Συνεντεύξεις των Big Bang

Q1] I'm unexpectedly _______ (Fill in the blank)
GD: Round (as opposed to being sharp). This is different from what others think of me. But I am actually the type who can get along with other people pretty well.
SOL: Not honest. But I try to be.
TOP: Feels lonely easily and has a weak heart. I feel lonely even when I have my family and the members. But I guess everyone just feels lonely sometimes.
DL: People don't know that I'm actually a shy person.
VI: That I'm just 20 years old but with the mind of a 29-year old. I have 2 attractions. One is cuteness and the other is being manly.

Q2] How do you overcome pressure or "weakness of the mind" (i.e. lack of determination or confidence)?
GD: I really don't have "weakness of the mind" because I love music. I love music therefore I try and work hard to be better at it.
SOL: I just think of the reason why I wanted to be a singer in the first place. Then I control my mind to be happy.
TOP: I don't usually get nervous by nature. If I get nervous, the message I'm trying to communicate won't be conveyed properly. I just concentrate on my performance.
DL: I usually worry until I get to the stage (or the work field). But when I'm there, I just concentrate on enjoying. I want to be a person who doesn't worry about anything.
VI: I don't feel pressured. If I feel pressured, I will only make mistakes while dancing and singing. That's terrible.

Q3] If you can be one of the other members for one day, who would you want to be?
GD: (No answer)
SOL: I wanted to be TOP or VI before. But now, I think I just want to stay as myself. (Laugh)
TOP: Do I want to change personality with DLITE? Well, honestly, I've always wanted to be just myself.
DL: TOP. He seems to be just having fun always and looks like he doesn't feel any stress.
VI: Me!

Q4] One year has passed since your debut in Japan. Do you feel that you're becoming more popular and getting more fans?
GD: I think because of my unique fashion, more and more male fans are supporting us. I appreciate that we're getting more fans. Doesn't matter if they're male or female.
SOL: When I go shopping in Tokyo now, people seem to know who I am.
TOP: (No answer)
DL: I appreciate the love that we're getting very much. I will work hard as long as I can.
VI: I'm really glad that a lot of celebrities came to our concerts. Now, I think want to appear on variety shows more.

Q5] What stuff or activity has gotten your interest recently?
GD: Shoes. My favorite Christian Louboutin sneakers.
SOL: Michael Jackson. I respect him and the influence I got from him when I was a child will remain forever.
TOP: Among designers, I like Tom Brown. Fashion magazines like Vogue Korea and W match my style very well.
DL: Playing darts with members. I played darts for the first time and got high points. I think playing darts is really suitable for me.
VI: I like Japanese dramas and comedy shows. Recently, I memorized W engine's gag, "Horetemauyaro~!" (Means I'll fall in love with you.)

Translations by Noriko @ www.bigbangupdates.com

R: It is said that the whole interview can be conducted in Japanese.

VI: Yes, I will try my best. If there is something that I don’t understand, can I ask the favor of the translator?
R: Sure.

VI: Good. Please carry on.
R: First of all, what do you think about yourself, VI?

VI: Others may think I am full of confidence but in fact, I am not.
My heart Is vulnerable, really vulnerable.
However, since I don’t want to show this weak side in front of you, I would put in extra effort in practising. I work hard for gaining more confidence.
To the seemingly confident me, I still care how my fellow members think about me.
‘Why are you so frank!?’ since I always hear this sentence from them.

R: So you are still nervous until now?
VI: I have been nervous until now, especially before I have to walk on the stage. To be more exact, I am a little bit scared.
Whatever I do on the stage will be accepted by my fans, that is the reason why my anxiety disappears.
What I am scared of are the TV programmes and activities.
Since there are fans of other idols as well, certainly there are people who do not knowBIGBANG, I want to avoiding leaving bad impression on them in these occasions.
Therefore, I keep on practising until I can be accepted and I want to want to there with confidence.
If I do not have enough preparation, it is unacceptable to walk on the stage with nervousness. I think that kind of feeling must be easily spotted out by the fans.

[MORE UNDER THE CUT]

R: You are this kind of serious person since you were small? Why?
VI: Perhaps. Because I am a blood type A person.
When I was small, I loved comedies. When I was studying in primary and secondary school. I worked so hard to amuse my fellow classmates. That’s why I doom to be a comedian in the future!! I used to think like that.
However, when I was participating in the celebration of my junior school, my team lost to the guest team and I was astonished.
And we started to learn from that team. The whole period lasted for 2 years and since that time, I wanted to be an artist. And what I thought was, ‘I want to be an artist… That means a singer, right?’
R: Why did you associate the two things like that?

VI: I don’t know. Although I am not sure why I would link like that, I truly wanted to be an artist.
Comparing to singing, I would like to attract attention. I wanted to be a famous person.
For this, I wanted to become a singer but I did not quite know how to sing, that was true.
If what I only needed to do is dancing, I would not lose. I realised that I did not sing well so I did not quite like singing karaoke neither but I wanted to do it well.
R: If you want to be a famous artist, singing is a must then.
VI: It was really hard. When I was being interviewed, I was frustrated when I heard the interviewers said ,’ that means you are not suitable to develop in this aspect?”
Therefore, I did not have singing lessons for nearly 1 year and neither did I dance.
However, when I audited for YG, the president said ,’ you nearly reached the level that you can sing in front of the public’ and ‘I can see the future in you.’
R: How did you feel when hearing this?
VI: I was delighted deep from my heart and then a lot of things popped up in my mind, ‘So I , can do it now? I can be an artist? I am a singer!’ Even my confidence was budded too.
However, after seeing how the members of BIGBANG were trained at that moment, my heart was lost. I knew deep down from my heart, I could not be compared with them and I was like falling into irreversible sadness.

R: They had really high standard?
VI: Yes, very high. Our members, right from that spur of time, could sing and dance very well.
I am not exaggerating since that is true. I completely lost. I lost from head to tail.
That’s why I kept practising, non-stop practising.
R: Those must be hard days.

VI: Yes, I wanted to give up sometimes.
R: But why didn’t you give up?

VI: I worked hard for my parents. I am unlike other members, I do not come from Seoul. I came from a place called Gwangju. If we see it from the perspective of Japanese, it is like Osaka to Tokyo. Gwangju was a bit far from Seoul.
For most of the artists, if they leave home at the age of 15, their parents will object to their decision but mine supported me since the very beginning.
‘If you really decide to do that, please do it seriously.’ I was encouraged by this sentence and it gave me strength to go to Seoul since I knew I could not give up. Other members like GD and SOL also helped me a lot. Before I entered the company, they had leading the life of a trainee for 6 years. Since they were my seniors, they gave me advice.
R: You have shown very good performance recently, how blissful you are.

VI:I did not know whether I could debut or not at that time since my background is different from them.

R: I know you have to be humble but it is undeniable that VI has been one of our most expected singers nowadays.

VI: Thank you. Whenever I talked with my sister who is 3 years younger than me on the phone, I will hear this, ‘ Oppas in BIGBANG are super, you have to work extra hard!’ Although I know it myself, when it came out of the mouth of my younger sister, I would still think she is ‘so noisy’ and ‘so crumpsy’~zi-zi-zi, then the phone will be hanged up?!

R: Ha ha, your family members are strict.
VI: They are really pushing me although obviously I am working hard now.

R: So your Japanese in NO. 1 in your team?

VI: I can speak a lot Japanese. I learn Japanese from a staff two hours a day and because I like Japanese TV drams and films too , such as ‘Rookies’ and ‘Cross Zero’. I imitate how they speak. I want to speak Japanese as fluent as the Japanese. That’s why I pay much attention to the conversation among the characters of the programmes. Then I imitated the sentences together with a proper tone. I learn Japanese gradually in this way.

R: It was a must for you to be the MC of the stage of ‘ELECTRIC LOVE TOUR’.
VI: I was so worried so I watched many LIVE DVDS before because the stage design of the Japanese stages is different from the Korean ones.

R: What is the difference?
VI: The part that is the most different is what we say on the stage. In Korea, we asked,’ do you enjoy our show?’ and ‘let’s start’. But we think Japanese fans also anticipated there were something good in our conversation so we wanted to include some funny elements into it. And of course, we would have heart-to-heart talk too. I have thought of the conversation a lot. ‘How are you doing?’ After I spoke this. The fans replied with ‘Wa’ and GD said ,’ not good enough, not good enough’ to me.

R: That is awesome so will you want to follow the trend of ‘TALK’ too?
VI: Yes, I am the one who think about the MV part. Since I know what the fans are curious very well, I am responsible of conveying their messages to my fellow members too. I am working hard to be the bridge between fans and BIGBANG.
No matter in Korea or Japan, I am the only one who leaves message on the blog.

R: You are just like the PR of BIGBANG.
VI: Oh, I have never thought of this before.

R: In fact, you guys received very good feedback from your tour and the fans loved the MC part too.
VI: I feel especially happy about this. This was very enjoyable. Last year I though the Japanese fans were very silent but this year, they were awesome.
They did not only watch our performance but also joined it! How can I describe this to you?

R: You started to feel the echos from the fans.
VI: Yes yes, this is exactly what I mean! Echo! What I feel on the stage was the same sentiment that felt by the audience. We all felt nervous.

R: How did you feel before you have your performance
VI: Of course I am nervous. Although I did not know whether my fellow members felt the same as me or not but I was so nervous that I did not speak a word.
SOL went to the toilet very frequently.
And for GD, he always spoke to us to make sure everything was okay. ‘No problems? All are ready?’ That’s why he is the leader.
I observed how my brothers act at that time. As the youngest in the team, I am exceptionally calm since I have witnessed all of the success and failures of the adults. Yes yes, that is right. But I do also receive a lot of teachings from my brothers too.
At the very beginning, there were several things that I could not do and I even threw tantrums because of this. And haven’t I changed a lot? Now, when I looked back, being the youngest, it is good to have both sides of cute and mature. Ha ha.

R: You have broken a smile on your face so what is the results of observing them?
VI: In fact, GD and TOP are the ones who are the most pampered. Although their performance on the stage kill people but they have a child-like heart.
And I, as I always say, ‘GD and TOP are the two who speak the funniest Japanese.’
They are really interesting!

R: On the contrary, so you are the adult?
VI: Yes!

R: You seem to be so confident about it.
VI: But my heart is very vulnerable.

R: To be exact, which part is comparatively vulnerable?
VI: The part that I cannot be really angry. Although I think that if I can show my anger, it will be better, I do not want to show this kind of mood. What I do is to accumulate this kind of feeling in my heart since I am a blood type A person.
Therefore, I try to release my feelings through driving and speed. BEONG BEONG!!

R: But you do not hide your feeling when you really want to share something?
VI: If it is something about BIGBANG, I love to share it immediately. ‘ I think if we do it in this way, it would be better…’ I always say such stuff in front of my fellow members.
And as a leader, GD is superb to take everyone’s opinions into account and then draws a conclusion. Therefore, the decisions made by BIGBANG are made according to the opinions of the members. And if the decisions are different from mine, I can also accept them.

R: He is such a reliable leader.
VI: So I think it is really a fabulous team. There are times that we fight with each other though. We have different roles and what is mutual among us is we are all frank person. SOL is particularly ‘very’ frank and willing to forgive.
I have not only known D-Lite very well.

R: Do you guys act very secretly?
VI: I don’t know what other members do in their private time but I know what most of them are up to. D-Lite is trying to build a maze, just like an astronaut. He does not know how to talk with people he is not familiar with.
Because TOP is the oldest brother, for me, as the youngest can come into contact with him with a cool attitude but I am scared too.
People of blood type B are horrible! It is a big deal. Be careful when you are conducting the interview.

R: Does TOP blame you as well?
VI: Yes yes, although just occasionally. If he points out my faults, I would say,’Yes, I am sorry. I will start taking care of this now…’ ha ha!

R: VI is a college student too.
VI: Yes, I entered university this year and I found school life very meaningful.
Since I entered the showbiz since I was small, I do not have friends outside the business. However, when I promoted to university, I started to have friends. And when I hear others’ thoughts, I will also agree with them. The relationship with others have been enhanced for sure.

R: Are you learning how to perform?
VI: Yes. Although Korean singers often participate in TV drama or films, I believe that we need acting skills even if we are only singing. How much the fans can get our messages also matter a lot to me. When performing the beautiful songs, then we should perform in a beautiful way; if they are sad songs, we have to choose the appropriate way to perform them. We need to convey the messages by our facial expressions too which I am currently learning.
Certainly I want to participate in different activities in the future. Although I want BIGBANG can follow the example of SMAP and continues to be the best band in Korea, as a solo artist, I also want to have my solo activities. I wish I could have a style like Justin Randall Timberlake. I also want to try to take a role in films and TV dramas, etc.

R: You are a very curious person?
VI: I want to accomplish many things and I am always thinking about stuff. I am that kind of person who loves to work a lot. I feel unsafe when I am free. I can be called as a greedy man.

R: That’s why you are working hard now.
VI: Perhaps. What drives me to do so is BIGBANG. BIGBANG is the ace card of my life. I feel so lucky of having BIGBANG and I feel stronger too. Wherever I want to go, I can certainly able to do so. For places that I cannot reach with my own foot, my fellow members will support me. I believe all 5 of them feel this too since we are in a group.

R: The ace of your life. It is really a true metaphor.
VI: I feel special as being part of BIGBANG. If I were not part of it, I would not feel so. I have lives a special life which I have to be grateful of.

R: VI has the control of such a life.
VI: Yes, I think it is fate. It is because of this, our belief will not fade. All of us are of different ages. Although I am the youngest, when we are working, age does not matter a bit. For all of us, we bear the same responsibility- we have to become BIGGER for BIGBANG and we have to keep on working hard.

R: VI has been working hard continuously so now you have a different kind of confidence?
VI: After hard work, certainly I have confidence. And I also think that it is not acceptable for me not to work hard. Is it true that even Japanese males do have confidence, they will not say it out? All of them would only say,’ At the time being..it is…’. I am ‘confident’ and ‘I am a flower boy’, I have said so but I joked of course.

R: Oh, was it a joke?
VI: Half was a joke and another half was real. I have to work extra hard for conveying those funny bits to you.

R: You have already attained a good standard of Japanese.
VI: No, I want to speak even better in order to leave a good impression on the ones who live in Japan. But when I am doing activities in a group and others just think that there is only me who is working hard on Japanese, it is not good at all. Since it looks like other members do not have the passion to learn it. So for the readers who are reading this interview, please include the sentence ‘work hard on Japanese’ on your letters to other members.

R: Won’t it be better if you say it on your own?
VI: It is not suitable since I am the youngest in the team.

R: Haven’t you said that if it is related to job, it is okay to speak like this?
VI: I only think that if they get encouragement from the Japanese fans, they will work harder.

Scanned by: kirisimawoomou @ so-net
Chinese Translation:A+ @ Baidu VI Bar
Credits & English Translation: Rice@bigbangworldwide.blogspot.com

Είναι τόσο γλύκα και ευαισθητούλικο!!

BIGBANG’s T.O.P is Always Improving!

Everyone knows about BIGBANG’s early Solo Careers , and are developing rapidly in the entertainment industry.

G-Dragon and Taeyang seperately released their solo albums and . T.O.P has been acting in 2 shows – in 2009 a Telecinema KBS and in this year’s '71 Into The Fire' where over 200000 tickets were sold. T.O.P is acting as the lead role with the film’s 3 other actors. While acting, it is obvious that they have a potential for acting.

T.O.P, who is turning 23 in November, he expresses that during filming, he is grateful towards the other actor hyungs for their support, which helped his filming to be successful.

“Every night in the hotel, I am receiving many pointers and tips from my seniors and the director. I am very happy that I can get along well with them. When filming the 17-year old Jang Bum, I either fall asleep or will have nightmares. (Someone who I dont know his name) told me that a ‘good actor is one who can get into the character’s personality very well during filming, and after filming to be himself again’ .Although at that point of time I am unable to grasp the meaning of what he said.”


Expressing his gratitude for the members of BIGBANG’s forgiveness. Besides Thanking his seniors and director for taking care of him, T.O.P also thanks the member of BIGBANG for their understanding.

“Everytime I go back to Japan to unite with them, they will forgive and understand what I am going through, and I am very grateful for that. They will always tell me that I am too sensitive at times, and tell me that I go too far, and that everytime I have new plans, I am too engrossed with it. At first I did not wish to show my weakness to the other members , but its almost impossible, because we are just like family."

While acting in '71 into the fire', T.O.P became too ‘into’ the movie character until he went into depression.

“This movie has many characters, from the beginning, catching my attention from the start…. During filming, because I am too ‘into’ the role in the movie, I will start getting depressed. I spend so much time that I forget about reality, and forget about myself, and hence frequently spending time alone, and also always get into a nervous state. During the period of the battlefield scene’s filming, I am unable to sleep, and always end up being blank. At that point of time, everytime I think of the battlefield scene, I will be traumatised by it.”

T.O.P expresses that since he isn’t a person who plans for his future , his only wish is to be different from everyone else, and hopes to bring new things in and improve for everyone else.

“I hope that for each thing I do, there will be a new feel to it,and i dont wish to be classified under ‘this is just T.O.P’ , If for everything you have to see the same T.O.P , i believe that you will feel bored eventually. That is why, for every role I act as, I hope that it is a totally new role , just like me changing into a monster. Regardless of being in the music or acting industry, I hope that every thing that I do will be interesting, with a totally new feeling to it, earning everybody’s support."


Credits: ibigbang
(Translated | scanned: Sally)

1. What is your dream for BIGBANG and for yourself as a solo artist?
I’ll be so glad if many people feel happy with BIGBANG’s music. I want to be the entertainer who makes people happy not only with music, but also with various things.

2. What’s the difference between doing the stage with BIGBANG and as a solo artist?
When I feel exhausted, with members we all cheer each other on. But as a solo artist, it’s so lonely because I’m all alone.

3. Recently, what moved you the most while doing stages with BIGBANG?
It’s not the “most”, it’s “always”. Same as TOP’s answer, I guess, but if I have to pick, it’s performing at the concert. It’s hard but it’s so fun, more than anything. It moves me no matter how many times I do (the concert).

4. The most happy moment privately with just yourself?
I came across my friend who came back to Korea from the U.S. It has been a while since we’d met each other. It has been about 7 years maybe.


5. What roles do you members play in a team?
G-DRAGON is the father, SOL is the mom. Me, I’m the boy who lives near by. TOP is the baby and VI is a pet!

6. What do you think an ideal man needs to have?
A man who works his best to never regret what he did in the past and approved by everyone no matter what he did.

7. The place which you want to go to the most?
Hawaii! Maybe go skiing in Japan!

8. The thing you want to get?
Hmm~.. what is it? It’s not popping in my head right away. *laughs*

9. The most precious thing you have now?
My BIGBANG members. I thought like, “It’s so grateful to have met these kind of great members”, on the day when all BIGBANG members gathered to celebrate our 4th debut anniversary.

10. Your type of girl?
Girl who is like my soulmate, feels connected.

11. The difference between Japanese and Korean girls?
I don’t know that much about Japanese girls, just our fans, but they are feminine. Korean girls are energetic if that’s what I can call them?

12. Store you usually shop in Japan?
Isetan in Shinjuku and Yaoyama.

13. Brand you like?
Rick owens. I wear his clothing designs often.

14. What do you consider the most when you style yourself?
I like the designs which are simple and comfortable.

15. Artist you want to work with?
Hirai Ken. I’m a fan of him.

16. What have you been thinking recently besides music?
Cars! It’s not like I want to buy one, I’m just interested in them.



1. What is your dream for BIGBANG and for yourself as a solo artist?
Both are the same. My dream is to get great results no matter what the circumstances they make us what do. We just do what we want to do.

2. What’s the difference between doing the stage with BIGBANG and as a solo artist?
With all 5 members, we can play jokes with each other, that kind of things. But as a solo artist, there are some hardships because it’s lonely.

3. Recently, what moved you the most while doing stages with BIGBANG?
We had our 4th debut anniversary last August 19th and had a private moment with just us members. We talked about a lot of things.

4. The most happy moment privately with just yourself?
My birthday, which was on August 18th!

5. What roles do you members play in a team?
Me, I’m the daddy. SOL’s mom. TOP is the youngest child. D-LITE is the oldest child and V.I is a friend of the youngest child. *laughs*


6. What do you think an ideal man needs to have?
Men must have abilities. Plus, I want to be the person who can be kind to the weak and be strong to the people who are strong.

7. The place which you want to go to the most?
My house at Seoul.

8. The thing you want to get?
Same, a house *laughs* For now I’m living with my members altogether. So sometimes I want to live alone, but I think I just have to live like this for now, just a little longer.

9. The most precious thing you have now?
Friends and familiies. My USB memory which has all the music of BIGBANG for the album this year. I can’t ever lose these.

10. Your type of girl?
I like a girl who can understand what I want. A girl who has a great sense of humor.

11. The difference between Japanese and Korean girls?
Maybe korean girls are the active ones and Japanese girls are the little timid ones.

12. Store you usually shop in Japan?
13. Brand you like?
12 & 13. Yaoyama’s LOVELESS & Faline Tokyo at Harajuku.

14. What do you consider the most when you style yourself?
Feeling. When you match everything, it looks good on your whole body.

15. Artist you want to work with?
There’s one among the male artists, but I can’t remember his name… I also want to work with m-flo.

16. What have you been thinking recently besides music?
I think about everything including music all the time.



1. What is your dream for BIGBANG and for yourself as a solo artist?
BIGBANG is just like a family, so we aim the same thing no matter what place we’re at. Our dream is to make another legend(?)-like stage, just like what we’ve done this far. We want to be the valuable ones so that everyone can call “the time of BIGBANG”.

2. What’s the difference between doing the stage with BIGBANG and as a solo artist?
For my solo experience, I get to experience acting in movies and dramas. It’s not like music at all. I want to keep my acting career going as long as there are people who still want to see me act. Yet I’m not at the place where I get to pick what I want to act because I’m still a newbie. But I want to surprise fans for my next character and hoped that it would be awesome.

3. Recently, what moved you the most while doing stages with BIGBANG?
Every day is a success and it moves me. The fact that I live this life every day is touching.

4. The most happy moment privately with just yourself?
Half a year ago, many things had happened, but the happiest thing for me was the hit movie which I was in, “Into the Fire”, and many people approved my acting in the movie.


5. What roles do you members play in a team?
The other members are saying that I’m the baby, the child, but I’m actually the oldest one so I play the father too. *laughs* I play both sides.

6. What do you think an ideal man needs to have?
Men with dignity. Always gentle, free spirited, and wise. I want to be a man who is not embarrassed from anything.

7. The place which you want to go to the most?
My hotel room *laughs*

8. The thing you want to get?
There are too many, can’t pick. *laughs*

9. The most precious thing you have now?
Huge bearbrick figure which is the size of a kindergarten child. I feel good even when I’m just looking at it. That and the fans!

10. Your type of girl?
A girl who thinks or likes what I do. A girl who can lead.

11. The difference between Japanese and Korean girls?
I don’t know much about Japanese girls…. just the fans of BIGBANG, I think they are both calm.

12. Store you usually shop in Japan?
Here and there, I go to Yaoyama center.

13. Brand you like?
14. What do you consider the most when you style yourself?
(13 & 14) I like John Galliano the best. I like classical suits, so also Thom Browne and Givenchy.

15. Artist you want to work with?
I want to ask Murakami Takashi to design my solo album cover! I think my thoughts are similar to his work, so I’ll be glad if I can ask him for a design. I want to know what person he is and what thoughts he has. I so want to meet and talk to him.

16. What have you been thinking recently besides music?
I’m considering what kind of movie I can do next after the movie, “Into the Fire”.


Korean to English Translation: HuisuYoon@21BANGS.com
Magazine Scanned by: -undercurrent@tumblr

The universe began here. To BIGBANG’s generation~

The appearance of BIGBANG is the dawn of the artist’s new generation. Drawing the line between the conventional Korean star is BIGBANG who is capable of opening up a new era and to create something new. Numero will give you a close-up of the real deal about BIGBANG to get to know the origin of their "power"~

Questions from Numero to BIGBANG
Q1) What is your dream as a member of BIGBANG and your dream as a solo artist?
Q2) What is the difference of your activities as BIGBANG and as a solo artist?
Q3) What's the most impressive thing that happened during your activities as BIGBANG?
Q4) What's the happiest thing you did recently during your private time?
Q5) What is every member’s role?
Q6) What is your ideal style of a man?
Q7) Where do you want to go the most right now?
Q8) What do you want do the most now?
Q9) What's your most important possession?
Q10) What is your ideal type of woman?
Q11) What is the difference between Korean woman and Japansese woman?
Q12) Where do you often go shopping in Japan?
Q13) What is your favorite brand?
Q14) What is the fashion point that you care about the most?
Q15) Among Japanese artists, who do you want to work with ?
Q16) Recently, what else do you think aside from music?



SOL
A1) I want to be a singer who gives an impression to people as a BIGBANG member and as a solo artist. Going over to Korea and Japan or wherever I’ll go, my dream is to be a person who sings cool songs and gives a lasting impression.

A2) During solo activity, I have to express only what I want to do by myself. BIGBANG is one with five members so harmony is important. Other members make up for my weaknesses and make me strong. During solo, I don't have this kind of support and I feel more pressured.

A3) The first concert after the debut.

A4) Well…I can't think of any. Something sad? I don’t have either. This makes me sad because I don’t have a happy thing or a sad thing. (Laughs) Recently, I’m just busy working and I don’t really experience situations that make me feel happy or sad.

A5) We had different roles before. Recently, we are all so busy working and we don't have specific roles now. I think our roles will be more differentiated again when we restart working as BIGBANG.

A6) A cool father! I don't really have a wish on when to get married but I want to have two children.

A7) Okinawa. Because I have never been there.

A8) (After thinking for a while) Time.

A9) All the people surrounding me. They are all important. I can't pick just one person.

A10) A lovely girl.

A11) I don’t know about Japanese women well. (Laughs) But I had an impression that Japanese fans are shy before. Now Japanese fans are as passionate as Korean fans.

A12) I have been from place to place before. Recently, I go to Isetan because they have everything. (Laughs)

A13&14) (An instant answer) Chrome Hearts! It's a shop not found in Korea before so I used to only buy in Japan. About two years ago, the shop was established in Seoul so I often go to this shop too. However, the shop in Japan has a better selection. They are expensive and I don't really buy but looking at their stuff makes me really happy. (Laughs)

A15) There are many great artists in Japan so I can’t decide. I’ll do my best if given the chance to work with anyone.

A16) Travel. Not only Okinawa but also in U.S.A, Europe… I want to go around all over the world.


Korean to English Translation: HuisuYoon@21BANGS.com
Magazine Scanned by: -undercurrent@tumblr

On the day of the interview, SOL is busy shooting his music video for his international solo album’s title song “I’ll Be There”, which will be released in August of this year. We can understand that SOL has to finish shooting. We wanted to go and see his solo live performance & watch the shooting special cut of the music video.
I want people to think that they are watching Big Bang’s SOL’s solo activity and not the solo artist, SOL. To add the groups part of the name along with mine, it makes me feel more stressful, but that will let me be more serious if this album is going to be released successfully.

“That’s Big Bang’s SOL!” I wanted to say. This must have been influenced by his group so responsibly. Although his solo activity is stressful, we can feel happiness from his words.
Like packing with a lunch sack and traveling alone. While traveling, I would find the missing pieces and think about what I have failed along the way. At this kind of environment, I can pay attention on music and I’m still thankful for that because I have also learned a lot from it.

Now no one can deny his ability of dancing and vocals. This all started when he and his brother listened to American music at the age of 5.
When I was listening to the music with my brother, I had interests on it. Then I later took part in my company’s senior JINUSEAN’s MV. At that time, I was surprised by my senior, so I wanted to be a singer too. Then I asked the boss, YG, that I wanted to be a trainee. At that time, I didn’t know whether I could debut or not. I’d worked hard day after day. In fact, trainee time was hard, but I thought that was my turning point. From trainee time to when I was called a singer, all sorts of feelings well up in my mind.

This August Big Bang will hold their 4th anniversary.
I want to make a song that will be known worldwide some time, a song that can make us be confirmed as world-renowned artists, although I don’t know when.

To talk about this dream, SOL danced and sang and kept on working passionately.

Q&A
Q1: If you fall in love with somebody, what kind of person will you be?
In fact, till now, I haven’t fallen in love with anybody. I don’t know why, but in my heart, like my title song, “I need a girl” (laugh). I want to have a girlfriend this year. So, this question I’ll answer the next year. (laugh)

Q2: What’s the ideal sense of distance between you and the one you like?
Maybe we can’t be together with each other every single day. I think to think about each other is good and also happy. To talk about the ideal sense of distance, I think it’s best if we’re not gone too long and not too far away from each other.

Q3：Right now, what do you think about marriage?
If I can marry now, I wanna do it early. If I find a girlfriend, then I would have to think about if I want to be with her forever and marry her. Although I am busy nowadays, I also spent some times thinking about one day coming home to a family and having a stable, relaxed home.

Translated by: Didikuro@21BANGS.com
Magazine Scanned by: Tisya@bigbangupdates.com

This interview was out on September 2010 & was never translated.

- I saw you on TV this morning.
*smiles shyly* Actually it was just after I woke up, so I was feeling like dreaming then.

- No no, you definitely cheered up your members who were having some difficulties with the subject which was not about music.
Yes, but actually I’m a very shy guy. I’m the most coyest one in Big Bang.

- But you never seem like one! Then what do you think of yourself, not the shy one?
(in Japanese: shojiki bocumo bocuo yocuwa karimasen) Honestly, I don’t know about myself that much either.

- Oh, you are good speaking in Japanese.
(in Japanese: um, etto jenjen madamadadae smimasan) Um, ah, I’m still not very good at it, so hopefully you can understand.

- You can speak whatever language that you’re comfortable with. *laughs* So, how about the others? For example, they say, “This is the person I think Taeyang is”.
They would say that I’m a serious and worrying person. Saying, “What can you possibly do if you are just so worried about the others all the time?”. It’s like now I’m the one who makes everyone worry about me, *laughs bitterly* but this year, 2010, I’ve made a whole lot of difference in me. There were some hard times for me considering some personal stuff, one of the things like, I wasn’t even able to sleep well. But I found an answer and when I was finally over that, I started to think everything so positively. I was speaking with so much enthusiasm on TV or my face would be showing all kinds of expressions, yeah.

- Can you share with us, about that, uh,. problems you had?
It has not been that very long, but after I started my singing career, I’d spent everyday asking myself, “What do I have to do now?”, “Is this choice a right thing to do?”. It has been 3 years now and I was starting to feel my limit, like there’s some kind of a wall or something. I was so scared that maybe I can even lose my reason to sing. However one day, it was maybe beginning of 2010, I started to think that it’s not the thing that I should be afraid of. I think I’m not really really “over” that wall, but I’m at the point of, “Maybe I can do this?!”

- Ah, ok. But really, it was a little surprise that you felt your limit on music.
Maybe some people think that it’s so natural that Big Bang started to get more and more famous, getting some popularity, but we must fight, quarrel, and make our best effort in the progress. And from time to time i have been overwhelmed thinking “How should I get through this?!”

- It must be very hard to stay on top. It’s like out of imagination that you must show the audience better stages from there. I wonder how hard you make your effort behind the back.
I think debut is easy. It’s the start line and of course it’s hard, but it’s still easy because it has a great range of challenge and we can challenge everything we want. But as we go up, there are things making that wall taller and thicker, like what we’ve come to now. Also we lose, uh, freshness too. Feeling those kind of difficulties everyday, but as I solve the problems one by one, I’ve become more confident and I think that led to the success of “Electric Love Tour”.

- Truely, the tour was so amazing!
It was the best. I’ve done so many concerts, but there aren’t many that I can remember. But this “Electric Love Tour” is one of the tours that I felt with my heart. The stage equipments were amazing, but more than just the equipments, we really enjoyed it. Plus the audiences were really having fun too.

- Yes, it was so sparkling with such smiling faces not only just on the stage, but also the fans.
I was so happy. Of course, it is important that we get the popularity and good responses, but making the kind of music that moves deeply in people’s hearts, who care about us, is more important. I think it will be so great that maybe the people can feel love, live a life full of love, after they go back to the real life having felt something at the concert.

- Taeyang, you are so professional at both singing and dancing, but I feel so close to you even after the concert.
It’s all the same whether I’m doing an interview like this, singing on the stage, or filming a show. I want to stay just as who I am. Maybe that’s why you feel friendly, but I also don’t think it’s bad that the artists make people feel like they are difficult to get close to. Even there are some parts that I admire them, but in my way of thinking, it’s the right thing to do to show you the real me.

- Your control of the passion that push yourself to your limits, which are shown through your fantastic performances. Also at the same time, you make the friendly feeling showing us your true self. After hearing from you, it’s getting more interesting.
I think the more I get my experience on the stage, the more I can show you my true self.

- Plus, do you get nervous, Taeyang?
Yes, yes. Actually I’m so nervous right now too.

- *laughs* Is there a way to ease it?
Before going on to the stage, I would talk to myself. To let my greed go, the thoughts stuck in my heart, I would say things like, “I have to finish this concert successfully. I have to be great.”

- Oh~
There are things I must do to do that. I would do something good or listen to music to relax, but the waiting room is so crowded all the time as there are members or staffs, so I go to a bathroom. It’s not because of the stomachache from being too nervous. *laughs* A bathroom can be the place where I can have my own time to focus on myself.

- As I imagine the place, bathroom, I think it’s sort of the same thing with the head phones worn by sports players before their games.
Ah, it could be?! I assume it’s the same as I go on the stage and sports player stand before the start line.

- But the difference is you make the stage full of entertainment and the sports player do their games. By the way, Big Bang’s stage is very full of many entertainment elements, right?
That’s the strong point of Big Bang. The things each member like or is good at are so different from one another. It’s so obvious that we have a lot of ideas when we gather together. There are 5 people with 5 different colors. Because of that, we can make our own world so entertaining. My things are just singing and dancing… there are many things that the other members can do well on, which I can’t do, like going on variety shows…

- But your strong points attract a lot of people with your awesome vocals and great dance moves.
(in Japanese: arigatto gojaiemas) Thank you. *smiling*

- So that’s the 5 different colored people all gathered together.
Yes, even it’s so marvelous to me. Many may think that at some point, there must be some sense of rivalry and some quarreling. Quarreling with each other is unavoidable. We all are going to the same path. Of course there were some displeasing things at first because all 5 members had lived very different lives. *laughs* But we can understand better and deeper with one another when we spend some time and experience the same things together. Of course there are a lot of different things we want to do and what we aim to do, but one thing that all the members love is music.

- What kind of people do you think your members are?
Okay, one by one. G-Dragon, he is a person who really hates to be restricted, who always pursue freedom. Therefore he has flexiblity to accept new things without fear and soon make it his own style. His composition shows very well of that. Even his hair style is always changing, right? TOP, he is the oldest and has his own charisma in his appearance and behavior. He is just so cool, even we can notice that in movies and dramas as well as on the stages. But in fact, he is the funniest one at the same time. Daesung has his own charm that makes people expect like, “What is going to happen next?”, no matter what show he is on.

- And his smile!
Yes, I think that’s the great attraction of Daesung’s. Also he and I have some similarities in personalities so he is the one who I’m on the same wavelength with the most. That’s why we share our room in the hotel.

- It must be so important when you have more overseas activities?
Yes. Really, it’s like living with him since we have to see each other all day long. That’s why I share my room with Daesung and G-Dragon is sharing his with SeungRi.

- Then how about TOP?
We don’t have any other choice. We can’t share one room with the 3 of us. Also, TOP is the man who enjoys his own time alone. *smiles* And SeungRi is the one who is always so passionate and confident. He’s always optimistic, he’s very opposite from me. I think he has a very attractive personality.

- Oh yes and also I can see the reason why you don’t share your room with him.
*laughs* Also he’s kind of a little troublemaker. It’s not that he makes some big troubles, but he constantly makes small troubles all the times. Everyone is just saying like, “Just calm down a little bit” to him.

- He’s like the youngest brother, right? Also he’s the actual youngest one in Big Bang too.
(in Japanese) The members are a little worried about him all the time.

- So, in Big Bang, what do you think your role is?
Hmmm…

- It seems a little difficult to talk about yourself so suddenly, right? *laughs*
(in Japanese: ichibang muzkasiei) It’s the most difficult thing to do. Um, it’s a little like the same thing that I said before. I want my members to not forget the main thing, the reason why we make our own music and why we perform our stages. The thing that each member have their own different features means there are possibilities for Big Bang to split up from one another so easily. My role is to keep ourself in tension about our serious thoughts of music, about our mind aiming the same goal. In Big Bang, I think I need to do that job. Like I said, I don’t have any ability except that and just singing.

- Yeah~ like I said, you have your own enough presence with your vocal. That modesty, in some way it’s so useless. Have you had that kind of personality since you were young?
Yes, absolutely. Since I was young I have had so much thoughts and worries. *laughs* But the most important thing is to make that feature the positive thing and I think I chose my path of music at the age of 13 because of this personality.

- It sounds quite early to choose your future at the age of 13.
Music was all around me. Ever since when I was a kindergartner, I have learned classical piano and also got to listen to western music, especially African-American music, which affected me because of my 5-year older brother. I thought it was so cool even not knowing the title or the artist of the song.

- So what made you to really sing, not just enjoying and listening to the music?
I have never sung in front of my mother or my friends because I was such a shy boy. I just listened to my brother’s cassette tapes and memorized the lyrics, singing, and dancing just in my room, standing on my own stage in my own world. *shy* But that imaginative world have became the real world now. Seriously, I think I’m here where I stand now because of the imagination and the strong hope wishing to be like this from the past.

- I guess there must have been many people around you so surprised.
They really were, including my family, the ones who remember the 13 year-old me, still say that “you’ve changed”. At first, I stepped into this world not as a singer, but a child actor applying to an audition for YG. I thought that chance was not just a coincidence that I had to go for my dream of music by using this kind of chance. But like I said, I am this kind of person, so it was hard to just jump into that. Back then I just thought too much, not knowing what to do. *smiles bitterly* But I guess that was the time I started to break my limits and walls one by one.

- Ah, so what do you think your turning point of your music career is?
There are so many. One of them is after I got into the office (YG), I was introduced to hip hop when I took part in the music video of Jinusean, which is my senior group. I just love hip hop, but after I studied it seriously and got to understand it deeper, the music I had listened since I was so young, for example, the music of Stevie Wonder, who is called to be the root of the R&B music, the music started to sound so different. The hip hop, which I learned after having studied music, was a very different thing. It was like “Oh, this was born because of that artist and that kind of music. It’s not just a coincidence that I was so attracted by this music. They were just so connected, similar to each other.” After I actually learned that music, the studying from then was just so amazing.

- Um, I guess I get what you mean.
Another turning point I must say is my solo mini album that was released 2 years ago. While I was working with that album, I had deep conversations with the producer, Teddy, a lot of times. Like talking about our opinions of the sounds and expressions for the album, we made sure that it’s the real me, my whole view of life.

- Your life experience speak of Taeyang, the real you.
It’s just what I’ve been thinking lately, that I am just me, no matter who I meet along the way. And it’s just not worthless to worry a little about all the things because of my personality. Because it keeps me being me. Ah, I mean for now, I have the strength to find my own color and be myself no matter what new things I’m trying to do. Actually, I’m still a little afraid of trying new things, but I started to have some confidence, yes.

- So Taeyang, what’s your dream?
Um.., I was so greedy at the time when I first dreamed to be a singer. It was like “My goal is to be the best in the world!”. *laughs* But now, I want to make my every effort in making the great music and the best stage. Perhaps in that way, there must be someone who reconize me as number 1.

- Who’s your ideal musician type?
MJ! (Michael Jackson)

- For his what? His music? Or his presence?
Everything about him. But it’s not just that I want to imitate him, I want to learn his mind, what he was trying to say by his music. Of course, I’ve been so affected by him, his vocal, dance, and fashion. He is the only one who can do his music, so that’s why I have to find my own. Taeyang’s own music before that I was just imitating him. And yes, my goal is to find my own music.

- How about your ambition as Big Bang?
It’s not like we have some goal and go for it, it’s just we do our best right now. Like now, getting some popularity in Japan, many people getting to know Big Bang’s music and love us… it’s something that I couldn’t even imagine and still can’t believe it even for now. So I think from now on, we just have to do our best like we are doing right now. Then there must be some great results in the future.

- Okay, so the very last question, the important one. What’s your most precious thing in your life?
Um… there is something. There must be, but it’s just too important to talk right now. *laughs*

- Oh, so there is something. *laughs*
There must be and there has to be.

- Okay then, what do you want to have most, right now?
The thing I want to have… time. And the precious thing in my life must be love. *shy*

- But the most precious thing is a secret, right?
(in Japanese: heimize des) It’s a secret.

Japanese to Korean Translation: 여신권지디@bbvipz
Korean to English Translation: HuisuYoon@21BANGS.com

Source: gogogdyb

Quote :

Relaxing after the photo shoot. Having removed the luxurious fur coat, Taeyang saunters over to us. The editor and the photographer are in the midst of talking about a delivery crisis that occurred due to traffic backed up by a state function on November 11th. The bonsai pine tree that was to be used for the shoot almost didn’t make it in time. After listening quietly, Taeyang murmurs, “Why do they make such a fuss…” Having never been one for acting up or posturing – in a Korean mainstream music scene where, nowadays, it’s hard to even distinguish Idol from Ah-ee-deul [children] – Taeyang is stubbornly walking a different path. Rather than insisting on a certain concept, he has the belief that he’s doing what he wants. Rather than mindlessly complaining about the state of the music scene, he shows the determination to triumph over its weaknesses. Rather than flaunting insistently, he has the maturity as a singer to sometimes just keep quiet.

Still, on this occasion provided to praise and congratulate him, Taeyang lets out a sigh. “Hmm… I guess looking back, it’s kind of bittersweet. It was great. After all, I finally got to release the album that I’d worked on for so long, the number of people that listened to and appreciated the album grew, the international response was a big support, and I got to have the concerts that I’d been wanting so much. But I think when the curtain goes down, we all feel that way. You’re happy, but a little sad, and you’re left with a lot of afterimages. You can’t help thinking, ‘Maybe I should have done things this way.’ A sense of emptiness, maybe? Like there’s a corner that’s still unfulfilled. ‘Cause I’m in a somewhat ambiguous position.” He trails off at the last sentence. “What I wanted most when I released my album was to do a lot of gigs, whether on a small stage, a big stage or in the streets. I always dreamt of being in the same space and exchanging with the people who listen to my music, and I still dream of it now. But I’m not in a position where I can perform in just small theatres. And yet, I didn’t want to just promote in a media-centered way either [i.e. via media, rather than person-to-person]. And I can’t just mix it up and do both – that’s why my situation is ambiguous.” Then, is sadness/regret something that’s unavoidable?

This year, Taeyang took the stage with the songs, “I Need a Girl” and “I’ll Be There.” The contrast between the two songs is like that of a crisp white shirt and a heavy leather jacket. One was pliant, almost bouncy; the other was dark and sticky. And there was a focus on showing a complete stage. In a sense, Taeyang completely eliminated the childish act of repeating embarrassing movements and attaching a name to it as “Something Something Dance.” His was a method unfamiliar in the mainstream music scene. In a system where everything becomes an issue, he was an instant name, but one who seemed to be trying to erase something. When interest stems from being “Taeyang of Big Bang,” is going solo really going solo? His effort to create his own lofty stage may very well be Taeyang’s foremost task to overcome. But when even so-called music programs invite him, only to end up talking for laughs about what goes on inside the Big Bang apartment, could he have felt a little lonely? “If I hadn’t been a member of Big Bang, I probably couldn’t have started my career amidst all this applause. So I’m grateful and thankful. At the same time, on the solo stage, there’s a lot more I have to overcome on my own. Ultimately, I think the only way to communicate my sincerity on stage is to sing with sincerity. It’s what I feel when I watch performances of many of the artists I respect.”

His full-blown activities over the summer culminated with two concerts. The second concert, in particular, created an unexpected encore stage, wherein session musicians who were ready to exit the venue with guitar cases in hand were called back to the stage. Taeyang stood silently, his eyes glistening with emotion, while the audience was overcome with the energy of watching someone’s final stage. “It’s fortunate that I do feel it’s my destiny to make music and stand on the stage like this. I get the sense that this stage and the music I’m making is right. Even if it’s not my own, I hope you will listen to all the good music in the world and find happiness. That’s why I make music and perform on stage, so I really hope you guys will be happy.” This heightened atmosphere was only settled when he laughed after forgetting the lyrics to “Take It Slow.” “Strangely, I’m especially prone to forget that song.”

Having finished the concerts, Taeyang took off for Jaeju Island. “It was my first time in Jaeju-do. I didn’t think I’d see such scenery in my own country. Mt. Halla stands out in my memory. And I planned to see Mara-do but accidentally ended up in Woo-do. The clear waters of Woo-do was unforgettable, too. Everything about Jaeju-do was good. And yet, I couldn’t rest fully because I was aware that I had to ‘reset.’ It was a short 2 nights, 3 days trip, but it made me think that I need to keep traveling in order to not lose what’s inside me. I travel a lot lately since getting my driver’s license and buying a car. I enjoy the weather whenever I get the chance. I can’t go far, but I have driven as far as Incheon Airport. I haven’t felt anything particularly special about buying a car, but listening to music while driving is a new feeling. It’s so different from listening while you’re walking.”

Maybe it’s a little soon for such reflections? He is calm throughout, as calm as the fields at night. It may be that what he needs is bigger, bigger, even bigger ovation. So let’s applaud him once more before continuing. “I heard a lot of praise, too. I was really happy when I heard [your] comment that I sang like ‘crazy.’ But I think this now and then – what if I step on stage today, and the lights come on, but there’s no one there. There’s really no one. Or there are, but they aren’t focused on my music. Would I be able to sing with my heart? As a singer, I ought to be able to sing passionately even in such circumstances, but I get doubts. Would I really be able to…?”

While we were watching his overwhelming performances, what did he, himself, experience standing on that stage? Our appreciation of Taeyang’s music is built on a certain belief, and the praise for his stage performances is such that one can’t even find any of the all-too-common “anti-”s. (Park Jin Young has said that Taeyang has gotten to the level of playing with the rhythm.) Yet, he speaks of fear. Well, there are easy solutions. He could just continue to show us. He could just overcome it and prove it. He could be sly and occasionally give the public what it wants. Say, leak a “legendary video” of him singing a song that can display his amazing singing skills – a very common occurrence today. “Um, I don’t know. If I wanted to, I would have done it.”

He stutters a little, “It’s… It’s like… I think it’s like this. If I really like that artist, if I truly like that song, then I can sing it. But to sing a difficult song simply to show off how accomplished I am… I’ve always felt that a song is meant to share its sincerity and to move people. Singing just to show off your level and craft is meaningless.” He is unsparing. It wasn’t anything to dither about, but it was such a rare kind of comment that it vibrated with me.

His singing is not about how many octaves he can climb, or how amazingly he can sing the climactic section of “Nothing Better.” It’s not the kind you can contend against someone else’s. In fact, he may not be able to win such a contest. Instead, we give ear to Taeyang’s singing because of his voice color and his supple vocal expression. It’s because he doesn’t sing with an acquired technique of “this must be sung this way.” Rather, his sincere effort to always put himself into his singing is beautiful. When I joke that he would get an express ticket to legendary status if he sang “Creep” [Crip? Clip?] or “She’s Gone,” his eyes smile first – instant baby face, and after such mature conversation.

“When I was younger, my nickname was “Ddongbae” [potbelly] or “Ddong” [dung]. But mostly “Ddongbae.” At the time, I hated “Dong” more than “Youngbae.” Because they made fun of it no matter what. Even to this day, I’ve yet to meet anyone with the last name, Dong, who isn’t a relative. No matter how uncommon your last name is, you’re usually bound to find at least one other person in school with the same name. So I had this feeling of being remote and alone. Now that I’m older, I just see it as rare, unique.”

Twenty-three years old. It’s an age when you know some things and don’t know some things. That goes for anyone, but not everyone thinks deeply about it. “I know my faults very well. In the past, I was really afraid that others will find them out. But early this year, there was an instance when I really opened my heart, and I also changed a lot while releasing and promoting my album. I’m still young, and I think it’s an age when it’s okay to show myself hitting against [struggling, going against] something. That doesn’t mean I can be a spoiled child, of course.” Nonsense. A spoiled child plants himself in one place and throws a tantrum. Taeyang is moving forward. “I think the next solo album will take as long as this one. I was working hard on this album, and it still took this long. Then again, if I change the mindset that it needs to be a full album, I can release singles now and then when there’s time and promote that way. It wouldn’t be bad to promote the way I did with “Wedding Dress” last year. At the time, it bothered me a little that I couldn’t commit fully to my solo activity. But, looking back, it meant a good song didn’t get lost [amongst the album tracks], so it was pretty good.”

Until Solar came out Taeyang rarely left the studio, to the extent that his boss had to push him to meet people, so there is no reason for me to advise the same again. I only suggest generally – wouldn’t it be nice to just do what you want to do freely? “I’m a singer, not a producer, so I enjoy being on stage the most. Being on stage is more fun than leaning too much in one particular area. In a way, I’m able to endure the time in the studio because of the thoughts of being on stage later.” Then shouldn’t he get out of the studio more? “My ideas, whether they are melodies or lyrics, begin outside the studio. That’s why I’m sensing increasingly that travel is important, and I make memos on my iPhone now and then. If I were more outgoing, I would have probably written more songs. But because my natural character isn’t that way, it takes a lot of time and effort to get one song out.”

In an era when everyone is clamoring for attention, when ridiculous sayings and music that isn’t even music gain popularity based solely on celebrity, Taeyang says he wants to spend more time. “Truthfully, my personality doesn’t really suit this era or its trends. You have to make things quickly and always be doing something. Ultimately, in order to express something fully, I need to gain a lot through experience. And, most of all, I want more time for myself.” I ask again how old he is. And suddenly wonder about a twenty-seven year old Taeyang. “I’m curious, too… How I’ll be.”

I ask this earnest young man two rather juvenile questions to close. They both begin with “when.” Firstly, when will he have a romantic relationship? And secondly, when will he go for his military service? “As far as relationships, I trying to first meet a lot of people. Starting with the people around me, I feel like I need to get to know a lot of people. And of course I’m going to serve in the military, but I’m praying every day that the reunification will happen sooner rather than later. ^^” I won’t explain his expression after he said that. (By Jang Woo-Chul/Editor)

Translations by Sylvia@ALWAYSTAEYANG.COM
Thanks to Sol-mate for the photo scans

A world premiere which went on air live through YouTube. This may sound somewhat grandiose but the stage that G-Dragon (GD) and T.O.P of boy band Big Bang stepped on ahead of releasing their album as a unit was small and simple. Instead, they revealed snippets of each song listed in the album and explained the background to them.

To the fans who were looking forward to a fancy comeback performance, this showcase in the format of a talk show may have come off as long-winded but their choice rather came off as the best method to express their affection for the album. And like the two said, them having worked on each of the songs will be like a welcome rain to fans who have long waited for Big Bang’s comeback to the local music scene.

Below are excerpts from their showcase held in Seoul on Tuesday, ten days ahead of the release of “GD & T.O.P.”

Q: The fact that you are using the same logo in promoting your album and in the accessories you wear stands out. Does it have any particular meaning?
GD: As you can see, it’s in the shape of a hand making the sign of a ‘v.’ While working on the album, T.O.P and I figured that our fans like it the most when they see us having a good time on stage. The mark is a bit similar to the Playboy logo as well but it means that two guys, who can be various types of men including attractive, sexy, and knowing how to have fun, have come out.

Q: T.O.P, your solo song “Turn it up” is listed as a bonus track in this album. Is this because you don’t plan to release solo albums anymore?
T.O.P: I think I should explain how the two of us came to release this album to answer that question. Ji-yong [G-Dragon] had been working on Big Bang’s album and after I finished working on my movie, we came to spend more time working together and making more and more songs that our agency didn’t think were too bad. So we abruptly decided to put everything together in the form of a project album and present it as a gift to our fans who are waiting for Big Bang’s album. Our CEO was the one who suggested us the idea of putting together an album containing songs the two of us have made and also including songs that one day will be released in our solo albums as the bonus tracks.

“We want to tell more stories as rappers.”


Q: So was the reason that you two came together purely because your CEO suggested it?
GD: We thought of a variety of combinations while working on Big Bang’s album. And we felt that we should show something new and different to us in the new album we would release since we hadn’t been with our fans for the past two years. So we tried putting together different combinations such as me with T.O.P, just the vocalists which would exclude us two, me and Seungri, Daesung and T.O.P but T.O.P and I saw the most results together. Our fans also liked the what we worked on so that’s how we came to release an album like this.

Q: Were there any difficulties you two experienced while working together?
GD: There weren’t any difficulties in particular because we’re like family. It’s rather the remaining three members who pressure us a lot. They tell us, “You have to do well. That’s the only way we’ll all do well.” I think we’ll have to work even harder.

Q: It seems to be YG’s trend these days but why did you set three songs as the title tracks?
GD: It’s probably why 2NE1 did it as well but we wanted to show a variety of performances since we’re making a comeback for the first time in a while.

Q: But don’t you not have enough time to promote all three songs?
T.O.P: We tend not to set constraints when it comes to time. But we consider both this album and Seungri’s upcoming album just part of the process to releasing Big Bang’s album. Our goal is to show our fans as much as we can in the shortest time possible.

Q: What’s the difference between Big Bang’s album and the album you two will release?
T.O.P: Like most of you can probably tell, we’re two very different people so when put together, we probably created a new type of music. We’re excited about the upcoming performances and fashion we’ll get to stage — we’re preparing a lot of things.
GD: I think our songs will be closer to hip-hop than when we’re Big Bang. And we’re both rappers so we’d like to tell more stories for our fans to listen.

Q: You made a lot of the songs yourselves but out of the three title tracks, two of them are by Teddy. That’s why it seems like the album will somewhat be a continuation of the vibe we get from Big Bang’s. Is there a reason you made such a choice?
GD: Teddy is our big brother who always tells us a lot of things. That’s probably why there’s the Big Bang-Teddy combination and the 2NE1-Teddy combination and hence, we wanted to show fans the GD-T.O.P-Teddy combination. So the music may come off as being similar to that of Big Bang’s but we made much more diverse attempts as in terms of how the music develops and the images that the melody and rap portray. I’m hoping fans will feel it as well after listening to our songs.

“We will focus on our local activities from now on.”

Q: Is there any song you’re particularly attached to other than the title tracks?
T.O.P: We worked on each and every one of the songs in this album by staying up many nights. That’s why I’m attached to all of them. There’s a different vibe to every song and we worked hard on all of them so I would like to say that the entire album is meaningful.
GD: And this album contains many genres. R&B-like rap, acoustic rap, there are strong hip-hop numbers and electronic sounds as well. The reason we mixed such a variety of genres is because we wanted to bring out more of our character that we don’t get to show when we’re Big Bang. We thought hard on how T.O.P and I could create synergy.

Q: Do you have plans to appear on television for programs other than music shows?
GD: We’ve always wanted to but you can probably tell that we’re not good at talking. We still get intimidated when we’re surrounded by a lot of people. We can fly around on stage but I still get scared and nervous of these type of occasions. However, as much as this album is important to us, we plan to make appearances whether they be on variety shows or radio shows so I’m hoping our fans are looking forward to it.

Q: And how are the other members of your group doing? They must be recording Big Bang’s album.
T.O.P: A part of us still wants to be secretive about our concept for Big Bang’s upcoming album. We’re all under the determination that we’re going to pour out the energy we’ve saved up on so you can look forward to it.
GD: Daesung is busy shooting a drama and I met Seungri yesterday who seemed pumped working on his solo album. We heard that Seungri is working even harder now that we’re going to come out with a new album and we in turn are stimulated as well when we see how hard Seungri works. Taeyang is taking a break after having promoted is solo album.

Q: You unveiled a music video today. Will music videos be made for all three title tracks?
GD: We’d like to be able to if we have time. We plan to start working on one of them.

Q: Big Bang pursues a singing career in Asia as well. Do you two plan to promote yourselves overseas as well as your duo unit?
GD: I think we haven’t been attentive to our career in Korea over the past two years so from now on, we plan on showing our fans various sides to us by focusing on our local activities.

Source: asiae
Credit: bigbanghaven

10 Questions to understand T.O.P’s views on relationships

Q1. Are you in love right now?
I’m not. Right now, work is my priority. Because I’m the kind of person that becomes so engrossed that I can’t focus on work.

Q2. What is your ideal love?
The kind when I can be at peace even if we’re apart because there is trust between us.

Q3. What is your type?
My type is the woman I love. It has nothing to do with age or outward appearance. But if I have to say something, I’d say someone positive no matter the situation, someone that can grow together with me.

Q4. Have you cried in love so far?
Also for the sake of the next girl I’ll be dating, let me say no.

Q5. What do you think of women’s tears?
Honestly, it’s scary. I mean, I don’t understand/know what I’m supposed to do (laugh).

Q6. What is the best surprise you prepared for a date?
When I wrote a song for my girlfriend’s birthday. It’s a priviledge for people who do music to be able to express their feelings this way. She was very touched and cried.

Q7. If you were to have a date with a girl you like?
Walking while holding hands openly in a crowded place.

Q8. When was your first love?
When I was 19 years old. She was older than me. And the rest is a secret!

Q9. What do you do when you have a broken heart?
I want to stay alone and think. I don’t force myself to get loud with friends to conceal/take my mind off of the sadness.

Q10. What part of women do you like?
The ankle and the top part of the foot when they are wearing very high heels. I can’t help but look at it.


Credits:
Scan by DCTOP + as tagged
Translated by Unnuage @ tumblr.com
VIA BIGBANGUPDATES.com


Awe babe!! Come to me!!

Den to perimena na to pw auto alla o TOP moiazei arketa romantiko atomo...apo tis apantiseis p edwse toulaxiston..kai den tou fainetai auto katholou!!
Panta nomiza oti o poio romantikos apo tous BigBang einai o Seungri alla isws prepei na anathewrisw!!
TOP u are such an amazing guy!!<333

Indeed ο Top δεν έχει καθόλου σχέση με το "σκληρό" αντρακι που παρουσιάζει!!
Είναι ευαίσθητος και οπως είχε πει και ο Se7en είναι τελείως τρελός κ παλαβός off camera!!

From the 24th to the 26th, 10 Asia reporters worked all three days. It was the Christmas weekend. So what if we had to work. During those 3 days, we saw G-Dragon, also know as GD, and TOP’s performance, another day we had a interview with them at the place they performed and another day we were able to take pictures of them on stage. Both the reporters and GD and TOP felt bad for each other because we were spending Christmas together. But we won’t let this drag on. First, we’ll reveal GD’s interview. And tomorrow will be TOP’s and then the next day will be GD&TOP’s interview.

You have dark circles around your eyes. (Laughs)
GD: Yeah, it’s because we performed all night last night. (Laughs)

You’ve returned to your busy lifestyle. We’ve heard that you became a bit easy-going after your solo activities.
GD: After my solo activities were done, with the permission from the president, I played really hard for about 2 months. (Laughs)

“Now, even the smallest things, seem bigger and precious to me”


After your debut, was that the first time you were to relax that much? How does those times of rest affect you?
GD: As Big Bang, when we have a lot of schedules, we get sleepy and really tired, but when we’re done, all of those feelings disappear (Laughs) and I think it’s the same feeling. When all those pass, it seemed like they were nothing. So I’m able to concentrate and prepare better for future activities. After I was done with my solo activities, I was given a year where I’m able to prepare something that was the first time after my debut that I was given time to work on something. Before, I kept on going without stopping, but during the last year while I was taking a break, it gave me time to think and to prepare with ease. That’s why I have so much confidence in the next album, and the fact that I’ll be able to meet people helped grow my confidence for the next album.

I can’t seem to think of an appropriate word, but if I were to say it, it seems like your attitude changed.
GD: Yes. I’ve changed a lot. I’ve become more cautious, and I’m trying to be more understanding. The president said this as well. He told me to stop thinking about the situation from my point of view but to take the time to see it from the other person’s point of view. After I heard that, I became more understanding of many situations that came my way. Before, when there was a lot of schedules, I would say, “Why are there so many schedules” and would be in frustration but now, even the smallest things seems bigger and more precious. I felt like someone who had a disease and just suddenly got better. So that’s why my condition is great, and I’m expecting great things from myself in upcoming works.

It seems like you’re more at peace, right? (Laughs)
GD: Rather than peace, I thought of everything as “it’s part of my share” and after that, I felt more comfortable. When others see me, they think that I’ve become successful, but rather than success, I see it as motivation and it’s a process for me to grow. So now, instead of worrying about how people see me, I want to give the people the things I can give as a gift.

So does that mean before, the way people thought about you got to your head?
GD: Before, I would change the way I talked in front of people when I’m talking about my work and overall, there were many things that I changed. The way I acted in front of people was different from the way I acted in front of my friends. But now, it’s all the same. So now, I’m scared of doing interviews. I think it’s a good thing that I broke down the wall between my personal life and my life as a celebrity, but I also think it can be dangerous when I do interviews in Korea. (Laughs) Other than that, I’m not really scared of what others think of me. This is who I am and I believe that’s the reason why people like me. I believe this is what people will see from now on.

Maybe that’s the reason but on this album on the Intro, it said, “I may be short, but my girlfriend is tall,” and that really stood out. It seemed like you don’t really talk a lot about the things that’s been going on in your life and you just say, “oh, it’s just like that,” and that’s how you finish it off.
GD: Well, it wrapped up quite well for me. When I debuted, I was a lot younger than I am now, and it never crossed my mind that the way I’m presented in front of people was hazy. But when my solo album came out, people began judging me. I got hurt a lot, and day by day, I was afraid to wake up from my sleep. When I wake up, another problem would occur, and then another problem would occur. Because of that, I think I got really messed up.

Then how did you overcome it?
GD: It was time. Time passed, and I’m a pop singer. No matter how I went about it, I believe it was my responsibility to do something that the popular culture will be able to take in, but if failed to do that then I guess it would be my fault. I also thought, what’s the point of talking about everything one by one. I’ll tell them by making great music, or writing to them and no matter how many options I came up, it still wouldn’t solve how I feel so I decided to stay quiet. So during that time, I decided to do my best in the things that I was responsible for and tried my best to leave a good impression for the people. Now, I can see a lot more people rooting for me. I think that’s how I was overcome it.

“When I was accused of plagiarizing, I felt that I needed more time to prepare “


Does this dramatic change have an affect on music? On this album, “Baby Good Night” is a style of song that you’ve never had before.
GD: That’s true. The ability to break out of the norm was surprising to me. On the other hand, if I decide to stay within the norm, I would be making the same kind of music everyday. It can be a problem among idols or it can just be an unsolved homework but when you keep releasing albums continuously, I think those problems just come up naturally.

That’s true. If you don’t have time to think then it really gets to you.
GD: Yeah. I think the moment I think of this as work, I’m not able to make any music. On the other hand, whether it’s a year or 3 months, if that’s our time, then I’m able to do it our of joy. Whether I’m making music or performing, if I do it out of joy, it’s reflected in the music and people can see that.

Then it must’ve been harder for you. After your debut, you’ve been writing songs non-stop and doing activities.
GD: I even lost confidence while doing that. Before, I thought, “I can do well all my life,” but once I started writing songs, I’ve locked myself in that and that’s when I got depressed. At a young age, it might sound inappropriate, but for example, people like senior Seotaeji said they’ve endured so much pain in their life. I’m not up to that stage yet, but I think, “did everything that I have come out, and if so then I don’t know if I’ll be able to continue in 5 years or 10 years.”

That’s why Heartbreaker was a bit disappointing. If Lies was a song that was made from one idea and that idea kept building up, Heartbreaker was a song that lacked difference and although it wasn’t plagiarized, you were accused of it and it seems like that would be reason. There could’ve been a difference if you had more time to work on it.
GD: While I was going through that, I always thought that I needed more time and I felt that. Before, I would be like a soda machine and just wrote songs as they came, but to do that now, I would have to apologize to my fans, and if I wasn’t ready, I’m sure the way people look at me when I’m on stage would be different.

When Flo-Rida participated in Heartbreaker Part II, this thought came into my head while I was listening. The sound in part 2 was more understandable than the first and the new rhymes fit well with the new flow. I think if the original came out like Part 2, it would’ve been awesome.
GD: Maybe it was because of the accusation, but when Flo-Rida participated in part 2, people started tying the plagiarism and this project together, when I wasn’t going for that at all. I just wanted to show people that American singers and Korean singers can come together in one track and rap within it and not show a lack of confidence, but because so many people were so focused on what happened before, whether it’s good or bad comments, the song didn’t receive a lot of attention which I was kind of disappointed in.

The rap in part 2 was very insightful. The flow of the rap was short and the rap fit well within every sound and GD’s short part was perfect within the track.
GD: It was just fast rap. (Laughs) When I was doing activities for my solo album, I thought about a lot of things because it was the title track of the album and in part 2, before Flo-Rida’s rap came on, I thought I should show everything within that part and so I tried many different things and only put in what I felt was strong.

“I wish every time that I read lyrics, it would become words”



I believe the way you think and make your music must be diverse because every song that you make is different each time. GD: Well, there’s a lot more freedom and when I’m working on Big Bang’s album or my solo album, and on this album, the mood of the songs are all different and as I continue doing it, I learn more and I believe I’m growing through it. Right now, I don’t know the result of this album, but on Big Bang’s next album, I believe listeners will be able to see that and through that I’ll continue to improve and also the Big Bang members as well and I think that helps when I write music. Because of that, I think the lyrics are different as well. On this album, rather than expressing yourself to the people, I feel like it’s something deeper than outer looks. GD: Just like how in a movie, there’s thriller and horror, I focused on storytelling when I write the lyrics. When people read the lyrics without the music, I want to write lyrics where writers can say, this is like storytelling. I want it to be like a story with a definite plot. Rather than saying it’s just a love story, there’s an intriguing expression in it, and I want to write lyrics that has a story behind it. I think because I grew up listening to American rappers when I was little, it’s a big motivation of writing lyrics that’s like storytelling. I think the song, Nightmare, really does that. When I close my eyes and just listen to the sound in the beginning, it seems like as someone is running, they start flying into the sky and it feels like a race and you’ve explained that in the song. GD: You’re right. When you listen to Nightmare with your eyes closed, I hope those images will be portrayed in your head. Depending on the person, it might be a silly story or a fantasy but when you follow the lyrics and the sound, depending on how the listeners are processing it, the result of it may be different, just like the ending of the movie Inception. That’s why I wanted to make a song where everyone thinks differently and a song where there isn’t just one answer and I made sure to stress that idea. I feel like Nightmare is a song that really brings out GD’s individuality after your solo album. The different parts and the difference in those parts is really big. The beginning seems to change extremely into 4 stages. This is also shown in Lies and Heartbreaker where the parts change to build up that tension. Is there a reason why you use this method? GD: It’s one of the ways that I’m able to get my music out to people and for people to listen to my music. These days, people can take out a certain part in the song and make it as a ringtone. The parts they make into ringtones are usually parts with an impact. So that’s why they usually choose the chorus. These days people would listen to the song a couple of times and decide if they like it or not and the lyrics of the chorus has become an important element in the song. Of course, the reason why songs become a hit is because of the chorus. But I would like the whole song to remain in the hearts of the listeners. That’s why each part of the song is different, and I’ve found a way to approach the storyline in a different way. “It really starts now”


I feel like, in your music and even in your personality, a certain phase has passed.
GD: Being an entertainer is a job where you’re seen by people. But I’m a person that makes music and performs on stage, so I think that I need to have my music in order for me to show myself to the people. So I think this is the only thing that I can do and that’s the mindset that I had for a while but I think it was just because of the fact that it was a job where I had to present myself to the people and it was a burden to me.

Last year especially, everything that was related to GD became big.
GD: Yes. Because of that situation, I’ve become more careful, and I became very lonely and such. But as I was making music with these kinds of feelings, it helped me see how I was acting around people and it helped me act more comfortably around people. That’s why on this album, a 100% of what I had within me could be shown.

Now it really feels like this is just a start.
GD: I think this is really the start. I think everything that I’ve done up to now has been building up and I feel like this is really the start. It’s also the same for Big Bang as well.

Then what would you like to do from this starting point? In High High you said “life is a one shot, but from your debut till now, you’ve been doing music with sincerity and have been performing that way and that’s how you got to this position now.
GD: I don’t think I’ve had my one-shot yet? (Laughs)

Really? (Laughs)
GD: This might sound like I’m full of myself, but I feel like this is nothing. There’s just too many roads that I still need to take, so I haven’t been able to show my one-shot. So I’m just getting ready that for slowly, and all the members of Big Bang are dreaming for that as well. Someday, a bigger hit will come. (Laughs)

Source: 10asiae.co.kr
Translated By: solshin3 @ 21BANGS.com

On the stage of GD&TOP’s Knock Out, G-Dragon, also known an GD, kept moving around on stage and made the stage for lively. On the the other hand, TOP stood on stage or would slowly move about the stage while rapping. But no one would say he’s not moving around enough. When GD’s swiftness and and TOP’s heavy aura come together, and also with their unique hairstyles, others are well aware of their character and their existence, making the Knock Out stage a perfect one. Also, TOP’s movements have changed dramatically that it seems like he would “eat up” the audience. During their debut, he was the member of Big Bang who worried the most because he couldn’t dance. But now, even if he doesn’t move, all eyes are on T.O.P. Continuing on from GD, TOP has revealed his thoughts on being on stage, his thinking and his confidence. Tomorrow, we’ll continue with an interview of both GD&TOP.

It’s a coincidence that were doing this interview on Christmas. (Laughs) You performed yesterday, and it seems like we’re making you more tired.

TOP: Not at all. (Laughs) What did you think of our performance?

We uploaded pictures from your performance on Twitter and some of the followers got angry. It’s because I was the only one watching a great performance.
TOP: I’m thankful for that. (Laughs) Truthfully, during a performance, there can be problem with the sound, but even during the worse time, it’s our job to do our best. We’re very thankful to those who are always with us and is always working hard to make our performance more fun for us. At the music programs, when we’re going up, a lot of people are cheering for us and they’re always working hard to make a great stage for us and it’s been a while since we’ve made a comeback but we’re having fun performing and we can feel the warmth from those people.

“I wondered what the audience wanted from me”

The TOP on stage seem to have changed from before. At the YG Family Concert, you got up close to a fan and started rapping and the feel of that seemed to have changed.
TOP: It wasn’t planned or anything like that. When I’m on stage with Ji Yong, it’s mostly ad-libs. After working a long time together, I would it’s a strength that we earned. Of course acting is important but when we deliver our song to the audience, we don’t calculate everything but instead, we express the song with how we feel about it. To be able to do that, I believe it’s a strength that comes out from our confidence.

On this album, it seemed like there’s more confidence in your performances and in the lyrics. During Knock Out, you wore smokey make-up and also had a natural talent for being calm on stage. Is there a special way to be able to achieve that?
TOP: There isn’t really a special way, but during the last year, I asked myself questions about myself. Long ago when I was still young, I asked, “What’s the reason that I’m doing this?” and thought really hard about it. It was kind of burdening for me to do this kind of work but mostly it was burdening because I thought this job didn’t fit well with me. But as I grew older, I changed my question. “What does the audience want from me?”

Then does that mean your answer was confidence?
TOP: When people see entertainers on stage, they’re happy about it and I also think they get motivated in life. That’s the direction it was going for in the lyrics of Turn It Up and in this album. The outer looks that many people see isn’t for my own personal gain. Even if I boast about myself, I thought, “At least I’m confident in my job so the people should also feel confident in themselves.” I don’t know how the listeners interpreted it, but I wrote it with a lot of thought.

So is that why you wrote a lot of famous brand names along with your thoughts? I feel like you’re saying, when people look at themselves, they should think, “It’s okay to take in the way I am.”
TOP: It got a bit aggressive. Truthfully, I’m the type that thinks a lot and worry a lot so I was careful about that, but when I turn around, I ask “What does the audience want from me” and “Which is the right one” and when I think about those things, I believe going about it the way I have been these days is a fresh idea. For those people who have a lot of burdens on their shoulders, I hope that when they listen to this song, they’ll be motivated and have strength and if they do then I’ll be happy. Whether this sounds like I’m boasting or not, I want to express my feelings without provoking people and without looking spiteful. (Laughs) I think that’s one of the way that I express myself.

“I think I let go of myself aggressively”

Before, I felt like TOP kept everything to himself and I think it’s because of the people around you. How were you able to change from that?
TOP: I think I began to think of the bigger picture. The world is too crazy and there are too many people in this world who are having a hard time living and I thought about that. But those people are people who support me, who support Big Bang, or they just listen to music. I thought it would be great if those people listened to someone’s music and gained happiness from it. So in order to do that, I wanted to start expressing myself.

Then do you think that mindset is what got you here? The thought of doing something for someone is a big responsibility and need to have that positive affection.
TOP: Truthfully, when I was young, peoples’ interests or love was a bit too burdening for me. I wasn’t able to enjoy that. But I threw my greed away and those things became natural for me. It’s my greed towards music. And my thoughts about doing something with music disappeared as well. Before, when a new song came out, the phrase, “I hope you expect a lot,” was used a lot, but now, it’s okay if people don’t expect anything. Instead, I want to be a person who can give big expectations. That’s why I want to give back as much as I received, and I began to want to study music more and to do that I began to work myself really hard.

Would you say you have a relationship with yourself? You were doing activities as an actor and now you’ve released an album where you were able to do the music you wanted to do.
TOP: After I was done with Into the Fire and returned, GD was already working on the songs and as soon as I returned, I started working as Big Bang. During that time, the flow of the music had changed dramatically as well. A lot of talented people were performing too. So that means I was out of the flow. So I took a step back and gathered my thoughts.

Because of that I think your way of expressing yourself changed as well. Before, on stage, you said, “I’m acting out a virtual character,” but in this album, you expressed that you wanted to meet, “only through speakers or ear phones.” Did you make yourself a character?
TOP: Yes. At a young age, we stand in front of a lot of people. Of course we’ll get both good and bad comments and that process really was tiring. So I managed to keep some distance from people, and I want people to see my existence on stage or through music and I wanted to show that. But because making the listeners happy was the most important thing, I thought long and hard about how I would bring these two together and this album made me think about that.

But doesn’t that existence seem unrealistic? Big Bang members aren’t living in reality as ordinary people.
TOP: I do think about that. GD and I would go out to drink at times and as we talk, and everyday is very sweet but it’s also bitter as well. There are hardships that are hard for us to handle at our age. Of course there are that many losses but there are a lot that we gained so at times it does seem like I’m living in a dream. Truthfully, it’s hard for us determine if this is a dream or reality sometimes.

You have continuously gotten comments from others, and if you think about it in business terms, it must be hard to go in the direction that you want to go to.
TOP: That’s something that I always think about. But now, I think I’ve somewhat answered that question. If we take music for example, rather thank asking these questions, “What kind of music does the audience like, what kind of trend are we going to set,” there are a lot of things that I haven’t tried yet and want to do and I believe I can achieve that within my own range. If I were to make a wrong decision, then there are people around me who can help me with me. Because I believe those people, it’s always new, and although it may not seem aggressive, I want to take road aggressively.

It’s hard to live as a star in Korea, and GD is like that as well but it seems like that for you TOP.
TOP: It was hard. (Laughs) I’m joking. I think I just aggressively let myself go. (Laughs) I think there are a lot of people who see me and the Big Bang members with colored glasses. But it doesn’t matter. Those attentions are what drives us to improve. I’m not saying I enjoy reading hate comments but because of those we tend to work harder. It’s something I’ve been thinking about, but the biggest strength that Big Bang has is that we all enjoy trying to make those improvements. It’s not because we’re greedy but we enjoy making improvements. I think that’s our biggest strength.

“I want to be a vitamin of life to people”

I think that’s why TOP’s lyrics is positioned at a unique place. A rapper is like a virtual character because at the same time you’ve expressed yourself through music with confidence.
TOP: When GD and I decided to work together, the first thing we talked about was writing a song that only we can do. Anyways, at a young age, we were expected a lot and were also hated a lot. The things that we felt during those situations is what we wanted to base our lyrics on. Some people might think bad about it. But when you take the lyrics one by one, we wanted to write a song that was hard for people to come up with a rebuttal for. It’s like, “This is what we are, can you come with a rebuttal for that?”

I think the Intro really did that. The sound was like old-school hip-hop, it’s like I’ve gone back to the rap music when I was in middle school.
TOP: Yeah. With a sampling from old-school hip-hop, GD and I wanted to show our diversity. While doing that, I wanted to ask what kind of rap is sincere because I’ve told my story recently, the way I wanted to.

Then was the song Oh Mom expressed opposite of what you said? The other songs that you and GD made seemed different because it seemed like in the song, it’s not how people look at you but how you personally present yourself.
TOP: Oh Mom is a true story. I can’t explain in details but I can say that it’s a present to a sick friend of mine and I wanted to write a letter to him. This song is vert precious to me so it wasn’t on the track at all at first but I really wanted to put it in so it went in.

Oh Mom was made into rock. The drums on the song is very loud. Is there a special reason why you did that? It seemed like you could’ve made a different approach with the rhythm part.
TOP: I wanted to give it a more analogue-like feeling. If I say it differently then I wanted it to give warmth but these days the trend in the music industry is rapidly changing and 2 or 3 weeks later, it disappears from peoples’ minds and it happens a lot. That’s why I think people are getting tired of music. Electronica songs are good but if you just go with that then it gets tiring. So for the fans, we tried going for an analogue-like feeling and GD and I have been interested in rock these days. That’s why our rap style has changed a lot. Before we tried to rap with a heavy and husky voice but now we’ve worked hard to give a inviting and comforting feeling. If you were to image it, it’s like a bookcase that hasn’t been decorated. (Laughs)

In Baby Good Night, the rap was especially insightful. Before the rap made the sound pop out and made it seem like it grasped the music, but the sound in the song seemed close to melting together. It’s like a whip cream the way the sound and the feel matched together.
TOP: We wanted to deeply express the feeling so we chose that route and Baby Good Night is a song that can be listened to without hurting your ears and we tried going for that. These days if a song goes over 3 minutes, they say it’s long and if the songs doesn’t catch your attention at first then they say it’s boring. But even if it doesn’t do that, it’s not boring and there are so many music in the world that can be listened to. That’s why the people who like Big Bang and us two, especially the 10′s and 20′s group, this kind of style of music is something we wanted to let them know. Even though it’s long, or it become unpopular, it’s still music.

On that part about music, I think TOP’s personal goal and the audience’s thoughts are the same.
TOP: Rather than making it complicated, it’s a song that just came out and we achieved a lot as Big Bang at a young age. But we’re also little kids who, truthfully, want to just do music. Within that, we feel a lot of emotions, we try to express all that, and try to find a goal. But once one foot is off the ground and we think while doing that, we see the bigger picture and little by little, we can clearly see our goals. That’s why we want to give confidence to the audience and that’s why I want to become a vitamin of life to people.

That’s really a Knock-Out like confidence. (Laughs) I’m sure there are people who are sharpening their knives every time you two are on stage, so what do you think about that?
TOP: Our knives are strong. (Laughs)

Source: 10asiae.co.kr
Translator: solshin3 @ 21BANGS.com

Unit, G-Dragon and TOP (GD&TOP) of group, Big Bang is now on the stage, breaking the concept of Korean idols.

Instead of melting the hearts of the public sweetly with tender music in the end of the year, the music they chose is the strong genre, which mixed electronica and hip hop properly.

G-Dragon and TOP who are easing their thirst for music as a unit, didn’t release a mini album, but instead they released the full album which evokes the desire to “dissect” it even from the album cover. Moreover, they are planning to meet the public with 5 songs from it. Starting with “High High”, “Oh Yeah”, and “Knock Out”. They’ll promote “Don’t Go Home” and “Baby Goodnight” from the middle of January.

Music industry usually puts a planning ability before the product itself, but as for Big Bang members, each member gets to plan out what they want or like and choose their own concepts. They are the idols who rock the stage, doing the music they like and pursue to satisfy their curiosity. Performing on many different stages is where their confidence show.

Was the response as a unit different from being Big Bang?
GD:I’m glad that not only Big Bang fans, but also a lot of people and listeners who have mania taste in music seem to like it and approve it. This unit’s song will affect Big Bang’s next album for the better.

- This unit is very different from general domestic idols in music and concepts.
GD: We are different from the concept of idols that Korea have thought. If you watch today’s idols, you’ll see although they are called as “idols”, they are very good and very professional. I think it’s not just us, but also the other idols are breaking the rules of the concept called idol in the aspects of music. And I’m glad they do. I think the solid concept of Korean idol is disappearing and we are improving. If people were used to watching the idols singing, standing together, or doing group dances, I think they consider this unit more free on the stages compared to that.

- This unit’s music feels more like “doing what they like to do” instead of popularity. I think you are much pleased with it.
TOP: t’s just the two of us doing. So instead of worrying how we can make a lot of people like our music, we did the music we actually like. I think that makes us more confident. There are people who have prejudices on idols and we have the “instinct that want to break” those things. We have our greed.

- Are you satisfied with the response?
GD: We are very pleased till now and we are working hard on every single stage. Above all things, it’s so interesting to have the stages freely and to monitor those. As the development of internet, we check fans’ responses and also learn from them. I feel like I’m improving a lot myself.

- The three major terrestrial broadcasting stations banned “Knock Out”, requesting to MBC for a retrial of “Don’t Go Home”, I think you are a bit depressed.
GD: Not depressed, but it’s just sad that we prepared our best and they are not accepting us. It’s like we have this so much presents to give and we are so willing to perform you exciting stages, but it’s sad that we can’t give you those presents because of those broadcasting bans.

- It’s very a stressing job. How do you ease that?
TOP: Two of us, with music.

- Your job is music and you relieve your stress with music?
TOP: The dream of Big Bang members’ have always been music and as our dream comes true, the music is always with us. It’s a job we need to pour a lot of emotions, so there are some hardships in controlling our feelings in some days. Also we are all kind of sensitive. Emotional ups and downs. Music makes us strong at those kind of moments.

- There were much expectation when people heard two of bigbang members are performing as an unit
TOP: I think there were a lot of people who were curious because the two of us are very characteristic and we both have very different tones and color. We wanted to give you the best interest by listening to our music.

- It seems you worked very hard on your MVs. Especially, “Knock Out” MV which released recently, was very interesting with all those new products of luxuries and fancy styles.
GD: It’s important to have details in music and we feel the importance of them more because they’re more known worldwide, not just in Korea. We think it’s all connected. People talk about our music, which makes others listening to our music, then they buy the album and go to concerts. So we work very hard on every single stage and so as on the MVs. We feel more responsibility because it’s showing to the world. It’s not like the old days.

- Maybe the next Big Bang album is more popular to the public than the unit.
GD: We, ourselves are very curious and looking forward to what 5 of the Big Bang members will be like. The reason why we are doing solo and unit performances, is because we want to express our own taste in music. So when we get back to as Big Bang, I think we have our responsibility to present you more like what people want and what they want to watch. I think it will contain much more feelings even though it’s an exciting music.

- Big Bang’s break was quite long. When you all come back, fans and many other people are expecting a lot.
GD: We’ll prepare many things and make you listen to great songs, as fans have waited for so long. (will Big Bang also do the triple title song strategy?) We, as a unit, had triple titles at first, but we promote 5 songs to perform in front of you with more stages. I think the title song itself doesn’t mean that much now. We’ll make our album full of great songs and that’s what we’ll perform. We’ll show you the various styles of the songs.
TOP: There are a lot of stages that can be shown, but we all say it’s the 3 week music days. (T/N: He means that No.1 music charts keep changing, longest is 3 weeks) We don’t have chances to show fans, no matter how hard we work, after about 3 weeks. But we’ll pass that limit and make ourselves “all-in” to working on Big Bang’s album. We’ll live up to your expectations as we come back in a long time. We’ll perform with pride.

- U.S. famous DJ, Diplo, who worked on “Knock Out” with you, said on his Facebook that he wants to work with you more.
TOP: It was really interesting and awesome to work with him. I think we can show you another surprising collaboration soon. It’s on the progress. We’ll let you hear many fresh and good ones.

- Maybe you can pick the charms from each other?
GD: TOP has very attractive eyes. There are many good looking eyes, but TOP has something deep in that.
TOP: Jiyong is just attractive himself.

- We are also looking forward to your members’ styles with your music. When will you change your hair style?
GD: I like to change my hair style, but I have no idea what perm I did because I kept changing and changing. Maybe I’ll change it again when my hair starts falling out. *laughs* I want to show you a lot of things, but I did everything that I wanted to do in this unit, so there are not many things left to show you. haha.
TOP: Actually my hair is falling out right now because I bleached my hair too many times. I heard this hair color is not an easy one to have, especially for Asians. I kept bleaching and at last my head was bleeding.
GD: Above all, I think the other three members will be very awesome. I myself is looking forward to it.

Source: Osen (via Nate)
Translated by: HuisuYoon @ 21bangs.com

Q1. What do you when want to feel refreshed?
G-Dragon: Drive. I feel refreshed when I drive while looking at Hangang (Park) in Seoul.
T.O.P: ?
SOL: Drive & sleep.
D-LITE: Listen to music and watch a movie
V.I: I feel happy when listening to music

Q2. Complete: ______ is my greatest weakness.
G-Dragon: Love
T.O.P: Actually, I'm very weak in Japanese.
SOL: LOVE
D-LITE: Turn VIP away...
V.I: Cooking! I don't have (cooking) sense. I should marry a woman who can cook by all means...

Q3. What's a job that you want to try other than being an artist?
G-Dragon: I want to make clothes.
T.O.P: I want to study interior design.
SOL: DADDY.
D-LITE: The president of a very big company.
V.I: Race car driver because I want to feel such speed that looks crazy. CEO because I want to work with a lot of employees led by me.

Q4: Please tell us if you have a habit
G-Dragon: I bite my nails. I really want to overcome it but it can't just be be cured right away
T.O.P: My character which gets angry immediately...
SOL: Turning my ring.
D-LITE: Purururururu~ (Lip exercise)
V.I: My habit of blinking my eyes. My eyes always get dry.

Q5: Favorite part about yourself? (Can be looks, character, action, etc.)
G-Dragon: My character. I think that I'm suitable for this kind of work because my character is simple.
T.O.P: Eyes...?
SOL: FOREVER HAIR STYLE.
D-LITE: My character..... is good. I'm an interesting person.
V.I.: My warm and bright character. Positive thinker and challenging! Sexy! I also like the dark circles under my eyes. My charming points!

Q6: Please talk about looking back to 2010 and a goal for 2011.
G-Dragon: I polished a sword in 2010... I'm no good unless I show you something new in 2011...?
T.O.P: To develop more and always live in peace. I wish you a happy Christmas.
SOL: Let's do it again... I can do better...
D-LITE: Lot of solo activities. Fighting for BIGBANG's activity in 2011!
V.I: I know that fans waited and were starving for our music in 2010. Please look forward to us as we give back double in 2011.

Spoiler:

Source:bigbangupdates.com

BIGBANG is not only in Korea, but they also have great popularity in Japan.
Their member, T.O.P Choi Seung-Hyun’s dashing debut with a movie.
As an actor, he chose the subject which was based off from a real story during the Korean War and that was “Into The Fire”.

Currently, the situation between South and North Korea is bad. To talk about this, the two country are now in an armistice, It was recognized that Korean War has not ended yet. The big hit movie “Into the Fire”, was released in Korea last June and is being currently release in Japan right now. We are going to talk with the great popular group BIGBANG’s T.O.P., Choi Seung-Hyun, who debuted in the movie.

TOP: I got to know the Korean War from textbooks, my parents, and grandparents, but not very detailed. After deciding to act, I did a research. I was shocked by the tragic story and was attracted by the meaning of it. I think people who were at my generation will thank for the stable time we have when get to know about students solders like Oh JaeBeom.

The man he act in the movie, JaeBeom , is a timid student solder, who was unpredictable and was appointed to defend an all-girls’ school in the headquarter. This script was based off on a real story. Letters written to his mother from the prototype of the role went public later.

TOP: I have seen that student solder’s letters and picture. I can’t believe that he is only 17 years old. Especially his expression in the picture, much better than what I acted out. I felt he’s young on the outside, but has deep thoughts inside. If I didn’t see the picture, JaeBeom’s cut would not increase (laugh).

In order to prevent the North Korean army, the main student soldier, JaeBeom and his fellow companions did a desperate onslaught. The last half of the story is so violent. After the great epic “Brotherhood” in 2004, this movie was the one that used large amounts of gunpowder in a Korea movie history.

TOP: That scene was really hard……It’s not only dangerous, since I can’t NG (make a mistake), I was so nervous. Because of that, I always thought, “That’s the real battleground” and paid much attention during those months. Maybe because of that, even during rest time, I can’t come out of him at all.

The movie won the Korean Academy and thanks to the movie, T.O.P won the Best Rookie Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards last December.

TOP: I didn’t hope for anything after it was released in Korea and was shocked by this.

He didn’t hide his surprise.

TOP: Instead of being surprised, I have motivation and feel honorable to the actors in the movie. I have worked with many seniors, this time, I learnt many things from Kwon Sang Woo. Especially, when I worked with him, I became the one who wanted to marry with someone. He called his family occasionally at the site. Seeing this, I felt that he is a mature man. Then I come to think that marriage is not bad. But I would need a girlfriend if want to marry. I have many works that I want to do. Marriage will happen later. Work comes first. (laugh)

Magazine scanned by: DCTOP
Translated by: Didikuro @ 21bangs.com

Q1. What are the highlights of SOL’s 1st (HOT) & 2nd (SOLAR) concerts ?
HOT was the first solo concert after I released my first mini-album. You can see the “20 year-old SOL” with all the songs from HOT album. SOLAR concert was after I released my first album. With SOLAR, you can see the present SOL. Because there were moments with sharing [emotions], excitement, laughter and tears, it became a concert that will stay in my memory for a long time. I hope it became a nice gift for the fans who experienced it with me together and for all of the fans who love my music and stage.

Q2. As hardworking SOL, what kind of preparation did you do for the concert?
First, I had to prepare the suitable performance for each of the songs. Other than that, I had to think a lot about song arrangements and ideas for items [props and effects] to display the stages.

Q3. The memory of the first solo concert?
[He described the solar concert though.]
Because it was my first solo concert, all moments of the concert left an impression and memory.
But there was the moment fans called for an encore once more even after the concert and the last encore finished. It was not a planned encore. All the staff and I had already started to clean up and were getting ready to go home, I wore my plain clothes and went back on stage wearing my own clothes.

Q4. The memory of the second solo concert?
Because there were two years’ time [to prepare], I think I was more composed on the stage and in particular, I was able to share the feeling with the audience more. I think I was able to do that because of HOT and other concerts. It is not a thing made possible only by practice.

Q5. The difference of Big Bang concert and Solo concert?
At the Big Bang concert, you can see the different color of each member and you can feel energy [synergy] when five members become one. At my solo concert, I can express my own color and music more deeply – expressing richer color and [my] own music more clearly.

Q6. The memory of recent private life?
GEN (president), YG JAPAN staff, Boram(my manager) and I traveled to HAKONE and cooked and ate the meals together and enjoyed the ONSEN (hot spring). And I was also happy because I could give a small gift last Christmas to the people who supported my career.

Q7. What are your favorite Japanese [terms]? and why?
“NARUHODO”…The reason is “NARUHODO” ["NARUHODO" means "that makes sense" or "I see."]

Q8. It will be Valentine’s day soon. I heard that men give women chocolates on Valentine’s Day in Korea.What kind of things have you done for a woman before? Have you received the love confession before?
No, Women give men the chocolate on Valentine’s day in Korea too. Isn’t it the same throughout the world? Unfortunately I never received a love confession before. I usually receive the chocolate from my fans.(laugh)

Q9. 2011, What kind of year do you want it to be?
I want it to be the year that is happier than before. It would be great if I can share happiness with more people. Also I want to discover myself more.

Q10 : Give a message to the Japanese Fans.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! AND THANK YOU 4 EVERY THING!!

Scans from YBMania
Translations by Yuko @ alwaystaeyang

Writing, composing, producing, recording director. These are the roles Seungri was credited as having taken on in his first mini-album "VVIP." And it is the main reason this is completely different from the first time he tried his hand at singing solo for "Strong Baby." Seungri's singing career took off from a starting point different from that of his follow bandmates G-Dragon or Taeyang who grew under YG Entertainment from a young age and were lauded for their musical talent in various ways. He also always stood where he was told to. So what sort of challenge was his solo album for him? Seungri, who always looks confident on the stage, confessed of his music-making experience he felt fear over.

10: It looked like you did a great job of lifting the mood for the pre-recording of MBC’s “Music Core” today, saying to your fans “You’re here!” and such.
Seungri: Fans are always doing a lot of waiting, up to five or six hours, so I think they’d be disappointed if I leave the stage after giving just my performance. I’d be too if I was in their shoes. And of course they’re there to see me perform but also partly for what they don't get to see off the screen. That’s why I goof around and try to make things fun for them. I’ll also say things like, “It was cold today, right? Well everyone, you have my back, yes? Show me your support!” And that’ll make them feel that they’re close to me.

10: In a way, that may show how much more at ease you are. Do you feel more comfortable working with songs you’ve made yourself compared to when you promoted “Strong Baby”?
Seungri: I did make the songs easier to sing. For example, with “Strong Baby,” G-Dragon told me to sing it and changed it around when it wasn’t working but the songs in this album are easy to sing because they’re made to fit me. It’s actually hard to focus when they’re not. I think songs become yours when they’re easy and comfortable to sing, although “WHAT CAN I DO” is a bit high-pitched. (laugh) That’s how you’ll have a lot of space to think about your performance and be able to give it change more often. We live in a world where people change their mobile phones every month so people may think my performances are boring if I keep doing the same things every week. But people pay attention to even the slightest changes so I try to change my gestures and choreography every time. Today, the stage was interesting so I used the space more. I was supposed to start my performance in the middle of the stage but I talked with my dancers and decided I would walk toward them from one side and then start dancing with them. We changed this on the spot.

10: I think it’s possible for you to place yourselves so freely because Big Bang is more about playing on the stage rather than dancing straight on time as a group.
Seungri: We have no limits. We don’t have to dance a certain move or make a certain gesture at a specific point so we’ll take things out if we think they don’t work and use them elsewhere. Such mixing is fun for both the performer and watchers. And it makes things more fun for the dancers as well. The camera director and their crew will also focus more, asking how differently we want to be shot.

10: So basically put, it’s a performance rather than choreography. Your song “VVIP” in particular seems to include such visual elements ? like a fancy show in the U.S. from the 1930s when the Mafias existed?
Seungri: I also included fireworks going off because that’s the sort of vibe I wanted the song to give off ? like a fancy show in Las Vegas. The song itself is about making you a VVIP if you enter my world so I gave a lot of changes to the song so that it may make the listener feel as if falling into such a fantasy. It started fancy, I rapped, then sang and changed it also like a musical. I tried to contain a lot of such images.

10: I think the drum sound in the intro helped to create that sense of space.
Seungri: I like Justin Timberlake’s songs and the sound of the guitar in particular in the beginning of “Like I Love You.” That’s the vibe I wanted it to go in when the composer came up with the intro beat for my song and I really like it so we wanted to bring it out more. But I wanted us to use real sound rather than electronic sound. Electronic sound tires the listeners ears in a way. So I went with a sampling from a very famous overseas drummer's drum line.


10: I'm curious to know about the overall process through which you made your album. The credits show that you composed music in collaboration with Choi Feel-kang, DEE.P and BIG TONE.
Seungri: If I wrote and composed all the songs, it would be music that Seungri likes. Music that only I would be satisfied with. Music that I make myself and enjoy listening to.

10: But it’s still a lot of people to work with.
Seungri: The reason I worked with so many producers and composers was because I was scared. I didn’t know much about music. I think this is the first time since making my debut that I was serious and digged deep into music. G-Dragon usually does all the producer work so before, I’d go into the studio to record my part and when I’m done, practice the choreography, and that’d be it. And I thought putting on a performance and gaining popularity was all there was to this job. But I had no idea how to go about things when I was told to make a solo album. Before, all I had to do was do what people told me to. That’s why I worked with a lot of people. I always worked with three people and constantly asked ‘Is anything weird? Should we change this?’ I had no knowledge.



10: If you were scared, what’s the biggest reason you took part in composing and writing the songs?
Seungri: It was a matter of pride. At first, our boss Yang Hyun-suk suggested a digital single. Containing only “WHAT CAN I DO.” I don’t know if it was because he liked the vibe to the song but he said we should get a few more songs together and make an entire album. And he hadn’t asked me to make the songs. But I couldn’t readily ask Teddy because I hadn’t been close to him. I felt that he might say, ‘He’s coming to me because he needs me.’ (laugh) I would’ve been nicer to him from about three years ago if I knew I’d get to make a solo album. (all laugh) And I wanted to ask Kush but it was hard to because he’d been sick. And G-Dragon, he was coming back late everyday promoting him and TOP’s duo unit album. So I was thinking, ‘Oh, I’m in trouble. I guess I should do it myself’ when the new producers joined our agency and clicked.

10: What do you mean when you say you clicked?
Seungri: We were all blood type A. (all laugh) There were two producers, Choi Feel-gang and DEE.P and me but we clicked so well. That’s why we asked what each other’s blood type was. We understood, were considerate and respectful toward each other. We gave up on what we had to while accepting other things so we made songs very quickly. I think it took less than a week for all the songs to come out. We once made three songs in a day. “VVIP,” “WHITE LOVE” and “OUTRO (IN MY WORLD).”

10: Had you already thought up the basic melodies?
Seungri: No. We'd start by playing a melody first, then try singing to it, and if it seemed to work, would keep adding more onto it. But in the process I started to wonder why I hadn't done music earlier. I realized while working on this album that I love music. That's why I gained a stronger desire to stand on stage. If "Strong Baby" was about me getting my name known, this time I wanted people to know what style of music I do.

10: So what do you think is your style of music? I'm sure it's different from that of G-Dragon or Taeyang's who have grown with YG since they were young.
Seungri: I think I work with a variety of genres but it's mainly pop. Taeyang does black R&B, Daesung authentic ballad, T.O.P hip-hop but dirty sound and G-Dragon likes an extremely wide range of music. I think my style is closer to white music. I like Justin Timberlake and boy bands like 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. But I'm with YG Entertainment so I sang most of my songs in R&B style. I think a lot of people would have looked the other way if I strayed too far from YG's style since people have a certain level of expectation for who they see as Seungri of YG Entertainment.

10: Your vocals in particular for this album are different from when you sang "Strong Baby" -- even more so for songs "OPEN YOUR MIND" and "I KNOW."
Seungri: That's why I asked IU to sing in R&B style as well, different from how she usually sings. The song had to sound like it was done by a YG artist.

10: That must've not been an easy environment for IU to work with. How did you get one of the most popular female singers these days to sing with you?
Seungri: I half threatened her. (laugh) I'd known her since three years ago so I told her, 'I've made a sweet duet song for you so come and sing it.' But honestly, you can't get singers to sing with you if they don't like the song but she liked it so we went for it and it came out well.

10: Like you did with the song with IU, you collaborated with different people not only in terms of the composing and producing but also singing. I'm curious to know how these came about and how you worked with the singers. G-Dragon did the rap for "OPEN YOUR MIND."
Seungri: I was actually going to ask Psy to do the featuring for "OPEN YOUR MIND." I also wanted to make the song sound sexy by including sounds of breathing mid-way. But I realized that the song may not be suitable for underage listeners if he was saying things like, "Open my window and come in." (laugh) Then one day, G-Dragon and T.O.P had gotten back all worn out around 5 a.m. after shooting their music video when our boss Yang said, "Then you do it G-Dragon. It won't take you that long anyway, right?" and went upstairs. I'm sure he must've been extremely tired but he got it done in three hours. I don't know if it was because he was sleepy (laugh) but the rap sounded odd and dreamy. It came out really well.

10: So what did you say to G-Dragon?
Seungri: Man, they don't call you G-Dragon for no reason. (all laugh)

10: And what did he say to that?
Seungri: It's me, man! (laugh)

10: Well the album has turned out to be a mix of yours and YG's style. How has the response been within YG?
Seungri: Mr. Yang was extremely surprised. He usually isn't the expressive type but after listening the song he asked who made it, so I said I did, then he asked whether I came up with just the lyrics, so I told him the melody as well and he said, "Hmm... hmm... There aren't any songs that are similar to this, are there?" (laugh) I was scared too because I wondered whether I had unconsciously plagiarized another song. So I checked through applications that look up similar songs as well. G-Dragon was very surprised as well. "Who made this?" "Me." "This one as well?" "Yes." "What about this?" "I did..." "This one is good... But I don't think you made it. Did you really?" was our conversation.

10: For which songs did you get those responses?
Seungri: He asked if I was the one that really made "MAGIC." Taeyang and G-Dragon listen to it everyday. And they say they like the song but are kind of annoyed because I made it. (laugh) I know what they're trying to say so it feels good.



10: Have there been times they've acknowledged you like that for other things in the past?
Seungri: Almost never. My members and Mr. Yang know how to deal with me. (laugh) They know I'll cross the line if they acknowledge or praise me too much. After I gave my first performance on television for my new album, G-Dragon sent me a 30-line text message. He had monitored the performance and I'm sure nobody has gotten such a long text message, even from their own girlfriend. (laugh) Anyways, he commented on my expression, my gestures, my gazes, my wardrobe, my walk -- it was in extreme detail. I was very grateful and happy. I would've stayed a not-so-great singer without it. The people at our agency are actually very cold-hearted in this aspect. They won't tell you how great or amazing you were but instead tell you that you weren't that great if you weren't. And they're correct.

10: So I'm sure you depend on and lay much faith in such monitoring that's done about you.
Seungri: I accept most of it. Except for maybe about five out of the 30 lines. Because I have a mind of my own as well. For example, there's nothing I can do about looking short. I'm born this way. And my face is on the long side so I look even shorter on screen. It's not an issue that can be solved by inserting extra heels into my shoes.

10: Well such monitoring and feedback on each other shows that Big Bang is more than just a group with brother-like relationships.
Seungri: I guess it would be more accurate to say that we draw a distinct line between our public and personal lives. Our leader has an evident role he plays when it comes to work -- he'll confirm on the opinions the rest of us four share. But I feel comfortable with them when it comes to our private lives. Nobody is as humane as the members of Big Bang. Everyday is like a sitcom. I drink often with T.O.P and G-Dragon and I go to church with Daesung and Taeyang so we study the bible together. But we all stay cool-headed when it comes to work. For example, if T.O.P comes up with a rap that he thinks suits a song better than a rap that G-Dragon has made, he'll insist on going with his. Then G-Dragon will respect his opinion, try it out, and go with it if he agrees on it as well. I think that's why Big Bang's music is about what all five of us really wanted to do and hear.

10: I'm curious to know how such work-related stubbornness and respect will have harmonized in Big Bang's upcoming album -- whether one person will hold the key to it or if it'll emphasize the intersection the five of you create.
Seungri: There are times when painting red, blue, black, green and purple on a white piece of drawing paper will becomes a work of art. That's what Big Bang is like. We all have distinctive colors but every picture we draw turns out great.

10: What's fascinating is that it's sometimes hard to create synergy with very different people but Big Bang does.
Seungri: G-Dragon is good at harmonizing us. For example, T.O.P has a unique voice so it sometimes stands out too much but G-Dragon will help him tone it down and with me, he'll help me stand out when I sometimes don't because of everyone else's individuality. G-Dragon is good at being the leader.

10: Well, G-Dragon may be the leader of the group in an official sense but you're the one who delivers the more personal aspects of Big Bang to fans. This was written in your autobiography as well but while the members Big Bang are shy and like to be amongst themselves, you seem to be quite different from them.
Seungri: I'm a star player when it comes to being sociable. It's because I'm inquisitive. When I meet someone for the first time, I want to start up a conversation with them.

10: In that sense, what do you think about what T.O.P recently said about you on a talk show?
Seungri: It wasn't too bad. He recently joined our so-called 'Seungri Academy' and worked hard on improving his talking skills. G-Dragon also asked when he'll be able to take a class.

10: What does your agency say about your character on variety shows? You even sang Yang's song at the YG Family concert and shouted out "Eun-joo [Yang's wife], I love you."
Seungri: Well about that, he said, "Seungri, he's really funny." And he'll tell me not to do such things again but he also loves it when I do.

10: In other words, you go for what you think will be funny.
Seungri: I make a lot of attempts and give up on the things that won't work. Me and Daesung, our personalities are extreme opposites. We were both practicing for our musical "Shouting" when I came up with an idea and told him we should try it out to see what the director thinks but Daesung said it would be better to ask him about it first. I'm the type that makes attempt after attempt and moves forward like a wild horse.

10: Well you're the youngest member of Big Bang and even within YG so don't you ever get worried people will ask you why you do certain things?
Seungri: Age means nothing in this industry. Even with reporters, a good reporter is one that writes well, no matter how young he or she is, right? It's the same in our business well. Age means nothing. I think you rather try harder if your young to overcome that perception people have of you.



10: Have you always been so determined about striving forward?
Seungri: I changed when I was promoting "Strong Baby." So much happened then -- I think I could call it the turning point of my life.

10: Exactly what sort of things happened?
Seungri: After becoming popular as a member of Big Bang, I suddenly started thinking that I no longer want to be called the youngest of the team. And that's when I got the chance to promote myself as a solo so I told myself I would try to change my image. And the song became popular amongst a lot of people. It won three weeks straight on a music show and got played in the clubs a lot. But I became arrogant... I guess I became haughty because I was young and immature. And people saw it but they told our leader instead of me. And I heard it through our leader.

10: What thoughts crossed your mind then?
Seungri: I was angry. I wondered why such things were being said and why I have to be viewed in that way. It hurt my pride. And it lighted by competitive spirit. I told myself, 'Okay, fine. I won't let people say such things ever again.' My motto was "I'm the best" when promoting "Strong Baby" but it changed to "I will never make the same mistake twice." And for the two years that followed after that, I acted even more politely to people, I practiced over and over again without craving popularity, and just lived life as it is. My latest album came out after that. It actually wasn't easy to release an album because YG had to release Big Bang's album. Our fans have waited for Big Bang for so long but they believed in me and gave me the chance to pursue a solo career.

10: Is that the fruit of your efforts during the past two years?
Seungri: Not once did I act greedy the past two years. T.O.P shot a movie and won an award for best new actor, Daesung was popular because of his appearance in variety show "Family Outing," G-Dragon became a hit with "Heartbreaker" and Taeyang held a solo concert while I had nothing. And my friends asked what I'm doing, whether I'm just hanging out. But I couldn't ask my boss to let me do something as well because it isn't professional. I wanted to do something twice as well when someone has asked me to do it, not act out of place when nobody has asked me to. This album contains the time I prepared myself with a huge amount of determination.

10: I think the joy you feel from changing people's perception like that must be different from the joy you feel from simply being love by them. Which is more important to you?
Seungri: Changing someone's mind. There was a reporter who used to hate YG and Big Bang but I purposely acted even nicer to that person when we once got the chance to meet. I said, "Come on, why be like that? We worked so hard. Please write nice things about us this time." And that reporter did from then on.

10: That's probably something that's hard for other members of your group to do.
Seungri: I do it because they won't. They themselves say they can't. And that they're very grateful for me in many ways because I do. At our new building, the managing and PR team are on the fourth floor, the planning and A&R team on the fifth floor and the planning team are also on the sixth floor but there are few artists that go to the fifth and sixth floor. But whenever I go in, I go to all of those floors to say hello and ask how everyone is doing. That'll make them realize who they're working with. The members of my group aren't quite aware of such things (laugh) so I do it for them.

10: What do you think is the difference between someone saying that he can't and someone who can?
Seungri: With the other members in my group, they may think about doing things that come from their heart but let it go if they think they shouldn't after giving it a thought. (laugh) They're pure-hearted as well but smart enough not to show their real selves.

10: And you?
Seungri: I'm quick-witted so rather than controlling my heart with my head, I make a move when I need to. And it's something that's very important. When you make a move, you need to do it to the extent it'll seem cute and not turn other people off but it's something you need to study a lot. You need to try making attempts, try killing the mood... But like I said before, not make the same mistake twice.

10: I'm sure it helps you expand on your relationships.
Seungri: I tested it out once for a recording for a TV show. And the reaction I got for when I said, "Hello, I'm Seungri of Big Bang. I'm looking forward to us working together today," versus "Hello, I'm Seungri of Big Bang. Go, camera directors. I'm rooting for you today." They'll hold the camera at you differently by making them smile in such a way because they'll open their hearts to you. People are just like that.

10: That's true but when you do the work you do, there are people who will hate you even when you haven't done anything wrong. How do you feel about that?
Seungri: Oh, I'll willingly accept it. Bad comments about me that get posted on the Internet. People who write them do so because they've watched me perform and are interested. My job is with every performance, to decrease the number of bad comments that get posted. From ten to five to three and then none.



10: You already mentioned how you strive to become better than you already are -- your desire to do so seems to become stronger when people point out your shortcomings.
Seungri: Well it has to do with this album but somebody said to me, "You can't even sing a falsetto when you're a singer? Do it all over from the beginning." I was angry but it was true because I couldn't sing a high note through my nose. So I said okay and practiced my falsetto for a whole year. Thanks to that, I was able to sing falsetto for the songs "OPEN YOUR MIND," "MAGIC" and "IN MY WORLD" in this album. And nobody has said anything to me about my falsetto since. The same goes for how I've become a member of Big Bang. My ninth grade homeroom teacher had told me I probably won't be able to become a singer. I was so embarrassed because all the other teachers heard what my teacher said but once I became Big Bang and gave him our album, he said, "I'm proud of you. I knew you'd make it." (laugh) There's sort of a satisfaction I get from such incidents, when I get to show people who didn't think I'd make it, what I've done.

10: You quelled the concerns and undervaluations people had of you from the moment you became a member of Big Bang, until now, by showing the results to your efforts. Is there anything that you ultimately want to achieve at the end of this road?
Seungri: I want to become someone that many people will feel gratitude toward. I once asked one of the employees at our agency why he still works with YG, despite his old age and the work being tough. And he said it's because of Se7en. He said he had worked with Se7en since his debut and that he couldn't leave because he can't forget how he took care of him from back then. How cool is that. That's the sort of person I want to become. It would be truly amazing if people stayed with YG because they are moved by me, Seungri.


Source: Asiae / 10Asia

AERA: It has already passed the scheduled time for the meeting and he still have not arrived yet. Then I heard that he was not feeling well that day, but he pushed himself to go to all the scheduled interviews. Then he finally arrived. Just as I was feeling relieved, he started to look through the AERA magazine that he bought himself and suddenly said, “I will go and get change”.

It seemed that the clothes he was wearing didn’t match the concept. I waited for a couple of minutes, then he came back with a stunning jacket on. He wore interesting shoes that looked like it had some nails hammered on them. When I asked for the brand, he said “Louboutin”. The Christian Louboutin that has been featured on such blockbuster films as “Sex and the City”. That was my first time seeing a man wear Louboutin.

T.O.P: Yes, these are my personal shoes. I chose the shoes to go with the clothes. I love fashion.
AERA: In fact, when he played the role of a cruel assassin in the drama “IRIS”, he was also concerned about fashion. He says that in “IRIS”, he put out ideas for himself and thoroughly discussed with the stylists. The black suit and trench coat made him look more like a fashion model than an assassin. From the 7:3 style to the loose perm, his hair changed a lot. He can surely be called a model after saying, “I wanted to create the picture of an assassin that everybody would imagine”.

The film to play the leading role for the first time, “Into The Fire”, starts off with this shocking line, “Mother, I killed people”. This spectacular action film is based on a letter that a 10th grade student soldier sent to his mother. T.O.P played the role of the student soldier leader, Jang-bum.
T.O.P: Before receiving the script, I never thought of myself being casted on a war film. However, this film is nothing like the other war films that I’ve seen before. This film is about sensibility and humanitarianism. It is about the 71 student soldiers who fought against the elite soldiers of North Korea.

With my music activities, I want to express to the world certain “sensibilities”, and I felt that I was able to express that by playing Jung-bum. That is why I participated in this film. I believe that those young Korean who are struggling to find a dream might be able to find one by watching this film. Also, I thought that if I participated in this film, a lot of young people might watch it and be interested in the topic.

AERA: He didn’t feel the pressure to play the lead role, he felt “responsible”.

T.O.P: I debuted as an actor in 2007, with the drama called “I Am Sam”. However, this time I had to show the people that I had grown in the three years. I felt responsible for that.

Of course I felt pressured. This film is based on a true story about the Korean war, so as a Korean, I felt the pain. I felt pressured to express that feeling in the film. However, I didn’t feel that I was pressured just because it was a film. In fact, if this was a TV drama, I would’ve felt pressured. With a film, it is released after the video and sounds are put together and everything is ready, but with dramas, the shooting continues while it is on air. That is why I felt that to show something new about me after three years, this had to be a film. I thought a film was something that could wow the fans and audiences. So this was a whole new challenge for me.

AERA: T.O.P is now 23 years old. He says to play a 17-year-old student soldier, he tried to think of what he was like when he was 17 and studied about the student soldiers of the Korean war.

T.O.P: The character of Jang-bum was born when the 17-year-old boy in the script and the 17-year-old me intertwined with each other. There is a scene where during the war, Jang-bum writes a letter to his mother facing a desk. When I saw the scene, I saw the 17 year old me in Jang-bum’s figure. When I was 17, I would sit in front of the desk and write what I felt in my heart as lyrics. Jang-bum wrote the letter in a tragic situation and I was writing lyrics with enjoyment. It seems so similar, but completely different. I was thinking about those things to form his character.

AERA: There is a weird tense feeling you get when you watch the scene where Jang-bum is holding two boxes of bullets with a cartridge case on him, and he is desperately running through the bombs. Like a puppy drenched with rain, the eyes of Jang-bum is filled with fear. T.O.P says that this particular scene was the hardest and yet the most rewarding scene of the film.

T.O.P: Lee Jae Han, the director, values reality in a film. That is why when I did the scene, I ran without being told where the explosives were. It was a dangerous scene, and if I did it wrong it would take a long time to remake the set again. It was as if we were in the real battlefield and I actually felt shocked with the amount of tense and fear around me. There is a scene where I fall and an exploding Jeep flies over me and I thought I was going to break my eardrum with the piercing noise. That time I actually wanted to run away from the set. However, when I saw the scene on the film, there was a young Jang-bum on the screen and not me. I felt proud of myself.

AERA: His acting skills were praised and in November last year, he was awarded with the best new actor award in Korea’s largest film festival. However, he seems to be cool about it. He says, “I want music as my main career, but I want to act as well. From now on, my music and acting activities are 5:5″.

T.O.P: I’ve been creating music since I was 11 or 12 years old. It might be that I’m quite satisfied with music already. However, acting is still a new field for me and I still lack in many things. In order to perfect it, I have to keep acting. If I start something, I seek for perfection. I have the greed to make my acting just perfect. That’s why I want to keep acting.

(source: nanz@21bangs)

Ever since they announced that they were going to make a comeback this year, Big Bang has been dominating every news headline. Each track from their fourth mini-album has swept the music charts, and the album itself continues to rank on Billboard’s ‘Top 10′ – all this without any formal promotions from the boys.

The members recently sat down to an interview with Kyunghyang on the afternoon of March 4th, and they shared their throughts on their recent achievements, their future, as well as on the Korean music industry.

Q. “Did you know that you had ranked on the Billboard chart?”
G-Dragon: “We had no idea. We just woke up a second ago and headed over. I’ve never thought about advancing into the U.S., but I think I should start thinking about that now. I hope to show the process it takes to transform from an idol into a musician.”

Q. “This achievement means that your talents were recognized overseas.”
Taeyang: “I think we only achieved it because the internet allows music to be heard all over the world. We listened to a lot of music outside of Korea and reflected that, which I think worked.”
G-Dragon: “There’s definitely a lot more pressure now.”
Taeyang: “There’s also the fact that K-pop is earning global popularity now.”

Q. “This album seems to have a nice mix of acoustic and electronic sounds.”
Taeyang: “We ourselves are tired of the electric sounds that seems to have such a strong hold over Korean music lately. We unanimously decided to present warmer music this time.”
G-Dragon: “Stylistically, you can consider our album a mesh of analog and emotional sounds. The sound is trendy, but we focused on bringing emotions into the melody line and lyrics.”


Q. “The members all had a lot of individual and unit promotions. What did you learn from that?”
Taeyang: “I found what buries me in group promotions.”
Seungri: “I learned how to grab hold of the stage and how to react quickly.”
G-Dragon: “I’m both proud and glad that we directed another pathway that male idols can walk down.”
T.O.P: “It was fun learning something new. I feel joy from expressing something through both music and acting.”
Daesung: “It was an opportunity for me to assure myself and fill myself with hope regarding the road I was to walk down in the future. I want to become someone who could positively give joy to others through music, someone who manages to wash away all of the worries of others whenever they look at me.”

Q. “There were rumors about disbandment and such. How did you overcome those?”
Taeyang: “Communication was the wisest option.”
Daesung: “Now that our group reached our sixth year, our individual colors have bcome a lot stronger, which consequently brings out such crises. But the more that happens, the more we try to band tighter together and talk things out. It helps us realize, ‘What I thought wasn’t right.’ Even though our opinions are different, as long as our meaning towards music remains the same, it resolves everything.”

Q. “Did you ever feel problems towards your agency or their system?”
Taeyang: “I wouldn’t specifically call it discord with our agency, but I think there are problems with Korea’s music industry as a whole. Copyrighting and distributions do not seem to be going in the right direction.”
G-Dragon: “As an artist, there are so many things we need to pay attention to. Japan has a great system that allows us to focus entirely on our music without outside distractions, but Korea isn’t the same. Since we’re idols, we have to go on variety programs… With a fatigued body and mind, the quality of our album inevitably drops, which disappoints our fans as well.”

Q. “You’re now six years into your idol careers. Any thoughts about your future?”
G-Dragon: “We don’t have plans about our future; we’ve never made specific goals. When you set something, that’s your limit. You can’t go further than that. Isn’t it better for us to just disregard what others think and love ourselves and continue pursuing music?”
Taeyang: “Around last year, our members did discuss something like that. We basically decided that you can never tell what will happen in a person’s future. We decided that we’d just like for our passions for our music and our careers to never change.”

Q. “Do you date? Don’t you receive restrictions on your personal lives?”
Seungri: “Idols these days seem to date on-screen. Of course, not me. More than anything, I try to think before I speak, but I do make mistakes. Before, I went through difficulties because of that…”
T.O.P: “It was difficult not having private time to ourselves, but we earned something else. Now I just think of it as giving up something you have to, nothing more and nothing less.”


source: allkpop

Time & Love became Ideals!

Taeyang observed the progress of BIGBANG!

The first perception that many people have towards Taeyang is that he's a shy person. However, the shy attitude did not become an obstacle for Taeyang to pursue his dream in music! Shining like the blazing sun, the attraction of Taeyang is so obvious that it shines throughout the music world! Grateful for what there is, Taeyang desperately want to continue to touch the hearts of many with his music!


What kind of a person are you?

Taeyang : Actually, I don't quite understand myself. People around me feel that I am a serious person and like to think about the others' feelings. But since last year, I found that I have changed a lot. Previously, I always feel pressured with work and personal problems until it is difficult to sleep. But now, I am more open-minded and become active. When attending events, I am also capable of showing many kind of expressions and interact with the members.


What problems were you facing at that time?

Taeyang : Haha ...at that time I always think about questions like 'what should I do', 'is this the right choice.' Furthermore, I argued with the members. Issues such as 'How do I keep on moving forward' keep playing in my mind. In these 3 years, everyday is kind of the same for me. I'm already tired of living like this. Singing too is kind of meaningless for me. I am fearful to face all these. Until early last year, I discovered that my problem can actually be solved easily. Just that now I am still unable to solve the problem. I'm sure one day I can definitely solve the problem concerned.


Are you hard to get close to as an artist?

Taeyang : No ~. No matter on the performance stages or music events, I like to show my true self in front of everyone. In fact, artists who are hard to get close to can attract more people to like them. I am saying this not because I want to criticize, but I just feel that I am more fitted with my true self.


What kind of a group is BIGBANG?

Taeyang : Emm ... we have our own specialities. The things that we like are also not the same. Because of the differences in personalities, we can achieve excellence on performance stages.


How does BIGBANG divide the rooms when in another country?

Taeyang : Usually I room with Daesung, GD rooms with Seungri. While T.O.P is by himself because he would rather be on his own, hehe!


What is your role in BIGBANG?

Taeyang : I observe the progress of BIGBANG!


Are you a shy person since young?

Taeyang : I used to think a lot and get anxious easily! All this while, I tried to discover and develop my self potential. This kind of personality pushed me to start my music career at the age of 13!


How were the reactions from those around you when they came to know that you want to be a singer?

Taeyang : They were very surprised, especially my family! For those who know me, all of them think that I have changed! At that time, I had joined an audition MV organized by YG Entertainment. Taking this opportunity, I had started a music career! Since then, my life has experienced major changes!

scanned and translated by Miseremei @ bigbanghaven

The world is defined into before and after the Big Bang. Of course, this is in regards to astrophysics. It was only after the Big Bang that time, space and order came into existence. And it is now that group Big Bang seems to fit their name better than ever -- not because the tracks to their fourth mini-album released in two years and three months has topped various music charts and public broadcaster SBS and cable music channel Mnet created separate comeback programs for them. On March 4, Big Bang said in an interview that they will not dwell on how high they rank on charts nor on promoting their album and instead spoke of how they want to create a new idol group culture and their hopes for the music market. Below are excerpts from the group interview.

Q: We had fun watching "Secret Big Bang." [Big Bang's parody of SBS TV series "Secret Garden"] (laugh) You had performed it at your "BIG SHOW" concert as well. Had you planned to show it on SBS?
G-Dragon (GD): Yes, we had.

Q: Then you must've felt quite a big of pressure about that from the very beginning.
T.O.P: We did. We were already pressured about making a comeback for the first time in two years and three months but there were also so many who had liked the original show so we tried even harder to make it funny.
GD: We would've been able to make it funnier if it was just going to be for our concert but it was going to go on national television so we had it shot in line with broadcasting regulations.

Q: You said you felt pressured... I think you must've felt the same for how SBS and Mnet produced special programs for your comeback.
T.O.P: What we felt the most pressure about was that we were worried people might misunderstand that we're receiving some kind of special treatment. That's why we tried even harder to show people we're doing our best and were more attached to each and every performance we put on.

Q: How did it feel to put on performances like that for the first time in a long time? Hadn't you each acquired stronger individualities over the past two years and three months?
Seungri: A lot of people were saying that to us ahead of our comeback... What will you do if people see you as who you are as individuals instead of your group Big Bang because each of you have gained ground in the industry after pursuing many activities solo or if Ji-yong's part will sound him from his solo album. But we went on stage to make our comeback and saw that we worked together well and looked good. We worked extremely hard, as if we're new singers again, to show that.
T.O.P: We have always worked hard. (laugh)
Seungri: We have but twice as hard. Our leader minded to the rehearsals a lot as well -- to the point he said whoever is tardy should pay a fine.
T.O.P: It actually was something we were worried about a lot but I think the public now wants the unique energy each of us give off as individuals. We too have the pride that we wouldn't be who are if we weren't members of Big Bang and will try to show as many various sides to us as possible to the point that it doesn't get excessive.

Q: Then was that how you started on your album? With the mindset that you need to work well together in a uniform manner?
GD: We tried not to because we didn't want the album to become too much like that. We worked on this album for two and a half years and "TONIGHT" came out a year and a half ago. Like Seungri said, our album might sound like a collaboration of five singers but the vibe the song gives off isn't necessarily like that. I think Big Bang is about how well we work with each other, no matter how different we are and unlikely it seems we'll mix. I think the song does a good job of showing how we harmonize. And I rather had fun producing the song instead of facing any difficulties.

Q: I think it must've been fun putting together song "WHAT IS RIGHT" because it seemed that where there are subtle changes to the song falls in line with when the vocals change.
GD: Everybody gives off different vibes with their voices, right? Taeyang's voice is R&B-ish but also thin and tender while Daesung has a bold Korean voice? And Seungri sounds mournful while T.O.P has a masculine and husky voice. My voice is thin, just like when I talk. So I have a lot of fun producing because we're all very different. It's fun putting together our sounds and everyone balances out the song in different ways so things never get boring. Each song may only be three minutes long but I think that's why it feels like that time goes by quickly.

Q: Did your album come out late because you were trying out a lot of variations then?
T.O.P: It had to do with us being in Japan and pursuing a lot of activities individually. We didn't even know two years and three months had passed. And it's not like any of us had taken time off either. Hence we felt a lot of pressure to make a comeback that'll meet up to people's expectations and were careful in making a comeback because we thought harder about what we shoudl do to show people better music.
GD: This may be something that has been said amongst fans as part of fandom but we hadn't been out in public for two years and three months so there was a lot of talk about us including the fact that there's discord in our group. But we would have been under the same understanding as well if we were the public because we weren't coming out as a group although we were saying we're getting along fine. At the same time however, we had a tough time whenever we heard of such talk because we would've liked for our fans to show more support for us who were preparing our new album. Should I say I was sort of disappointed? Because we were working hard to meet with our fans as soon as we could and making the album while experiencing growing pains but we were hearing otherwise. So I wanted to place things where they used to be after releasing this album.

Q: Speaking of fandom, I remember you saying on cable music channel Mnet's "Big Bang TV Live" that you don't want to become musicians that get trapped in fandom.
T.O.P It's because we want to show how much we grow. We believed that we should show our individuality to the extent it isn't excessive rather than do things that any other group does for the public.
Taeyang: I think it's dangerous to let ourselves stay who our fans want us to be as our fandom gets bigger because we'll be inclined to think we must do that. But what I want is on the other side so limitations will form to the music that I want to do. That's why I think we'll be able to show how we've improved by doing what we want to rather than mind fandom too much.
T.O.P: It's not like we have a huge goal or that we're heading for something but we're in an environment where we can easily get trapped inside the structure of being idols in Korea. That's why I'm hoping we'll become a group that'll show a lot of things without being trapped inside that, do music that people really want even if we're idols and resolve dissatisfactions and serve substitute satisfaction by listening to us.

Q: I think substitute satisfaction and resolution has to do with the attitude your team has, not just music.
T.O.P: I think we're about freedom, not fake freedom where we're pretending to be free on the outside. We get stressed a lot when we're trapped inside something.
GD: And I think that defines our group. It has become what Big Bang is about and what are performances and music are like. We'd probably end up being the same idol group as all other idols if we get trapped inside fandom or a lto of other things. But we wanted to go about things differently, we believed that what we think is right and my opinion comes first, so we made a lot of attempts musically. I think that worked with our fans as well and gave them good opinions of us.

Q: I think there are things the public allows you to do because of such an image. For example, playing the guitar, then breaking it in "TONIGHT" could easily seem like a show but it's accepted because it's Big Bang.
GD: I think it's an issue of confidence and we've come to gain the confidence that whatever we do will pretty much be okay. And that's why we do those things but it's up to us to make sure that it doesn't come off as excessive or strange to people. Of course we're actually embarrassed though. It's not like we're actually playing the guitar but it would show if we kept thinking we're embarrassed.

Q: As a team doing the music you want, you must have a lot of thoughts regarding how idol groups like TVXQ or SS501 have recently split and go their own ways.
GD: Of course because they're our senior and junior singers. The reason we've ended up a bit different from them is that we resolved our differences in music through our solo activities. I think that's why we fight less or agree less when we're back as Big Bang compared to other groups. I think these are issues that go down to how they're solved when they came about so it would've been better if they had looked further ahead on a broader perspective.

>Q: What do you mean by looking far?
G-Dragon (GD): I think it has to do with greediness. We've been Big Bang for the sixth year now but we try to get rid of the systematic dissatisfactions we have as much as we can when it comes to our activities. And even when they are there, we try to let go of them through other means. So we want to set an example in that sense.
T.O.P: I think changing people's perspective is what we should do as seniors to other artists. And just like we have to have faith in our fans, the public too should place faith in the artists they like.
GD: What I don't like as an artist is how money is always magnified as the only issue when incidents like that occur in Korea. I'm sure there were a lot of problems including those between the group's members or differences in opinion regarding the music they're doing for them to reach that point so it's a shame that such problems with idol groups are seen to be related to money. That's how people will perceive of us when it's not true. T.O.P said he received questions only about KARA and TVXQ when he recently visited Japan. I don't like the fact that such perceptions are being formed of Korean idol groups.
T.O.P: Foreigners are taking more and more interest in Hallyu, thinking it's mysterious, so in a way it makes me sad to think Korean singers are perceived in that way but I also think we should work even harder.

Q: Even the Hallyu moves within the context of money quite a lot but I think your group is different. I think the fact that the music video for "TONIGHT" received over two million hits on YouTube and ranked high on iTunes shows your music is appealing to listeners with the music itself, ahead of how it's promoted commercially.
T.O.P: I don't think we get a lot of hits on YouTube because we're famous. I rather think it's that our individual activities such as Taeyang's solo album or GD&TOP's duo unit album has stirred curiosity of our music amongst people overseas. Taeyang recently visited the U.S. where he met many artists and he said they were curious about Korea. In the past, we used to think a lot about what the Korean public would like when we shot music videos so it's exciting to think that even more people will be watching it. It also feels like we're competing with foreign artists.
GD: We've been proud of the fact that we were known for our music first and it has been what makes us work harder. The reason we have more fun with promoting our album or just working these days is that we're inclined to work harder because we're under the determination that this album could go to any country.

Q: Don't you ever feel sort of a rivalry though? YG's music is from Black American music so don't you want to create a Korean style of music in response to it?
Taeyang: Our company, as well as myself, started with black music but we digged into it deeper over time to mix and match it with Korean sentiment which I think is considered refreshing overseas. Before, we may have been in a hurry to catch up to their music but I would say we're now in the process of establishing firm ground with ours.

Q: Well this applies to the albums you release as Big Bang as well but your solo activities have definitely been noteworthy, especially in regards to how they present a variety of music. Can't you manage both your solo and group activities at the same time?
Taeyang: It's probably impossible as of now but we do think it'll be good to do that in the future for both our group and each of its members. We know that a lot of people want Big Bang but there are different performances we want to put on and different genres of music we want to do. I think presenting music whenever we have time to and are ready to is a good idea.
GD: What I've always envied about music markets overseas is that whether a really popular artist releases an album for the first time in a while or posts up a song he has made with his friends for the first time in a month, they're all considered real music. But in our country, groups like us need to promote big at least once every year. I wish I could just let our fans listen to more music on a more regular basis, like if I come up with a song today, I would record it today and post it up tomorrow.
Taeyang: It's like the concept of mix tapes. I love how we can just record what we felt like making that day. And I'm hoping that the Korean music industry will change in a way that we can go beyond just enjoying such music by ourselves and share it. I think it's a good thing for an idol group with a certain amount of influence that makes music to do that.
GD: Under the current system in Korea, even music that wasn't made for commercial purposes end up becoming so. Even music that we make without a particular purpose will become commercial music when promoted big. Everyone wants to listen to different music depending on the genre or their mood so I'm sure it would be fun for them to be able to have choices if we make and upload songs about how we felt at certain moments. I don't like how you always have to wait for an album for so long, then get sick of it after listening to that album so many times and then wait for a new one to come out. I feel bad for my fans as well. So we're preparing events using blogs or other medium to change that starting this year. I'm sure there'll be a lot of changes if they wait for us just a little bit more.

Q: It looks like you want to present a new attitude regarding the music industry, not just idol culture.
T.O.P: It's a shame that people evaluate and go wild over artists based on how their songs rank on charts. How they think they have defeated someone else based on that chart. I don't think we dwell on that anymore.

Q: Is that why "TONIGHT" is the title track but not very commercial? For example, when T.O.P's rap builds to the climax with the beat in the beginning of the song, Taeyang sings the part after that solo instead of you all singing together.
GD: There was a style that Big Bang used to follow. The mood would build up in the verse and explode after that, that was my style, but I wanted to break away from that this time because I didn't want to be obvious. And rather than sing the chorus together, I felt that the emotion that's delivered would be at its height if Taeyang sings it with the saddest voice possible. The version that got included in this album is the one Taeyang sang when he was really sick. There was a better version but we decided to go with the other one.
Taeyang: I sounded very healthy in the version I sang properly. I asked why he changed to the one I sang when I was sick but he said I did a better job of delivering my emotions in it.
GD: There was a very subtle yet definite difference. And that subtle difference in emotion makes all the difference. "TONIGHT" is a song which can't be cheerful. It has to sound cheerful but actually be very sad so it came out well. I think that music with very fast beats, yet sounding sad, ambiguous and melancholy is what best suits Big Bang. I think that's the best emotion to deliver nowadays.

Q: But technique alone won't catch such emotions in music I think.
GD: Yes, not technique. I rather think that everyone's solo activities helped a lot. I've directed each and everyone of them and found that they had changed a lot so it was easy to capture their emotions. We definitely sound different now that we're not kids anymore.
Taeyang: Over time and with each year we age, we've come to feel more emotions and are getting better at expressing them.

Q: Then will this album inform the public of how Big Bang's style of music has changed?
GD: Not necessarily... I'm just hoping that it'll be seen as the path we're taking from becoming idols into musicians. I think we're at the stage where we're not musicians but not idols either. In a way, we also feel bad for being called idols. (laugh)
T.O.P: There is still so much that we want to show everyone.
GD: After promoting this mini-album, we're going to tour Japan and release another album when we return. I think that'll be a full-length album which we're thinking of working on with composers from outside YG as well so I think it'll have a different flavor to it.

Q: Lastly, I'm curious to know what Big Bang means to you among all the music-related activities you pursue. Taeyang, you once said on "Big Bang TV Live" that you need to live your life as a person who's doing music but does that mean you'll pursue individual activities gather as Big Bang when you need to or is that road in itself what Big Bang is about?
Taeyang: I believe I'm doing both together. I think they're both headed in the same direction and for the same goal. We may prefer different genres or have differing tastes but I believe that in the end, we all want the same thing and that we're all headed in that direction. We're not scattering about and then gathering when we need to, but releasing solo albums as one of the members of our group which I think has a better influence on the team when we go back to it.
GD: I'm hoping that's what the public will think as well... That Big Bang is a group that has big dreams in mind when it comes to music.

Source: 10Asia / Asiae.co.kr

“BIGBANG IS BACK” is how they informed people of their return to the local music scene in two years and three months — short and concise. But the Big Bang we see today is different from that of two years and three months ago. Every member of the group has pursued activities solo, becoming a group a five stars rather than a group in itself, to become that much more uniue. So how did G-Dragon (GD), T.O.P, Taeyang, Seungri and Daesung create the music of Big Bang we hear today? Below are excerpts from 10Asia’s interview with their album’s producer G-Dragon.

10: Hasn’t it been tough having to make a comeback as Big Bang as soon as you wrapped up your activities for GD&TOP?
GD: Promoting our duo unit album wasn’t tough because whether it be with music or when we’re on stage, we do everything as if we’re playing. That’s why other than not getting any sleep sometimes, there wasn’t anything we had a hard time with on stage. But with Big Bang, we’re making a comeback for the first time in two years and each of our group’s members had been going on different paths so I’ve become very conscious of how everybody seems to be since all five of us have to work together.

10: Really? (laugh) You?
GD: I might have been a maverick in the past and ordered what needs to be done but I’ve changed a lot because to start with, the members of my group are amazing people in my eyes. It’s as if we’re collaborating as star versus star or fan versus fan, on top of the fact that they’re my juniors or friends. That’s why it’s both exciting and difficult working with them.


10: But “TONIGHT” is quite an unexpected choice for a major idol group like yourselves to make as the title track for your release for the first time in a while. It contains a sensitivity that is quite different from what is felt in other songs these days. I felt that it’s similar to pop music
overseas in terms of the sensitivity, not genre.
GD: I had gained more confidence while working as GD&TOP because people liked ” “HIGH HIGH” but they also liked “KNOCK OUT.” And when we went to the States to shoot our music video, I saw a black woman listen to “KNOCK OUT” in her car. It felt weird but now that I think about it, it’s something that can definitely happen. I think our generation is moving into an era where the a sensitivity is felt globally instead of just locally. The same thing applies to us… We may be in Korea but we practically live with the Internet so we listen to and look at music from all over the world. The same goes for fashion.

10: I think where you reached a climax in “TONIGHT” and then went back to the acoustic guitar was a very pop music-like. Weren’t you worried about whether such a style would work with your listeners in Korea?
GD: I instead made sure though, that no part of the song would be boring and really be explosive. I didn’t want any part of it to go by quietly. “LIE” was about the song being quiet at first and then reaching an explosive point but I made this song in a way that everybody’s parts would be explosive. And I was under the determination that I would pull up the emotions from the lowest to the highest point in three minutes and 30 seconds. I actually was quite worried about how we’d perform the song on stage though. (laugh)

10: It seems that you think of a picture for the structure of the song or its visual aspect when you write songs.
GD: I do. I believe that producing is not just about writing a song but also thinking about the choreography, stage settings and lighting. For example, this time, I made the songs for the album after thinking of how everyone would be singing their parts so that it’d be easier for them to follow.

10: That shows how dramatic the structure of the song is but the overall sentiment it expresses is rather calm and plaintive. How did you discuss with your group members on how they should interpret the song’s layout?
GD: Well, firstly, I’m grateful to them for agreeing to go in the direction I had explained to them of the songs. They accepted a lot of what I wanted to do. There were times when I wouldn’t back down when they didn’t do what I wanted (laugh) and everyone usually has quite a lot of freedom when it comes to recording, but I constantly changed a lot of things with “TONIGHT” because there was something specific that I wanted to do.

10: How did you direct the vocals? I think exchanging opinions with the parts for the vocals must’ve been important because the emotional mood in this song is particularly important.
GD: It was a joke but I said that we should sing like we’re more experienced. (laugh) If you take our experience into consideration, it’s our fault if we end up looking like amateurs whether it be with our products or performances on stage. And I actually also told them not to try to hard. I told them that I believe we became popular because we have our own style, we do our music and we deliver our unique sense of sentimentality, not because we’re the best singers or dancers in Korea. I also said we should make as many songs as possible and sing and listen to them a lot in advance since everyone is always so busy with their individual careers. We no longer live in an era where singers are considered good if they can hit the high notes. I think having groove is what’s important. That’s why the guys who sang the vocals had a harder time with this song. We made a lot of changes by exchanging opinions and gained a lot from it.

10: Well, what was as important as the vocals in this album was the overall mixing of the sound. A unique quality or vibe is felt throughout the album… What did you focus on in terms of the mixing?
GD: We wanted the songs to sound like pop so I tried to create rich yet clean sounds, particularly with “TONIGHT.” On the other hand, I had also tried making the sound dirty with “WHAT IS RIGHT.” But more than anything, the voices of all five members of our group had to be carried in the album properly so I paid the most attention to that.

10: It was unique in how you left an adequate amount of space to let each sound ring instead of trying to fill up the song with sounds.
GD: I believe that every sound needs a rhythm. That’s why I tried to maintain a sense of rhythm even when there are empty spaces through a variety of effects such as breathing, delay or reverb.

10: But the overall sentimentality or tendency of sounds in “HANDS UP” or “SOMEBODY TO LOVE” that you promoted in Japan seem to stand out a bit.
GD: That’s quite true. But they’re both songs we value dearly. We have the most fun on stage when we sing “HANDS UP” and I treasure “SOMEBODY TO LOVE” so much that I had always hoped we’d get to promote a more refined version of it in Japan. That’s why I changed around everything this time and I’m much more satisfied with it. We wanted people in Korea to hear the song because those of you who didn’t know we were in Japan wouldn’t know those songs.

10: I think “LIE” to the two songs you sang in Japan to “TONIGHT” shows the changes you and Big Bang have undergone. Your style or aiming point have changed slightly everytime even when you use the same sounds. Does it have to do with the past two years?
GD: I think the emotions I felt then were things I felt in the process of becoming an adult and what I feel now are things I feel as an adult. I’m not saying that I’m more mature now but I think I’ve come to share my thoughts with more people and listen to what they have to say compared to when I looked at the world and people in an immature way. And in the process, I’ve come to organize my thoughts and write about the things I realize from those. Before I used to write about the questions I had. But I now write about what I’ve come to realize… I think I’m becoming more sure of myself.

10: But your solo activities and acting as the producer of Big Bang are different things, just like the music you want to do is different from the music the public wants to hear. How is it having to be a producer that has to take all these factors into consideration?
GD: It’s fun in regards to the music but there are a lot of difficulties I face otherwise. (laugh) I’m sure that our group’s members are also worried about a lot of things because we haven’t been back in a while. But we ourselves are cheering each other on so it’s good. We also have more time to talk, about serious things as well, because we’ve now come to spend more time together. I’d be lying if I told you I’m not worried but everyone is working hard very actively.

10: Well the race has begun. (laugh) How do you want to go about your activities?
GD: Everyone has been saying we took a break although we’ve been pursuing individual activities so everyone wants to work as hard as they can. It’s been two years so I’m sure the five of us will be getting together quite often now. We want to show everyone as much of us as we can… That’s why we’re back. I’m thinking that may also be what people wanted. I think our activities as Big Bang are on a different level from our activities as solos or duos. I believe that Big Bang is a group that appeals more to the public so we need to be where the people want to see us. Our goal is to be at the center of issues, not create them, and make everyone want to talk about us wherever we go. We’re going to compete hard from the very beginning. (laugh)

source: 10Asia