Henry Opens Up About The Malicious Comments He Was Subjected To When He First Debuted With Super Junior-M

When Super Junior was first formed, it was only a project group with rotational members. Although this concept was quickly pushed away after the hard work from the members, the group has seen members come and go during their time in the industry. One of those idols who was added to the lineup later on and then left was Henry Lau.

K-Pop idol Henry Lau | @henryl89/ Instagram

In 2007, SM Entertainment announced that Henry would join the group’s Chinese sub-unit Super Junior-M. Yet, the idol gained a lot of backlash after rumors that the company wanted to make him a permanent member of the regular group.

Henry when he first debuted in Super Junior-M

In a recent speech in China, Henry spoke about some of those hardships he suffered. He also revealed the impact all of the negativity had on him at such a young age.

Henry explained that when he first learned about becoming an idol, he was excited about the idea of being loved and admired by so many people. However, he quickly realized after debuting that this wouldn’t be the case.

What I received was not applause and screams. There might be screams, but they were screams that opposed me.

— Henry

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In particular, Henry shared fan chants from the time that seemed to say, “Henry Out.” Yet, being so young and naive, Henry explained that he thought they had been shouting “Henry Lau.” It wasn’t until a staff member at SM told him otherwise that the reality dawned on him.

Later, a colleague from the company came over. He was very worried and asked me, ‘Henry, are you okay?’ I said, ‘Didn’t you see it? Everyone was screaming for me.’ And they just said, ‘Henry, they were not shouting Henry Lau, they were shouting Henry Out.

— Henry

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In the talk, Henry showed a video of his first performance. It was clear how loud the shouting was and why Henry could’ve mistaken what was being said by the fans. At the time, he explained that it made him feel a mix of emotions and confusion.

I didn’t know what to do. I was so sad. Especially because I wanted to send my first show to my parents, but I couldn’t because those voices on the scene were all against me. They would definitely feel very distressed if they saw it.

— Henry

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After this incident, Henry explained that SM Entertainment cut down on his promotions and activities with the other members. Yet, as expected from someone with a work ethic like Henry, he used the time to learn music production. It was also at this time that he began to write songs, not just for Super Junior but groups like EXO.

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Although Henry is now showcasing his talent to the world through his solo career and venturing into acting, hearing harsh words and being subjected to hate at such a young age couldn’t have been easy. He showcased just how determined he was to make the best out of a bad situation in the talk.

You can watch the whole video below.