2012 is finally upon us, and even though this past weekend was a long one for those working in Korea, the idol stars have sacrificed much deserved time with their families to take part in various promotions. There are a few idols, however, who have stolen the spotlight and are receiving more attention than most.

MBLAQ member Lee Joon is one of them. He debuted with MBLAQ in 2009, and has continued to work both as an artist and an actor, and he has higher hopes and goals for 2012 than any other idol star.

The reasons being, MBLAQ has just released a new album and last year was especially difficult on him.

MBLAQ is known to be the 'unlucky idols'. Although they are praised for their musical talents and good looks, ironically they have yet to secure a #1 K-Chart win on any major music program. They've come real close many times, but have always been triumphed by another artist.

When asked if this sort of thing stresses him out, or if he gets upset when he sees other artists doing better than his own group, Lee Joon shook his head and said, "As long as I am not ashamed of myself, I'm okay."

"As long as others think I performed well, and I am not ashamed of who I am, that is enough for me. I always step off the stage thinking I could've done this better or improved that, but I am working to put on a flawless performance for the fans," he continued.

Lee Joon's performance for MBLAQ's new song "This Is War" is a hot topic of conversation amongst fans and netizens alike. Lee Joon showcases his acting skills, where he collapses after being 'shot' with an imaginary gun. It is more than just a small stage performance. Lee Joon really gets into character and has impressed his audience thus far, however, he himself is not 100% satisfied with the performance.

"I make a lot of mistakes, and I can't time the 'bang' just right. When we do the performance, I have a lot of wires all over my body which makes it hard for me to dance. So when something goes wrong, it really stresses me out," he said. And in order to prevent anything from going wrong, he continues to practice and rehearse his moves day and night.



Although he may not feel the performance is perfect, his fans still send their supportive cheer and they have high expectations for the singer in 2012. When asked what his plans are for the new year, he hesitated for a long while, then answered, "I just hope it's nothing like 2011."

He explained, "Last year was the worst. I can't explain everything in detail, but I was backstabbed by a person close to me, and as a result I don't trust people as much anymore. There's a lot that happened which I can't reveal publicly and for me personally, last year was really difficult. I really hope that 2012 is nothing like last year. I hope 2012 will be much better. I don't want to dream too big, as I don't want to be disappointed. I don't have any false hopes, I just want to slowly live a better, happier life. This is my only hope and goal for 2012."

The singer who very honestly expressed his emotions also shared his vision for MBLAQ and his future as an actor. He doesn't want too become too ambitious just yet.

He said. "I think I have to sort of put acting on the back burner for now to focus on promotions with MBLAQ. When our promotions for MBLAQ and our variety show appearances become stable, then I think I will slowly start thinking about acting again. It might take a while, but I think that if I work that much harder when the time comes, I will reap better results. Right now, I have much more to learn and experience as a member of MBLAQ, and that's what I want to do."

Check out his short interview below!



-Why don't you have a Twitter account? All your other members seem to have one.
?It's just not me. I'm not good at taking care of my fans.

-But you need to, at a time when new idol stars are emerging every minute.
?I dont know, I just don't know how to do it. I can't express myself like that, but I do try to be good to them when we meet them in person. I want to be close to them.

-You really should. Anyways, your red hair looks good on you. You became even more attractive with the release of this new album.
?No way. When I'm stressed, my face turns red and I'm so worried that I'll look weird on camera.

-All the members seem to look more handsome this time around.
?Yes, especially Bang Chul Yong (Mir). He is the "it" guy these days.

-We hope that your fan base will grow exponentially with this new album.
?To be honest, the fans say that they grow tired of me easily (laughs). When time passes, they like other groups or other members. I'll work to change that, though.

-No way, you're not the type that people grow easily tired of. Perhaps it's because you are more reserved and less outgoing, and it's hard for fans to approach you.
?Maybe. I don't have too many celebrity friends either. My closest friends are SHINee's Onew & ZE:A's Hwang Kwang Hee. That's about it.

-Have you been in contact with your senior, Rain? What has he said about your new album promotions?
?We've talked, but they're brief conversations and he asked how we're doing. We haven't had the chance to talk about too much else. I don't know if he's seen our "This is War" performances, but he has yet to say anything about it.



Source + Image: Newsen