The myriad pretty boys of Korean pop music are often dismissed as lookers without real talent.
When K-pop boyband GOT7, in town on Tuesday (Feb 23), were asked about the negative perception in their faces, they dealt with it with grace.
Speaking calmly in Korean, leader JB, 22, said: "We are artists, singers. We have a certain level of self esteem. We have pride in ourselves. We practise a lot. There are some areas where we are lacking. We try hard to perfect our performance."
He spoke off-the-cuff and freely, a rarity at K-pop acts' press conferences where questions typically have to be submitted in advance for vetting by the management. No questions were requested beforehand for this session.
The rest of the media session was back to business: GOT7 did their public relations duty to promote the launch of K-live Sentosa, a new K-pop hologram concert attraction. Hong Kong member Jackson, 21, was not present as he was unwell.
The multi-national septet are one of the three acts featured in the virtual concert.
Behind-the-scenes footage screened at the session show the K-popsters dancing and having fun pretending to interact with audiences in front of a green screen.
Thai member BamBam, 18, said in a mix of Korean and English: "It is amazing how it was a green screen at the first, and then the final product had effects like Lego blocks and spotlight."
Performing in front of a green screen without a live audience proved to be a challenge for them.
Taiwanese-American member Mark, 22, said in English: "The most difficult part about filming the hologram is pretending there is an audience in front of you. There's just a bunch of cameras. It was really difficult to bring out the energy you have when you are onstage."
