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G-Dragon’s Interview on K& Magazine

December 5, 2012

‘To some extent, I have been more relaxed. I can be said that I have more than I should have in the fields of music and life. I feel that I have been changing bits by bits. Although I am not a perfect adult yet but I am right in the middle of it.

I have told myself that, ‘I have to work hard to strive for the best in my life.’ I think it is because I have such a mindset so I can handle everything.’ One sentence from ‘Star G-DRAGON’ to ‘Young Jiyong’,’ Jiyong is really hardworking! ~”

Q1) You don’t have any burden when your new album is released?

GD: Just a little bit. When I am doing music, I sometimes compulsive disorder to ‘always make some new music’. I think I am like this because I sense what others are perceiving me. If I want extraordinarily hard because of these expectations, I will just cannot produce good music that I want. Therefore, this album was produced not under any pressure. I just made it on my free will.

Q2: What are the biggest differences between this one with your SOLO1?

GD: I am more relaxed this time. When I was producing the first solo album, I just wanted to convey some messages through it. The message was ‘no blood will come out even I was pinned.’ However, after trying out different kinds of music activities, I started to change and wanted to convey my real emotion that I have in my everyday’s life.

I want to express the feelings that everyone has once feel in music so I think people will feel my songs. Because I was making this album with this feeling, I felt more satisfied comparing with the time that I made my first album. If 100 are full marks, I think I at least can get 85 marks? (Laugh)

Q3: The transformation in G-Dragon is?

GD: Comparing with 3 years ago, it seems that I have handled my work better. I was like chasing after my thoughts without thinking much about the consequences before but now I think I know how to control it more. Although it looks like I am now calculating how much efforts I have paid, I am cleverer in making music now. I think it can help me to reduce the chances of errs, too.

When I am listening to SOLO 1 now, I would think, ‘why I would do the album like that?’ And there are times that I do not want to listen to it. However, if I listen to this album 3 years later, I think I will feel the same, too. When I am making music, I am growing at the same time, ain’t I?

Q 4: What is the concept of this album?

GD: To be frank, there are no special concepts. I just insert the mindset of ‘the 24-year-old G-Dragon has to keep on living’ into it. I also want to see how myself is through you, ‘G-Dragon is thinking like this.’ And ‘he is walking on the path of his life like this!’

Q5: You composed all of the melodies and lyrics in the album.

GD: I was also very troubled as a translator since I think, ’starting from now on, I cannot let others think that I am an amateur.’ Therefore, whenever I was free, I would write songs and lyrics.

And now my singer friends said ’it is the music only G-Dragon can make’. Moreover, since the whole world is now concerning more about Kpop, I want to make more good songs which can be listed as classics.

Q6: Please introduce the title song, ‘Crayon’.

GD: It is the combination between Crazy and Jiyong. It means ’just crazy with G-Dragon like what you are crazy with other things’ and ’let’s get crazy’. When I was producing it with Teddy, I wrote down the lyrics ‘Why So Serious?’ on the blank paper.

It is the famous line of the crown in the film ‘the Dark Knight’. I like the line very much. I want to say it to so many people, ‘why you have to be so serious?’ And I also want people to think ‘this kid has really gone crazy’ when they see my performance on the stage. Luckily, I am able to achieve all of these. PV is really interesting, too. I like it so much!

Q7: Why you choose this as the title song?

GD: President Yang said I should choose an interesting song to be the title song. The period of producing such a song is really hard. At the very beginning, because I wanted to do what others wanted me to do, I ended up producing nothing. I was worried very much beforehand too because I could not write out the vocal part but I did it when I went out with Teddy.

When I was producing ’Crayon’, once again I feel that I can only produce music with a light heart and when I am enjoying it. I am not saying if you have a lot of worries, you cannot produce good songs.

Q8: You have worn a lot of costumes in the MV of ‘Crayon’, which one do you like best?

GD: The Frankenstein costumes that I wore in the second half of the MV. Since it is a gift from a designer that I love so much, I decided to wear it. Although I have worn that to dance, it was cut. I have also worn skirts like a girl! There are scenes showing a pretty girl looking back.

Because I dressed like a girl, there were loads of people asking whether it was really me. The back view was from a real girl and it was combined with my face. Because I am slim, there is such a misunderstanding! I have worn all of the costumes that I want so I am really satisfied!

Q9; There is your unique charm in the mv and the music of ‘One Of A Kind’!

GD: I want to show my unique side to you like it was my title song. In the song which ‘only G-Dragon can do it’, I want to give you a free and impetuous feeling. Because it is the solo album which I have released after 3 years, I hope I can be ’one of the unique artist’.

Q10: Is ’that XX’ your real experience?

GD: Not all of the songs are my real experience. Everyone should have experienced love triangle before, I want to use some lyrics which is a bit sentimental to describe this feeling. If you witness your lover is having an affair, you will not say some gentle words, right?

Q11) You label ‘that XX’ as a song which people under 18 cannot listen to…

GD: I set the borderline first. Although it was labelled like that, I don’t think the lyrics ‘that bastard’ is that tabooed. Comparing restricting myself from doing everything, isn’t it more important if I can show my thoughts to you?

Of course there are people who hate words like ‘that bastard’, I think there also have people who don’t think like this. I am just following my true self. If this song is entitled as ‘that guy’ or ‘that man’, will the song still convey the same atmosphere?

Q12) What do you think about the censorship system that the song’s MV had to go through before it was released?

GD: I was quite burdened. I think I should have been able to produce music which is even more out of the box, I could not finish it as what I had expected. Therefore, the MV looks a little bit plain. If it is like this, people cannot enjoy as much as they should …

Q13) You have collaborated with JAURIM’s Kim Eung-ah and Nell’s Kim Jong-wan.

GD: I tried to ask whether they are willing to ask and they promised to help in a very short time. I have asked for the permission of president Yang faithfully so he approved me of collaborating with Eung Ah noona to sing ‘Missing You’. Kim Jong Wan Hyun whom I sang ‘Today’ with , I knew him through Tablo hyun, though I know he is a very straight person. But in fact he is a very nice person. I have learnt loads of things after working with them.

Seeing their being able to present my products more than I myself can do, I have the feeling that ‘Aww.. no wonder they are my seniors.’ Because of this, I rethought again how I should work with the staff of my company. I also want to work with more people after this.

Q14: The lyrics of ‘Light It Up’ is very interesting.

GD: I write the lyrics after watching ’War Crimes’. I have also thought of including funny messages for the people who hate me. Originally I wanted to write this for a person who hates me but there are so many people dislike me, I just cannot dedicate it for a particular person.

That’s why the lyrics has now become ‘although you guys hate me, I don’t care even a bit.’ I know it is a bit naive, I just hope that you can find the lyrics cute. Because there are some cute elements in the rap starting from the very beginning.

Q15:　You have collaborated with other artists 4 songs out of the total 7!

GD:　It is obviously 5 members of Big Bang has their unique charm, I will not pursuit voices other than these. Therefore, even if we want to collaborate with each other, it is kind of difficult. But since it is the solo album that I have not released for a long time, I am a little bit more greedy. (laugh)

Q16: Who you think you must collaborate with?

GD: ‘Kim Bunjan’ of ‘WindCity’. There are songs which I have collaborated with other artists too but they are not included in this album. I thin it will be interesting too if I can collaborate with the artists of my company.

Q17: What is so nice about carrying out your solo activities?

GD: I can do the things that I want to do. When I am carrying out the activities with Big Bang members, because I have to consider the benefits of the group, I cannot just wear what I want to. It is just not good that if there is a person who is different from the others in the group…

However, when I am carrying out my solo activities, there are no such restrictions. I can try out different kinds of styles.

Therefore, I have the chance to try out the clothes that I have been wanting to try. I have also taken up the challenge of making the music that I want to experiment with. I can do what I want to do.

Q18: There were scandals about your plagiarizing music of foreign artists.

GD: If there are some foreign artists that you like, then it will affect your music style. However, it is weird that if you say that directly affects the style of your rap and the songs.

Even though we are singing about the same theme, we can still change the ways that we express our feelings. If you describe that as plagiarism, don’t you think that it is just a misunderstanding about the artists?

Although there was such a scandal, I do not care about their comments on this.

Q19: What are the differences between your activities in Big Bang (as a group) and as G-Dragon (solo)?

GD: I have thought of distinguishing them before, now I try hard not to make a distinction between them. No matter if I am working in a group or carrying out my solo activities, I am just so eager to produce good music.

If I really have to make a distinction, compared with (solo versus) working in ‘Big Bang,’ I can try the music that I want when carrying out my solo activities. And with ‘Big Bang’, I try to produce music which can be appreciated by more people.

If friends think, ‘this music can only be produced by G-Dragon’, then I will be very happy.

Q20: There are people saying, ‘after Seo Taiji, only G-Dragon can give us such a strong solo’.

GD: This is my pleasure but I think this is just an illusion of the audience. I do not strive for that. I understand how good the showbiz was when Seo Taiji and Boys were leading the field.

Instead of saying I am striving to be like him, I have been working hard to find my own style. I want to produce music like ‘DEUX’ or ‘015B’, the music that people still remember after 10 years or 20 years.

Q21: There are people who comment that you tend to ‘reach the climax before other artists’.

GD: I am very grateful for the compliment. This is something which can encourage me when I am working hard. However, since I don’t know what my future will be like, I don’t think I am already at the peak.

I think people think I am good through the cameras or after watching my stage performance. My target is that I will/can make music after 10 or 15 years.

Before I reach my goal, there are some praises on me but also some negative comments.

In fact, I am that kind of person who does not really care about what others say about me, no matter what kinds of response they give me, I will not be affected.

I hope this kind of character can lead me to my final destination.

Q 22: The fans that impressed you most?

GD: I cannot forget what happened when our ALIVE tour took place inChina.

The Chinese fans used their cars to surround us, which stopped us from moving anywhere. Then, those fans got out of their cars and took pictures of us.

Fortunately, after taking the pictures, they let us go. Although it was quite terrifying, when I looked back now, it sounds quite interesting.

Q23: The styles of music that you love the most?

GD: I like hip-hop very much. This was also from the charm of hip-hop that I started to know music.

Of course, this is also the field that I have the most confidence in. However, since there are a lot of excellent people and they have different standards, I just think it is the best only when I can do things that really satisfy myself.

Q24: PSY of your company has become a worldwide super star, don’t you envy him?

GD: I am really happy for his being successful and I also envy him. Although he has achieved great success and changed many people’s perceptions towards Asian artists, I think while he is feeling happy, he is also feeling stressed about it.

Although I cannot understand what he feels 100 percent, we did feel the same when we were at the EMAs as Korean artists and won the Worldwide Act Award for the first time.

No matter what, because PSY has opened the door towards the overseas market, I hope that the activities of the Korean artists can continue on smoothly.

Q25: What do you think is the secret to success for ‘Gangnam Style’?

GD: After listening to it, we can follow along with it to sing very easily. People can sing it in KTV or when they are playing with friends. The parody lyrics are also very good. This is a song which can hype up the mood.

There is no standard about what good songs are but Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ reflects what the society is like to some extent.

The music market ofAmericanow is not as prosperous and people are searching for songs that can make them happy. However, there are songs which do have the format but no fun can be found in them.

Psy is really superb.

Source: dkpopnews part 1 & part 2

Article by Glenn & Alona