EXO's Lay, whose real name is Zhang Yixing, has been in the music industry for six years now, but that does not mean his latest debut in the United States does not make him anxious.
Over the weekend, Lay took some time off his busy schedule for an interview with iHeartRadio host Ellie Lee in New York City. There, the 27-year-old singer and actor admitted he was very nervous about his third studio album, "Namanana," which marks his U.S. debut.
Lay also admitted he had some difficulties in learning the English language. Despite all that, he endured it because he was keen on sharing the Chinese culture and Mandarin-pop to the U.S. market.
He then talked about the inspiration behind his new album "Namanana," which was said to be inspired by "Hakuna Matata" from "Lion King." He said the idea came out while he was happily eating steak with a bottle of sparkling natural mineral water in a restaurant.
At that very moment, he immediately came up with a beat for the album's title song. Despite that, he worked on it over and over again until it became perfect, especially that many people judge his music.
"I think this beat is dope," Lay recalled, as quoted by Hello Kpop. "It's amazing. This song should be a title song."
Before the interview wraps up, Lay admitted he misses the other EXO members - Sehun (whose real name is Oh Se Hun), Baekhyun (Byun Baek Hyun), Chen (Kim Jong Dae), D.O. (Do Kyung Soo), Chanyeol (Park Chanyeol), Kai (Kim Jong In), Xiumin (Kim Min Seok) and Suho (Kim Jun Myeon) - whenever he is working alone. He also reminded them that he will always be there for them whenever they need him.
Though Lay misses the other EXO members, he is now ready to take a step forward. He even expressed his desires to embark on a world tour as soon as possible and plans to visit South America and Europe to meet his fans there.
Lay will also star next in Si-Heup Seong's upcoming romantic comedy film, "Unexpected Love," according to The Korea Times. In the film, he plays a Chinese singer, Han Bin, who falls in love with a Korean dancer, Fei Yan (Krystal Jung).
The duo will be joined by Wang Yibo, Park In Hwan, Tian Xin, Li Qin, Zhu Shengyi and Shu Ting Zhao. No release date has been set yet.
