"It feels like we are in a music prison."

For being in a prison without bars, their expressions were serious. Rock band CNBLUE appeared to the K-pop scene by raising the change by late comers. With their second mini album (BlueLove), they looked determined. Members, who say they spend over 10 hours closeted inside the studio, showed dry skin and troubled spots from lack of sunlight.

"There are just two windows in the studio. Members wrestle for fun to soak up some sunlight. But that only lasts for seconds. We only practice as if we made a bet on who lasts in the studio the longest. We are just like some holy people training. Haha" (Yonghwa)

Stuck inside a small room despite their young age, they only focus on practice as if on spell. It's expected of the only band among dance idol groups. Long practice hours are not the only reason they can proudly call this the 'music prison.' They are completely cut off from their own age group. Let alone using the internet, they don't even have cell phones. The key factor is that the members voluntarily asked for this. Music is important for them to the point that they are able to build their own bars and lock themselves in.

"It's really hard the next day if I don't practice one day. I think if we don't practice now, it'll be even harder later. It just gets more difficult." (Minhyuk)

"Sometimes our parents come and leave some food for us. We call it the food from the outside world. Haha." (Jonghyun)



CNBLUE became the name of glory and shame along with their debut. Their debut song took over various charts and took #1 on cable music program. It was the first for new group this year. But they also faced scandals against their wish. Even though its an issue for the composers, the plagiarism allegation stirred up the members. They became determined to make their own music. Even during the promotion activities, members repeatedly composed songs and put in lyrics every day by shortening sleep time. Their founder Producer Han Sung Ho coached their composed songs like checking homework. Members improved their skills by studying the notes that came back with red marks all over.

"Our name made the news against our wish. It was disappointing but that made us hang on to music more. We think we'll end up with nothing if we lose music. We don't want to yield to the accusations." (Yonghwa)

CNBLUE's second pride work (Love) is a modern rock styled song. It starts lightly with an acoustic feeling and then stirs up emotions with passionate beat. It's structure maximizes the charm of Jung Yong Hwa's vocal and rap. The first revealed should be on 'Must Listen' list. It shows that you can have the groovy feeling even without electric instrument. Jung Yong Hwa showed off his talents by composing and writing lyrics for (Tattoo) and (Love Light.) Drummer Kang Min Hyuk also wrote lyrics for (Sweet Holiday.)

CNBLUE is waiting for, as they call it, their release date from the prison. On 20th, they will come out to the world and explode the emotions that they have been suppressing on M!Countdown. What they are waiting the most for is a live concert stage. On June 23rd, their Osaka concert, and on 26th, Tokyo concert have been scheduled. They will meet with their Korean fans on July 31st.

"When we are on stage, it feels like an energy that we don't even know about comes out. I feel the power that only a band can have." (Jung Shin)

"We don't want to lose to anyone on stage." (Yonghwa)

Credit: Han Kook Il Bo + 1takeKK@CNBLUE-SKY.net