part 1/2
NU'EST PIMP POST
part one: info and members
So, this is, like, half actual information and half an excuse for me to write meta about each of the NU'EST boys because I'm already ridiculously attached to them and more people should be.
(L-R: Minhyun, Ren, JR, Baekho, Aron)
background:
NU'EST (pronounced New East) is a South Korean boy band that debuted in March, 2012. They're the first male group (fun fact: JR was their very first male trainee) under their label, Pledis Entertainment, who is also home to After School, Son Dambi, and more recently, Hello Venus. And another boy group at the end of the year or beginning of next year, I think. One that possibly involves 17 boys (it may or may not be Tempest?) but that's sort of embarrassing so I didn't pay attention. Another fun fact: they're all '95 liners, with the exception of Aron who was born in 93. They're practically infants.
Anyway, NU'EST released their first MV for Face on March 14 and made their live debut the next day. As you might hear Aron awkwardly add in English during their introductions, NU'EST stands for "New Established Style and Tempo", which musically translates to a song about bullying with questionable rapping and dubstep. But it works! Especially in the context of a slightly homoerotic MV.
They did several interviews during this time, some of which can be found here with English subtitles. (I think the most informative one as far as their personalities go is the M! Countdown Backstage interview.) Also in March, NU'EST began their own reality show Making of a Star: NU'EST, Landing Operation which included behind-the-scenes footage, competitions within the group, and interviews. It's also incredibly delightful and a great showcase of their group dynamic and personalities.
Episode 1 (Part 2)
Episode 2 (Part 2)
Episode 3 (Part 2)
Episode 4 (Part 2)
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
In April, they wrapped up promotions of Face and briefly promoted their second song on their mini, I'm Sorry, a ballad which features more questionable English and disturbing, vaguely elf-like outfits. It was a sad time compared to the joy brought by pink school blazers and dancing with chairs.
Since then, they've performed at several festivals and events and they also made a cameo in Hello Venus' debut music video Venus and appeared briefly in the first episode of their show. Currently they're MC-ing on SBS MTV K-Pop 20. (That is only a partial compilation of their episodes but the rest can easily be found on youtube.)
At the beginning of June, JR and Aron celebrated their birthday together with a private event for fans that involved some games and shit. The best thing to come out of their party was this performance of Face where they switched outfits and parts. It's wonderful.
They've released four episodes of their visual radio show (or whatever they called it), L.O.Λ.E STORY. (I couldn't really find a place to stick this in there but L.O.Λ.E is their official fanclub name, based on the consonents in their Korean name. IT IS REALLY CUTE ♥) They're 30 minutes to an hour of them mocking each other, dancing to girl group's music, and being ridiculously cute.
(The rest can be found on their official yt account. First two episodes subbed are here.)
They recently came back with the song Action which is on their first mini album. It's even more questionable than Face due to a strange dance break, but check out how great they are at performing now:
Since then they performed at the Tokyo Dome at the K-Dream Live concert at the end of July and they visited fans in Thailand. But most importantly, they released a video for Not Over You:
Basically, if you're on the fence about whether or not to stan them, watch that video and feel the joy wash over you. And now you're all caught up!
members
Aron
Stage name: Aron
Real name: Aaron Kwak (Korean name: Kwak Young Min)
Birth date: May 21, 1993 (19 years old)
Role: Rapper, vocalist, dancer
Duration of training: 6 months to 1 year
Introduced on: January 18
Hometown: Los Angeles
Aron is....interesting. From the way he talks about it, it sounds like one day he sort of woke up and went "I want to be a k-pop idol." Like, just from what he's said, performing was never really a lifelong dream of his. Yet somehow, he ended up auditioning for Pledis, made the cut, bailed on attending the journalism school at NYU, and moved to a country whose language he didn't speak. (Not shockingly, his parents were against the idea at first.)
Not only is Aron the foreigner in NU'EST, but he's also two years older than the rest of them and was the last to join. But Aron doesn't really let that affect him. Because being an idol was never his dream, he's doesn't really feel the pressure of idoldom as much as others might. He just has a lot of fun with being an idol. He smirks, he does aegyo (it's his favorite thing), he tries to get it on with the rest of the members in public. He also makes Facebook updates for the international fans and shares pictures like this.
I think Aron genuinely enjoys being a hyung to everyone. Here he talks about wanting to treat the other members like equals, but their dynamic often resembles that of "older brother who likes to embarrass you in front of your friends." And yet he's also known as choding (elementary student Aron) because he's actually really lame.
Aaaaand he's also gorgeous and hilarious. That's not opinion. That's fact.
JR
Stage name: JR
Real name: Kim Jong Hyun
Birth date: June 8, 1995 (17 years old)
Role: Leader, rapper, dancer
Duration of training: 3 years
Introduced on: January 16
Don't let the tough rap voice fool you- JR is actually a giant dork. His crazy might be a little less noticeable than everyone else, but it's definitely there. His goofy side is reserved for his bandmates because, as I'll get to, he definitely holds himself differently in front of other people. He's also adorably finicky. This video is one of my favorites because he is so annoyed by everyone! Or like this entire episode where he shoves Minhyun away every time he touches him. Or every MOAS episode where he gets super competitive with Baekho. The stage name Junior Royal is fitting because he's basically a snooty little prince.
JR is perhaps, to me, the most idol-like out of all of them. It's neither a good thing or a bad thing, just a reflection of the extra year of training that he's had and his responsibilities as a leader and the face of a group. In the M! Countdown Backstage video linked above, everyone describes JR as charismatic, which is very true. When he's in front of an audience, he's fucking on. His rapping makes me cringe, personally (like no seriously JR stop moving your head around like that), but he's got enough stage presence to somewhat pull it off. And he's a fantastic dancer, so I'll give him a pass on the rapping.
Baekho
Stage name: Baekho
Real name: Kang Dong Ho
Birth date: July 21, 1995 (17 years old)
Role: Main vocalist
Duration of training: 2 years
Introduced on: January 19
Baekho is supposed to be the ~manly~ one, which is code for he's bigger than the rest and has a tougher appearance. But his toughness only relates to his exterior because he's basically walking sunshine. He's always smiling and laughing, always showing affection to his group members and to their fans. Being a singer wasn't always his dream (he accompanied a friend to an audition and was kind of accidentally cast) but he clearly enjoys performing, training, and interacting with fans. He's pretty much second-in-command, assisting JR in interviews and being the one to update their social media.
It's sometimes, out of all of them, hard to believe that he's only sixteen because from the beginning he's held himself with as much confidence as idols who've been in the industry for years. He's another really good performer, imo, and he works very hard at it. In one video (I'm sorry I can't remember atm), the members take turns showing off places that are important to them. JR shows the house where he lived when he moved to Seoul, etc, but the place that Baekho brings them to is the practice room, which to me, says a lot about his dedication. And like I said, he enjoys interacting with fans. He's supposed to be the easiest one to talk to at fansigns, for example. And there's this one video of a foreigner running into them during MOAS filming and while Minhyun sort of runs away, Baekho is the one to attempt some English to talk to the fan.
Baekho really enjoys his sleep! He also has to cuddle something while he sleeps so the members take turns letting him sleep with them. So brave, so valiant. He likes cooking and taking care of everyone. And finally, he's the same height as Ren but 7 kgs (15 lbs) heavier and he has an excellent pair of thighs to show for it. So, just keep that in mind.
Minhyun
Stage name: Minhyun
Real name: Hwang Min Hyun
Birth date: August 9, 1995 (16 years old)
Role: Vocalist
Duration of training: 1 year
Introduced on: January 18
Despite being the visual of the group, Minhyun is actually a bit of an awkward turtle. (Now would be a great time to have a gif of him and Ren visiting a classroom at a girl's school because he's just kind of :|-ing the whole time and it's adorable.) A fan described him as shy but said that he warms up around fans he's seen multiple times, and I think that applies to him as an idol. Based on his recent performances and their radio show, Minhyun already seems more outgoing than he did during Making of Star.
Being another vocalist, it's obvious that Minhyun likes singing! He's the go-to person on K-Pop 20 to sing any snippet of a song that his bandmates desire. He was street casted, but he also said that being a singer was his dream. Other things that Minhyun enjoys are mocking JR's rapping, mocking Aron's rapping, being taller than everyone else, being really pretty.
He also has one of the most gorgeous smiles I've ever seen. Not quite as goofy and infectious as Baekho's, but dang look at that dentistry.
Ren
Stage name: Ren
Real name: Choi Min Ki
Birth date: November 3, 1995 (16 years old)
Role: Vocalist, maknae
Duration of training: 2 years
Introduced on: January 19
There are two things you hear the most about Ren: "He's pretty like a girl!" and "He's acts like a bitch!" Both of these things are meant in an endearing way, mostly, but neither of them are very true. Sure, appearance is a subjective thing, but slapping blonde hair and eyeliner on someone doesn't cover up masculine features. (For reference, here's a non-embarrassing picture of him pre debut.) And with regards to the second thing, well, it's partially true. He's certainly perfected a look of utter disinterest, but there are many other (strange) sides to his personality. Not to mention a violent streak.
Linking of things aside, Ren is just about as moody of a 16-year-old as anyone would expect. He prefers to initiate touching and more often than not will push the other members away when they try to love on him. He gets embarrassed doing aegyo, but he will do it when he can use it to his advantage (like when trying to score a snack from a street vendor.) He's the most likely to make mistakes (please excuse all of my links, but there are about a million adorable Ren gifs) while dancing because either because he's very ditzy (in the words of Baekho) or because he tries to change things to his liking (in his own words.) As evidenced by his hosting on K-POP 20, Ren likes learning other group's dances- he's danced to U-Kiss, EXO, f(x), and Pledis artists.
part two: pairings and resources
part one: info and members
So, this is, like, half actual information and half an excuse for me to write meta about each of the NU'EST boys because I'm already ridiculously attached to them and more people should be.
(L-R: Minhyun, Ren, JR, Baekho, Aron)
background:
NU'EST (pronounced New East) is a South Korean boy band that debuted in March, 2012. They're the first male group (fun fact: JR was their very first male trainee) under their label, Pledis Entertainment, who is also home to After School, Son Dambi, and more recently, Hello Venus. And another boy group at the end of the year or beginning of next year, I think. One that possibly involves 17 boys (it may or may not be Tempest?) but that's sort of embarrassing so I didn't pay attention. Another fun fact: they're all '95 liners, with the exception of Aron who was born in 93. They're practically infants.
Anyway, NU'EST released their first MV for Face on March 14 and made their live debut the next day. As you might hear Aron awkwardly add in English during their introductions, NU'EST stands for "New Established Style and Tempo", which musically translates to a song about bullying with questionable rapping and dubstep. But it works! Especially in the context of a slightly homoerotic MV.
Click to viewThey did several interviews during this time, some of which can be found here with English subtitles. (I think the most informative one as far as their personalities go is the M! Countdown Backstage interview.) Also in March, NU'EST began their own reality show Making of a Star: NU'EST, Landing Operation which included behind-the-scenes footage, competitions within the group, and interviews. It's also incredibly delightful and a great showcase of their group dynamic and personalities.
Episode 1 (Part 2)
Episode 2 (Part 2)
Episode 3 (Part 2)
Episode 4 (Part 2)
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
In April, they wrapped up promotions of Face and briefly promoted their second song on their mini, I'm Sorry, a ballad which features more questionable English and disturbing, vaguely elf-like outfits. It was a sad time compared to the joy brought by pink school blazers and dancing with chairs.
Since then, they've performed at several festivals and events and they also made a cameo in Hello Venus' debut music video Venus and appeared briefly in the first episode of their show. Currently they're MC-ing on SBS MTV K-Pop 20. (That is only a partial compilation of their episodes but the rest can easily be found on youtube.)
At the beginning of June, JR and Aron celebrated their birthday together with a private event for fans that involved some games and shit. The best thing to come out of their party was this performance of Face where they switched outfits and parts. It's wonderful.
They've released four episodes of their visual radio show (or whatever they called it), L.O.Λ.E STORY. (I couldn't really find a place to stick this in there but L.O.Λ.E is their official fanclub name, based on the consonents in their Korean name. IT IS REALLY CUTE ♥) They're 30 minutes to an hour of them mocking each other, dancing to girl group's music, and being ridiculously cute.
(The rest can be found on their official yt account. First two episodes subbed are here.)
They recently came back with the song Action which is on their first mini album. It's even more questionable than Face due to a strange dance break, but check out how great they are at performing now:
Since then they performed at the Tokyo Dome at the K-Dream Live concert at the end of July and they visited fans in Thailand. But most importantly, they released a video for Not Over You:
Basically, if you're on the fence about whether or not to stan them, watch that video and feel the joy wash over you. And now you're all caught up!
members
Aron
Stage name: Aron
Real name: Aaron Kwak (Korean name: Kwak Young Min)
Birth date: May 21, 1993 (19 years old)
Role: Rapper, vocalist, dancer
Duration of training: 6 months to 1 year
Introduced on: January 18
Hometown: Los Angeles
Aron is....interesting. From the way he talks about it, it sounds like one day he sort of woke up and went "I want to be a k-pop idol." Like, just from what he's said, performing was never really a lifelong dream of his. Yet somehow, he ended up auditioning for Pledis, made the cut, bailed on attending the journalism school at NYU, and moved to a country whose language he didn't speak. (Not shockingly, his parents were against the idea at first.)
Not only is Aron the foreigner in NU'EST, but he's also two years older than the rest of them and was the last to join. But Aron doesn't really let that affect him. Because being an idol was never his dream, he's doesn't really feel the pressure of idoldom as much as others might. He just has a lot of fun with being an idol. He smirks, he does aegyo (it's his favorite thing), he tries to get it on with the rest of the members in public. He also makes Facebook updates for the international fans and shares pictures like this.
I think Aron genuinely enjoys being a hyung to everyone. Here he talks about wanting to treat the other members like equals, but their dynamic often resembles that of "older brother who likes to embarrass you in front of your friends." And yet he's also known as choding (elementary student Aron) because he's actually really lame.
Aaaaand he's also gorgeous and hilarious. That's not opinion. That's fact.
JR
Stage name: JR
Real name: Kim Jong Hyun
Birth date: June 8, 1995 (17 years old)
Role: Leader, rapper, dancer
Duration of training: 3 years
Introduced on: January 16
Don't let the tough rap voice fool you- JR is actually a giant dork. His crazy might be a little less noticeable than everyone else, but it's definitely there. His goofy side is reserved for his bandmates because, as I'll get to, he definitely holds himself differently in front of other people. He's also adorably finicky. This video is one of my favorites because he is so annoyed by everyone! Or like this entire episode where he shoves Minhyun away every time he touches him. Or every MOAS episode where he gets super competitive with Baekho. The stage name Junior Royal is fitting because he's basically a snooty little prince.
JR is perhaps, to me, the most idol-like out of all of them. It's neither a good thing or a bad thing, just a reflection of the extra year of training that he's had and his responsibilities as a leader and the face of a group. In the M! Countdown Backstage video linked above, everyone describes JR as charismatic, which is very true. When he's in front of an audience, he's fucking on. His rapping makes me cringe, personally (like no seriously JR stop moving your head around like that), but he's got enough stage presence to somewhat pull it off. And he's a fantastic dancer, so I'll give him a pass on the rapping.
Baekho
Stage name: Baekho
Real name: Kang Dong Ho
Birth date: July 21, 1995 (17 years old)
Role: Main vocalist
Duration of training: 2 years
Introduced on: January 19
Baekho is supposed to be the ~manly~ one, which is code for he's bigger than the rest and has a tougher appearance. But his toughness only relates to his exterior because he's basically walking sunshine. He's always smiling and laughing, always showing affection to his group members and to their fans. Being a singer wasn't always his dream (he accompanied a friend to an audition and was kind of accidentally cast) but he clearly enjoys performing, training, and interacting with fans. He's pretty much second-in-command, assisting JR in interviews and being the one to update their social media.
It's sometimes, out of all of them, hard to believe that he's only sixteen because from the beginning he's held himself with as much confidence as idols who've been in the industry for years. He's another really good performer, imo, and he works very hard at it. In one video (I'm sorry I can't remember atm), the members take turns showing off places that are important to them. JR shows the house where he lived when he moved to Seoul, etc, but the place that Baekho brings them to is the practice room, which to me, says a lot about his dedication. And like I said, he enjoys interacting with fans. He's supposed to be the easiest one to talk to at fansigns, for example. And there's this one video of a foreigner running into them during MOAS filming and while Minhyun sort of runs away, Baekho is the one to attempt some English to talk to the fan.
Baekho really enjoys his sleep! He also has to cuddle something while he sleeps so the members take turns letting him sleep with them. So brave, so valiant. He likes cooking and taking care of everyone. And finally, he's the same height as Ren but 7 kgs (15 lbs) heavier and he has an excellent pair of thighs to show for it. So, just keep that in mind.
Minhyun
Stage name: Minhyun
Real name: Hwang Min Hyun
Birth date: August 9, 1995 (16 years old)
Role: Vocalist
Duration of training: 1 year
Introduced on: January 18
Despite being the visual of the group, Minhyun is actually a bit of an awkward turtle. (Now would be a great time to have a gif of him and Ren visiting a classroom at a girl's school because he's just kind of :|-ing the whole time and it's adorable.) A fan described him as shy but said that he warms up around fans he's seen multiple times, and I think that applies to him as an idol. Based on his recent performances and their radio show, Minhyun already seems more outgoing than he did during Making of Star.
Being another vocalist, it's obvious that Minhyun likes singing! He's the go-to person on K-Pop 20 to sing any snippet of a song that his bandmates desire. He was street casted, but he also said that being a singer was his dream. Other things that Minhyun enjoys are mocking JR's rapping, mocking Aron's rapping, being taller than everyone else, being really pretty.
He also has one of the most gorgeous smiles I've ever seen. Not quite as goofy and infectious as Baekho's, but dang look at that dentistry.
Ren
Stage name: Ren
Real name: Choi Min Ki
Birth date: November 3, 1995 (16 years old)
Role: Vocalist, maknae
Duration of training: 2 years
Introduced on: January 19
There are two things you hear the most about Ren: "He's pretty like a girl!" and "He's acts like a bitch!" Both of these things are meant in an endearing way, mostly, but neither of them are very true. Sure, appearance is a subjective thing, but slapping blonde hair and eyeliner on someone doesn't cover up masculine features. (For reference, here's a non-embarrassing picture of him pre debut.) And with regards to the second thing, well, it's partially true. He's certainly perfected a look of utter disinterest, but there are many other (strange) sides to his personality. Not to mention a violent streak.
Linking of things aside, Ren is just about as moody of a 16-year-old as anyone would expect. He prefers to initiate touching and more often than not will push the other members away when they try to love on him. He gets embarrassed doing aegyo, but he will do it when he can use it to his advantage (like when trying to score a snack from a street vendor.) He's the most likely to make mistakes (please excuse all of my links, but there are about a million adorable Ren gifs) while dancing because either because he's very ditzy (in the words of Baekho) or because he tries to change things to his liking (in his own words.) As evidenced by his hosting on K-POP 20, Ren likes learning other group's dances- he's danced to U-Kiss, EXO, f(x), and Pledis artists.
part two: pairings and resources