Chinese idol Henry Lau on the negative feedback when he joined Super Junior-M

Henry Lau recalls an incident where he mistakenly thought fans were cheering for him but instead they wanted him gone. Photo: Henry Lau/Instagram

Boy band Super Junior has gone down in history as one of the most iconic groups in the Korean music industry. During its successful years, the group saw several members leave to pursue their own careers while also welcoming some new faces.

One such face was Henry Lau, who joined the group's Chinese sub-unit Super Junior-M in 2008.

Thirteen years after his debut, Lau revealed that his experience was not a welcoming one after discovering that fans were not pleased with his introduction. While giving a talk on TedxTheBund recently, Lau shared that he was excited when he heard the news about joining the group but soon realised not everyone felt the same way.

The Canadian-born artiste recalled a particular scenario which affected him greatly. "After I debuted, what I received was not applause and screams. There might be screams, but they were screams that opposed me," he said.

At first when he heard the chants, he thought it sounded like the fans were shouting "Henry Lau!". Being the young singer that he was, he felt a sense of pride upon hearing that. It wasn't until later that he would learn the truth.

"Later, a colleague from the company came over. He was very worried and asked me, ‘Henry, are you OK?’ I said, ‘Didn’t you see it? Everyone was screaming for me'." The colleague then revealed to him that the audience was chanting, "Henry Out!".

Not long after, the management SM Entertainment stepped in. "My work was reduced and I couldn't perform with other members nor could I promote with them," explained the 32-year-old.

Lau went on to pursue a solo career in 2013 and showcased how one can use the negativity for their own gain.