It was evening of the 16th. His voice trembled over the phone.

He seemed to be trying hard to hide his sense of success. This was composer/producer Han Sung Ho who discovered CNBLUE and pulled them up this far. He was overwhelmed watching the Tokyo Zepp Concert on the 16th. Before, he had to personally visit Japanese producers and beg them to listen to CNBLUE's music. But now, he became a celebrity among Japanese producers who crowd around him. This is all thanks to CNBLUE who grew so much over a year. Sports Hankook asked him about CNBLUE's future.


▲How popular is CNBLUE in Japan?

= They are called the 'freaks' in Japan. They said it's rare to have an artist as popular as them before major debut. It's even more amazing if you take the fact that they worked in Korea at the same time.

▲What are their achievements?

= All three of their singles ranked within Oricon Top 10. All 20 of their concerts were sold out as soon as the ticket sales began. I need to calculate accurately but we've earned about $5 billion won just in Japan last year.

▲How are you preparing for their major debut?

=We've been communicating with Japan major labels since 2 years ago. All of them expect that CNBLUE will make 100 billion won per year in 3 years. They predict that after major debut, each concert can gather 10,000 audience.

▲Why does the Japanese music industry evaluate CNBLUE so highly?

= They look favorably upon the fact that they worked as Indie band in Japan. They feel closer to CNBLUE than to other Korean musicians who debut in Korea before coming to Japan. CNBLUE is also evaluated highly because they are a rock band. They are also attracted by the fact that members can compose and write lyrics as well as act.

▲Do you have a general idea of who will be CNBLUE's Japanese partner?

= We are now down to 2,3 labels. We have similar conditions for all of them. We are asking how much they can contribute for CNBLUE. We'll decide early this year.

▲What's the upcoming plan?

=They will release an album in Korea. All of the songs are out and they are currently recording. After album promotion s are over, Jung Yong Hwa and Kang Min Hyuk have high chance of acting in drama. We are looking at Japan major debut for the Summer.

▲What do you want to tell the members?

= Thank you for living only for music without cell phones and internet for the past year. I ask you to never forget how you began and continue just like the way you are right now.

Credit: Sports Hankook + 1takeKK@cnblue-sky.net