INTRODUCING: INFINITE
by yours truly, jessica, aka infiniteluvrsupreme666
Basics
Name: 인피니트 (INFINITE)
Meaning: infinite potential and
ability to grow
Agency: Woollim Entertainment
Debut Date: June 9, 2010
Debut Song: 다시 돌아와 (Come
Back Again)
First Win: September 1, 2011
Members: (in photo from left to right) Sungyeol, L (Myungsoo), Hoya (Howon), Sunggyu, Sungjong, Woohyun, Dongwoo
Fandom Name: Inspirits (won 70% in a poll)
Color: Metal gold pearl
Intro
before their official debut, infinite were introduced to the world through this variety show called “you are my oppa” (yamo) wherein they had to be big brothers to yoo ji-ae (who has debuted in lovelyz, woollim’s newest girl group). epik high’s tablo and mithra jin (now under yg) appeared as infinite’s mentors on the show
infinite is a group whose members all genuinely love each other - even if it wasn’t necessarily that way from the start - and i can’t say that for every group that i’m into (but more on this later)
also, infinite basically saved their company. i think woollim was about to go bankrupt or something and they filmed infinite’s debut mv in the ceo’s house because that’s how little money woollim had at the time. now, thanks to infinite, woollim got a new building and are no longer on the verge of bankruptcy (there’s this whole thing with woollim & sm and it’s messy so i’m not getting into it rn)
Music
infinite have a very distinct sound; it’s sort of like 80s/90s mixed with modern elements? you can tell it’s their music pretty quickly once you listen to their discography enough, and that’ll be pretty easy since their songs are amazing. imo, a lot of their music sounds like it can be in a(n action) movie soundtrack, but anyways! their discography is HUGE, even though dongwoo said it wasn’t really that much… like ok chillax.. so far, it includes:
(cont on next slide bc i’m running out of room)
Music (cont.)
also a live CD from their world tour...so a lot of discography, which can be dl’d here
MVs
there are so many and they’re all gems
(continued on next slide)
MVs (cont.)
(the next slide will be their japanese mvs, yes there are still more mvs)
MVs (cont.)
japanese mvs, like i said in the previous slide
Choreo
infinite are EXTREMELY well known for their 99.99% synchronized knife-like dancing. they’re so in sync it’s kind of scary sometimes and will ruin what you think is “synchronized” for pretty much all groups hereafter
their choreo is always incredibly challenging, but they always manage to be perfectly in time with one another. like seriously. it’s incredible and always takes my breath away
one time they learned a dance a few days before they had to perform it and they apologized for how they weren’t as in sync as they usually are. i think this shows not only just how dedicated they are to putting on good performances, but also how much they live for their fans
also any time you see other groups doing the “scorpion dance”? yeah, infinite introduced that dance move in their “before the dawn (BTD)” choreo and hoya was the one who came up with the idea
Dance Practices
aka infinite are extremely talented and hardworking
(cont on next slide)
Dance Practices (cont.)
japanese discography
SUBUNITS!!
i’m using the term “subunit” sort of loosely…you’ll see…
i promise we’ll get to member intros and stuff soon :S
not in infinite; i’ll explain later
sunggyu!
solo counts as a subunit ok just roll with it
Intro
sunggyu’s solo debut was with the single “shine” on november 7, 2012 from his first solo ep “another me,” which was pretty well received even though the weekly idol hosts always make fun of sunggyu for “another me” being a flop. some other notable songs on this ep are “60 seconds,” which infinite as a group made a version of (oh also myungsoo starred in the mv), and “41 days,” which sunggyu helped write lyrics for
he came back with another ep called “27,” because that’s how old he was what a brilliant title @woollim, on may 11, 2015 with the release of the double title tracks “the answer”
and “kontrol.” people originally thought that “kontrol” was dedicated to the inspirits that died in the sewol ferry incident because of some stuff in the mv, but sunggyu denied the rumor. sunggyu got his first win as a solo artist with “the answer” on may 19, 2015!
Music
sunggyu’s songs have a different vibe than infinite’s songs as a group. his songs tend to be more mellow and sad ballads, imo. his songs are jams and you can really hear why he’s one of infinite’s main vocals through his solo stuff.
discography:
MVs:
infinite h!
(in pic from left to right) dongwoo & hoya (howon)
Basics
Name: 인피니트 H (INFINITE H)
Meaning: the ‘H’ stands for “hip hop’’
Debut Date: January 11, 2013
Debut Song: Special Girl
First Win: February 3, 2015
Members: Dongwoo & Hoya (Howon)
Leader: they have this cute thing where dongwoo is “lea” and hoya is “der” or the other way around
Intro
infinite h may have officially debuted january 11, 2013 with the ep “fly high,” but they’ve had a song together on infinite’s albums called “crying” and performed verbal jint’s “you look good” during a concert. they also pretended to be a couple on we got married during an episode of infinite’s sesame player all the way back in 2011. anyways, their title track “special girl” ranked #1 on several major music charts soon after its release, achieving an “all-kill,” with other songs on the album charting as well
on january 26, 2015, infinite h made their comeback with the release of their second mini album “fly again.” both members helped out with the composition and lyrics of this album. fun fact woohyun hosted the showcase for this album :’) they promoted “fly again” with the title track “pretty” (hoya wrote the lyrics for this song thinking about his mom, how sweet). they got their first win on february 3, 2015 with “pretty”!
Music
the ‘h’ in ‘infinite h’ stands for ‘hip hop’ (dongwoo & hoya are infinite’s rappers - also dancers, but more on that later) so that’s how infinite h’s music differs from infinite’s. you also get to hear the rappers’ incredible vocals in their minis and their songs are jams (are we seeing a pattern here with infinite’s music)
discography:
MVs:
Some Cute Pictures
they’re adorable, honestly
toheart!
the dark-haired one is woohyun & the light-haired one is shinee’s key
Intro
alright, so the the deal with toheart is that woohyun and key are like best friends and when the messy thing with sm & woollim went down (i think woollim is now sm’s subsidiary company bc it merged with sm’s subsidiary company?? don’t quote me on this though) they could form a subunit together even though they’re under different labels. they have both stated that it was their idea to create this subunit because they’re great friends and have always wanted to work with each other.
anyways, they debuted with a mini album called “1st mini album” (what a creative title, amirite folks) on march 10, 2014. shinee’s minho and infinite’s sunggyu hosted their showcase on the same day :’) their title song was “delicious”
Music
idk about the rest of the album (i didn’t listen to it yet a;ldskf;lkj sorry) but “delicious” is a fun, upbeat jam
discography:
MVs:
infinite f!
(in all photos from left to right) sungyeol, sungjong, & L (myungsoo)
Basics
Name: 인피니트 F (INFINITE F)
Meaning: the ‘F’ used to stand for “face” but it can mean “fun” or even “fighting,” basically it’s pretty ambiguous
Debut Date: (Japan) November 19, 2014; (Korea) December 2, 2014
Debut Song: My Heart Is Beating
Members: (in pic from left to right) Sungyeol, L (Myungsoo), & Sungjong
Leader: Sungyeol, but L will fight him on this
Intro
during infinite’s one great step returns encore concert (which was held february 28, 2014 & march 1, 2014), infinite f was officially announced and they performed their title track “my heart is beating” for the first time. they released a song as a subunit called “crazy” on infinite’s album “season 2” in may. i think this subunit is really cute because they were a thing all the way back in 2011 when they covered orange caramel’s “bangkok city” at infinite’s 1st inspirit inauguration on august 17, 2011 and the three boys (maknae line, btw) have always said they wanted to be in a subunit together ;~;
infinite f debuted in japan before korea with the japanese version of “my heart is beating” on november 19, 2014, then debuted with the korean version of the same song on december 2, 2014
they were the first infinite subunit to be nominated for a first place win (i’m so proud of them, m’boys), but unfortunately lost to apink’s “luv” (which is super understandable considering how popular both apink and “luv” are)
Music
infinite f are infinite’s flower boys, and their songs are just as sweet, cute, and refreshing as they are, which is how infinite f’s songs differ from infinite’s. i will also note that i love this subunit because the members (especially sungyeol and sungjong) often don’t get as many lines in infinite’s songs as woohyun’s and sunggyu’s voices are more powerful, so they really get a chance to show their vocals with this subunit
discography:
MVs:
Some Cute Pictures
mostly bc L (myungsoo) posted so many pictures of them on instagram and they’re all ADORABLE
infinite band!
(in picture from left to right) sungjong, L (myungsoo), sungyeol, dongwoo
*****NOTE: this isn’t an official subunit, but i love them
infinite band info
Members & Positions:
Performances:
infinite v!
sunggyu & woohyun
*****NOTE: THIS ISN’T A REAL SUBUNIT BUT IT SHOULD BE!!!
basically, infinite’s main vocals it would be killer and neither are opposed to the formation of this subunit so why is woollim sleeping on this
THE MEMBERS!
ik y’all have been waiting but my heart is gonna burst i’ve been lowkey avoiding this
sunggyu (성규)
grandpa leader who secretly loves his members
**i think the official romanization is sung-kyu, but everyone just says sunggyu
Basics
Real Name: Kim Sung-kyu (김성규)
Stage Name: Sunggyu (성규)
Date of Birth: April 28, 1989
Position: Leader, Main Vocalist
Nicknames: Grandpa, Old Man, Fox, Hamster, Kyuzizi, Leader Gyu, Gyu
Official SNS Accounts:
Background
sunggyu has basically always wanted to be a singer like he was in a rock band in high school. his parents didn’t want him to be a singer, so he moved out to seoul by himself to pursue his dream. he auditioned for sm twice before he met nell’s manager at a coffee shop and got into woollim. nell is sunggyu’s favorite band and also why sunggyu decided to audition for woollim. the day sunggyu auditioned, he got appendicitis and had to get surgery immediately after. the day he was discharged was also the day he found out that he passed the audition!
during trainee days, sunggyu suffered a lot; once, after a particularly rough evaluation, he ended up crying on the street with woohyun. he had his work cut out for him in dancing, but he persevered, and i’m so thankful that he did.
Personality
kim sunggyu has a lot on his plate as the leader and one of the main vocalists (his voice is incredible - just look him up on immortal songs 2 or his solo stuff), but he always cares for the members (as proven by his support for all of their individual activities, which you can see on his twitter)
the members LOVE to tease him, and he lets them have their fun, which really is a testament to his patience and love for his members. he isn’t afraid to lay down the law - he constantly pushes his members to practice more and is conscientious of infinite’s hard-working, team-oriented image and does all he can to protect it. he can sometimes be like a dad and HE JUST LOVES HIS MEMBERS A LOT
oh also variety show hosts (esp doni & coni on weekly idol who are known for leader baiting) love to tease him (particularly for always messing up random dance), but he takes it all in even if he gets frustrated sometimes (which is really funny). he got this hilarious lazy image which, in addition to him being the oldest member, is where the nicknames “grandpa” and “old man” came from
Personality (cont.)
even though people make fun of him for not being as attractive as the other members (those people need to shove it, but whatever), he’s really confident in himself, which is great to see (i’m not sure if he’s just acting or if he truly believes he’s great - which he is - but i love seeing how he doesn’t let other people’s superficial negative comments get to him)
people make him do a lot of weird shit, or shit that he’s scared of (he was scared of dogs, but infinite had to raise three (3) dogs on birth of a family, and he had to get over his fear pretty quickly), but he does it anyways for the sake of infinite
kim sunggyu is an extremely hard-working, dedicated leader who is an adorable ball of awkward & bitter who tolerates getting teased. all the time.
Some Cute Sunggyu Pics
dongwoo (동우)
aka the human embodiment of sunshine and rainbows
Basics
Real Name: Jang Dong-woo (장동우)
Stage Name: Dongwoo (동우)
Date of Birth: November 22, 1990
Position: Main Rapper, Lead Dancer, Vocalist
Nicknames: Kenyan, Smile Man
Official SNS Accounts:
Background
dongwoo has loved dancing since forever. he was actually a dance teacher before debuting in infinite, aiming to spread his love of dance to everyone. honestly, with this kid’s personality, i wouldn’t be surprised if every single one of his students loved dancing after his lessons. he has also said that if he weren’t an idol, he’d want to run an herbal medicine business, and i think this has something to do with his grandmother(? - but bless his soul, he’s such a sweet person i wouldn’t doubt he would do something like this)
because dancers are usually rappers, dongwoo was sort of slated to be a rapper, so he learned how to rap from epik high’s mithra and gonzo during trainee days. he’s now quite good at rapping, even though i think his first passion is still dance, and you can usually differentiate him from hoya’s raps because the tone of his voice is lower
Personality
JANG DONGWOO IS SUNSHINE REINCARNATE I AM NOT JOKING. the members always say how they admire dongwoo’s optimism and happiness; even when he’s deadass tired he usually always has a smile on his face. idk how he does it because if i’m even a little bit sleepy i have such a pissy attitude, but anyways. he pretty much only gets mad when people are disrespectful - dongwoo values politeness/manners a lot, which also explains why he’s such a filial son. speaking of family, dongwoo loves his, including his niece, who he’s said he wants to spoil rotten
even though he’s positive 99% of the time, he cries a lot because he’s very emotional. he loves his fans and members a lot, and people call him the mom of the group because he’s constantly fussing over everyone and making sure they’re alright
he’s also really innocent which has lead to him getting pranked...a lot.
Personality (cont.)
dongwoo has a really 4D personality; more than a few times literally everyone has been confused by the words that come out of his mouth, but he’s so precious it doesn’t really matter - we all love him for it
his bag is also a mystery because it’s always super heavy and he won’t let anybody touch it. a few variety programs have tried to reveal the contents of his bag, but we still don’t really know what he keeps in there…
he’s also a really heavy sleeper; the members have said that he can fall asleep anywhere and it’s impossible to wake him up (to test this, he once had to try to sleep while filming an episode of weekly idol; he was a victim - along with L - of one of sungyeol’s pranks because he’s such a heavy sleeper)
he also bites the members sometimes and is obsessed with touching their butts...
jang dongwoo is a warm, loving person who does strange things sometimes, but is so cute it doesn’t matter
Some Cute Dongwoo Pics
woohyun (우현)
greaseball extraordinaire, but genuinely loves the fans SO MUCH
Basics
Background
woohyun has wanted to go into the entertainment industry since he was in kindergarten, when he discovered he really liked singing children’s songs. his parents weren’t quite thrilled that he wanted to be an idol, but they support him now (duh) seeing how successful and happy he is doing what he loves. he also loves soccer and has said that either in another life or if he hadn’t become an idol, he would’ve liked to be a soccer player
there was a period during trainee days where he was actually slated to be the leader (this was the time when sunggyu cried on woohyun’s shoulder in the street), and he’s sort of the vice-leader now. he wasn’t great at dancing and has said how he trained for hours repeating the same moves over and over again, which i think is incredible because (besides hoya & dongwoo) he’s like the best dancer, in my opinion. he also came up with L’s stage name; i think the story is that he wanted to use it for himself, but management didn’t want him to have a stage name so they used it for myungsoo - i could be wrong
Personality
nam woohyun loves his fans. a lot. like, he throws an excessive amount of hearts, it’s a little ridiculous…and his twitter bio literally says “fans = girlfriend.” even if all of this is super cheesy, he genuinely cares for inspirits and is constantly reminding us to take care of ourselves. he even bought fans expensive rings out of his own pocket and handed them into the crowd during a concert. he also cried during the beginning of their most recent comeback showcase because he missed the fans so much
woohyun talks a lot; when infinite do a radio show or tv appearance you can bet that he’ll be talking a lot of the time. he has loads to say and is either incoherent or pretty eloquent. he tries to make jokes, but it doesn’t always work - the members all say that he’s much funnier in real life than when no cameras are filming him
he’s confident in himself - ex) he used to show his abs a lot, management made him tone it down - but he’s also humble; he says a lot how much more he and infinite have to grow, for themselves and for the fans
Personality (cont.)
his vocal range is no joke (look him up on immortal songs 2 and you’ll see what i mean) and he’s also able to pour emotion into songs that he sings
despite all of his antics, woohyun is an incredibly dedicated, passionate person. for example, he did promotions while his arm/shoulder was hurt, which you can see in the last romeo dance practice - his left hand is tucked in his pocket the entire time & he’s injured right now too, but still competed in ISAC 2015, where he sustained another injury). he also composes a lot; his songs “beautiful” and “close my eyes” (which he was supposed to give to sunggyu) have been on infinite’s albums. he really wants to released a self-composed solo album and is sort of touchy when people mention it. @woollim don’t sleep on this kid!!! HE’S SO TALENTED!!!
nam woohyun is a cheesy sleazeball, but he means every single thing that he says, even if it sounds cliché; he loves his fans and his members and is constantly working to improve himself for us and them
Some Cute Woohyun Pics
hoya (호야)
the witty, awkward, self-proclaimed dancing machine (kid’s got a selfie angle)
Basics
Background
hoya has loved to dance since he was young, like dongwoo. he also really wanted to be a singer, but his family disapproved, especially his father, who told hoya that he had to leave if he wanted to chase his dream. so, like sunggyu, hoya went to seoul by himself to become a singer. as he was auditioning for superstar k, woollim kept contacting him, and when he was eliminated, he took woollim up on their offer and became a trainee. he and his family are on good terms now, and he even has this photograph of his family that was taken at a dinner with his own handwritten promise on the back saying he would return :’) also, hoya used to be a childhood nickname, and it just sort of became his stage name
because hoya is a dancer, he was slated to be a rapper thus going through rap lessons and such during his trainee days, even though singing was his dream. he’s embraced his role, and gets to showcase his great vocals a lot, even if he isn’t one of the main vocalists
Personality
lee howon is probably one of the most hard-working idols in the industry. he calls himself the dancing machine, and he’s really earned that title. he’s constantly practicing and improving, but as a result of that, he’s also constantly injured, especially his legs & feet (he always seems to be injured when infinite have concerts, yet he still performs with them to the best of his ability - one time he was in a cast but he still joined his members on stage; he’s also currently injured, but is participating in ISAC 2015 - idc if he’s known as an athlete-dol, please let him rest…)
hoya works hard to improve not only his performance skills, but also his lyric-writing capabilities; he writes raps for infinite h a lot and some infinite songs as well. hoya prefers more mature performances; for example, he was scared this performance would give infinite’s concert dvd a 19+ rating and has stated that he wants to release a 19+ album in the future (!!)
Personality (cont.)
on stage, he’s full of confidence and charisma and has a powerful aura (he also pumps up the crowd using his name - WHEN I SAY ‘HO’ YOU SAY ‘YA’)
despite all of his seriousness in improving his skills and his stage presence, hoya is full of witty, sarcastic comments and lots and lots of puns. his humor is very blunt and the members sometimes yell at him for killing the mood, but we love him for keeping it real. he’s definitely the most awkward member when it comes to aegyo, but he tries his best for us inspirits when he’s forced, and he’s so cute when he’s flustered - that itself is enough aegyo
some other interesting facts include that he falls asleep while blasting hip hop & he wears (maybe used to wear? not sure) big nerdy glasses around the dorm. what a cutie.
lee howon is an incredible performer and extremely motivated individual, but also an awkward, memey dork and we love him for it
Some Cute Hoya Pics
sungyeol (성열)
**another romanization is seongyeol, but i’m used to sungyeol so we’re sticking with it
infinite’s resident goofball & prankster who acts dumb but is actually smart
Basics
Real Name: Lee Sung-yeol (이성열)
Stage Name: Sungyeol (성열)
Date of Birth: August 27, 1991
Position: Vocalist, rapped in “cover girl”
Nicknames: Choding, Kindergarten Boy, Yeol/Yeollie
Official SNS Accounts:
Background
sungyeol actually initially wanted to be an actor (still does); he trained as an mc at sm (for a few years i think; maybe 3?) before entering woollim, which he has described as “one day i was preparing for entrance exams, the next i was a trainee at woollim” or something like that. so yeah, being an idol was never really his dream, but he’s now completely dedicated to his role as a member of infinite
he was the last member to join infinite and only had a training period of a few months before debuting with the group. as a trainee, he constantly doubted himself and even had a packed bag at the ready in case woollim kicked him out or if he decided he was being too much of a burden on everyone and left. he regrets his short training period (more on this later), so he always says that he’s glad his little brother (daeyeol; trainee at woollim for about 3 years now) has had a longer training period to really hone in on his skills. he doesn’t want his brother relying on his now celebrity status to have an advantage over the other trainees, though, so sungyeol often gives daeyeol tough love
Personality
lee sungyeol is full of contradictions. a lot of his mannerisms make you think he’s crazy or immature (he constantly acts like an idiot and does things that are weird as fuck), but he’s actually incredibly smart (he planned pretty much all of infinite’s escapes from their managers in sesame player and ranked #1 for smartness on infinite’s ranking king). he uses his intelligence for not the greater good most of the time, opting to prank his members instead. he also will be the first to complain about being made to do work, but he grits his teeth and does what he needs to do for infinite. his antics are what got him the nickname “choding” (elementary schooler), despite his being the tallest member of infinite
if i am 100% honest, sungyeol wasn’t the greatest singer when infinite debuted. he sang off-key a lot and had pretty much no lines in infinite’s songs. it sucks because the members and the hosts of radio/variety shows make fun of this A LOT (way more than necessary) and you can tell it bothers sungyeol, but they do it anyway and he takes it. he’s has improved SO MUCH since debut, and gets some more lines now; hearing his voice in songs always makes me smile
Personality (cont.)
because of how often people make fun of his skillset and his short training period, he’s really insecure about his position in infinite and the value he adds to the group. he thinks that there isn’t anything he’s better at than the other members and says his only contribution to the group is his height (which is also what his members and show hosts say sometimes but is NOT TRUE). sungyeol works so hard to improve his image and skills (he was hospitalized because he developed arrhythmia from excessive exercise and drinking too much coffee to get rid of his “choding” image and has suffered from pretty bad depression, all of which you can read about here & he talked about it on beatles code). he’s another member who’s injured all the time (his waist is injured and he recently hurt his neck at ISAC 2015)
regardless of his own hardships, he loves his members and fans SO MUCH; he calls the members his family all the time and always looks out for fans’ health
lee sungyeol might come across as hyper and immature, but he truly is a strong, industrious individual and infinite wouldn’t be the same without him
Some Cute Sungyeol Pics
**the format is a little weird bc i wanted to use the two pictures from myungsoo’s instagram bc i think they’re ADORABLE
L (엘)
infinite’s selfie king who is supposed to be cool and chic but is actually a huge dork
Basics
Background
myungsoo wanted to be a singer before becoming a trainee and was street casted by woollim. a lot of his classmates were surprised that he was casted because he was pretty quiet, but had a very 4D personality with his close friends (which we see in his infinite activities). oh also he’s always been a “visual” and girls would give him gifts and watch him during sports. he used to answer questions on naver boards (like yahoo answers pretty much) and a gem answer was that sm was 40% talent, 60% looks whereas yg and jyp were more talent-focused. love this kid. like sungyeol, myungsoo has a younger brother (named moonsoo), but i don’t think he’s a trainee (imagine if he was though and daeyeol & moonsoo debuted together...my hort...)
when he was a trainee, myungsoo had a really supportive high school teacher. when other people told him that he wouldn’t/couldn’t debut, she told him that he could and really encouraged him through rough times
Personality
kim myungsoo is not to be confused with the façade of L. L is cool, mysterious, and sophisticated, but from what we see of myungsoo, he’s the opposite. L is supposed to be this perfect fashionista, but the members say that myungsoo has horrible fashion sense. like, okay so myungsoo gets obsessed with things really easily, and he LOVES plaid shirts and fedoras. he also really likes the color black, and when we combine these three things we get this airport fashion
speaking of obsessions, myungsoo really likes photography. he takes pictures of the members a lot (he’s good at capturing them in good lighting and what not, imo) and also if you go on his instagram, the scenery pictures are incredible. he even released TWO (2) photo books filled with his pictures called “L’s bravo viewtiful” and “L’s bravo viewtiful part 2”!!
L is supposed to be collected, whereas myungsoo doesn’t know what’s going on sometimes. for example, one time during a radio show he was suddenly made to answer a question and he forgot that his parents were alive and well
Personality (cont.)
L is supposedly aloof, but myungsoo is actually pretty clingy (especially with sungyeol, his best friend). he does skinship with the other members a lot, is a ball of cute, and is pretty emotional as well (especially when drunk)
a lot of people say that myungsoo gets the opportunities he has because of his good looks, which may be true initially, but he works his ass off to deserve what is given to him and wishes people would see him more for just his looks (there’s an interview where he says this, but i can’t find it rn). i wish people would see him for more as well; his voice is stable and strong and he puts a lot of effort into the choreo, especially when he has solo activities when infinite are promoting. in his solo activities, he constantly makes efforts to develop his skills to improve infinite’s group image and he loves his members (a quote, “i personally want all seven of us to work on the same team alongside each other for as long as possible.”)
kim myungsoo as L is supposed to be chic and enigmatic but when he isn’t holding up that persona, he’s a clumsy, lovable dork who works hard for what he has
Some Cute L Pics
sungjong (성종)
one of the original diva maknaes and girl group enthusiast
Basics
Background
sungjong started to dream about becoming a performer/singer when he danced in one of his school festivals. although his parents are teachers, they supported his decision to become a trainee, telling him that his dreams were more important.
during his trainee period, sungjong knew that he was special among the other trainees; the other members have claimed that sungjong would say how he was prettier than even some girl group members (this kid smh, he is pretty though, not going to deny that). along with sunggyu and howon, sungjong actually lived in the CEO’s house. they were pretty much under the eyes of somebody they had to obey/impress all the time, and it was particularly difficult for sungjong because he wasn’t allowed to eat after 6pm.
Personality
lee sungjong, according to his members, only pretends to be cute and obedient on air to fulfill his “maknae” image. behind the scenes, he’s manly (he doesn’t really do aegyo when the members are by themselves, but he’s full of it on shows) and there may be such a thing as age hierarchy, but everyone is just living in sungjong’s world
i’m gonna address sungjong’s more feminine image right off the bat because it’s something that people (i’m looking at you variety show hosts) ALWAYS try to give him shit for. it sucks that he has to shoulder all of that crap, because being told he’s like a girl bothers him (on children of the night one of the older idols on the program had the audacity to “joke” about asking to see if sungjong was actually a boy), but he’s learned how to own it. sungjong kills girl group dances and works the image people have of him & kicks ass. still, he hates being called a girl (DO NOT MISGENDER HIM ON PURPOSE I STG) and, the members say, has gotten REALLY mad because of the constant comments
Personality (cont.)
because sungjong’s the maknae, he has to deal with his hyungs’ relentless bullying and mocking (which they love to do). he has some unique coping methods to relieve stress and avoid beating anyone up
now the diva part; i’m just going to give the example of how he was going to the army for around two weeks for the show “real men” yet he had his parents come up and have dinner with him, like a real send off...pls...before he left he also talked about how he’d get a bunch of CFs and how he’d become a superstar...PLS...
sungjong’s confident in his abilities, but, like sungyeol, he’s constantly #SNAKED in infinite’s songs. when they first debuted he barely got any lines, but he’s worked hard on his vocal skills and now his soft, sweet voice can be heard more and more
lee sungjong endures the constant harassment of his hyungs and is the sassy, but also incredibly thoughtful maknae we all love
Some Cute Sungjong Pics
ot7
aka the bestest boys on the planet
Group Dynamics ;~;
i’m gonna bring this back to all the way in the beginning of this primer when i talked about infinite’s immaculate synchronization, despite formidable choreography. when you watch them perform, it’s clear that, regardless of their different personalities and roles, they act as one singular unit. their teamwork is awe-inspiring and they usually deliver pretty much flawless performances to their fans. do you think they’d be able to do that if they didn’t love and trust each other??
infinite didn’t always have the best relationships with each other (sunggyu and woohyun almost - they actually might have, i can’t remember exactly - got into a fist fight with each other). i think becoming a team and working through those issues together has helped them understand one another and operate as well as a machine.
each one of these boys is fucking incredible; they all had to suffer through grueling 10 hour dance practices (i think i read something that said 18 hours once debut neared) and supported each other throughout the entire ordeal
Group Dynamics (cont.)
they not only support each other when practicing as a team, but also for individual activities. they help each other run through lines and monitor each other’s solo/subunit activities and always post positive/encouraging messages about those activities on social media.
idk how to introduce this, but something that i think is adorable and heartwarming is the fact that sunggyu, dongwoo, howon, sungyeol, AND myungsoo ALL entered the same university (daekyung university) at the same time (2011) for the same degree (practical music) and graduated together on february 15, 2013 ;A; the fact that they decided to pursue this next step in their education together is so touching to me and shows how much they care about one another
oh my god and these boys love their fans SO MUCH!?!?! they LIVE for their fans you can tell it influences every tiny thing they do. they’re so close with inspirits, constantly looking out for us and using their money to pay for things like coffee/food carts for inspirits at music shows and gifts to give out at concerts and always taking people’s phones to film stuff on during concerts
Group Dynamics (cont.)
even if the fans act in an unacceptable manner, infinite still love and care for their inspirits. they’re so thankful for their fans and are so humble about everything. they’re always surprised when they win #1 on music broadcasts and them thanking their fans SINCERELY (you can just tell) for every award they win, every good thing that happens to the members individually or to infinite as a whole is a given
something else that i admire about infinite is how effortless they make their performances seem and how quality those performances are. infinite have NEVER used mr during concerts (woohyun said this), yet their lives are practically flawless even with their choreo. even when they have mr, the boys sing all of their lines minus sometimes the chorus and sound fucking incredible. like more often than not it just sounds like the cd recording that’s playing. just imagine how much practice, how much blood, sweat, & tears, how much TEAMWORK, goes into being able to consistently deliver those kinds of performances week after week, month after month, year after year!!
Group Dynamics (cont.)
infinite have gone through and still go through so much; they’re constantly injured, fatigued, dieting, exercising, etc. yet their performances don’t show that and they don’t really show it either (unless interviewers directly ask) and when it’s commented on, they usually brush it off or just state their condition nonchalantly. i can’t even fathom how much work and energy they have to put in to be able to give us the types of stages that they do as cohesively and impeccably they do
there’s so much more i could say, but i’ll end with this: i truly believe that the members of infinite love each other dearly - as a family - and i can’t say this for every group that i know of. even though they have solo activities, subunits, etc. they always emphasize how, first and foremost, they are infinite, the 7-member boy group who managed to save their company from bankruptcy and capture the hearts of millions of fans
Some Cute OT7 Pictures
courtesy of kim myungsoo’s instagram
Some short videos
Performances:
Some short videos (cont.)
MR Removed:
(aka infinite are amazing live and i don’t think they’ve EVER lip synched an entire/the majority of a performance)
Some short videos (cont.)
Clips:
Resources
thanks for reading ♡
i know this was a lot of info to take in, but thanks for making it to the end of the primer i hope you love infinite!!!
***all pictures belong to their rightful owners