Ramblings of a K-Pop Fangirl: VIXX Edition + Free Signed CD Giveaway!

A little over a year ago, I met VIXX for the first time.

It was July 2012, and VIXX, barely two after from their official debut, was one of the headliners for one of the biggest Asian culture conventions in the United States. When I first sat down with them for an exclusive Soompi interview, I was greeted by their unison introduction as they politely stood up to exhibit a 90-degree bow and their signature greeting, “Hi! We’re Real VIXX!”

I could tell the six boys were nervous, their feet slightly tapping the floor in anticipation as they sat back down in their sleek, black suits, waiting for our team to set up. They were quiet and bashful, but as I looked out quickly, scanning their faces, several members caught my eye, giving me shy smiles of acknowledgement.

Fast forward one year, the boys were now on their first global showcase “The Milky Way,’ and I was fortunate enough to meet them again in Dallas, Texas. With several hit singles under their belts, the members looked more wise and mature as they experienced the ups-and-downs of the celebrity life, but their greeting to me was just as polite and welcoming as it had been a year ago: “Hi! We’re Real VIXX!”

Are you a fan of VIXX? You’re in the right place! Super special thanks to fanclubs WithVIXX and Fyeah-VIXX for contributing and collaborating with us on the following article – they’re the ones who made it all possible! Read on for our ultimate Fangirl’s Guide to your obsession. Be sure to let us know in the comments section below who you would like to see featured on the next edition of Ramblings of a K-Pop Fangirl – may the best fandom win!

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VIXX
Members: 6 (N, Leo, Ken, Ravi, Hongbin, Hyuk)
Leader:  N | Maknae: Hyuk
Year of Debut: 2012
Fanclub: ST☆RLIGHTS (Starlights)

Official Soompi Thread
Come talk and fangirl with fellow Soompiers here!

Also, we’re giving away three autographed VIXX CDs!

To win, all you have to do is follow the simple instructions below!

1. Follow us on LINE (Add via the QR Code or Go to More > Official Accounts > Soompi)
2. Like the article on Soompi’s Timeline on LINE and comment on this page with what you liked/learned about VIXX!
3. Take a screenshot of Soompi’s LINE chatbox and email to contest [at] soompi [dot] com with “VIXX Edition Giveaway!” as the subject header and include your LINE username and Soompi username

IMPORTANT: Please note that we will contact you through your email address (from step #3) so don’t forget to check your email account! You will need to get back to us in the next 24 hours after our message!

This giveaway will run from Friday, January 31, to Monday, February 3 KST.

Winners have been notified! Please check your emails if you’re one of the lucky winners. 🙂

Spread the word and share with your friends the awesomeness of VIXX~ http://bit.ly/1eckgaX

First thing you need to know, VIXX has a mascot named ROVIX (a combination of the words Robot + VIXX), a cute robot created by artist Charles Jang. The acrostic below spells out ROVIX, each letter naming reasons why we love VIXX.

R —– Real VIXX! V.I.X.X.!

Voice, Visual, Value in Excelsis. That’s what VIXX stands for.

Meet the six, shining stars of VIXX!

(From left to right)

>> N: (full name: Cha Hakyeon, DOB: 06/30/1990) Charismatic leader N is known for his smooth, sexy dance moves. As a great leader, N is constantly looking after his members and Starlights!

Fun fact: Did you know that N has a cute way of greeting the fans online? Instead of ‘Annyeong!’, ‘Good morning!’ and ‘Goodnight!’, he tweets ‘엔뇽 = N-nyeong’, ‘엔모닝= N-morning’ and‘‘엔나잇 = N-night’. Geddit, geddit?

>> Hongbin: (full name: Lee Hongbin, DOB: 09/30/1993) Visual Hongbin is not just a pretty face: his acting abilities are top-notch! Hongbin loves taking photographs, and can often be seen with his camera.

Fun fact: Did you know that Hongbin caught the eye of one of the producers of “The Heirs,” landing VIXX a cameo in the hit K-drama? In our Soompi interview, he claims that he would love more acting opportunities in the future, so keep an eye out for Hongbin the actor!

>> Leo: (full name: Jung Taekwoon, DOB: 11/10/1990) Main vocalist Leo may be soft spoken, but don’t let that fool you! Our mysterious Leo is passionate about music, VIXX’ fans and doing his best to make every stage perfect.

Fun fact: If Leo wasn’t in VIXX, he probably would still be a representative of the National Youth Football team!

(From left to right)

>> Ken: (full name: Lee Jaehwan, DOB: 04/06/1992) Ken – or, as he likes to call himself, VIXX’ “cute main vocal” – is the true mood-maker of the group, always making jokes to help the members feel at ease. His animal impressions and incredible vocal abilities are impossible to ignore!

Fun fact: Among the members of VIXX, Ken draws the best. Below, Ken is showing off in sketches his impression of all the members – isn’t it adorable? 

>> Ravi: (full name: Kim Wonsik, DOB: 02/15/1993) Rapper Ravi is known not only for his rap skills, but also for his writing! He writes nearly all of VIXX’ raps, and even composed his own song. One of my personal favorites: “Light Up the Darkness” from their Hyde album!

Fun fact: Ravi says his favorite VIXX song of all time is “On and On” – do you agree?

>> Hyuk: (full name: Han Sanghyuk, DOB: 08/05/1995) Maknae Hyuk will be the first to remind you: he’s not a baby! Our maknae, Hyuk, is skilled in dancing, singing, and freestyle rapping!

Fun fact: Hyuk was recently admitted to Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts in the School of Entertainment with K-Pop as his selected major. Due to VIXX’  full album release, he won’t be able to attend classes yet, but he’ll participate in school activities as part of the class of 2014.

To get to know the boys more, find them on their weekly show “VIXX TV“, where they take you behind-the-scenes of their celebrity lives. The members have also filmed MTV Diary (along with BTOB, JJ Project and MYNAME) and “Plan V Diary,” and, of course, “Mydol,” Mnet’s reality show showcasing their debut.

Click on the numbers at the bottom to navigate through the letters of ROVIX and find more information on VIXX!

O —– Outstanding vocals, and a new album to showcase it!

With two main vocalists, VIXX is sure to have a great sound. But it’s not just the main vocalists who can sing a great tune, each member has a unique voice that, when combined, creates a great sound that is distinctively VIXX!

After their first win ever on Music Bank last year on Dec 6 for their song “Voodoo Doll,” 6-member boy group VIXX skyrocketed to the front of the K-Pop music scene! 

Give their other title tracks a listen: “Super Hero” (debut), “Rock Ur Body,” “On and On,” “Hyde,” “G.R.8.U“! Also noteworthy are their ballads “UUUU” and “Only U” – these boys know how to slow down the beat to charm fans with their talented vocals.

Members Ken and Leo also contributed to “The Heirs” soundtrack – take a listen to Ken belting out his “In the Name of Love” live at “The Milky Way” showcase finale in Seoul here:

Click on the numbers at the bottom to navigate through the letters of ROVIX and find more information on VIXX!

V —– Voodoo Dolls, Vampires and more! Concepts that will blow your mind.

VIXX members are often referred to as “concept-dols,” short for concept idols, because of their original and shocking concepts. This began with their song “On and On” in early 2013, in which they revealed their vampire alter egos.

The boys then took on both the role of Hyde and Jekyll in their album of the same name – displaying their benighted melancholy in one and their cheerful liveliness in another. In their newest song, VIXX members become “Voodoo Dolls,” ready to sacrifice themselves for love.

Which VIXX do you prefer?

Click on the numbers at the bottom to navigate through the letters of ROVIX and find more information on VIXX!

I —– In love with their fans!

Not only do the members regularly meet with their fans in Korea at music shows, fan meetings, and other events, they completed a world tour late last year, stopping in Malaysia, Sweden, Italy and the United States. They wrapped up the tour in Korea with a concert that brought in over 9,000 fans. They are constantly thanking Starlights for supporting them, and promising to work even harder.

VIXX celebrated their first win last December 6 on Music Bank, and guess who they thanked first?

Here’s what leader N had to say after finding out they received the award:

N (while crying): “Our Starlights, you have waited for a long time, right? We’re sorry you had to wait so long, and we’re so thankful.” Very sweet and touching!

Of course, who would forget about VIXX dedicating a whole song to their fans? Their emotional ballad, “Thank You for My Love,” pays homage to all of the love and support their fans have given to them.

Click on the numbers at the bottom to navigate through the letters of ROVIX and find more information on VIXX!

X —– X-treme Dances that are X-tremely Difficult!

Okay, we admit it – it was hard coming up with a title for letter X! But, it’s true that VIXX has shown not only unique concepts, but exceptional dance moves to match those concepts! In “Hyde,” which is a Jekyll and Hyde-esque story of a man who is torn by love, you can see the dark and light members of VIXX in this practice video:

With many challenging formations in their different choreographies (including Ken swinging mid-air in “Voodoo Doll”), VIXX creates many unique dance points that leave fans impressed. I guess VIXX also loves to incorporate arm movements in their choreography? For example, the up-and-down arm movement in “Hyde” and arm-rolling move in “Rock Ur Body.”

In a nutshell, VIXX is an extremely hard working group with solid talent and is beginning to gain momentum in recognition (the group most recently took home a Bonsang award at the 23rd Seoul Music Awards). In almost one year since debut, the boys managed to perform in the United States a whooping three separate times, a feat even the most seasoned of veterans have yet to accomplish (notably, the group was also the first K-Pop act to have the chance to perform in Sweden and Italy). The only question to ask now is “What’s next?” I know we’ll all be waiting with bated breath for that answer.

That’s enough rambling for today’s K-Pop Fangirl! Who would you like to see on the next edition? Tell us in the comment section below!

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Benightedxflame is a fangirl daydreaming about her next K-Pop adventure. Follow more of her nonsensical ramblings on Twitter. Be sure to also check out VIXX’s dedicated fanclubs WithVIXX and Fyeah-VIXX when you get a chance!