Earlier in the year, we featured NU’EST in our Rising Starz series. And although only a few months had passed, so much has happened and the NU’EST boys are growing up right before our very eyes. This summer, they came back into the K-pop scene with a fun and funky image via their newest album ‘Sleep Talking’. While they remain to be the talented dancers and entertainers we know them to be, there is a uniqueness about this album that makes it stand out from the rest. After all, a little mystique adds spice to any adventure.  Let's have them introduce themselves and their album for a moment (Hint: Turn on CC on your Youtube player to see the English subs).

As NU’EST is back in the scene, they are also back in KpopStarz, as they spent a few moments around their very hectic promotion schedules to sit-down and answer some questions for us in this fun exclusive interview. Here they reveal some (sleeping) secrets among many other things we get to learn about them!

#1. You now have 3 mini-albums released, how has NU'EST changed since the 1st mini-album?

[JR] NU'EST tries to show different themes with every new album. With 'FACE' and 'Action,' we captured the toughness and manliness that teenagers want to express. Our last album Hello featured the sensitive and emotional side of NU'EST. Our concept for "Sleep Talking" is to capture a fantasy-like mysteriousness through on the stage for our fans. We are eager to show our bright side with this album.

#2. What would you say is your favorite track of the Sleep Talking album?

[JR] I like "Don't Dress Sexy" because as a man, I can really relate to the song.

[BAEKHO] 'Beautiful Ghost'! I consider myself a little bit of a hunter (laughter) and the lyrics of the song depicts a man chasing a beautiful ghost. I thought the chaser resembles me.

[REN] I like "Pretty". I thought about our fans when we recorded this song, and so I'm more drawn to this song!

[MINHYUN] I like "I Will Love You a Little Bit More". It's what I want to say to our fans. (Laughter)

[ARON] I like 'Fine Girl'. It contains all the words I want to say to our fans. It's funny that we all chose different songs. (Laughter)

#3. What is your favorite music video?

[JR] My favorite is our newest, 'Sleep Talking'. It showcases our brighter side that we haven't shown before.

[MINHYUN] I like 'Sleep Talking' as well. All our members came out very good looking. (Laughter)

#4. What was the most challenging track to record and perform?

[BAEKHO] 'Sleep Talking' was the hardest song to choreograph. We incorporated a dance we call the 'Alarm Dance' - the four of us surround JR and all fall on each other - we had to really make sure everyone had it perfect. That was the difficult part.

#5. You have been traveling for international promotions over the last year, what was the most memorable place you've visited?

[MINHYUN] To be honest, I remember everywhere we go, particularly because of our fans who come out to the airport to welcome us. One place that is fresh in my mind is Turkey. We visited Turkey to be judges in a K-pop Dance contest. It was our first time there so we were very nervous. Turkey is a place where the eastern culture is melded well with the western culture. After our visit, I realized that K-pop is really becoming an international sensation.

#6. What are your favorite places that you went to that you definitely will go to again if time permits?

[REN] I never went there before, but if the situation allows, I really want to go to Egypt to see the Pyramids. I’ve always liked them.

[MINHYUN] I want to visit my junior high school in Busan.

#7. Since your album is about sleep talking, let's talk about sleep! First is, roughly how many hours do you guys get to sleep each night?

[REN] We rarely sleep these days because of all our album activity, TV appearances, practices, and other concert appearances. We usually sleep about three to four hours a day and try to nap in the car.

#8. Who among you has the weirdest sleeping habits? What does that person do while sleeping?

[ARON] Baekho is notorious for his sleep talking. (Laughter) The rest of us are peaceful sleepers. You can even have a conversation with Baekho while he's sleep talking. Sometimes he spouts nonsense that he doesn't remember when he wakes up, and it really makes us laugh.

#9. It is said that sleeping positions reveal a lot about a personality. With that, would each of you please describe your common sleeping position?

[MINHYUN] I tend to sleep on my belly, face down. It makes my face puffy so I try to avoid it, but when I wake up in the morning, I am always back to sleeping on my belly.

#10. How do you guys wind down at the end of a long day and prepare to sleep? Any rituals or common practices?

[REN] We don't really have too much time to sleep these days so as soon as we hit the bed, we fall asleep. We make sure to monitor our album performances and other things before we go to sleep.

#11. How has your relationship with each other grown over the last year and few months? What things do you like doing together?

[MINHYUN] Aron is 2 years older than the rest of us, and because the rest of are all the same age, we have a great friendship. Since we're all living in the same house, we all take different roles, as well. Aron is like the father, and I'm like the mom. (Laughter) We try to understand each other, and that makes us feel like we're a real family. We spend our leisure time together watching movies or playing games.

#12. What does NU’EST hope to achieve during this comeback?

[BAEKHO] Our goal is to showcase our multifaceted talent with this album! We want to express them in every way we can.

#13. If you were not in K-pop, or not NU'EST, what do you think you would be doing in these very same moments?

[ARON] I would be a journalist. I like writing, so I studied to be a journalist in the U.S. (Laughter) Of course, I love music more now, but I would like to study journalism again in the future.

[MINHYUN] I always wanted to be a pop star. I think I would still be chasing that dream.

#15. Talk to us like we are new listeners of NU'EST. How would you describe the track and MV to a new person?

[JR] Hello, Show time NU'EST time! We are NU'EST. Our new album, Sleep Talking, has been a long time coming. Our concept for the song is "Mystic Fantasy", and the song delivers a mysterious and fantasy-like feel. We tried hard to showcase our cheerful and bright sides in both our title song and its music video as a break from our previous concepts. We also incorporated a unique choreography, so please make you watch the music video! Please give lots of love to NU'EST's 'Sleep Talking.' ^^

Even with lack of sleep, the boys of NU’EST remain energetic and passionate about this new album. Make sure to check out their music video! We can guarantee that it is an enjoyable track!

Writer: Dorothy A. | Translator: Julian Y. | Special Thanks to: Pledis Entertainment | Photo Credits: Pledis Entertainment