NEX7 arrive in Thailand
At a time when Thailand lacks big boy bands, music fans turn to Korea and China for their idols. The members of NEX7 will be familiar to Thai audiences after they took part in the popular Chinese singing competition The Idol Producer.
Fan Cheng Cheng, Justin and Zhu Zheng Ting finished third, fourth and sixth respectively. After the show, they joined four of their fellow Yuehua Entertainment trainees to form NEX7. The band has just released its debut EP, The First, featuring the single “Wait a Minute.”
To promote their new release, the guys were in town for a fan meeting on July 14. The day before the event, Thai press caught up with NEX7 in Bangkok. Unfortunately, 18-year-old rapper Cheng Cheng was sick and couldn’t attend. Thankfully, the other six members - leader Zheng Ting, 22, Bi Wen Jun, 20, Huang Xin Chun, 20, Ding Ze Ren, 18, Li Quan Zhe, 17 and Justin, 16 - were all there.
Here are some highlights from the interview.
What’s the meaning behind the name NEX7?
Zheng Ting: It’s a mix of the word “next’ and the number seven. Each letter stands for something - N for new, E for positive energy and X for expectation. The “7” represents the number of band members.
Has anything changed since you were trainees?
Zheng Ting: Our attitudes haven’t changed. We’re still at the beginning of our journey, which we hope will be a long one. We’ll maintain our positive energy, learn new things and grow together.
Can you tell us about the music video for “Wait a Minute”?
Zheng Ting: We had only two days to prepare. The schedule was very tight, but we made sure to work together and do the best we could.
What are your talents?
Ze Ren: I’m very good at beatboxing. I’m also the lead dancer.
Quan Zhe: I can do anything, but making people laugh is my priority.
What do you want to do while you’re in Thailand?
Zheng Ting: I want to go to the beach.
Do you ever play pranks on each other?
Wen Jun: Once, Quan Zhe was on the balcony of our hotel and we locked the door. We always play around like this.
Quan Zhe: I knocked on the door, but they wouldn’t let me in. I noticed that there was a tap on the balcony. So I tried to get somebody’s attention by splashing water at the window, hoping it would leak inside so they’d have to let me in!
