B.A.P “We hope they will become good people after listening to our music” Interview

Edited by Chanmol

UPDATE

• Full interview

NOTE

• Will be translated in languages available on BYStranslations

Q. Bang Yongguk, are you dissatisfied by a lot of things in society? You make statements about society on twitter once in a while.
Bang Yongguk: I'm not dissatisfied by a lot of things. (laugh) I really don't like unreasonable and unfair things. I think if something is wrong, it is right to say something about it. The fans who listen to our songs are young. Just because they're young, it doesn't mean they shouldn't know some things. I think in order to become a good person, one should know about issues in society at a young age. Pinpointing the things that must be pinpointed is B.A.P's style

Q. For every album, you've shown powerful performances. There's talk about how this time you're coming out with the 'cross dance' to show the cleansing of sin.
Jongup: The cross dance comes out in the chorus of 'Badman'. You spread your arms out to make a cross. Other than that you can also see a mix of powerful krump moves and manly choreography. There's also a lot more moves showing our individual skills other than the overall choreography

Q. The music video for 'Badman' was shot in Detroit. When I saw the video it was very brutal?
Youngjae: It was shot at an abandoned location that was densely deserted. It was a desolate neighborhood where all the buildings had broken windows. There were around 100 extras and they were a little scary at first because  they looked intimidating. But they were pleasant towards us so working was fun.

Q. Can the members pick out a song they like?
Himchan: I'd like to pick ‘Excuse Me’. I think it's  song that fits with mingling with the fans at performances. I think we'll be able to have a really fun performance on stage.
Jongup: As expected, I like the title song 'Badman' the most. It's a song that's like a new challenge for us so we're really curious as to how the fans will react.
Bang Yongguk: I'd also like to choose 'Badman'. Of the six songs it was the most elaborate song. It was a new attempt for B.A.P to take a touch of trending American mainstream music itself. It's a rare case to be dancing and singing to trap music. I'm also in anticipation for the response of overseas fans.
Zelo: I like the intro song Yongguk hyung made 'Whut's Poppin'. I like Yongguk hyung's straightforward lyrics.  It has the 'bitter sounds' hyung likes to make. (laugh)

Q. I thought Bang Yongguk would choose the song 'Whut's Poppin' as his favorite.
Bang Yongguk: I've been participating in writing lyrics since the album before but I don't really have a great deal of greed for it. I just like expressing music. I made 'Whut's Poppin' because an intro that would show our albums image was needed. When we went on our American Tour, we went to the Bronx in New York and it was an area with a strong  hip-hop atmosphere. It was also a slightly dangerous place. By chance we met some gangster people and got to get friendly with them; they taught us the greeting 'Whut's Poppin'. Because I wanted to off a hip-hop feel, I made it the title of the song. 'Whut's Poppin' is the kind of music I want to do, and 'Badman' is a song that's like a challenge. Having an attachment to 'Badman' is natural.

Q. If you look at the album credits, there are the names of a bunch of other people who wrote lyrics next to Bang Yongguk.
Bang Yongguk: I work with composers and other members of our company. When drawing the rough sketch I write the lyrics. After that, they refine my lyrics. I don't really think about it going on broadcast while writing so the work afterward is needed. (laugh)

Q. Bang Yongguk also worked as a producer for this album. How was it?
Bang Yongguk: I was able to do things I've always wanted to do so I was really satisfied.

Q. As the producer did you give orders to the other members?
Bang Yongguk: Because each member has their own definite color, when the song comes out, you'll know which part which member must have sang. 

Q. Can the other members comment on how Bang Yongguk was as a producer?
Himchan: Yongguk is pretty scary in the recording room. It made me think I should use honorifics. He's the type to aim for perfection.
Youngjae: The younger members would answer, 'Yes sir' and follow Yongguk hyung's orders. Because Himchan hyung is the same age as Yongguk hyung, he just answered 'Okay' and that was a little awkward. It felt like he was saying a mix of 'Okay' and 'Yes'. (laugh)

Q. He may be strict when he's producing but doesn't he usually treat you well?
(Total Silence )
Zelo: (Begrudgingly)We don't have anything against Yongguk hyung. He treats us well.

Q. I feel like a lot of things happened.
Daehyun: At the concert in Hong Kong, Zelo forgot to take a mic up stage with him. The performance was starting and he told us he didn't have a mic. For a second there, we contemplated and decided to take turns using the mics we had to sing our parts. Thankfully the choreography didn't get messed up.
Himchan: Actually that was my fault. I accidentally took Zelo's mic on stage. I thought we were in big trouble but thankfully,  Daehyun solved the problem with his quick thinking. (laugh)
Jongup: There was a time when I slipped while doing the b-boy dance 'Thomas' in the middle of 'No Mercy'. I'd usually act like nothing was wrong and naturally go on but it was such a hard technique I couldn't.

Q. While on the tour, I expect each member saw the the advancement of the others.
Zelo: While on the overseas tour, I think Yongguk hyung's spectrum of music widen through the experiences.
Bang Yongguk: Through this tour, Jongup's ability to express through dancing has improved. At one point it felt like he wasn't Asian anymore.
Jongup: It was really unfortunate that Himchan hyung wasn't able to reform with us during 'One Shot' because of his injury. At that time, Himchan hyungs part had a big impact. Himchan hyung has a really great presence. I'm really excited because he gets to show a cooler performance in 'Badman' than in 'One Shot'.
Himchan: When I first heard Daehyun sing, his singing had a strong feel of folk. During our break, he studied a lot of different styles and his sense of vocals heightened a lot. His ability to digest has widened.
Daehyun: Youngjae has a stronger feel of pop than me. He especially knows how to enjoy performances so I want to learn that.
Youngjae: Zelo already has a lot of talents but as time passes, his ability to diffuse his talents keeps getting better. He also matured as a person so I'm proud as his hyung.

Q. These days Infinite, BTS, etc are in the spotlight as hip-hop idols; does B.A.P have something unique to differentiate?
Bang Yongguk: Hip-hop also has many different styles. From our debut, we have been consistently doing a hardcore type of strong south hip-hop. I think the other teams have their own styles too. I think it's hard to judge someone on rapping itself. I'm really happy that hip-hop seems to have entered the mainstream in our country. It's something I couldn't have imagined when I was younger.

Q. Is there any music you've enjoyed listening to these days?
Bang Yongguk: These days I've been listening to DJ music that doesn't have vocals. I've lost myself in the electronic musician XXYYXX. He's a young musician who's only 17 but at that age he has a great ability of expression. I think music has no age limit.
Jongup: I like listening to Chris Brown, Bruno Mars, Miguel, etc.

Q. Please say something to the fans who you'll meet very soon.
Zelo: As much as we worked hard, we're very happy to comeback with good music. 'Badman' is an album we're very satisfied with and have great pride in. I hope you will carefully read the lyrics one by one while listening to our music.

© tenasia

Translation © bapyessir.com (Sarah)