K-pop idol Mark Tuan has unforgettable memories of living in Brazil

American singer Mark Tuan, member of the K-pop group GOT7, will perform his first solo show in Brazil on July 11, in São Paulo. But this will not be his first time on Brazilian soil.

Mark was born in Los Angeles, California, but spent part of his childhood in Paraguay and Brazil. In an interview with CNN he revealed that he lived in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, when he was three years old.

Despite not speaking Portuguese, Mark is polyglot: American with Taiwanese ancestry, he speaks English, Mandarin and Korean and can get by in Japanese.

All of this is a reflection of his experiences in these 30 years of life, especially because he was discovered at a young age, at 16 years old. In 2010, he was recruited by K-pop agency JYP Entertainment.

He moved to Seoul, South Korea, where he faced challenges such as homesickness and the language barrier. Despite this, he dedicated himself to learning singing, dancing, and rapping, debuting as a member of GOT7 three years later.

GOT7 has never performed in Brazil, but has a solid fan base [chamados Ahgase] waiting for you here. During the current period, in which the members are exploring solo careers or completing mandatory military service in South Korea, Mark is the fourth member to perform in Brazil, following Jay B, Jackson Wang and BamBam.

In the interview with CNN , Mark shared memories of his childhood in Brazil, reflected on his achievements until he turned 30, and talked about the members of GOT7. Check out:

You are American, of Taiwanese descent, have lived in Brazil, lived in South Korea, and speak many languages. How do you organize so many cultural references in your mind? Can you separate them or are there times when you get confused?

Um, I think sometimes it gets a little confusing because, you know, I lived in Korea for so long, and there are so many expressions there, right? There are so many ways to say a certain thing. And sometimes, when I’m speaking in English, I try to translate these expressions literally and it doesn’t make much sense. People are like, “What are you saying?” So yeah, I think there are some moments where it gets a little confusing, but for the most part they’re pretty separate.

You lived in Brazil when you were young, right? Can you solve a mystery for us? Where did you live?

I don’t remember, but my brother is right here next to me. Wait a second. [Corre e volta] My brother remembers because he was born there. He said it was Foz do Iguaçu.

Mystery solved! We also know that you have a story about a snake in Brazil. What happened?

Oh, so I got home with my brother and, I don’t remember if I heard a noise or something, but I looked under my bed and there was a snake. The bed was right next to a window. We lived in a small community, and we had to call security and they came and threw the snake out the window again.

And you never forgot even though you were very young.

Yes, I don’t remember how old I was. Maybe three.

And, well, you’re finally returning to Brazil, this time with your tour. Is there a particular song you like to perform at shows?

Now I would say “Everyone Else Fades”. I don’t know, there’s something about that song that gives me a lot of energy from the fans when I perform it. That one, or another one from the new EP, “Fallin’”. Just because it’s so upbeat and I have a live band playing with me as well. So it really adds to the energy.

And you know that energy is something we do very well here in Brazil, right? We are quite noisy.

It’s my first time performing for Brazilian fans, so I’m really excited to see it.

You turned 30 last year. Did the expectations you had about that age when you were younger match your experiences? How did you feel?

I think I was a little anxious at first. Because a lot of people say that 30 is the year you start to feel old. At first I thought, “Oh, will this happen to me?” But after I turned 30, I still feel the same. But when people know my age or we’re talking about age I think: “Wow, I’m really old, I’m getting older.” Because I started when I was, what, in my early 20s? And now I’m 30. How much longer do I have to make music and stuff like that? I think sometimes it kind of gets to me now. I’m going to be 31 this year, so I think: “Wow, another year already!”

You’re older, but you’re still very young. Do you feel like in this industry they always want you to be young and there’s not much room once you’re over 30?

Sometimes I think like that, but then I think, “You know what? I don’t think it matters much.” If you work hard and release good music, the fans will always be there, supporting you. I think it depends on who you are and how dedicated you are. This is something I need to work even harder on.

And like I said, you started working in this industry at a very young age. After finishing his contract with JYP Entertainment, he returned to Los Angeles and spent time with family and friends. How meaningful was it for you to have this break after so many years of working non-stop?

I think it helped a lot. Just being able to spend time with my family, because when I was in Korea, it was nonstop, right? It was album after album. So I think being able to slow down a little bit and figure out what I wanted to do definitely helped a lot, because I almost gave up on music. But I still have a lot of fun now and I’m currently in the studio, trying to make more music.

So did this break help you realize that music was what you most wanted to do?

Definitely yes.

And we have to talk about GOT7, right? As you said, you worked in Korea for many years. During that time, he lived in a dormitory with six other members of the group. If you had to live with a GOT7 member again, which one would you choose and why?

Maybe Bambam. BamBam or Yugyeom. I feel like BamBam keeps everything very clean in his house and I think Yugyeom is very, very chill. We would be fine at home, maybe go out together sometimes. Yeah, I think it would be one of the two.

And I would like to teach you what your fans call you here in Brazil. You have a nickname, did you know that? They call you “Marquinho”.

Marquinho? Oh, I’ll write it down. I think my dad used to call me that!

Check out an excerpt from the interview:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CNN Pop (@cnnpop)