Hong Kong's Top Group MIRROR: 4 Members Appear on 'THE FIRST TAKE' — Cantonese Pop and Global Aspirations Reflected in Their Song Selection
This interview was originally published in Japanese on thefirsttimes.jp. Translated by VK Chronicle.
MIRROR Interview
MIRROR is a 12-member idol group formed by trainees who appeared on the Hong Kong survival audition show “Good Night Show – King Maker.” Since their debut in November 2018, they’ve dominated music charts and won numerous music awards, making them truly Hong Kong’s top team with both popularity and skill. This time, four members—Jeremy, Anson, Joule, and Gyon Tou—appeared on THE FIRST TAKE, performing “Rumours” and “Stellar Moments of Humankind人類群星閃耀時.” Let’s hear from these four members about MIRROR’s appeal and their thoughts on appearing on THE FIRST TAKE.
CONTENTS
- MIRROR is a group where 12 members each pursue different possibilities that come together
- THE FIRST TAKE receives comments from around the world, so it’s exciting but also nerve-wracking
- I’d like to visit a hot spring. I love baths and it’s nice to be able to relax
- I want people overseas to understand the charm of Cantonese pop through MIRROR
MIRROR is a group where 12 members each pursue different possibilities that come together
Q: First, could you tell us what kind of group MIRROR is?
Joule Lau: MIRROR is an idol group made up of 12 members. Each member has different strengths—singing, dancing, acting. Originally, all of us were trainees who appeared on the survival audition show “Good Night Show 全民造星.” There are various idol groups in different countries, but generally they’re trained from childhood at the same agency and grow together. We’re different. Our 12 members each pursue different possibilities, and that’s what makes us as a group. For example, at concerts, normally you only see one style, right? MIRROR expresses each member’s strengths in a single show. I think that’s our characteristic.
Q: Then, with your introductions, could you tell us about your personalities, performance characteristics, and artists who’ve influenced you?
Jeremy Ray: Personality-wise, I’m usually a quiet type, but once I’m on stage I become aggressive—that’s my gap. I love being on stage. My performance is characterized by androgynous expression. I can confidently say that dancing is my strength. On stage, I express my charm to the fullest. Also, I’ve loved and listened to K-pop since I was little. I really love Girls’ Generation, and from there I started exploring and listening to various groups. So I think K-pop influence shows in my performance.
Anson Low: I’m also on the quieter side. I love my home, I’m shy with people I don’t know, pretty reserved. Since childhood I’ve loved dancing, so when I’m on stage, I can express singing and dancing with explosive power. I love hip-hop and R&B music. I used to watch videos and imitate the dancing in front of the mirror. I’ve been influenced by 2000s American artists—I love Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Michael Jackson, stuff like that.
Joule Lau: My strength is singing. I’ve been influenced by various kinds of music since childhood. I used to be a vocalist in a band, actually. I especially love rock music like ONE OK ROCK, Coldplay, and Muse. I’ve been moved many times listening to those bands’ music, so I want to deliver that same kind of emotion through my singing. Performance-wise, I aim to give a powerful, full-energy stage. I really love that moment at live venues when my singing becomes one with the fans’ voices. Just like everyone experiences different things in life, I want people to listen to our songs in various moments—happy, angry, sad, joyful—and feel warmth. My personality is optimistic, bright, and I think sincerity is important. On stage, I think I’m able to bring out 100% of that. Whether I’m running around the stage or shouting loudly, all those different expressions are the real me.
Gyon Tou: I think I’m the type in the group who can do both singing and dancing in a balanced way. I’ve naturally loved singing and dancing, and since I was young I watched a lot of videos of different artists. But at that time, I didn’t have the chance to take lessons at a school. All the members in the group have their own strengths, so I’m learning a lot from my fellow members. The artists who’ve influenced me are Ne-Yo from America, Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) and Show Lo (羅志祥) from Taiwan, and RAIN (ピ) from Korea. Like those artists, my goal is to become an artist with outstanding singing and dancing ability, and I’m working hard toward that.
Q: So MIRROR really has all different types of members. This time, representing MIRROR, you four appeared on THE FIRST TAKE and performed “Rumours” and “Stellar Moments of Humankind人類群星閃耀時.” Could you tell us why you chose these two songs?
Joule: “Rumours” is our latest song and MIRROR’s first English song. Since MIRROR wants to share music with the world going forward, I thought we should introduce MIRROR to people worldwide through the English song “Rumours.” I hope that from this song, people can get to know the personalities of all 12 members and listen to the many Cantonese pop songs that MIRROR has sung up until now. And “Stellar Moments of Humankind人類群星閃耀時” is a song about humanity and caring for people. I think it’s an important message as human beings, and it’s packed with gratitude and positive messages, so we really wanted people to hear it and performed it.
THE FIRST TAKE receives comments from around the world, so it’s exciting but also nerve-wracking
Q: After actually performing on THE FIRST TAKE, what are your impressions?
Jeremy: Actually, I just finished recording a bit before this interview, so I’m relieved now that the tension is off (laughs). We actually found out a few months ago that we’d be singing these two songs, so I’ve been practicing non-stop since then. I was really worried—would I be able to express it well?—but I think the actual performance went pretty well. So I’m relieved.
Anson: First, I’m really proud to have been able to appear on THE FIRST TAKE. When I had some free time before, I watched THE FIRST TAKE a lot. I knew it had huge influence, and I actually rewatched a few songs. I didn’t understand the words, but I received so much healing from the Japanese artists’ singing. At that moment, I really thought again about how powerful music is. With this recording, I don’t know how many people my singing will reach, but I was able to sing with all my heart. I hope MIRROR spreads a little more through our performance, and that we can gain more fans all around the world.
Joule: Right now I’m feeling happy (laughs). I think the artists who perform on THE FIRST TAKE are really those with true talent. Actually, several of my favorite artists have appeared on it, so I thought being able to sing on such a wonderful show was a real opportunity. With live performances, I can sing just as myself, but I’d hardly ever experienced one-take studio recording before. This time, I realized it was important to convey my emotions through the video. It was really difficult, but thanks to all the preparation time I had, I think the results exceeded what I expected. I’m satisfied. I’m happy (laughs).
Gyon Tou: I’m relieved too. I worked hard preparing, but I was nervous. THE FIRST TAKE is a show where talented singers participate, and I think there are still areas where MIRROR needs to work harder. Until now, we’ve mainly been delivering our music to Hong Kong fans, but THE FIRST TAKE receives comments from around the world, so it’s exciting but also nerve-wracking. But I’d like to get lots of different opinions, and I want everyone to look forward to what kind of evaluation we get.
Q: If you had to score your own performance on THE FIRST TAKE out of 10 points?
Jeremy: About 7 to 8 points out of 10.
Joule: Same for me.
Anson: I’d say about 6 points.
Gyon Tou: Then I’d say about 6 to 7 points for myself.
I’d like to visit a hot spring. I love baths and it’s nice to be able to relax
Q: Let’s change topics. Is there anything about Japanese culture that interests you?
Gyon: Yes! I love Japanese anime. I like “SLAM DUNK.” Also “DEATH NOTE” and “Attack on Titan”—I love all anime (laughs).
Jeremy: I like food. Sushi, ramen, that stuff is delicious.
Anson: I’d like to visit a hot spring. I love baths and think it’s nice to be able to relax.
Joule: I like Japanese music culture. After all, the best way to enjoy music is experiencing it live, so I want to see live shows in Japan.
I want people overseas to understand the charm of Cantonese pop through MIRROR
Q: Finally, could you tell us about MIRROR’s future outlook and activities?
Anson: Of course we’re active as a group, but we’re also releasing solo songs. We want to continue working hard on our individual activities while also becoming very active overseas as MIRROR. Ideally, we’d like to do a world tour next year. We’re really greedy as a group, so we want to challenge ourselves with lots of things. Until now, members have appeared in movies and dramas and done various activities. MIRROR is five years into our debut, but I think we still have lots of possibilities. There are various genres of dance, and we want to keep challenging ourselves with lots of things while pursuing new styles.
Jeremy: MIRROR’s foundation is delivering Cantonese language songs to Hong Kong fans, but we also want to show our overseas fans English songs and various other sides of us. And after all, we’re a Hong Kong group, so through MIRROR, I hope people overseas will realize the charm of Cantonese pop.