MANILA,
Philippines - The 2PM star lets his guard down and talks about wearing the
world-class Pinoy brand, typhoons, and living a ‘normal’ life.
One
of the burdens of being a K-Pop star — if you could call it that — is that
whatever you’re seen wearing in public sells out immediately. It’s like the
Kate Middleton Effect, but magnified. Case in point: After a few K-Pop stars
were spotted carrying backpacks by a little-known German leather company called
MCM, they began selling out like crazy. Keep in mind that they aren’t cheap —
the price of a limited-edition piece by MCM is comparable to Louis Vuitton.
2PM’s Nichkhun Horvejkul admits it’s the kind of thing that makes him uneasy.
“I wouldn’t say it’s strange because they love us. They wanna buy everything
that we love too and what we like,” he explains sheepishly. “But I don’t know,
I don’t want them to actually waste their money on us. I know a lot of them
aren’t, like, rich, so sometimes I feel bad because sometimes they would buy
really expensive things. And I’d be, like, ‘Ah, I hope I can accept this.’”
It
was surreal, getting the opportunity to pick the brains of somebody with
throngs of screaming fans. Earlier this year, I met Nichkhun in his native
Thailand (yes, this K-Pop star is actually Thai) while he was shooting his
first campaign for Bench. At the time, it was his first encounter with the
brand, but already, he seemed comfortable wearing it. According to his stylist,
it was the type of clothing he wore regularly, especially during his off-days.
That Bench is a brand that built its name on affordable basics makes him feel
better, a sentiment that he reinforced during his most recent visit to the
Philippines for his Global Benchsetter Fun Meet last Nov. 9: “Bench is not
flashy. Bench is something that normal people can wear, not just people who
want to be on-camera, so that’s why I’m so grateful to be a part of Bench
because it is really me and it is what I would really wear in my normal life.”
Surprisingly,
Nichkhun’s “normal life” is as normal as yours and mine gets because the guy
never wanted to be an entertainer in the first place. When he was scouted in
2006, at the age of 18, he had to learn everything from the ground up: singing,
rapping, dancing, acting, even how to speak Korean. So during the rare moments
when he gets to be himself, he regresses into a shy Thai boy who was just a
regular kid in Rancho Cucamonga, California. “When I have my off-days, I
usually just go lazy,” he admits. “You know, just wash my hair and let it be.
My personal style is simple, clean, appropriate to the occasion.”
It’s
also worth noting that Nichkhun flew into the Philippines on the day that
Typhoon Yolanda hit, a gesture that must have meant a lot to his fans. Prior to
hearing about the typhoon, he was also aware of the earthquake that hit Bohol.
“When I first heard about the earthquake, I already had plans to come here. A
part of me was already in the Philippines, so when I heard about the
earthquake, it really shook me. I really want this event to be meaningful to
the Filipinos and I want to make some donations to the victims,” he says.
Though saying something like that is kind of expected, you should know that the
first time Nichkhun visited the Philippines was to interact with the children
of Payatas for the Korean show, Sunday Sunday Night Danbi.
The
K-Pop star is also a Friend of UNICEF for Thailand, bringing light to issues
affecting Thai children. During our meeting in Bangkok, he explained that he
gets his charitable streak from his religion and his parents. “I’ve been a
Buddhist ever since I was born because most Thai people are Buddhist. But I
think I got a lot of that charity stuff from my parents because they’re always
doing charitable stuff, like giving money, clothes, food to anyone who needs
it,” he explained. At the press conference, just a day before the havoc caused
by Typhoon Yolanda made news worldwide, he expressed disbelief at the thought
of Filipinos were being hit with another calamity, so soon after the
earthquake. “It’s just heartbreaking to be a victim of something like this.
Those who are victims, I hope you guys stay strong and keep your hopes up.
Never give up.”
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