Mark Tuan
Between the Sky and the Ocean
He is the Third Most Beautiful Colour!

Constantly learning and challenging himself
That is in Mark’s blood, expanding his boundaries,
Mark Tuan is unleashing his endless possibilities.

In one evening at the end of January, we met Mark Tuan in Beijing. The weather that day was a little chilly, and Mark was wearing a casual look that was warm but not lacking in his personal style. He entered our eyes looking weary from travelling. Even though his schedule was busy, at the shoot, Mark’s professionalism was absolutely through the roof. Be it switching freely between different fashion styles, or be it practising his Chinese seriously so as to record the video message, Mark’s super adaptability enabled the shoot to progress smoothly without too much fuss. This somehow reminded us of him first arriving in Korea, starting to get in touch with singing only when he became a trainee; taking the initiative to try writing rap in Korean even though he did not have any foundation in the Korean language; working hard to train and master MAT skills even though he did not have B-boy or dance experience. This period of time that did not make Mark feel that it was especially tough, made him grow into a qualified artiste. Throughout the 5 years since debut, Mark and his team accomplished performances after performances together, as a rapper, he unleashed the unique “Mark Tuan” charms in different occasions.

As the rapper with a cool voice, Mark participated in writing the lyrics and the arrangements of the songs “Higher”, “Think about it” and “OMW” in the “Present:YOU”&Me Edition. Amongst those, “OMW” is his solo song where he participated in writing both the lyrics and melody. “This song is one that was completed after really thinking a lot, be it the production etc, I felt really satisfied.” Mark confessed that if he had the opportunity he really wanted to release a Chinese song as a gift for the fans in China. “I want to communicate better with the fans in China. In 2019, I will also work harder to learn Chinese, to let myself be more relatable to them.” Throughout his journey, “constantly learning and challenging himself” is already in Mark’s blood, up till today, he who is constantly transforming and growing feel that he still has a lot of things that he needs to learn.

Members and fans are like a family

From when he was scouted in high school to train in Korea, till now where he is promoting as GOT7, it has been 9 years . From a young man who enjoyed swimming and surfing with his friends in California, Mark has grown to become an idol standing in the Kpop entertainment centre together with his members. “At the start I came to Korea really knowing nothing. But after standing on the trainee showcase stage, at that moment I started to have thoughts that I must give it my very best. The feeling of standing on stage was really very good, and it made me determined that I must debut.” Mark revealed that all along amongst the activities of GOT7, his favourite moments were still concerts. “Showcasing the results of our serious preparation together with the members, completing an interesting performance and making everyone have an enjoyable time.”

When asked about how he relieves stress, Mark said that he would listen to songs by himself or sleep, and that he often looked for the members to chat to release the stress. “It’s almost 9 years being with the members, we spent tough and meaningful time together. From the time when we were trainees till now, no matter what difficulties we encountered, everyone would gather together and confide in one another, and console one another. We don’t just treat one another like a member in the group, we get along with one another like family. Before we go on stage, we will shout a cheer and encourage one another.”

With regard to the fans who give him warm support and cheers, Mark hopes that they can become one another’s strength. “When we are on stage, we gain a lot of strength from the cheers of the fans, we hope that everything can go well for the fans too. When they encounter difficulties, we hope that they can get some comfort from our music, and ultimately become each another’s consolation.”

Attempts to act and fashion activities in 2019

Other than the group’s activities in the new year, Mark also wants to challenge acting, learn relevant knowledge regarding acting and have more exposure in the areas of acting. “I think in order to become a good actor, firstly you need to accumulate experience, plus you need to focus and think more in your daily life. As the personality and ability that need to be portrayed for each character are different, on the basis that I need to have a certain understanding of the role that I play, I need to constantly learn.” Mark also said that if he had the opportunity, he would perhaps start by challenging roles that were more similar to himself. What was more shocking was that what he wanted to challenge the most was horror films. “I really like horror movies so I want to attempt it, I think it will be very interesting. My wish is to experience different, interesting roles.”

In addition, Mark who made a surprise appearance at the Milan Fashion Week has his own unique thoughts when it comes to design. “Usually I like to wear black clothes, I like designs that are simple. Previously when I designed clothes together with Represent, I thought about designing clothes that everyone can wear. If I have the opportunity, I want to try making my own brand too.” Mark also revealed that before he went to the Milan Fashion Week, while he was looking forward to it he was also very nervous. “All along I always see images on the internet and TV of people watching the shows. When it was time for me to really go, I realised that it was totally different from what I felt before!” Mark who loves fashion said that if he were to have the chance in the future, he would definitely go to a fashion show again. He is full of passion for fashion design, enthusiastically learning about acting to expand his boundaries, Mark Tuan is on the journey of constant transformation, unleashing his endless possibilities.