When Infinite’s L used his birth name Kim Myung Soo for his most recent drama role, The Emperor: Owner of the Mask, fans were surprised. After all, it’s been seven years since Infinite’s debut and he has been using his stage name since. But to L, it’s all about showing a different side of himself. He told the media and fans at a public press conference at West Coast Plaza ahead of his fan meeting tomorrow, “I wanted to have a differentiation for my acting career. As you know, I have shown a lot of myself as a singer as L. I want to show a different side of myself as an actor, so I decided to use a different name.”
Scroll the gallery to see more highlights (and photos!) from the press conference.
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Trust L, the king of fan service, to live up to his title. The singer-actor doled out a lot of fan service, from heart signs to waves to his fans at the public press conference.
When asked about the difference between L and Kim Myung Soo, he said, “As L, I will be performing on stage, singing and dancing, but as Kim Myung Soo I will be showing you different aspects of me.”
L is not afraid that his rebranding will cause a dissociation from his previous acting roles. In fact, he reckons it might gain him more fans. He said, “When I first debuted as L, people didn’t know that a person called L existed. I have been trying my best for seven years, and although there’s room for improvement, I think I’m still approaching fans as L. Although I’ve already [branded] myself as L for seven years as a singer, I’m confident that I can attract more fans as Kim Myung Soo by showing a different side of me. You can witness my growth as both L and Kim Myung Soo, so please show me support in future too.”
The photography buff revealed he wanted to snap some photos at Merlion Park and Marina Bay Sands since Singapore is famous for its evening skyline.
Although the singer-actor wasn’t feeling well – he periodically coughed throughout the whole press conference, he said he felt energised after seeing so many people turn up for his public press conference.
When asked if he felt a different kind of satisfaction as a singer as opposed to when he’s acting, he said, “As a singer, I interact with fans onstage and there are different ways to express my feelings to them through singing and dancing. The greatest strength that I get from being a singer is that I receive a lot of energy from fans who are [cheering for me] right in front of me.
As an actor, I differentiated myself between L and Kim Myung Soo, so that I can show the different side to me that you may not be able to see on stage. One of the benefits of being an actor is that you can see me in different roles that are not my real self. For now, I still want to continue being both a singer and an actor.
If there’s a chance, I want to have a solo album or do other dramas that appeal to me, and I want to come back to Singapore for another fan meeting.”
Would L choose friendship over love? He wittily answered, “If the scenario from the drama happens in real life [and I have to choose between friendship and love], I will choose the most realistic way. Friendship and love are both important to me, and I am quite greedy, so I don’t want to give up either.”
For those who are waiting for L’s new photo essay, it might happen sooner than you think! He said, “I am trying my best to take a lot of pictures, and I always carry along my camera with me. So if there is any chance I hope to introduce my new photo essay to you all, which will be different from the last one. So I hope you guys will look forward to my new photos.”
The singer-actor doesn’t view challenges as stumbling blocks, but as a way for him to improve. He said, “Instead of viewing them as challenges, I see them as having room for improvement, so I view them positively. I’m a singer, an actor and I take photos for a photo essay, and that allows me to try different things. These three are the jobs I like to do, but at the same time, they’re my hobbies too, so I don’t find any challenges in them. More than that, I want to improve myself so I can show my best, and I think all my efforts will eventually pay off.”
When it comes to life mottos, L lives by “carpe diem”, which means “seize the day”. He said, “…Even if you have a difficult situation now, don’t look at it as a negative situation and look at it positively, so you will eventually overcome these challenges. I will always remember all the advice given to me by others. After receiving such advice, I would ponder over them myself and turn them into advice for myself. Putting all the advice together, I came up with “seize the day” (carpe diem). If you think too negatively about reality, whatever you do will turn out bad. That’s the motto that drives me every day.”
When asked for memorising tips, he revealed, “I’m not very good at memorising the dance moves or drama lines, so I always practise a lot. Last time, I used to hold on to a piece and spend an entire day memorising song lyrics, dance moves or drama lines. But I’ve found out a way that works well for me. What I do is, try to repeat it frequently at every point. In the same way that you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at specific timings, I try to memorise lines or moves at certain times of the day. Rather than holding on to it for very long, I just move on and revisit it at the same time of the day.”
He wants a reporter to ask him the same question he was asked just now – five years later. When asked what he reckons he’ll be doing at 30, he said, “I think you guys will see me doing the same things but in a better way. I’m 25 and I’m doing my best to express myself at this age, but maybe five years from now, I will be more mature and manly. I will continue singing, acting and doing photography. I hope you will ask me the same question when I’m 30 to find out if I was doing what I set to do.”
Text and images: Hidayah Idris
Additional reporting: Zoe Zeng