Korea’s most powerful girl group is here! The talk about fateful meetings and their ideal man also! Their debut single “Bang!” grabbed 7th place on its 1st appearance [on the chart]! After School, consisting of the 8 best who possess the 3 “S”s = Super Sexy (Sexy), Super Style (Style), Super Show (Show). With their previous “Bang!,” they showed a brilliant marching action and called a lot of attention, but the new song “Diva” features a tap dance that outdoes!? Even that! The close friends combination Nana and Juyeon are here representing the members!
—More excited rather than worrying about activities in Japan now —The Japan debut single “Bang!” grabbed 7th place and made for a good start. Have there been any changes about how you feel afterwards?
Nana: Honestly, before the debut single was released, there were many things we worried about, like “Will we really be accepted by Japanese people?,” “Will we be able to communicate our feelings/thoughts despite the language and cultural differences?” But since debuting, the fans and a lot of people came to know us, and now, rather than worrying, we’re more excited about our activities in Japan and we can’t wait to come to Japan each time (laughs).
—That’s good. “Diva” is going to be released, and it’s a party tune bursting with a faster feel than “Bang!” that doesn’t fail to pump up people at concerts and the karaoke.
Nana: This song has a melody that’s easy to memorize even after hearing it just one, and the chorus part that goes “Diva Diva DDD Diva” is especially a memorable phrase, so it’d be great if everyone would sing it with us.
—How was the recording?
Nana: It was our 2nd recording, so we got more used to it than last time. We practiced a lot, so it went smoothly.
Juyeon: But the “Check shite sobani iruyo” part was difficult. Nana: Japanese pronunciation is still difficult, but there were a lot of repetitive phrases this time, so the lyrics helped us (laughs). The lyrics are about a fateful meeting the main character encountered and his/her passionate feelings, but I think it’s a song that everyone can genuinely enjoy, no matter which gender!
—Speaking of enjoying, the tap dance that was featured in the music video! The performance this time was impressive just like the previous marching (drum)!
Both: Thank you!
Juyeon: We originally released this song in Korea, and it’s really popular among the After School songs, but since we were going to sing it in Japanese this time, we also changed the tap dance from the Korean version as a new challenge.
Nana: The Korean version has a bright and cute image, but in the Japanese version, feminine and sexy parts are emphasized.
After the marching, 6 months of practice for the tap dance!
—I didn’t realize there was such a big change.
Juyeon: And actually, we spent 6 months on practicing just the tap dance.
—6 months!?
Both: Yes, that’s right.
Nana: It was about the same as the drums (marching). After the drum practice was toned down a little, we started on the tap dance, but as opposed to using your hands with the drums, you only use your feet for tap, so even walking normally was a chore for a while (laughs bitterly). The back and forth movements were intense too, so we got bruises… …and on top of that, we had to sing at the same time. Just thinking back on it now makes me realize how difficult it was, but I think it shows how hard we’ve worked.
—Which was more difficult, the drum or the tap?
Juyeon: Tap.
Nana: But they were both really hard, you can’t really compare.
—Who improved/got it down the fastest among the members?
Nana: Kahi-san. Kahi-san is good at dancing to begin with, so she learned the tap dance quickly and lead us along.
Juyeon: Kahi-san has a solo scene, and it’s really incredible so please check it out!
—How about you two, Nana-san and Juyeon-san?
Both:… … (both lower their heads/look down at the same time).
Nana: This reaction now tells everything (laughs).
—Were there times when you almost quit?
Juyeon: It was so difficult that I worried, “Can I really do this?” or get mad at myself, like “Why can’t I do this?” and get discouraged, but I never once thought I wanted to quit. Whenever we got worried, we encouraged each other by saying “Let’s pull together and overcome this.”
—And so the bond between the members grew stronger.
Nana: Yes, that’s right.
—Looking at you two, I get the feeling you guys are very close.
Nana: We’re similar. Personality-wise, but also behavior patterns. Like we’d laugh at the same stuff, or the fact that we’re both able to enjoy ourselves no matter where we are or who we’re with.
Juyeon: We know what each other is thinking. Recently, especially, even if no words are said, I can kind of tell what she’s thinking just by her facial expressions.
Nana: We’re members, but also like best friends.
Post a Comment