150808 B1A4, THE SECRET BEHIND HAVING NO SCANDALS FOR 5 YEARS? (INTERVIEW)

NEWS ARTICLE 2015. 8. 8. 15:59




B1A4 reveals their secret behind how they have been promoting without any scandals for the past 5 years since their debut. 


Leader Jinyoung met with Newsen at the waiting room of a music program on the 7th. "Through this round of promotions, we want to appeal to everyone with the fact that we produced our songs this time alongside a real band. We've always done it with a real band, but honestly most of the time the recording is done without a drum and bass. This time we wanted more vivid sounds so we recorded with a real band and orchestra. There were many things to take care of, but we worked hard for them to blend together well," he revealed.


Since their fifth mini album Solo Day last July, B1A4 is back to the domestic fans after 1 year and 1 month. It's hard to say that it was a long time coming, but with promotional cycles being shorter for idols, it's not a short time either. B1A4 revealed that due to their relatively long break, they felt scared that their position as singers would become smaller, and that fans would have forgotten them. The song 'After 10 Years' in their new album expresses those feelings.


Jinyoung said, "We too, wanted to make a comeback when we were almost done preparing. But due to the busy individual schedules of the members, our comeback was slightly delayed." He also revealed that "it would have been a lie to say that we did not feel insecure during our break. As much as we felt so, we knew we needed to quietly comeback for our comeback. Rather than feeling nervous at the thought of trusting our fans and having to show our fans a good side to us, we decided to channel that into preparing for something else. We missed our fans."


He added, "We're all humans, so after taking a long break we also become lazy and everything is just tiring. At those moments, a lot of thoughts come to mind - and 'After 10 Years' is the song that contains all of those thoughts. We often receive questions like 'How would B1A4 have changed 10 years down the road?' during interviews. Whenever we receive those questions, a lot of things come to mind. I feel like by then, we might become lazy too. The lyrics talk about us going outside after 10 years, but there's no one around and nothing waiting for us. It's like a self-diss but makes us look back at ourselves. When I read the lyrics, I feel scared but then I look back at myself and tell myself that I settle myself down. When I look back at the last 5 years, I feel that I've worked quite hard."


Talking about their changes in that period, CNU said, "We're in our fifth year of debut, and in that time our breaks have helped us in developing ourself. Rather than deciding we need to show everyone a change, it is more like showing everyone how we have changed naturally as we grow older. Our image now is our own natural self. We decided we shouldn't try to make something up."


Unlike most idols, B1A4 has never had malicious gossip or scandals directed at them. When asked about the secret behind them promoting without any of that, CNU revealed that "we agreed that we should not cause harm to each other. If we had turned a blind eye towards each other, they (scandals) may have already exploded." He added on, "I think our secret is mutual trust and consideration. My bad behaviour would not only cause harm to me but also the members. I try to be careful, and be considerate of each other."


Jinyoung showed his affection for the members, revealing that "We are a lucky team. Because we met people who are like ourselves, we share the same sentiments even without speaking. The words of our seniors Shinhwa made a very deep impression on me. The secret behind them being able to remain a group for so long was to be like each other's fans. That really made a deep impression. Just like fans, we take interest in what each other are doing, and point out each other's mistakes. By doing so, we have been able to gain each other's trust and create synergy. When I did a musical, Sandeul who has experience in musicals came to watch and gave me advice. [T/N: I believe the reporter mixed up the members..^_^;;;] We give and take compliments amongst ourselves after watching each other's performances. I think that came to having a good effect on us."


Their comeback guerilla concert helped them ruminate on how precious fans were. With their handmade flyers and banners, B1A4 promoted their guerilla concert at M-Stage in Gangnam, Seoul, and received a turnout of almost 2000 fans.


Jinyoung revealed, "We held a guerilla concert but it was really scary. It was a performance that had to have 2000 people turn up, but I thought that it would be fortunate if it even just got barely filled out. We were surprised that the crowd exceeded the fence and crowded all the way till Yeoksam station. 'Guerilla Concert' was a program I used to enjoy watching, so I really wanted to hold one. As expected, it was fun and made my heart flutter. When I watched the show last time and saw senior singers cry upon removing their eye patches, I thought it was just acting, but it was not. Out of thankfulness and happiness, tears just come out," expressing his thanks for fans.


What is the goal they aim to achieve with this round of promotions? Jinyoung said, "We want to show the different images that B1A4 has shown as time passed. We have promoted in the past with songs not written by others but by ourselves, and this time it is likewise. With the passing of time, the style of our songs have changed and so have our thoughts. We want our self-composed songs to receive love from the public. I hope people can feel that B1A4 has become more mature. Despite promoting with seniors like Super Junior, Big Bang and Wonder Girls, we have no thoughts of rivalry. We are going to put meaning into letting people listen to music that we've released in a long time, and meeting our fans. There are situations where singers are not even able to release an album, so I am happy that I am able to let everyone listen to music that we've made."


Lastly, Jinyoung left a message for fans saying, "I've missed everyone so much so I'm really glad to be able to meet you. We will work hard to make everyday a happy day and end promotions well. Please enjoy it with us."




Source: Newsen

Translation Credits: skipfire.tistory.com

Please remove all translations with full credits to source and translator.