Source: ssong_99
Q. You took a long absence from stages in Korea. Did you happen to get homesick?
Daehyun: The thirst towards performing on stages was always there. While actively doing overseas promotions in 2013, we had the longest absence period yet from Korea. Although we learned a lot and felt touched while going to many places around the world and holding performances there during our Pacific tour, we always missed and thought about stages in Korea. There’s a unique energy that can only be found from doing performances in Korea, so fans and stages in Korea have more meaning than anywhere else. That’s why it was true that we were looking forward to our album promotions more this time around.
Q: While B.A.P was absent for a short time from Korean stages, many other idols took over those stages. Aren’t you worried at your peers gaining popularity in Korea?
Yongguk: Rather than say we’re worried, I think it’s something we should be congratulating them on. Other groups aren’t rivals to us, but rather comrades that are going on the same path as us. Each group has their own color and characteristic, so I believe that we can all improve further by learning things from them while we also give some influence to them as well. We’re simply working hard to go with our own style.
Q: The results overseas were very clear. They were very exceptional results for newcomers, so what are your thoughts on this?
Himchan: It’s something to be thankful for. Truthfully, we didn’t think such a large opportunity would come to us, and even more, we didn’t think that we could receive such a large result. Our ultimate goal is “Allowing people to listen to B.A.P-like music that B.A.P wants to do and receiving love for it”, so it felt like we stepped a foot closer to our goal. While doing overseas performances, we met a lot of local fans and also gained certainty about our music. We also gained a larger dream of wanted to continuously allow people in various places to listen to our music.
Q: I heard that the company is giving you guys the utmost full support.
Daehyun: Ever since our debut, they created things like our large Matoki or large spaceship for our showcase as well as our music videos. I know that it’s thanks to our company and staff members who didn’t hold back on their help and investments in us that we were able to go here and there promoting and informing people about us without time to rest, allowing us to receive good results not only in Korea. That’s why I always think that I need to work even harder.
Q: There are many representatives that say that B.A.P improved at the ‘level of LTE’. You guys should reach 1st place on a Korean music broadcast this time around. What’s your goal?
Jongup: Although I don’t know if it’s something everyone says, but we’re really not the types to be attached to rankings. Even though it would be nice to get 1st place, the goal for this album was to show people that we improved musically. While doing many performances including the Pacific tour, we gained a lot of experience and also gained confidence towards music and made this album, so I simply want to show many people that B.A.P grew this much and that we’re a group that will show many more things in future.
Q: I think Himchan and Zelo cried during the last concert.
Zelo: Although it’s hard to explain in words, it wasn’t because of sorrow, but because many emotions were mixed up confusingly at once. I felt touched, happy, and thought about people I felt thankful towards. I started tearing especially when I read the letter to my parents because the times I went through from when I first dreamed of becoming a singer to when I stood on the concert’s stage, passed in front of my eyes.
Q: Himchan wasn’t able to participate on stage due to getting injured right before the comeback for your second mini album, ‘ONE SHOT’. So I think that your determination for the 3rd mini album this time was probably different than the others.
Himchan: Because B.A.P is a group that communicates with the fan through performances, I felt so sorry and regrettable that I wasn’t able to participate in the concert stage. However, while I wasn’t able to stand on stage, I think I realized the passion and longing feelings I had towards the stage and the thankfulness I had for people who cherish us. It was a time where I was able to go back to a ‘rookie’s mindset’. That’s why the 3rd album stage was personally more important to me than any other time. It felt like I was pouring out all the energy that I wasn’t able to during our last album.
Q: Other singers sit behind stage or stand despite not dancing when they’re injured. However, Himchan didn’t do that at all, was there a reason?
Himchan: I received surgery for fracturing my finger. The hospital told me that the recovery period differs for every person, and that I should rest in order to assure a fast recovery. ‘One Shot’ had a stronger performance than any of our other songs. Because of this, I had a lot of thoughts. The company tried to dissuade me at the time, telling me that ‘recovering your health is the priority’. Although I felt regrettable about it, I believed that my priority was to quickly recover and return back to the stage. That’s why I didn’t stand on stage.
Q: I feel like you would’ve regretted it a lot.
Himchan: Because it was a stage that we prepared a long time for and had an attachment to, it was hard and difficult choice for me who couldn’t stand on stage and the members who had to do my parts for me instead. It wasn’t whether or not someone felt more regrettable than another. Also, it wasn’t a situation that could be persisted just because I felt regrettable. The first thing that had to happen was to change the choreography and line-up into focusing on just the 5 members, and other members had to fill up my empty spots. That’s why there was no time to even think about regretting it. I was only sorry towards the members who had to go through much more trouble in order to learn my parts as well.
Q: How did the other members feel about the stages without Himchan?
Jongup: The members know really well how long it takes to show just one stage and the amount of effort we all put in it together. ‘One Sho’t was really the best of performances, that’s why it was truthfully longer and more difficult to practice and prepare than other previous songs. But it was a really regretting feeling that can’t be expressed in words for us to know that Himchan hyung couldn’t participated in such a prepared stage due to his injury. This is because we knew how much Himchan hyung missed the stage even if he didn’t say it.
Q: If you were to boast about this album?
Yongguk: Our 3rd mini album, ‘BADMAN’, is a work and the fruit that contains our improved energy. Through a triple title format, we put in a lot of effort in order to show various sides of ourselves musically and visually from jazz or electronic genres that B.A.P hadn’t shown before to the most B.A.P-like song with a strong message in it. Our main title song for this album, ‘BADMAN’, has a cross dance that has the meaning of washing away all sins along with krumping which increases the performance and is a song that makes you feel like you’re watching a movie.
Q: The concept of the B.A.P members is being aliens that hail from the planet of Mato. Are you used to this concept now?
Daehyun: Truthfully B.A.P means aliens that ‘have a dream of wanting to conquer the Earth through music’. After debuting and starting promotions, I believe we’re slowly making our concept come true as we inform people of B.A.P and B.A.P’s music first with Korea, and now Asia and we’ll continue to allow people to listen to our music till we reach America. We definitely plan to allow people to listen to our music in more places and show our own style. We’re not ashamed of our ‘conquering the Earth through music’ concept.
Q: When thinking of B.A.P, the first thing that comes to mind is the flashy airplane fashion. How do you guys style yourselves?
Himchan: Among our members, there are members who have a lot of interest in fashion and members who don’t really care. I think that most of us usually like a clean yet comfortable style. I personally have a lot of interest in clothes, but I like giving a point to my clothes with items like shoes or a belt on top of a fully clean styling.
Yongguk: I’m not really the type to think deeply about fashion. I just match and wear things of street fashion that suits me well and are comfortable.
Zelo: But I think that Yongguk hyung looks the best with his physical form. He looks cool no matter what he wears. Although I’m quite interested in fashion like Himchan hyung, I don’t stick to just one type of style. I like mixing and matching items of various styles.
Q: As much as you’re gaining popularity worldwide, it seems like you’ll have to work hard to learn foreign languages as well.
Youngjae: Actually, the members have been working really hard because we suddenly gained an interest in learning foreign languages. It’s to the point where we get competitive and have greed in wanting to learn more. We’re mainly studying Japanese and English, but the language that we’re confident in varies for each member.
Q: When Zelo, the 96’er, debuted, he was the youngest idol at the time. How do you feel when you see people that are younger than you debut?
Zelo: I received a lot of interest at first for being the youngest when I debuted, but suddenly there were many people younger than me that I had debuted. It’s fascinating and I also have a feeling that I can identify with them when I see them working hard towards their dreams at such a young age. It also makes me feel emotional because I feel like I’m seeing my old self. Although we’re doing music in separate teams, in the end, they’re people near the same age group as me who are walking down the same road. I hope that we can all be successful!
Q: While preparing for this new album, who do you believe improved the most?
Yongguk: I think it would be hard to just pick out one person. Through our Pacific tour, everyone’s stage manner improved and their expressions and gestures became more natural while their way of expressing also improved. Because we experienced a real-time stage that wasn’t recorded or filmed beforehand, our ease to flexibly settle a situation has improved as well. But if I were to pick one person, I think it would be Jongup. Although he was always exceptional at dancing, I can see that he’s improving rapidly with his vocals as well.
Q: But which member’s body improved the most? Do you plan to show it at a public place?
Himchan: The member with the best body among us is still Yongguk. His body is already confirmed because we revealed it in front of many fans before due to making a promise when getting our newcomer award. However, if we show it too often, it may get boring, so we don’t have any plans to show it soon. Haha!
Q: The image of ‘B.A.P = Warriors’ is strong. Although there were cute images through ‘Stop It’, I think that the strong image represents B.A.P. Do you happen to have any thoughts on wanting to change your image?
Yongguk: A heavy hip-hop beat with strong messages and performances is B.A.P’s style along with being the music that B.A.P can most confidently do. Ever since we debuted, it’s also the music that differed us from other groups. Although it’s true that we tried out various music genres through ‘Stop It’, ‘Coffee Shop’ or ‘Hurricane’, we plan to continue on with the strong colors that B.A.P has.
Q: What’s B.A.P’s final goal?
Yongguk: Through this album, we want to show B.A.P’s improved side that was gained through the many experiences along with the feel that we’re a group that really works hard along with trying out various things musically. We also want to give the feeling that we’re a group that’s able to do those various music styles that we try out. I hope that it can be a chance to show our infinite amount of possibilities to our fans.
Himchan: One of our goals is to created an album that has our own colors in it as all the members would participate in it. And to ‘conquer the Earth musically’ through that album.
Trans: akdongs on Tumblr
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