"First place? I'd rather have people know that we exist." Such a statement was surely not expected from a star that has been sweeping Japan's Oricon chart. However, Supernova was not just being humble but actually expressing their one true wish in a recent interview with Donga News. They returned to the Korean music industry with "Time To Shine" after a two years and six months hiatus. Having arrived in Japan last September, they've managed to land each of their nine singles into Oricon's top 5 chart after only a year of promotion. Supernova's leader, Yoon Hak, stated, "It was hard to believe (our popularity) at first because there was such a large difference between Japan and Korea. Still, it was because of our Japanese promotions that we were able to return to Korea." Before their debut in 2007, Supernova garnered interest by being dubbed the 'model group,' and sometimes even being called "six Rains in one group." Unfortunately, such attention was short-lived as the interest dropped soon after their debut. Sungje commented, "There was nothing but the name 'Supernova' left in our place. Nobody cared about our music or our group. I was miserable. The more we promoted, the more anti fans we gained. No matter what we did, it seemed as if we could be nothing but the 'ugly ducklings.'" Geonil added, "In 2008, SG Wannabe held a concert in Japan. M to M was set to perform on stage but something happened, and we performed in their place. Fortunately, Yoon Hak hyung is good at Japanese and managed to catch the attention of representatives at the concert. Later, they came all the way to Korea and surveyed us." Leader Yoon Hak completed a degree in business administration at Japan's Aichi University as a state scholarship student. "I found a new determination then. We had nothing to begin with anyway, so it was a good opportunity to start new." Yoon Hak began to teach the members Japanese with his new-found determination. Impressed by his enthusiasm, the members soon began to learn on their own. Supernova's substitute performance at SG Wannabe's concert brought in an endless amount of opportunities, earning the attention of famous music labels such as Sony, Pony Canyon, and Universal. Universal Japan showed the most active interest in them and finally managed to contract Supernova in 2009. They debuted September of the same year with their single, "Kimidakeotsuto," which ranked 5th in Oricon's daily single chart. Soon after, every single released managed to rank in the top 5, leading to their first ever large scale concert in Japan in October and December. The "ugly ducklings" have finally emerged as "swans." Kwangsu proudly revealed, "In October, we're holding a 6,000 seat concert at Tokyo Forum. The concert became sold out in under five minutes. We're also holding another super arena concert in December with 12,000 fans attending. Our fanclub has over 10,000 members as well." But as they began to receive the love of the Japanese, their thirst for the Korean stage only grew deeper. Comments stating that they are now nothing more than a Japanese group also broke their hearts. Sungmo concluded, "Before we hold our Japanese concerts, I want to meet our Korean fans and earn their acknowledgment. We are not even thinking of going for first place in Korea yet as  we just want to make sure that people know Supernova exists. Also, we've ranked 2nd on Oricon a couple of times but not 1st yet. Until the day both are achieved, we will be working our hardest." Source: Donga