Wave to gain global popularity - and at the center (or rather, the beginning) of that Hallyu wave is Japan. The reason is that Japan is a global center of economy and influence.

MYNAME, a group that debuted in 2011 with their single "Message," took their talents to Japan in July of 2012. It's only been one year since their Japanese debut, but they have become superstars in Japan. They revealed the secret to their success in the interview program "eNEWS: Reporter vs. Reporter" on tvN.

The Secret is Language

MYNAME is fluent in Japanese. How did they become so fluent in such a short time?

The secret is that they planned on their Japanese debut for more than a year prior to their actual debut and learned Japanese for that very purpose. This differentiated them from other idols who attempted to debut in Japan.

Because of this advantage, they were able to immediately appeal to a Japanese audience. They not only understood Japanese comedians but were also able to joke with them. They were able to communicate without a translator, which eliminated the feeling of foreignness between MYNAME and the Japanese population.

A Japanese producer said of MYNAME, "So many Korean artists are trying to break into the Japanese market that it's imperative to break the cultural barrier first by learning our language. MYNAME succeeded in that aspect."

"We had our anniversary concert where Fanny had his concert," laughed Insoo of MYNAME.

Because MYNAME was always diligent in their preparation, they were able to have their concert where Fanny from Fly To The Sky had his first concert. In seeing their fans cheer them on even in a KPOP festival in Kazakhstan, they realized that there is more potential.

Perhaps it's because of this kind of realization that they went right back to studying Japanese. Even though they are already fluent, they know that since it's not their first language, they must try harder to not forget the Japanese that they already know.

"We are always ready to show our best and we will be trying our utmost to keep our bodies and skills at a maximum level. That's the only way we can differentiate ourselves from a flood of new idol groups."

MYNAME will release their new album in preparation for their Korean performance in either September or October.