K-EXCLUSIVE SXSW Artist Spotlight: Interview with iKON

Allie Norado

March 21, 2019

This year, KOCCA & YG Entertainment brought ‘Korea Spotlight‘ at SXSW an extra special surprise — iKON! Officially Kmusic sat down with the artists behind “I’M OK“, “Killing Me“, and “Love Scenario” to talk about their U.S. debut in Austin, Texas. Taking place right before the concert itself, iKON members were able to tell us a little about their inspiration leading to the songs you love as well as their goals for the future. Click below and enable closed captioning or follow along to read their responses in English!

INTERVIEW @:20

[KMUSIC] : Welcome to SXSW, this is your first time performing here in the United States, what are your first impressions?

[BOBBY] : It’s a real pleasure for us, because we always want to let people know who we are and let people know how we do music, how we perform and everything. It’s a real pleasure to be here at SXSW to perform and show who we are for the first time. We’re excited.

[KMUSIC] : Any interesting experiences here in Austin so far?

[BOBBY] : We got here last night and just drank and slept since we all have jetlag, but we’re about to find out!

[KMUSIC] : Since your debut in 2015, what has changed lyrically and musically from then to now.

[B.I.] : Well for now, DK is in charge of our fashion. [Everyone laughs]

[DK] : All of a sudden?

[B.I.] : DK is our most fashionable member now. Musically, we are trying to give ourselves many new challenges these days.

[KMUSIC] : Is there something that has made you want to try new things? Or is it just growth that’s encouraging you?

[B.I.] : I think so. It’s too early to say that we’ve changed.. it’s just every year I prefer to try different things. This is why we are showing different styles through the years and our albums.

[KMUSIC] : Unanimously, if we talk about your music, ‘Love Scenario‘ in particular, is so popular even amongst kids. When you were making the album, did you think that song would be as popular as it is, or was there another song you thought would take that spot? 

[B.I.] : Well, I didn’t expect this at first. This song was made fairly fast, while we were having fun. Kids tend to like this song too.. maybe the thoughts of innocence while making this music was its most successful factor. 

[KMUSIC] : Did you have a different song you liked more?

[B.I.] : Personally, I liked ‘Love Scenario‘ prior to release the most.

[KMUSIC] : I read that all of your music is written within the group. Where does this lyrical motivation come from? I know you had said that you didn’t have many experiences, so what drives you to create this music without that experience to build on.

[B.I.] : For ‘Love Scenario‘ it was inspired by the movie “La La Land“. I do get inspiration from dramas and movies, maybe from some of my personal stories as well. [hands mic to Bobby] How about you man?

[BOBBY] : We on the same page man. For real.

[KMUSIC] : Is there a specific drama or movie that made you feel a lot of motivation or inspiration?

[B.I.] : The Netflix drama “Black Mirror” gave me inspiration, among others.

[KMUSIC] : Did you have a preference towards pop music growing up or did you like different styles?

[B.I.] : Yes, and with our style, we tried as many different styles as we could. We try our best to make good music, with a good stage presence, and we want our listeners to interact with our music. I want to try all kinds of genres and styles.

[KMUSIC] : In your eyes, what do you think makes iKON special? 

[DK] : For now, our unrestricted presence is what sets us apart from others on stage. Our interactions with our fans and natural appearance also make us different.

[B.I.] : I’m not sure if we are so different or the same as others, but I know our passion for the stage and sincerity towards our fans is real.

[KMUSIC] : I wanted to ask an additional question about your (Chan) recent collaboration with Fortnite, do you think there are more gaming collaborations in the future for you?

[CHAN] : Ah Yes, right now I am collaborating with Fortnite… of course, if there are other collaborations I truly welcome them. Through this collaboration, our members gained more and more interest in the gaming industry. If there are more opportunities I would like to try them. I want to try different types of collaborations.

[KMUSIC] : I want to thank you all for taking time to talk with us here at SXSW! What do you have upcoming?

[B.I.] : For now, we..we will try our best to make a name for ourselves through SXSW and showing our fans our work in our performance. Please show us your love and support at our stages. This year, we want to see more love and support, and seek out more of our audience. W would love to perform in America, again, more often.

[BOBBY] : B.I. and I are planning on dropping a first unit album in May-ish, we aren’t sure yet but when we do please check it out and please look forward to it. Thank you~

Thank you to YG Entertainment and KOCCA for allowing us the opportunity to bring your questions to your favorite artists!

Interview conducted and written by: Allie Norado

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