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U-KISS talks about sub-units, collaborating with the Backstreet Boys?

By CL | March 23, 2013

It seems that U-KISS is keen on collaborating with one of the music industry’s biggest names, the Backstreet Boys!

During the press conference for ‘Twin Towers@Live‘, which was held on the 22nd of March at the Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur, when asked about which artist or group that U-KISS would like to work on a collaboration with, Eli mentioned the iconic pop group as they had practiced to Backstreet Boys’ songs a lot during their trainee days. Kevin went on to quip that As Long as You Love Me was one of the songs performed by U-KISS during their pre-debut showcase. Although they had yet to meet the Backstreet Boys face-to-face, U-KISS was very excited at the prospect of it.

Dressed sharply in suits of dark purple and black with stud and leather adornments, their tough images did not match the split seconds of fanboying over The Backstreet Boys. U-KISS was responsive and warm to the media representatives present, with fluent English speakers Eli, Kevin and AJ taking charge as translators for the rest of the members. U-KISS is one of the performers for the first night of the ‘Twin Towers@Live concert, promoting their new track, Standing Still, from their just released third full-length album, ‘Collage’.

Many shenanigans had occurred in U-KISS’ outgoing presence. The March birthday boys, Soohyun and Eli, received a surprise from the media representatives when the crowd dedicated ‘Happy Birthday’ to them after their introduction. Members Hoon and Soohyun did a quick harmonizing of their duet, ‘More Painful Than Pain‘, while AJ and Eli showcased an energetic snippet from Party All the Time. Furthermore, despite having no background music, Kiseop showed off his dancing skills that was a definite crowd- pleaser, while Dongho unleashed some of his Chinese- speaking skills onto those present.

Find out what U-KISS had (cheekily) revealed during the press conference below:

MC: U-KISS had a Latin-American tour recently- how was it as none of you spoke Spanish?

Kevin: We visited two Latin American countries, and we spoke a little bit of Spanish. (Kevin indicates the level with his fingers and then starts to say something in Spanish.)

MC: How was the South American fans’ reaction to your arrival?

Eli: They were very enthusiastic! When we arrived at the airport, they were very energetic.

MC: How about Malaysian fans?

Eli: Malaysian fans are beautiful.

AJ: They are energetic too!

MC: AJ, you’d just returned from your studies at Columbia University- top 1 percentile! That is crazy. What do you study?

AJ: Psychology.

MC: Ah, so AJ, do you know what I’m thinking? Am I nuts?

AJ: You’re thinking that we are so hot right now!

Kevin: Everyone who asked him about his major, asked him that same question afterwards.

MC: AJ, Do you ever get bored of that sort of question? (Do you know what I’m thinking right now?)

AJ: No, no, I don’t get bored. It’s okay- I like to read people and see how they think.

MC: Do you read body language as well?

AJ: I’ve tried my best, but it’s really hard to read body language.

Media: Can each of the U-KISS members personally recommend a song from their new album?

Eli: I recommend Party All The Time– because it’s mine and AJ’s song! Party All The Time is a fun song, and the vibe is just like it’s name- you would want to party all the time!

AJ: If you hear this song, it makes you excited. It’s a really upbeat song. I too prefer Party All The Time.

Soohyun: The track Missing You.

Kevin: My favorite song would have to be My Reason – it’s my first first solo song among all our albums. It’s about my first love, and how I feel about that person. I hope you guys listen to it!

Dongho: The song Because I Love You.

Hoon: The title track, Standing Still.

Kiseop: I like our title track, Standing Still!

Media: What was the best or craziest experience U-KISS ever had in Malaysia?

Kevin: It was in Sunway Lagoon (a local theme park in Malaysia that is similar to Lotte World or Disneyland). When we were riding on the roller coaster rides, our fans followed suit. It was crazy but fun as well.

Media: There are a lot of sub-units dominating the music industry recently, such as Infinite H and Sistar 19. Does U-KISS plan on having a sub-unit one day?

Eli: We plan on doing sub-units in the future if we have the chance to. It’s a great opportunity for us to explore more musical styles and song choices.

Media: A question for Kiseop! Why do you always pose sensual selcas of yourself on Twitter, like on the bed, or in the bath tub?

Kevin: Haha, he likes to tease the fans. First in bed, then while he was taking a bath, then his legs in the bath tub…He really likes to tease them with sensual pictures. I think the fans enjoy it a lot though.

U-KISS answered all the media’s questions with equal amounts of cheek and vigor that would make anyone crack a smile.

The press conference for Twin Towers@Live was also graced by American teen pop sensation, Demi Lovato, and iconic pop group The Backstreet Boys.

Demi, who is set to join U-KISS on stage for the event, chatted about being a role model to young girls everywhere and balancing her hectic recording schedules with her responsibilities as a judge on the hit reality TV series, The X Factor. She even made a fan’s day by giving her a long personal hug.

Meanwhile the Backstreet Boys, scheduled to perform on the 23rd alongside 2NE1 and other big names, talked about timelessness, their upcoming documentary, and being an influence to many modern musicians out there. Their presence also triggered reminiscing in some of the media questions featured as well.

The press conference ended with a group photo opportunity, where all the artists present provided the media with visual front-page worthiness.