120217 VOGUE GIRL KOREA MARCH 2012

V.G: Other than B1A4, people are calling you “blood-dols”. Who gave the team its name?

Jinyoung: We decided on the team name together. Initially with the meaning of “we are the ace”, we had decided our team name to be “Ace” and even had a logo made. But in the end we decided on our current name. With 1 member being blood type B and 4 members being blood type A, we are B1A4. Baro is the only member with blood type B.

V.G: There are many similar male idol groups of your age range, but what is the special point to B1A4?

Sandeul: I think it’s our friendliness. Idols whom fans are easily able to come close to comfortably?

Baro: All five of us are from the provinces. And amazingly, we are all from different hometowns.

Sandeul: Come to think of us, privately we all have use accents, but mine is the most serious. I have a Busan accent but honestly when I use the accent, I do not realize that I’m using it. Even now, I’m speaking with an accent. (Baro: Eh… How is that possible!) Speaking in standard Seoul accent seems to be really hard.

CNU: We have gone on quite a few broadcasts and reality programs, so I think the fans are able to treat us more like friends.

V.G: With B1A4 as the main characters, the fans have made many games and written many fanfictions.

Baro: So that’s why those came out on related search terms on Naver? I have to take another look then!

Jinyoung: Maybe that’s why we also have many nicknames, because the fans are able to make them for us comfortably. I hear that we resemble animals really often. I’m an arctic fox, CNU’s a bear, Sandeul’s a duck, Baro’s a squirrel and Gongchan looks like a puppy? Is that true?

V.G: Are you now more used to being on stage? Or are you still nervious?

Baro: All of us enjoy the stage well, and I think that’s one of our charms. We have the confidence to play well around on the stage, and it’s comfortable. We think of the stage as our playground.

Jinyoung: The message that we shout before we go on stage is also “so let’s play!”. That is how the people watching can enjoy the performance.

V.G: The process of each of you becoming a singer was different right?

Jinyoung: Ever since I was young, I had the dream of becoming an entertainer. I went back and forth from my hometown of Chungju to Seoul while studying acting. I came about to learning how to sing as well, and I managed to score many small roles in dramas. It was when I was preparing to enter university that the company contacted me for an audition upon seeing me on an internet cafe, and that’s how I was accepted. I sang Im Changjung senior’s song, and reenacted out the knife scene with Gong Gil from ‘The King and The Clown’. 

Baro: Hyung was in fact, acting while he sang. He immersed himself in the song, and had moist eyes after that.

Sandeul: I was shocked after seeing those eyes. Another of hyung’s surprising sides is how he looks when he composes and writers. He did not even learn it, but he now knows how to edit songs as well.

CNU: I saw everything, from the start when Jinyoung started to take interest in composing and he went to purchase the equipment for it, and started studying. It now feels extraordinary when I see that his own songs are put into our album.

Gongchan: Jinyoung hyung is like a father. He leads us on as if we are children. (V.G: What is the age difference?) 2 years (laugh).

V.G: How did Baro debut then?

Baro: I was a “kid” who didn’t know what to do about my dreams because I was in the province. But I found my chance when the company saw a picture uploaded on my mini-hompy and contacted me. Of course I agreed immediately. Ask me what did I sing. (V.G: What song did you sing?) I sang Jo Sumi’s “If I Leave” (laugh). I liked to rap and had no confidence in singing, but my friend told me that as much as I can’t sing, I should sing a song that has much screaming. So I put my heart down and chose a song that had a bit of screaming. 

Sandeul: But for a guy, I’m actually amazed by his high vocal range. He managed to pull the song off. He has many sides to him that’s like a woman. Just like women doing some self-management, he removes his makeup immediately when he reaches home and does masks (laugh). He’s really good at tidying too.

Baro: That’s because I’ve had the habit of tidying up. Since my mother and father come home late after work, I will have to do the housework if the house is untidy. That’s why I’m used to cleaning up the house before they come home.

Jinyoung: Baro is someone who reflects a lot about himself, and will constantly find his weaknesses and correct them. He also works very hard to create his own rap. Whenever I see these sides to him, I know that eventually his hard work will pay off. I am looking forward to it.

V.G: What kind of history did Sandeul have, that “pre-debut Sandeul” actually comes up in the related search terms?

Sandeul: I’ve always had really bad eyesight so I grew up wearing spectacles. But everyone says that it’s very different now and when I wear spectacles. Because I really liked to sing when I was young too, I joined many singing competitions all over Korea with that appearance. I swept up all the awards… Just kidding, but I did place 1st a few times (laugh). Those videos are often uploaded onto the internet, and the company contacted me to recruit me into the team.

Baro: Unknowingly, Sandeul immerses his emotions on stage, and it’s really mournful. Usually most people would be serious while singing, and then greet people while laughing after that to relieve their emtions. But Sandeul doesn’t let go of his feelings until the MR track finishes playing.

Jinyoung: But the things that happen in daily life is like a sitcom. For example, a situation recently was that he was just opening the door to the bathroom but ended up breaking the doorknob. That’s ridiculous… Breaking an iron handle as if he’s in a slapstick comedy. The reaction was really huge…

Gongchan: To express Sandeul hyung in one word… Motor? (V.G: Because he has a motor on his mount?) How did you know? (laugh) No, I will say that he has Mobius in him. When hyung is stuck on a subject while talking, he will repeat that repeatedly. I have heard him talk about the same thing for 2 hours.

V.G: Compared to the other members, CNU seems to be calmer and quieter.

Jinyoung: Between ourselves, we talk CNU the scholar. He is gentle in everything he does, and he also speaks very calmly.

CNU: Since I’m born in Choongcheongdo, I’m a little slow (in movement). But in real life, I’m a little frivalous, I think that’s part of my character. Because I always cover my face a lot, I think that side to me doesn’t appear often. But when we are alone in the dormitory, I fool around the most.

Gongchan: If Jinyoung hyung’s the father, CNU hyung is like the mother. (laugh) When we first came together as a group, I did not know anything at all. The other hyungs took care of me and explained things to me, but only CNU hyung didn’t. He also scolded me many things. But I realized later on, that he intentionally did so so that I would not become lazy under the protection of the other hyungs who treated me like the youngest.

V.G: How did maknae Gongchan debut?

Gongchan: Since I was young, I wanted to be a singer but because I was in the countryside, there were no chances. But I got contacted by the company after they saw a picture my friend uploaded on a portal site.

CNU: At first, Channie looked like a puppy but now.. A dog? (laugh). He looked like a kid, but he didn’t act so. Even though he’s the youngest in the team, but at home he’s the eldest and had a mature side to him. Hence he looks after the hyungs well, to the extent that he feels like a mother dog. Jinyoung has the tendency to lose things, but he would wordlessly take it and hand it to him. It is to the extent that we nicknamed it “Gongchan’s miracle”.

V.G: I think that the five of you together makes up for the weaknesses that you have individually. You also seem very close.

CNU: We have a “talk time” that we do on Saturdays. Even though we don’t do it as often as in the past since we are busy, but because of that time, we got much closer. We also managed to clear up our misunderstanding. Whenever Baro has a problem, he would be very straightforward in expressing it. Rather than thinking long and hard about it, he would express it out and relieve his mind of it. He is also quick in making judgements. On the other hand, Jinyoung and I will think long and hard. We think about the different situations that will matter based on the decisions we would eventually make… In this period, Channie would be listening quietly, and suddenly throws something out. There are many times that his answer would be good, and we make a decision while everyone goes “oh, oh!”. As for Sandeul… He is active. (laugh)

V.G: Last year was your first year of debut, and you will be starting your full-out promotional activites starting this year. What is your goal?

CNU: Every year we set goals, and last year we wanted to get the rookie awards. It came true. This year’s goal is to achieve first place in a music program. If we manage to get a bonsang award in the year end award shows, I think we will be really really thankful. Please look forward to our album releasing in March.

Source: 빵집누나 @ Daum Cafe

Translation Credits: skipfire.tistory.com

Please credit both the sources and translators when taking out.