Q: In an interview, you said that the music BTS is pursuing is youth.
Currently, how is Rap Monster’s youth? Is it fading or is it bright/ clear?
A: Both. It’s like in between of the desert and the sea. One day, it feels
like the desert and then one moment, it would feel like the sea. It often
changes at times.
Q: During the early days of debut, BTS sang about school and this year,
it’s about youth. So, what kind of change will BTS have on the music?
A: I think the music we’re making changes while time passes. I’m sure that
we will make music for the people at our age. 2 years ago, we talked about
school in our music and this year, it’s about youth. We don’t have anything
set, but we want to stand in for the people (and their stories) who listens to
our music.
Q: You’re getting a lot of attention through tvN’s Problematic Men,
you're known as the ‘sexy brain man’. What do you think makes a ‘sexy
brain man’?
A: How he thinks and when we are having a conversation, if there’s
something I can learn from him, I think that’s sexy. When you look into the
details, he needs to be subjective, he needs to have his own beliefs. I think
it’s cool if a person can also deliver things to the other people.
Q: If you had to pick, which celebrity would fit in that
criteria?
A: Problematic Men’s Ha Seok Jin hyung. I can’t explain which part of him is sexy in a
word, but I want to learn a lot from hyung. He doesn’t cause inconvenience for
people and he put other’s mind at ease. That ability is good. And
he always upgrades the atmosphere.He’s not that subjective, but his
words make me listen to him. He is beguiling. He’s soft but strong at the same
time.
Q: There is a part of rappers who disses other people or they express hip
hop through cursing. People that are not used to the hip hop culture sometimes
may feel uncomfortable. And they also don’t understand why is it done in that
way.
A: The hip hop culture, it depends on how you look at it, it can be open.
But it also has a closed tendency which only those within it could understand.
The violent language in the songs has been maintained from a long time ago,
it’s a characteristic of hip hop. I think the general public needs to respects
that part of the culture but I don’t think it’s good to excessively use
such harsh words.
SUGA
Q: I saw the song you made in 2010 (when you were still an underground
rapper under the name Gloss) on a portal site. Then I found out later that it was Suga’s song. The video with picture of the
5.18 democratization movement and the song left a deep impression on me. I’m
curious of how you made the song.
A: I think it was
during high school? In Gwangju, there was a song festival, it might
have been the 5.18 music festival? I can’t remember it clearly but I made the
song for the festival and posted on the portal site. The song was made with a
good purpose. It was around May as well. I didn’t even get into the finals but I
think it would be good if (the event) won’t be forgotten. But afterwards, we’ve debuted and the fans found my old work,
I didn’t know it would be publicized. Now that I look at it, I was such a
beginner, it’s embarrassing. (Laughs)
Q: Since the early days of debut, you’ve written a lot of lyrics that is
related to the society or self-reflection. Is there a special reason for that?
A: Whenever I’m making songs, I always want to include some sort of
message in there. Instead of a one-off thing, I think it must be substantial. I
think it’s nice when people have various of thoughts while listening to my
lyrics. It’s not easy for me gain social experience since I’m working as a
singer. So whenever I have time, I would diligently watch the news and the
current affairs programs. When I write lyrics, I get down to their level, those
who are in my peer group and easily solve the social problems. And people who
are in 20s, the people who are in 3포, 5포 세대 I
want to talk about their stories too. I deliberately call up my friends, who
are ordinary people and ask them a lot of questions and look into it.
Q: I heard that you are in charge of ‘무기력’ (being lethargy/ lazy) in BTS, why’s that?
A: I have a lot of thoughts when comes to writing songs and when I’m
onstage, because it’s the only thing I’m good at doing. When I work, I use up
all of my energy. We meet the fans and go on broadcasts and when I’m making
music, it’s the most exciting and I have the confidence.
Q: Even when you’re in love, will you also be lazy?
A: I don’t think I have to be in love. Right now, I prefer working. In fact, I
hardly know anyone in Seoul. And I don’t really like meeting people. Personally, I
have a lot of things that I want to achieve, so until then I won’t be in a relationship. These lyrics about love, I got inspirations from
my friends when we talked about our worries. Until now, I think that’s enough.
Q: When I listen to BTS’ lyrics, the youth that fits with the certain age, I sympathize with the stories are remained intact. Among the
lyrics you’ve written, is there anything that is very memorable.
A: There is a part in ‘Tomorrow’: because the dawn right before the sun
rises is the darkest. I personally like these kind of lyrics. I prefer lyrics
that can give (people) dreams and hope compared to the negative lyrics. I want
to give power and courage to those who are having a hard time. Because when the
sun rises, everything will be ok, so hang in there.
V
Q: Your stage name ‘V’ is quite unique. What does it mean?
A: There were 3 names to choose from, I had to choose from Six,
Lex and V. V seemed to be the best one so it became my stage name. But the
company said wouldn’t one letter be better, so it turned into 뷔. I
still can’t get used to my name. Haha.
Q: When BTS is compared with other idols, what’s BTS’ strength that the
others doesn’t have?
A: Overflowing craziness. But it’s only in the dormitory. In the dormitory,
our free form/ image is very funny. Especially Jungkookie. No one can win him.
He’s out of the league (literally mean: uncrossable wall of 4D). Jungkook being
himself is funny and he always makes us laugh with the gag that he has prepared.
Q: On BTS’ blog, looking at the mixtape dates, whether if there is schedule or not,
everyone seems to make music consistently.
A: Originally, the 4 vocalists
including myself didn’t write any. But after seeing the hyungs making
raps, I became interested and I started to write songs. Actually, when it comes
to making music, you need to be capable of it, right. But our company didn’t care, anyone could try to write songs. So I wrote the lyrics freely and
made a melody, showed it to PD-nim, he said it was ok so it got included in 화양연화 pt.1
album. Then afterwards, I even bought equipment because I want to do it more professionally.
In the future, I I will work harder on it.
Q: 7 members living together, promoting together and making music together
everyday, is there any trouble?
A: We literally spend 24 hours together everyday. We know each other very
well so we don’t fight. But always seeing their faces makes me want to look at strangers’ faces. Haha. The
World itself is a well but seeing the same faces everyday, it feels that I’m in
a deeper well. (Laughs)
Q: Every member has a
distinct personality. It seems that everyone has their own roles in the
dormitory.
A: First of all,
Jin hyung is like the mother. He’s good at cooking, he’s neat and he’s good at
organizing and tidying. He also looks after the members well. Suga hyung is
like the father, he can fix broken things in the dormitory. Such as, the
lights, toilet seat/ bowls? Rap Monster hyung is like a real big brother.
Breaking things everyday, he is such a funny hyung. J-Hope hyung talks a lot so
he’s like the noona/ older sister. Jungkookie and Jiminie are like the
mischievous maknaes.
J-HOPE
Q: You guys went abroad
for 11 months, holding concerts and fanmeetings. Is there a memorable episode?
A: There are a lot
of episodes that was involved with language problems. Haha. I can’t speak
English so when I’m calling for the room service, I end up speaking in Korean without
realizing. Every time, I would sweat a bit. But I was surprised how the staff
understood what I said and brought me the things. Once, I was supposed to ask
for strawberry ice-cream but I ended up saying it in Korean without realizing.
But, strawberry ice-cream really came to my room. Whenever we make an order, we
don’t even know what we ordered. So when the door bell rings, I get nervous.
Puahahahaha. Last time, I ordered sausage but I got steak. (Laughs)
Q: In the last
album 화양연화 pt.
1, every member particapted in writing the songs and lyrics. At this rate, will
you guys end up producing it yourselves?
A: We are still far
from producing. Me, Rap Monster, Suga and PD-nim usually does a lot of work and
recently PD-nim asked me if I was interested in producing. But I said that I’m
not confident because I don’t know if I can make my music well and I can’t even
manage it. I want to learn a bit more and if there is a chance next time, I
will try to make songs with my own style.
Q: When do you get inspirations?
A: I write songs through my
experiences. But with the environment I’m in, nothing really happens.
So I watch movies or try to read books but I don’t read books well. My father is
a literature teacher so when we were discussing that I can’t read books, he advised me not to do other work and just concentrate on reading.
Q: Where do you
think BTS’ rank/ position is?
A: We are still far
away from that. I think we need a better hit song in order to receive love from the
public. I’m really thankful for the fans’ love but it seems that we are still
far from getting love from the general public.
Q: BTS’ is also very popular overseas.
A: I think the foreign fans
really likes K-Pop’s performances. Especially the ‘knife-like’ dances! When they listen to the song, there are other attractions too, so
I think that’s why they like it.
Q: I heard that
your nickname is ‘Hope’. Is it like the concept of the film Inside Out’s Joy
and Sadness?
A: I’ve always had
an appeal for the nickname Hope. I do actually have a bright personality. My name
is Hope too. In English, it’s Hope, so I want to set that image. Before debut,
I was a street dancer and my nickname was smile hoya. Haha.
JUNGKOOK
Q: You’re the maknae and now you’re in the second
grade of high school. Is your school life going well?
A: I don’t really have any friends at
school. I’m shy with strangers and I’m awkward when I
talk so I can’t approach people first. I think I can be funny if someone comes
and talks to me first. (Laughs) I don’t know how I should act around my peer
group. And I don’t know what these friends thinks of me.
Q: I heard that while you guys were
promoting, you have grown taller, how much have you grown?
A:It’s
not that I have grown taller, it’s my body that got bulky and
my face got a bit older. Hahaha. I think my chin got a little bit bigger too.
So the fans said that they miss the days when I had a baby face. It looks like
I’m changing too quickly. Ha…
Q: It was your birthday on 1st September, did
the hyungs treat you well?
A: This is my 4th
birthday in Seoul, every time it feels like a new experience and it feels good.
It’s fascinating that as time passes, I’m getting to know more things.
The hyungs bought me grilled duck. Because I like duck meat the most out of all
the meat. (Laughs)
Q: You’re going to be an adult few months
later. 2016 January, what do you want to do the most?
A: I want to get a driving license. Recently I’m interested in cars. When I see the cool cars while
exercising, I also want to try to drive. Especially
the big cars. I want to buy one and drive a safe car.
Q: You were the only one in BTS to go to
America to learn dancing.
A: I think it was when I was 15?
When I was a trainee, I went with the choreography teacher. I learnt for a
month and a lot of things have changed. Shall I say that the feeling was alive? Anyway, it was visible in my eyes so everyone was satisfied.
JIN
Q: I heard that you love Super Mario. When
did you start to like it?
A: I’ve always enjoyed playing Super Mario
when I was kid so I gradually collected the figures as a hobby. Then
later the fans gave me presents so my collection has increased.
Q: I saw that you’ve uploaded posts on the
bulletin boared named ‘JIN’ about your cookings on BTS’ blog.
A: Haha. BTS’ blog is actually mine. I don’t have time these days so I couldn’t post often. I made the
bulletin board to get closer to the fans. I really like eating and made it simply
so I filmed and showed my mokbangs. Nowadays, there are many mokbang shows, I
really want to go on it. I’m serious. I can do well.
Q: I saw that you were using a pink flip
phone, is there a special reason for that?
A: I’m using it because it’s pretty. But these
days, I feel that it’s inconvenient. The screen is small so I have to put it
closer to my face to look and I think my eyesight got worse.
Q: As the oldest
hyung in BTS, the biggest worry is?
A: In the past,
they would follow me while calling me ‘hyung, hyung’, now I can see that the
members are always thinking about how to annoy me. Haha. Especially Jungkookie.
In the past, he had the look that listens well to me. Now the look of him
thinking about how to annoy me is so obvious.
Q: I heard that you can’t make eye contacts with girls
when you first meet them, is that true?
A: I never really had any
chance to talk with girls because I went to an all-boys middle school
and high school. After debut, because we see girls every day, I avoided making
eye contacts with them. So I’m also very sorry towards our fans. Last
time, I was a bit surprised when a fan asked in a letter: “oppa, I made eye contact with you on the stage, why did you avoid it? Is it because you
dislike me?” No, never! It’s definitely not!
Q: You guys
received a lot of love while promoting I Need U and Dope, and you guys worked
hard abroad too. I think 2015 is a meaningful year for BTS.
A: That’s right. It
feels that this year has been the most beautiful, happy moment in our lives just
like the meaning of 화양연화. I don’t know what we will
promote in the future but we will show you a more hard working BTS.
Q: If you could have a break with the members, where do
you want to go?
A: Water park. I’m scared of the water so I
haven’t been there before but I want to go the sea or the water park with the
members.
JIMIN
Q: Among the members, only you wear thick eyeliner.
A: I have a lot of
fat around my eyes, I need to look intense/ strong on the stage so I have to
wear thicker eyeliner compared to the other members.
Q: Jimin is the
last one to join BTS. How did it happen?
A: I started dancing
since middle school. I had dance battles on small stages, and also performed. It
was fun but I was curious of how happy I would be if I stood on a bigger stage.
There was an open audition in Busan at the time so I applied for it and I went
through a period of the trainee life, then I became a member of BTS.
Q: Compared to the
first time you joined BTS, who had the biggest change?
A: Everyone became cooler. I think I changed the most. I came to Seoul really late. And at
the time, I looked really unsophisticated/ old-fashioned. Haha.
Q: BTS
has debuted nearly 3 years. Say something to the members that has suffered
(through these years).
V: You guys suffered a lot. You
rascals! Hahahahaha.
SUGA: I don’t think the tough time has arrived yet. Let’s
suffer for 10, 15 years in the future.
J-HOPE: I’m the one that is in the middle of you guys (in
terms of age) I’m thankful that the hyungs takes my opinions into consideration and I’m thankful
that the dongsaengs listens to me. And I have a lot to learn from the members.
Let’s keep doing well!
RAP MONSTER: Everyone knows right. Let’s work harder!
JIMIN: I feel that we are only running forward without a rest. I hope that we can find time to relax and smile a bit more.
JUNGKOOK: As the maknae, thank you all for holding
onto me!
JIN: I’m proud of you all and you are all commendable.
Q: What’s BTS’ final dream?
SUGA: Instead of being really good at rapping and
has awesome melodies, I want us to become the BTS that when our album tracks
are being played, the whole album can be played without pausing.
RAP MONSTER: Sometimes there are fans that are impressed and
say that it had influenced their lives. So, I hope that the songs will help more
people to achieve their dreams. I want to make the most out of it (help people).
JIMIN: My dream is to perform on a big stage. I
want to go on Dome and also on Arena.
T/N: 3포세대 means, people who doesn’t date, doesn't get married
and doesn’t give birth, 5포세대 includes all of them, as well as not being able to own a house and a job.
No human relations or hope and etc is 7포세대.
best part is, in that scene she actually says ‘are there girls who don’t like [as in being attracted to] girls?’, which means she thought being a wlw was literally a universal experience for women. that kind of makes the scene cuter if you ask me. this is from ‘Doctors’ btw.
Up until like 7th grade I also thought that everyone was gay except for the people on TV and let me tell you, I was very upset and confused when I found out about heterosexuals.
“I was very upset and confused when I found out about heterosexuals.”