무한

This song right now

Hi anon! Actually, when I first read this ask it made me kinda mad. I’ll be honest, I’m really defensive and protective when it comes to INFINITE and my immediate reaction was to be super pissed at everything you said. But! I realised this gives me a good opportunity to tell you all the reasons why INFINITE are more than worth stanning, which is one of my favourite hobbies. So without further ado, let me address all the points you brought up:

“If other groups have bigger fanbases there must be a reason they don’t.”

Okay so this is something that does annoy me. Internationally, Inspirits are not the biggest fandom. We’re also quieter and older (yet still youthful heh) than most of the bigger fandoms, so it might seem sometimes that we’re super small. However! INFINITE still swept every first place they could on music shows after a hiatus of over a year. Something that wouldn’t be possible without a dedicated fanbase. Korean Inspirits are a big fandom - popularity internationally does not reflect popularity in Korea. INFINITE are big names there. I heard their album tracks in restaurants and shops when I was last in Seoul and they weren’t even promoting at the time. Even the taxi ahjusshi who drove me home from Hongdae one night knew who INFINITE were and excitedly sang Be Mine at me.

“They act so awkward, its cute tbh, but shouldn’t they be confident in their abilities considering how old they are as a group?”

I’m not sure how much you know about INFINITE. But something they’re praised for all the time is how humble they are, even after 8 years in the industry. They are known to still give a 90° bow when greeting others, whether they’re seniors or juniors. There is a difference between confidence and arrogance, and I feel like a lot of younger groups nowadays display the latter more than the former. I’m happy I stan a respectful, humble group who are still in awe of every music show win, of every single award they get. If you get to know them a bit more, you’ll see that they’re more than confident in their abilities. They’re just not the type to brag. 

After a long hiatus and the loss of a member who had been with them for over seven years, this comeback has been a strange mix of happy and different and maybe a little bit sad, for INFINITE and for Inspirits. If they’ve seemed slightly quiet or toned down during promotions, I think that’s one of the reasons why. 

“They seem so..ordinary?”

Here is a list of reality shows INFINITE have starred in since debut. Why not give them a go? I find that shows like these are the best ways to get to know a group. You can also watch them on Weekly Idol - here is a list of all their appearances so far. I think you’ll find them anything but ordinary. 

“I mean, what’s so special about them?”

Incredible live vocal talent: 

Please listen to this whole performance but especially from 3:41 when Sunggyu and Woohyun show why they deserve to be ranked among Kpop’s most talented vocalists.

Please watch them flawlessly deliver a fully live performance complete with live band, which is how they do all their concerts too.

And this one too because holy shit? INFINITE are so good? They did a special live broadcast where they sang acoustic versions of their new songs.

Knife-like, 99.9% synchronised dancing:

Their most famous move is the ‘scorpion dance’ from 2011′s BTD (Before The Dawn). The members still get asked to do it on variety shows to this day. In fact, they made Sunggyu do it on Radio Star just a few days ago. 

Just check out that sync thoooo.

Even at 2x speed they’re still perfect?

“But is infinite really that worth it?”

I suppose it’s really up to you to answer that one, isn’t it? I can sit here all day giving you links and videos and sharing pictures and facts, but it’s all down to you, anon. If you want to know more about INFINITE, I’ve given you some good places to start. If you decide to join our wonderful fandom, I’ll welcome you with open arms. I’m glad you liked Tell Me, and I hope you do check out more of their MVs too.