[DRINK TALK②] MINO, “4 Years of WINNER, Many Obstacles… Now It’s Better Than Ever”

[일간스포츠=정연지 기자 ] The year 2018 was amazing for artist MINO (25). 

MINO created numerous pieces of works this year with his hard work. From WINNER’s album ‘EVERYD4Y’ to his first solo album ‘XX’, tvN ‘New Journey to the West’, and guest appearances on JTBC ‘Let’s Eat Dinner Together’ and ‘Knowing Bros’, MINO worked nonstop. Everything worked out. MINO who says, “I’ll put the motor on instead of rowing when the water comes” is also preparing for WINNER’s comeback on December to keep his momentum. In the meantime, his solo track ‘FIANCÉ’ is still ranked at the top charts. People are wondering if MINO and WINNER may be selected as the no. 1 candidate for a music broadcast at the same time. 

It was all challenge and response from debut for MINO. He earned his place today by overcoming all hardships, but it wasn’t always easy. He quit drinking due to his panic disorder that continued from last year until the beginning of this year. The drink talk with MINO was a place to review his 2018, which was hard but still splendid. We had an alcohol free drink talk with carbonated drinks.

-WINNER still lives together in a dorm.

“We’re comfortable with each other and don’t feel the need to leave. It’s different from when we were trainees. Now we leave two by two. I live with JINU. We don’t have rules, but we take care of what we ate. We’re both clean so we don’t make a mess, and there are no troubles. We all have our own spaces”. 

-How were the past 4 years as a member of WINNER.

“We had many incidents and a lot of ups and downs. We received a lot of love and we lost a member… It looks like it was smooth but it wasn’t. We debuted through a program, received the spotlight right after we made debut, and made the record of the longest no. 1. Then we had a year and a half vacancy, while one member left the team. It’s not easy reforming a team. The members really got together at the time. We learned how to help each other out. We also learned to solve different opinions. Now, it’s better than ever”. 

-What song represents WINNER. 

“‘REALLY REALLY’. It was the most loved song, and we felt glad since the song was successful when we were worried a lot after a member left the team”.

-Can you make spoilers on WINNER’s upcoming single. 

“WINNER’s music is getting younger. I would say, fresher. (Laughs) Our upcoming single is a part of that. We got younger”. 

-You’re doing well on variety programs as well. Your chemistry with P.O on tvN ‘New Journey to the West’ is amazing.

“I was surprised when P.O appeared. The staff know that I’m close with P.O. The production team of ‘New Journey to the West’ knows everything about us. I pursued the same career with P.O since I was in high school and dreamt of performing or filming together, and I finally got to do it. We’re the same together even when there are no cameras”.

-How did the atmosphere of ‘New Journey to the West’ change after P.O joined the team.

“When I first joined the show, I was too nervous. I was nervous during the whole time I was headed to the scene. When I felt a bit eased, I had a good time with the elder brothers. It became even better after P.O joined. I feel like I’m traveling with my friend. I tried to take care of P.O a lot, but he did it better than me since he’s more friendly. And he’s even good at variety, so I feel like, ‘Now I should take care of myself’ (Laughs)”.

-Tell us a funny episode.

“I’m part of the cast but I’m also a fan of the show. Sometimes I can’t monitor all programs I appeared on, but I watch ‘New Journey to the West’ as a fan. The editing is amazing, and I feel like even I’m some other entertainer while I’m just a viewer. All moments were fun but the funniest part was when me and P.O were figuring out what we were saying just by looking at the lips, while wearing headphones. The part when P.O said ‘Manchester United’ was the funniest moment in all variety programs I saw this year. I was there at the time shooting, but I didn’t know what the situation was since I was wearing headphones with music coming out, so it was hilarious while watching the show. I actually had a plan prior to the game with P.O. I told him, ‘You should open your mouth wide as possible for us to win, since you have a big mouth’, and I didn’t know that will turn out so funny”.

>>To Be Continued on 3rd Article

2018. 12. 14.