[INTERVIEW] G-DRAGON, “A BIGGER HIT WILL COME”


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