INFINITIZE.
infinite: a guide
presented to you by jaiden
hello! my name is jaiden and i’ll be guiding you into infinity with this primer. are you already into infinite? even better! i hope you’ll enjoy this regardless.
this primer gets revamped all the time and gets edited all the time. it’s also huge, so it might take a while to load and an even longer while to go through.
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table of contents
last update: 18.01.14
quick navigation
WARNING: OUTDATED
01. BASICS
who the hell are infinite anyway?
Infinite (인피니트) are a boy group under woollim entertainment, composed of Sungyeol, L, Sungjong, Woohyun, Sunggyu, Dongwoo, and Hoya (l-t-r in the picture above). They debuted June 9, 2010 with ‘Come Back Again’. Prior to debut, they appeared in the reality show “You are my oppa”, introducing the group to the world. Infinite’s fans are called inspirits (인스피릿) and the fan colour is metal pearl gold. The meaning behind their name resembles their infinite potential and unlimited growth.
As of August 2017, Hoya has departed from the group. He is, however, still on good terms with all the members and still deserves all the support in the world! I have decided to still include him in this primer since his contributions cannot be overlooked ♡
basics
SMALL TIP for viewing the rest of this primer:
go through it in presentation mode. it will be a lot easier to watch music videos and other links! :-)
02. MUSIC
because they have a big ass discography
discography
their discography consists of
(this may be a miscalculation because these boys don’t ever stop do they)
for a quicker overview, watch the evolution of infinite here!
music videos
from here on out, every infinite music video will be listed.
if you want to skip straight to the members, go to slide 60… or something there...
ps. if there is a “members/names” version available for a music video, i’ll link it as well.
come back again
we’ll start at the beginning, which is obviously their debut. this also happens to be one of my favourite tracks ever. it was filmed in their ceo’s house and was mostly sponsored with personal money because they didn’t have enough money to actually debut. woollim was about to go bankrupt and it was infinite that kind of…. literally had to save them. either way, it’s such a good song and immediately shows off their dancing skills, combined with a nice tune.
she’s back
basically this mv is just three minutes of them having fun at the beach. it’s really really cute. don’t be fooled, though, once again, this song comes with a really strong and well-coordinated choreo.
don’t forget to watch the version infinite recorded with lovelyz’ jiae during ‘you are my oppa’, it’s definitely worth watching if you’re in the mood for a good laugh.
before the dawn
this is where it gets serious. before the dawn is a mv that’s a full 180 degrees from the previous one. there is some violence, myungsoo and woohyun being trapped somewhere (they had to stay up two days in the freezing cold for this mv — bless them), and teamwork makin’ the dream work. their infamous scorpion dance was featured here, even tho not properly shown; this is why i personally recommend the dance version linked below more.
nothing’s over
four minutes of infinite cheering up sungyeol (maybe because of his lack of lines in this… hmmmmmmm...) and myungsoo somehow carrying a tv? no one knows why. it’s a really nice switch from their previous mvs, with a lot of the unsettling darkness gone - yet, this song remains a little bit sad, melancholic even. the fact the music video is kind of really abstract only makes it better.
be mine
be mine marks a change in infinite’s career, with one of their catchier choruses and their first win (honestly pls watch it...they’re so overwhelmed and it’s the most beautiful thing). as always, be mine also has a dance version, which i like more than the actual mv. sungjong’s famous line/choreo part including the “geurae” was featured here (watch shinee’s key imitate it here, and here sunggyu)
paradise
in which the boys haunt a house and the girl that lives in it, before taking the train to what is assumed to be — as the title of the song tells us — paradise. it’s a really sad music video but it’s okay since, once again, the dance practice makes up for the sadness (notice dongwoo’s lil feathers!).
p.s. the girl in the music video is jei from fiestar!
lately
what’s better than seven cute boys having fun in japan? i love christmas, and honestly, this is just too cute...if you don’t have a bias yet by the end of this journey just come back and watch this again.
cover girl (live)
what’s a group without a live mv of a song, right? this is such a fun music video and performance to watch, and will probably either make you jealous for not being there, or want to make you dance along. either way, cover girl is really That song to listen to when you’re feeling a little down… ft. rap god lee sungyeol
the chaser
this music video is a tad confusing, but it somehow works and it’s amazing. there is a lot of symbolism behind the music video, and it takes more than just a while to figure it all out. a lot of people view this as infinite’s trademark, which is kind of understandable. i mean, we have myungsoo crashing a car, boys on bikes, and dongwoo in general. it’s also a meme. memefinite. which is why infinite pretend this song doesn’t exist.
man in love
this music video is so cute it’s almost cringeworthy. the boys are in love and it shows. sungjong has a cat (woollimy, it’s the ceo’s cat, which probably explains the name), and it’s adorable. honestly? the mv is such a source of instant happiness — from the beginning until the extra footage woollim has given us at the end.
destiny
another one of my favourite music videos. the boys are in america this time, dancing on the streets and driving cars on empty roads. there’s fire and factories too. the unmissable supernatural and mysterious vibes only add value to the mv. there’s two mv versions of the song, version a is here, though. the reason for the remake of the music video is because this comeback was supposed to happen around the time a plane crashed and lots of passengers died. version a features a lot of plane scenes, which is why they refilmed it.
destiny (cont.)
The thing that is so special about the Destiny music video is that, like I mention in the previous slide, the boys flew to America for it. Not only that, they were the first k-pop group ever to obtain permission to film a music video in Universal Studios, Hollywood. Some movies that were shot there are 'Transformers' and 'The Amazing Spiderman'.
This is a really rare occasion, especially considering artist like Lady Gaga had been denied permission to film there before.
It was the boy’s first time in America, they even have an online diary about it (this will be linked later again too so don’t worry!!) and they were really surprised they even had fans there. However, a lot of inspirits showed up at the airport to greet them. They were really surprised and overwhelmed. It’s really cute.
Also fun to know: Member L (Myungsoo) took a lot of the pictures for the photobook attached to this album :D
request
how to impress: a guide by the seven boys of infinite. this music video shows off the boys putting their hands together in order to score Hoya a date, i guess - and look, it actually works.
last romeo
this is one of infinite’s eternal gems. the mv starts off with their second album intro, before switching to the actual song. the story behind the music video is kind of sad, but it’s also got a beautiful side to it. this comeback, as well as many other comebacks at the time, was delayed out of respect to the victims of the sewol ferry tragedy. they ended up having to remake the music video to, so this is, once again, a second version. the girl in the music video is lovelyz’ member mijoo. recently version a was released at infinite effect, starring lovelyz’ jisoo.
back
this is actually the song that got me into infinite. i loved the edm beats and the choreo a lot, really. the music video shows the boys going in to save a little girl, who is presumably like a sister to them. the story in the music video is really adventurous - but there’s lots of violence, so beware!! the beat drop for this song is really amazing and powerful, and it’s definitely a common fave among inspirits.
together
this is a music video released for infinite’s first movie, grow.
it focuses on their good and bad moments throughout their first world tour...it’s a little emotional but i love it. the english translation of the lyrics is definitely worth checking out. woohyun composed the song during the world tour, and after finishing the composition he asked all the members if they wanted the lyrics together as seven, which they did :’)
tic toc
this is a music video to an older song of theirs, released in honour of their world tour. it’s another live performance and, once again, we’re all wishing we were there.
bad
this has to be one of their most aesthetically pleasing music videos of all time, as well as a really dark one. director duo digipedi directed the music video, so it’s amazing as expected. the symbolism behind it is amazing as well, especially the parts with the mirrors. hoya turns into myungsoo, sunggyu runs around a lot, dongwoo blows us all away once again, woohyun rocks the high notes, sungyeol and sungjong look as beautiful as ever and. yeah. ya kno… just watch it.
bad (360v)
i wasn’t sure if i wanted to dedicate an extra slide to it, but i decided i should. this is basically just the bad mv but in 360°. it’s...amazing. i love technology...anyways… with this music video, infinite is officially the first ever k-pop group, as well as one of the first artists EVER, to try out the 360v technology, and BOY DOES IT WORK. i recommend to watch this music video outside of the primer or basically at least on a full screen for a better effect. if you’re on mobile - even better! you can navigate through the music video by tilting your screen or even walking/turning around. it’s an experience and definitely worth watching.
link is also here! p.s watch it on mobile too for extra coolness
that summer, the second story
Infinite’s summer single, that summer, the second story, is a fresh and, like i said, summer-y song which was released for their concert tour, that summer, which is held every two years. their summer concerts are held in pretty small venues, so that infinite can connect and get closer to the fans which. 2016 will be the year of their third that summer tour.
the eye / typhoon
infinite really weren’t joking when they said their ep, titled infinite only would be one of their best yet. the music video to their title track “the eye” is one of their darkest since before the dawn, with many theories circulating about whether the members represent ghosts trying to protect myungsoo from dying, or if the members represent another sort of emotion each. either way, the song is so typically infinite and yet so unique at the same time. definitely one of their strongest comeback in the seven years as a group.
dance version / dance practice
take care of the ending
take care of the ending, a song that was on the reality mini, is the main track of yet another infinite live album. infinite effect advance are the encore concert to infinite’s second world tour. another song and live performance that makes you want to dance the night away, with a good and jazzy vibe that carries you through the entire song!
tell me
after year and four months infinite are finally back with their third full album. 2017 had been a terrible year for the group, with their initial may comeback being delayed due to sunggyu’s rib injury and with hoya’s departure from the group in august. but they are back — stronger and closer than ever (and still supporting hoya, by the way!). with tell me, they manage to keep their usual infinite-like sound and still manage to reinvent themselves, as we’re used to by now.
japanese releases
as i mentioned before, infinite is also very active in japan. the next slides will feature their japanese music videos.
be mine
she’s back
man in love
last romeo (short v)
dilemma
this is the first mv in infinite’s japanese discography that wasn’t a japanese version of one of their korean songs. it’s totally worth giving it a listen because it’s just really good. we get to see a darker concept once again, as well as infinite in a band.
24 hours
infinite’s 24 hours is not only a really beautiful song, but the aesthetic in this music video is amazing as well. it gives away a bit of last romeo vibes, mixed with paradise. their voices are really beautiful, as always, but especially here.
can’t get over you
In December of 2015 the boys had another jpn comeback with a really cute song for their new japanese full album “For You” but alas!!!!!!! the video is really hard to access on youtube...but luckily it’s on vimeo
d.n.a.
Infinite make their japanese 2016 comeback with DNA, which once again showcases their excellent vocals and sharp movements. the song is honestly so good and the mv is compelling as always.
air
Infinite released a full japanese album in May of 2017. The title track, Air, is an uptempo track that can also be found as a b-side on Infinite Only.
sub-units
Infinite has quite a few sub-units, divided between “official/promotional” ones and non-official ones.
All of the sub-units are quite important for all of the members since it gives them a chance to develop in individual activities as well. It’s really a benefit for them and it’s nice to see each respective sub-unit have their own concept/genre/etc.
infinite h
The first sub-unit is infinite h, which consists of two of the members: Dongwoo and Hoya. The H doesn’t actually stand for hoya, as some seem to think, but for hip hop.
They debuted january 11, 2013 with a song called special girl which was the title track of their debut mini-album, fly high. Technically there’s no leader in this sub-unit. Both Dongwoo and Hoya are “lea” and “der”. It’s endearing.
Prior to their debut as a subgroup, infinite h had already performed such as "Crying" and "You Look Good" during Infinite's concerts, which is why they were already popular before official debut.
special girl
a really bright and cute music video for the debut of infinite’s first sub-unit. the story behind it is really cute - with Hoya as an actor and Dongwoo proving that he is, in fact, an angel. also more proof that rappers can sing!
without you
a music video with a lot of symbolism, which is something we’re used to by now. the colouring in this video is something really interesting as well.
fly high (live)
Honestly there isn’t much to say about this one except: you’re gonna wish you were there.
This song features Babysoul, a solo artist under Woollim, who is now also the leader of Infinite’s sister group Lovelyz! She’s really close with all of infinite and even trained with them, so you’ll definitely see her being mentioned by them or collaborating sometimes.
pretty
Proof that neither dongwoo nor hoya should ever be a lawyer. a fun music video with lots of pretty colours and cool backgrounds.
this song notes infinite h’s first win. in total they won five times with this song.
(as long as you’re not) crazy
infinite h’s latest treasure. this one’s a bit darker than their previous ones. the boys said they’d make another music video if they won #1 on a music show with their previous song (pretty) - which they did. so behold, the as long as you’re not crazy mv.
(on top of the music video for this song, they also made another pledge if they won first place...read about that here, watch it here.)
infinite f
The second sub-unit has a rather cute concept and is called infinite f. The members in this sub-unit are: Myungsoo (L), Sungyeol, and Sungjong
F used to stand for face, but can also be interpreted as “fighting” or even “fun”. Infinite F is the only sub-unit that actively promoted both in Japan and Korea. They debuted in Japan on November 19th, 2014, and in Korea on December 2, 2014 Their entire concept focuses on a lot of cuter, less dark and symbolic stuff. It’s completely different from Infinite’s main unit or Infinite H.
heartbeat
infinite f’s super cute debut mv which once again proves that boy groups can do cute concepts. the music video kind of speaks for itself. if you squint (or not), you can see a lot of similarities with the man in love mv.
They debuted with this same song in japan as well, under the title “koi no sign”
kim sungkyu
I’m going to leave Sunggyu’s member profile for a later slide, but basically this “sub-unit” is basically Sunggyu’s solo activities.
Sunggyu’s solo debut was in November of 2012. He has two mini-albums so far. His first mini album, Another Me, released November 12th, 2012, followed by his second mini album, 27, released May 11th, 2015.
Due to his solo activities, Sunggyu’s become one of the most well known members in the group. His voice really stands out, which probably explains it. He also has one song he didn’t promote, but did write the lyrics for. It’s one of my favourite songs ever and definitely worth listening to.
60 seconds
This music video marks the official debut of Sunggyu’s solo career. It’s a pretty solid song, and co-member L starred in the music video. There’s not much to analyze here - except that the music video symbolizes the hardships in a relationship.
A lot of people told Sunggyu his solo debut was a failure, which is why he is anxious a lot about performing this song. We also get to see Sunggyu in a band -Sunggyu must’ve liked it so much that they actually let him release a band version of the music video. That one is on the next slide.
60 sec (band ver.)
This is basically the same song, just in a slightly different context. The band version of 60 sec is basically just Sungyu in, as the title tells us, a band.
This is kind of really touching since he used to be in a band in high school, so it must’ve brought back lots of memories!
i need you
This is Sunggyu’s third music video and by far one of the loneliest music videos you’ll see in all of infinite’s videography. Most of the music video is filmed in black and white, which adds more effect. The song itself has quite a calming melody which goes perfect with Sunggyu’s vocals.
Once again, we see him in a band.
kontrol
This is by far one of my favourites. The colours, the story behind it, and just Sunggyu in general, are all amazing.
Be careful if you’re afraid of like. fish and stuff!!!! there’s a scene in the beginning with a rly big closeup of a fish swimming around etc. and it might be kind of triggering? so be careful of that. for the rest of the music video there are fish, just not that close up. !
kontrol (cont.)
At first when this mv came out, people thought it was dedicated to the victims of the Sewol Ferry, and honestly, it does seem like it. However, Sunggyu later explained it wasn’t his intention at all. He explained:
"It's not what we had intended. We just thought that the story could also be about families and friends. I decided to make the MV about finding a lost sister, but it's not that we had intended to relate it to the [Sewol Ferry incident]."
There are, however, a few aspects in the music video that refer to it: the fish bowl, the yellow ribbon, the Jindo Inn sign.
the answer
This song was also on the 27 mini and also the song behind Sungkyu’s first win.
It’s kind of comparable to the i need you music video - lots of black/white and a tad of melancholy.
nam woohyun
As well as Sunggyu, I’m going to leave Woohyun’s full member profile for the members section, but as of May 9th, 2016, Nam Woohyun is a solo artist as well.
Woohyun debuted as a solo artist after 6 years of hard work. His first mini album “Write..” (two dots!) took two years to finish and features songs composed and written by woohyun himself.
It’s not a surprise Woohyun’s debut is a ballad, but it’s really beautiful and amazing. He was very nervous and it showed, but all his hard work payed off.
On the night of his debut, Woohyun hit the melon roof three times (7:00 > 7:15AM).
nodding
As I said, Woohyun’s solo debut was a long time coming. And here it finally is! With his title track “끄덕끄덕” (Nod Nod, Nodding, I Still Remember, etc.) Woohyun shows us his vocal skills once again!
Accompanied by a mysterious yet compelling music video, (full of infinite references, by the way. can you find them?) Woohyun kicks off well with his solo debut.
Not only with his title track, but also with the infamous song he wrote for fans, Everyday, he captured the hearts of many.
toheart
A sub-unit that consist out of a member from Infinite and a member from ~another boy group~...yep...that’s toheart! TOHEART is a musical duo formed by Woohyun and no one other than Shinee’s Key.
It marks the first collaboration between SM and Woollim. Both companies are merged now, though, which is an entirely different story. The sub-unit was announced on SMTOWN’s youtube channel on February 20th, 2014.
Woohyun and Key themselves decided to create this sub-unit, since they’re best friends and just wanted to do stuff together. However it was never their intention to make music together - they were more thinking off modeling etc. together, but thank god they ended up creating toheart.
mv: delicious
Be swept away in Woohyun and Key’s world! With their debut song, probably familiar to most, they immediately gained a lot of attention. It’s such a mood lifting and cute song, and I absolutely love the music video. Both of them are so cute here and I just love how they interact together.
I’m also going to link to this performance they did during the year end specials of 2014. This stage features not only them, but also EXO’s Xiumin and Woohyun’s co-member Dongwoo.
tell me why
Their second music video (from the same mini album) is called Tell me why and is more ballad-y. It shows off both Woohyun and Key’s vocal skills a lot, and the music video is really, really aesthetically pleasing.
Infinite v
The vocal sub-unit, infinite v, hasn’t actually debuted yet/hasn’t been officially announced, but it’s there. It consist of the two main vocals, Woohyun and Sunggyu. Basically there isn’t super much to say about it. The V obviously stands for vocals (sorry guys, not for visual.) Infinite V’s biggest fans are Woohyun and Sunggyu themselves, honestly. They both want it really badly and it would be so nice if they could.
Here’s some videos of them dueting to show how good it would be. Infinite V is very unlikely to happen since both Woohyun and Sunggyu are solo artists as well, but there is always hope for those who want to hope!
Another unofficial sub-unit that totally should happen. It’s, like the name says, a band, and it consists of four members: Sungjong (keyboard), Sungyeol (drums), L (guitar), Dongwoo (bass guitar).
They’ve performed a few times, like on Sketchbook and on their concerts, but other than that there isn’t much activity (yet….yet)
03. MEMBERS
be ready to get swept away by their...wait for it...infinite charms
SUNGGYU
First of all, there’s Sunggyu. His “official” romanization is Sungkyu but everyone calls him Sunggyu…..anyways… He’s the oldest member as well as the leader of the group. He’s often referred to as Grandpa Gyu because he can be extremely lazy and whiny. It is known he’s able to sleep all day, and once even caused himself an injury because “he was lying down too much”.
However, when it comes to his role in infinite, he’s really hardworking and driven, both as an individual but especially in his role as leadergyu! He gets made fun of a lot about his looks and his grandpa-ish image sometimes. He receives a lot of teasing for his small eyes - especially on interviews and variety. Not only about his look, though. The members love making fun of him in general. But it’s okay, he’ll live.
He’s also a very responsible person and will take responsibility for every mistake he or his members make.
SUNGGYU
All teasing aside, he’s extremely talented. First of all, he has a really powerful voice, and he focuses on his dancing a lot too. His voice cuts straight through your soul but it’s ok. He used to have a rock band in high school, which just made him feel more driven to become a well known artist. Since he’s already tried out the rock concept himself, he said he’d love to try a hip hop concept for his next solo. His favourite artist of all time is Nell.
Sunggyu came to seoul alone with no friends or family to support him. He worked a lot of part time jobs to make even a bit of money. He auditioned for sm entertainment twice but failed. He coincidentally met Nell’s manager at his part-time café job and under his recommendation auditioned for woollim entertainment.
A "Fun" fact: right after his audition, he had to be rushed to the hospital due to stomach pains and it turned out he had to get an appendectomy. On the day of his release, he found out he had passed his audition.
SUNGGYU
He may be the oldest member, but his excitement is almost childlike. It’s really cute. He’s really, really supportive and a ball of sunshine (when he’s not being grumpy). I personally think that he’s funniest when he’s frustrated, though. He’s also really cute and excited about everything. He’s constantly trying to be funny (not that it works) and he tweets a lot and constantly over-uses the ^^ emoticon. However, he gets lonely sometimes and watches people on the street ;-; bby…
Sunggyu never really wanted to be the leader. The to-be leader of infinite leader ditched them before debut and Sunggyu felt that it was his responsibility to take on the role. Personally, I think he grew into leadership beautifully. Besides the leader, he’s also really a group mom, sometimes looking out for the other members a little bit too much. The boys absolutely love him, though, and mention often enough how happy they are he’s their leader. Sunggyu even calls the other members his kids sometimes. He’s worked very hard to be where he is right now and honestly puts the group over almost everything. When he sees that his members are starting to get tired or drained, even, he offers them support.
In infinite’s world tour documentary, this was the case and Sunggyu gathered the members and the staff and talked to them about their concerns. Halfway through the meeting he asked Sungjong to turn off the documentary camera because he didn’t want him criticizing and advising his members to be in the movie. Also during the commentary version of the documentary, one of the members had a really hard time at a certain scene. The others started teasing to lighten the mood, but Sunggyu told them to not turn it into a joke and to just show some support. He can get protective like that.
Honestly he’s such a natural leader and he has so so much to be proud of!!!!!
DONGWOO
Dongwoo is, well..."He's either really stupid or a perfect genius." as Tablo stated in one of infinite’s many variety shows. It’s true. Dongwoo is the second oldest and one of the rappers and main dancers in the group. Sunggyu described him as Someone who is really good at everything. A nice, positive person. And he is!!!
He’s quite literally the vitamin of the group. He’s always energetic and happy. Yet he says he doesn't have aegyo. He also the most 4D personality out of the entire group, which sometimes makes him come across as really random or as hard to understand.
Whatever the case, Dongwoo is the actual sun. He has the laugh of the angels tbh! He’s just instant happiness. He has a heart of pure celestial gold and it’s beautiful. His nickname is “Gummed Angel” because of his bright smile.
DONGWOO
He’s extremely kind and open minded, as well as very well-mannered. He worries a lot about fans and their safety. He is also a big source of support for the infinite members. He just really wants everyone to be safe and happy, and honestly tries (and succeeds) in bringing out the best in people. His wish is “to hold all inspirits in his arms someday, no matter how long it takes”.
Because he’s so energetic and full love all the time, his members tend to call him restless. Dongwoo also rarely gets angry and isn’t one to hold grudges.
He loves his family so extremely much, and is a really filial son. He has a baby niece, Sebin, who he loves to spoil rotten. He constantly posts about her on his instagram, which is just extremely cute. It always makes him mention he wants children too, soon. In conclusion, there is also, contrary to popular belief, a really serious side to Dongwoo as well. (Even if he farts on national television...)
DONGWOO
Besides a literal angel, Dongwoo is also a rap god. His rap improved a lot due to lessons from Epik High’s Mithra, but he has a really good singing voice too. His passion is dancing, though. He’s lived/studied in Canada for three months. He’s the group’s best and clearest English speaker, despite lacking in fluency. It makes it easier for him, too, because he loves communicating with people. Even when he doesn’t always know exactly what his fans mean. He values respect and politeness very much. He hates when people are disrespectful. Besides that, he’s also such a family guy as well as an animal enthusiast.
He’s also literally the messiest member, if not the messiest idol i’ve ever seen… He has this backpack he used to carry around with him literally full of random stuff and toys and food and ???? it’s a mystery… His room too...The other members say you can barely even enter it because there’s stuff all over the floor. He can be forgetful too, which is why he writes lots of stories in his journal and also tends to write his daily tasks down. He’s very hard to wake up and could
probably sleep through an earthquake..
He’s such a scaredy cat and a really easy crier. It’s because he’s really emotional. The members sometimes like taking advantage of that. He’s also really deep sleeper, hard to wake up, which is another thing they sometimes take advantage of.
He’s also really, really touchy. He likes touching (and analyzing) the members’ butts. He also likes biting them (the members, not the butts...i think) and he loves dressing up. so much.
He’s super clingy (not as clingy as Myungsoo - see that later) and just really loves human contact...in every form.
WOOHYUN
The third member is Woohyun, also unfortunately known as Nam Greasy. Please don’t call him that though...despite it being true. He earned the nickname mostly because he’s in charge of the fan service in the team.
His actual position in the group, though, is the position of main vocalist. Woohyun is a very passionate singer and has wanted to be an artist ever since kindergarten. He has a really wide vocal range. Since a while back, he has also acquired a position in infinite’s dance line.
However, when it comes to rapping and beat boxing...he...he does his best.
Besides singing, his aspirations also lie with soccer. He’s also an actor, but has only acted in two dramas so far. He’s an emo af lip syncer as well.
Overall, a greatly talented person. Except when it comes to cooking. Don’t believe anything about his cooking. It’s not that good.
WOOHYUN
Woohyun was supposed to be the leader (he was practically the leader during trainee days even though not officially, like i explained earlier). Now, he’s like Sunggyu’s second-in-command. He auditioned for Woollim to pursue a career as a solo singer, but was cast as an idol trainee. He decided it was worth it and practiced really hard, both on dancing and singing.
He’s so very much hardworking and dedicated. There were many time he wanted to give up, but he never ever did.
Besides singing, dancing, and being his sleazy self, he’s also a composer. He recently even composed a song, “Every Day”, for the fans. He also worries about fans a lot and is well known for his fanservice. Really.
He loves his fans so, so much, to the point fans from other groups get a little jealous sometimes. which is extremely cute but also the reason his nickname is, as i mentioned earlier, Nam Greasy.
Fun fact: he’s the person who popularized the infamous “finger heart” trend.
WOOHYUN
Woohyun is quite outgoing and basically never, ever shuts the hell up. He used to show off his abs a lot, but after some warnings from the company and even his mother, he’s toned it down a bit…although….Anyways…
He has a quite insecure side too, though, even though he rarely shows it. Because of that, he can be a really, really humble person….sometimes….yeah.
No but really, he’s very kind-hearted and tends to hide his insecurities by making others happy. Woohyun has doubts about himself as a person and as an artist that he expresses only very rarely. When he does, though, it’s really heartbreaking since you can tell he overcompensates. He’s extremely scared fans won’t like him if he doesn’t. But all in all he’s such a wonderful person who deserves soooo many good things, I swear.
Even recently, Woohyun went through a slump (for various reasons that can only be assumed), and Sunggyu talked to him about it. It got pretty emotional, but everybody who knows infinite knows that even when things get bad, the members are there for each other. Sunggyu later publicly addressed it in their first episode of MBC Showtime. He gets a lot of strength from his fans and the members. It’s touching as hell.
Besides that, he’s super cute and shows a lot of aegyo (i mean...he tries) Also he’s a really embarrassing and social drunk. And just like his brother, he recently opened his own restaurant! He’s also most likely a dog person. His best friend is shinee’s Key, as you’ve seen before.
HOYA
Hoya left the group in 2017. However, i still want to include his slide for the full infinite experience. He is now under Glorious Entertainment, where he works as an actor and as a solo artist.
Hoya used to be just a nickname, but now it’s his stage name. His real name is also not even Howon, as we all know him, but Hodong. He legally changed it when he was around ten years old.
Hoya is in charge of most of the memes in infinite (eg: i’m gonna explode, this one, THIS ONE). He’s also seen as the “”problematic member””, which causes people to dismiss him and ‘joke’ around that infinite only has six members :/ He’s actually a really big softie, though
Hoya is actually a really introvert person and a tad socially awkward, which sometimes causes him to say the wrong things, or word them the wrong way. He says he prefers “expressing his feelings through music” and through his dancing instead of words, which becomes very obvious once you see him perform.
HOYA
He’s a really, really, really good dancer. (without a shirt as well) There’s a lot of his freestyle pre-debut dancing stuff floating around on the internet. Dancing is like...His life. He breathes dancing tbh. It’s his main way of expressing himself. He participating in mnet’s survival show, Hit the stage, where he won the second round with his breath-taking performance.
Rapping, however, was never the plan for him - he wanted to sing (and boy can he sing). He recently even opened his own youtube channel where he uploads song covers. He’s planning on releasing a solo album as well - it’s his ultimate dream. He said that even if the company doesn’t want to help him, he’ll just do it himself. Recently, he’s been composing his own stuff too. He’s one of the most hardworking idols ever. He pulls all nighters constantly and always overworks himself ;-;
He’s constantly trying to improve and is an overall perfectionist. He is by far the most athletic member of infinite.
As I said, his biggest outlet for him is his dancing. He even dropped out of high school to pursue his career. Because of this, he had a really bad relationship with his family in the past (especially with his father), but it’s all good now.
HOYA
Although he’s aware that he is really ambitious and hard working, he says he still insecure about his skills sometimes (as he said so himself on 4 Things Show)
Hoya is not only hardworking in his dancing, he contributes a lot to the rap making and composition in songs for both infinite and infinite h as well. He’s also the mastermind behind the scorpion dance. He’s gets injured quickly due to the fact he practices a lot. He’s basically practicing whenever he’s not performing, so yeah. He’s also an actor, recently receiving the rookie award for his first ever movie role in the movie Hiya. Watch this heartbreaking mv too :-)
All that aside, he’s a really cute and funny and humble and caring person, who has a lot of really deep thoughts as well. In his episode of 4things, Sunggyu said he’s among the lonely people. The CEO of Woollim added: “He’s independent, but he’ll look after others. He’s a trustworthy friend.” And he is. He always treats people
with as much patience as he can. He’s also the only one who doesn’t overly
dote on the maknae (as you’ll see later).
He’s quite shy and doesn’t talk that much during interviews (He does swear a lot, apparently) but he’s a really detailed story teller. If you see him explain something, he goes into detail every time. He wears glasses when he’s not on broadcast. He recently got eye surgery, though.
Another fun fact is that he falls asleep listening to hip hop blasting really loudly. He’s a cutie... and he has a really amazing laugh.
here’s one thing I want to warn you all about though. Hoya has this ongoing joke (since like before debut probably.) going where he says ho and everyone needs to say ya. Be careful of his memes, y’all.
SUNGYEOL
Sungyeol is the oldest member of the unofficial maknae line as well as the tallest member of the group. Singing was never really his dream, he initially wanted to be an actor (and he is that too) and even trained at SM’s acting academy for a while before joining Woollim. He was trained in acting and MC’ing before starting his idol training.
In an episode of Infinite’s Sesame Player, he described it like this: “One day I was doing entrance exams, but suddenly I was a trainee at Woollim Entertainment.”
He acted in a drama with Woohyun last year. It’s called Hi! School Love On and recently starred in the highly anticipated drama D-Day.
He’s been growing a lot as an actor, which I’m thankful for. He loves watching dramas as well, it’s his way of self comfort.
SUNGYEOL
As I mentioned earlier, Sungyeol is really tall, and with his 183 cm the biggest member in infinite. He’s really insecure about himself. He thinks his ‘strength’ is either nothing, or only his height :( However, what he adds to the group dynamic is amazing and absolutely irreplaceable! More about that later.
He gets the least lines too, along with Sungjong - so it’s good that he is in a sub-unit! He's basically been practicing and working really hard to improve since debut and he gradually went from having like no lines in certain title tracks to getting more and more lines.
He was also the last member to join the group, with the shortest period of training. Sungyeol himself thinks this brings the others down. He’s always been afraid to get kicked out.
During his trainee days, he constantly had an emergency bag packed in case he had to leave.
Read this post as well (tw for depression/illness)
SUNGYEOL
Sungyeol is a really valuable member to the group, even if he himself thinks he isn’t. He’s really sweet and kind, if not a tad more shy in real life than on variety. He loves the members so much and proudly refers to the other members as “his family” all the time :’) (Speaking of family, he has a little brother - Daeyeol - who is a trainee at Woollim)
The members love him so very much, really, the group wouldn’t feel complete without him and they have straight up told him that. Sunggyu praises him in interviews for being kind and for making charity donations monthly! Sungyeol does a lot of charity work, with his members, with his brother, but also by himself. He mostly keeps it very lowkey, but it’s a known thing among fans and charity helpers.
However, the members also like embarrassing him as much as he likes embarrassing himself (his solos are legendary tho). It’s completely okay, though, because he’s the biggest prankster as well as one of the mood makers of the group. He’s hard to prank back, though.
Due to his amount pranking and (sometimes) childlike behavior, he’s earned the nickname Choding which refers to an elementary school student. But actually he has a heart of literal gold and has so, so much love to give! He likes acting like an idiot but in fact he’s really smart and clever. He’s said he does often lose his phone, though. He also tends to forget the clothes he wore the day before, which causes him to wear a lot of the same combinations.
Sungyeol puts a lot, a lot, of effort into learning languages to communicate with fans. He’s so affectionate and social, even when he’s drunk off his ass.
He’s really scared of fans getting hurt, and cares a lot about them in general. Sungyeol also really likes animals. He used to have a cat in their dorm for a while, and he really likes dogs! He currently has a dog named Aga.
L
Myungsoo. How do people even explain Myungsoo. First of all, yes...his stage name...like Death Note’s L. But literally no one ever calls him L so he’ll mostly be referred to as Myungsoo. His stage name does come from the character, tho, because his stage persona is supposed to be mysterious, chic and a bit cold.
In real life, though, he’s a clumsy dork with a really cute smile (and dimples!!!!!). He’s also the laughing + clapping kinda person. Also, a meme who has quite a 4D personality. He’s such a precious boy…
He can get frustrated and scream a lot, but he’s really quiet and shy when he first meets people or doesn’t know them well. He admits he has lots of trouble expressing himself.
Also, I just wanna bring up the chicken incident so y’all know what you’re in for...
L
However, he can be extremely clingy as well (especially when it comes to Sungyeol)... His nickname is koala for a reason. If he’s not being clingy he’s probably being sleepy or just confused.
He’s a total sweetheart who has more love to give than people give him credit for. He has a really tender heart, and is very humble, but he tends to internalize more than is healthy for him. He also loves animals (this is a recurring theme in infinite, apparently). He has recently adopted a cat and also spent a day off volunteering at a shelter for abandoned cats. He volunteers very often, actually, as do all of infinite, like i mentioned in sungyeol’s slide. Recently, Myungsoo visited a children’s hospital with the people of Starcast where he often helps out. It’s super super cute and humble.
Myungsoo is also super fond of the members and has a lot of affection for them. They truly are his family and he’s always gazing at them either like a lost puppy or like they’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He also loves his fans a lot, and chats with them on the fancafe regularly these days.
L
The difference between his stage persona and his real self is so big that fans have started calling it ‘L-cosplay’, meaning that he suddenly switches from L back to Myungsoo, even on variety shows.
Myungsoo is probably one of the most popular members of infinite, especially due to his looks. He’s always been good looking, which kind of makes him uncomfortable sometimes since he wants fans to focus on his singing too. He was on King of Masked Singer too, showing off his amazing vocals! This is why he wants to work extra hard. Despite what people seem to think, he has a lot of insecurities (another recurring theme in this group tbh). He’s really scared of being abandoned. After a dating scandal in 2013, he completely shut down and took it harder than he let on. Here’s a snippet of where he talks about it.
On the first episode of MBC Showtime Sunggyu said the following: “You might not know this, but (Myungsoo’s) charm isn’t his face, but his reserved and earnest nature. (...) Others look at his face, but I
think he has a lot more to him. He’s a dongsaeng that is quite reliable.”
He’s infinite’s resident catboy and he loves making paper cranes. As well as an idol, he’s also a published photographer (has two photo books and is basically married to his camera) and actor (he’s acted alongside f(x)’s krystal before!). He once had a role in a Japanese drama and one of his one-liners became so famous it’s kind of a meme by now.
He also plays the guitar and is the best Japanese speaker of the group. He starred in epik high's run mv (with Sungyeol too!). He’s got a thing for plaid shirts and hats. His favourite colour is black. Naturally he has curly hair, but he perms it a lot. He’s also an avid animanga lover!
SUNGJONG
I can go on about Sungjong forever tbh… He is the maknae of the group and he’s a total angel!!! and a tiny evil mastermind sometimes...
First of all, he’s often referred to as the “diva” of the group. It’s partially true though - he can be really dramatic about trivial stuff, but it’s mostly because his members tend to tease him. But he’s matured a lot and it’s literally not 2010 anymore, so...
He gets called a girl a lot on purpose which is something he hates so, so much and makes him feel really insecure so like. don’t do it. Despite what people say, he thinks (and is) really manly. He does own all the girl group dances, though. I mean... seriously. He’s an amazing performer in general.
He’s a huge sweetheart and really cares about people. He’s such a smiley person most of the time.
SUNGJONG
As the maknae, he gets picked on a lot (really, a lot) by the other members, but they love him very much and want to protect him a lot. (WATCH THIS!!!!) Sungjong himself is really cute about it...sometimes….yeah… He just really despises being bossed around, which is exactly what his members tend to do sometimes. They basically raised Sungjong, though, so it’s great to see their dynamic. All the members (except Hoya, to which Sungjong is thankful for) dote on him a lot. He really wants to be taken seriously and treated like an adult - even though he used to fulfill the ‘maknae role’ on variety in the early days.
He’s a literal ball of sunshine, as well as the literal biggest sweetheart. (most of the time… since he can be a lil shit sometimes) and was ranked as Kindest Member of infinite by sister group Lovelyz.
He's not super into fanservice as some of the other members are, but he does say incredibly cute things sometimes. For example during Infinite effect London, he looked into the crowd during his ending speech and said “See me in your dreams! Remember that I love you, for who you are.”
SUNGJONG
Sungjong has really matured over the years, from cute maknae (only 17 when he debuted into this hectic idol life) to someone who has grown up to be a strong and beautiful person. However, he tends to internalize stuff and prefers not to talk about personal stuff with almost anyone. He’s more of a listener than a talker when it comes to problems.
He loves swimming a lot because it makes him feel like ‘he owns the world’ and makes him feel free. He’s also a big fan of horror movies, which is really surprising if you see him sometimes. He’s barely scared of anything.
Sungjongie is basically born to be a model...he’s got the best sense of fashion too. He’s just a really confident person in general, which is something everyone should adore him for. He’s really beautiful and photogenic. Myungsoo loves taking pictures of him. We love Myungsoo taking pictures of him. Sungjong is always willing to pose for the camera. It’s amazing. He’s the king of hair colours, literally a part on his wikipedia page talks about it.
He has those moments of sincerity that are really touching. On their 2013 world tour he wrote personal handwritten letters to each of the members and said he was honest. and that he didn’t want them to think it’s cute. He really poured his heart out and told them how much he respects them and how much he's depended on them even tho the tour took a toll on them all.
In conclusion, Sungjong is the sweetest superstar around...Ever… He’s mature and open minded, and has so much love to give (and deserves so, so much love in return.) He’s beautiful, ethereal, amazing, etc.
04. DYNAMICS
ot7 feelings here , there , everywhere
OT7
I wasn’t gonna dedicate slides to this but here i am anyway…because it’s necessary. First of all, having gone through many hardships together, both as individuals and as their seven member group, infinite is now truly a little family. Even though sometimes they didn’t get along well, or couldn’t even stand each other at all , they’re all really close now. They’re really open about their past hardships. For example, Sunggyu and Woohyun couldn’t stand each other. At all. There was always lots of competition between them but that’s the past now. During their trainee days especially, the members fought a lot to a point of literal injuries. I’m so glad they managed to pull through that, even though there’s still disagreements and stuff, but hey, that’s normal if you’ve been living and performing together for so long. They always make sure to talk it out and work through their issues. All teasing/fighting aside, all of them really love each other dearly and care so, so much about each other. At every opportunity they get, they’ll show how close they are, call each other their family, etc. They also all work so, so hard. They spent so many hours, even during night time, practicing and improving, sometimes not sleeping for days on end. They hate singing with MR and grab every opportunity they get to sing live. Also, watch this video where the MR cut out and they just, decided to go acapella.
Woohyun described it like this, on the last episode of This is Infinite: “No matter what obstacles we face, I think we can overcome it strongly. (No matter what?) No matter what. It’s okay.”
OT7
Not only is infinite close as a group, the members themselves all get along really well individually. Each member looks out for all the others, whether it’s solo activities or during practices (although they tease each other at every opportunity). They openly support each other as well, on social media or through videos/texts. Some of the members even went through university together and graduated together.
Their team work also shows in how they manage to synchronize they choreographies, since this is their trademark and needs to be maintained too. It’s really important that during performances like that, they manage to act as if they’re one, and they can. They can. They’ve stated before how they consider themselves a package deal and, even though there are sub-units and solo activities for each of them, none of them ever try to get all the spotlight. Coming from a company that had no money to even let them debut and now, five years later, being on their second world tour is something to be proud of, honestly. And it’s all because they stayed humble and kind and fought for every little bit they have right now. Their goals, Woohyun says, is to become as heir G.O.D. seniors and stay together forever. Myungsoo says it like this: “Personally, i want all seven of us to work on the same team alongside each other. I want this for as long as it’s possible”
ALSO!!!!! THIS QUOTE FROM SUNGGYU IS SO IMPORTANT. SO. IMPORTANT.
infinite + inspirits
Another thing remarkable about infinite, is their endless gratitude and care towards their fans. It’s is honestly heartwarming. They never forget to thank the fans, and give them their trademark 90° bow (90 degree bows are gestures of a lot of genuine respect) or even full formal bows (even during performances)
They often buy them gifts etc. or bring food and stuff to fansigns for them, which they buy with their own money. they’re known for their close relationship with their fans and it makes them stand out a lot. Once, Woohyun even spent about 3 million won on rings and flowers for fans, which he gave out at a concert. Also not to be biased but the fan chants of inspirits are some of the most chilling things I have ever witnessed...watch this vine. Infinite always make sure to thank and pay attention to their male fans too, because they want to make sure they are appreciated as well.
Infinite often do double encores where they come on stage after concerts have officially been declared as over. Recently (August 9th, 2015) fans kept shouting “다시 돌아와 (Come back again)” which is the name of their debut song. They even kept going until after the concert was over, which is how Infinite came back on stage. it was the first time they did it in Korea. A lot of people were really surprised and really touched. (this says it all tbh)
infinite + inspirits
these caps are from the comments section on this post.
fan songs
05. MISCELLANEOUS
variety, links, etc.
variety shows
good things to watch
not by infinite
weekly idol
good things to watch
2013
2014
2010 - 2012
good things to watch
2015
2016
good things to watch
2017
2018
cool links
grow
I finally decided I should dedicate a slide to this as well, now that the english subs have started to come out. Basically, Grow is a movie made during infnite’s first world tour, one great step.
It’s really raw and open and mainly focuses on the more negative sides of stardom and fame. In the movie, we see some the hardships the members went through during the world tour. I really recommend watching it, as well as the members’ commentary about it. It’s really insightful to their personalities, too.
The english sub got banned by Woollim on youtube (thx woollim!!!!!!) but someone keeps reuploading it. I’ll try to add a link once it is up longer than two weeks lol
Personally I preferred the members’ commentary over the actual movie...oops. Anyways please watch both if you can. There’s download links floating around -- you can get it here!
memes
performances
more handy resources
++
actually this slide is just to tell you all that i made a listography as a link dump for infinite things such as performances and nice interviews, etc. :^)