15 Minutes with Lee Min Ho

(SPOT.ph) Lee Min Ho immediately tweeted his arrival in Manila early Friday morning, July 5. The Korean superstar is in town for a one-night only concert, held on July 6, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

You too, Lee Min Ho!

This is his second time in the city. The Korean superstar was in Manila in November last year when he was launched as a Global Benchsetter. He is part of the growing list of international celebrities (which includes Taylor Lautner of Twilight fame, Aussie hunk Liam Hemsworth, Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine and American Idol alum Jessica Sanchez) wearing the homegrown brand.

Lee Min Ho performed a one-night-only gig for the very first time in Manila as part of his 10-city "My Everything" global tour that also includes Osaka, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Bangkok, just to name a few.

Sam Oh acted as host and interpreter during the quick 15-minute interview held Friday at the newly inaugrated Bench Tower. Dressed in a stylish Bench polo shirt, jeans, and oxfords, Lee Min Ho met with the media to talk about his album, My Everything, the difference between singing and acting, and his seven years in show business.

Hi there!

On calling his album and the subsequent tour My Everything

"The title My Everything really refers to the fans. This is really a gift to the fans. Because the fans are my everything, I’m calling the album My Everything."

On his relationship with his fans
"There's really no one word that can encapsulate my relationship with my fans. My fans are my lovers, my friends, my family. I’m grateful that over the years, communication with fans has deepend."  

On what sets Manila apart from the other cities included in the tour

"What sets Manila apart, is the sea, the beach, the islands. I feel that my Filipino fans are very passionate. When I look into the eyes of my Filipino fans, they seem very innocent. You’re also very passionate. Maybe because there are so many beautiful islands in the Philippines, it kind of reflects on the fans, as well. Romanticism and femininity show through my Filipino fans."

On what he gets out of singing
"Acting usually takes a lot of time to shoot, edit, air. I don’t get the time to watch it. The reaction from when I start working on it is delayed. As opposed to singing, onstage, in front of the fans. The immediate response is really something else. The happiness I get from that is extraordinary."

On the difference between singing and acting
There isn’t much difference. When he's singing, he thinks of the lyrics and puts himself in the scene. So it's almost like acting, except he's singing the lyrics.

On prefering ballads over upbeat songs

"The fans probably know that I really prefer slow ballads but I wanted to mix it up a little bit in this album so there are a couple of upbeat, dancy tracks here as well. I have some moves to go with the upbeat tracks, but this is really just to-my singing needs a little bit of work so this album is just another way for me to work on that aspect of my career. But I feel like the fans are unanimous in saying that dancing doesn’t really fit me. The response to my dancing isn't that great."

On what fans can look forward to his show

"Butt-dancing!" [laughs]

Charming, ain’t he?

On being a Global Benchsetter

"First of all, and this is true with the first time I was here. Bench really shows it cares for its talents. There could have been fans that wouldn't have known about the fan visit [last year] but Bench really gave attention to the details, and made sure that all the fans were aware. Second, it's an honor to be attached to a brand that is global. I feel very privileged to be part of the Bench family."

On the new Bench Tower

"It is magnificent. This is my first time in the Bench Tower and I love the look of it. I hope this is a building is here to stay for a very, very long time."