Post by twilightelusion on Nov 20, 2010 15:50:30 GMT 8
2AM Daum Star Interview
2AM, "We would like to show some kkap shaking to Go Hyun-Jung sonbaenim."
2AM is a confusing group. That is compared to other singers from other agencies. 2AM is a team that started a 'rebellion' in the music industry. There's an old but strict rule in the music industry that ballad singers are not allowed to act flippantly in entertainment shows. In talk shows or coupling programs, ballad singers can be funny but it has to be done elegantly and eloquently. If they try to be funny by using their body excessively or showing expressions that will ruin their images, they will not be able to get into the emotion when they sing on stage.
It is a rule that has been maintained for a long time, but 2AM came on the scene and broke the rule. From Jo Kwon, who is leading the other casts in entertainment shows with his 'kkapness', down to the other members, this team are not afraid to show things that are supposedly will ruin their images in entertainment shows. Although at the beginning the fans and everybody involved were concerned, 2AM successfully broke away from the stereotype.
2AM, they have a strong existence without being brash.
'Can't Let You Go Even If I Die' was one of the hit songs during the first half of this year, and now their multi tracks from their full-length album 'You Wouldn't Answer My Call' and 'Like Crazy' once again got 'all-kill' in the charts. Especially in the generation dominated by dance idol groups, it is difficult for a ballad song to reach #1, but then they (2AM) showed us their incredible power to sweep the charts with ballad songs.
In short, 2AM has become a group of singers who have that calming feelings but also give off eccentric feelings. Even though they successfully separate their 'kkapness' in entertainment programs and their image as ballad singers on stage, they also proved that ballad singers could top the charts that generally prefer dance singers. That's why 2AM is confusing.
Other agencies are currently planning the promotion strategy for their singers' and they are very concerned about whether or not they should follow 2AM's ways. But it is obvious that no one can do as well as 2AM because from what we see those people will be caught between a rock and a hard place. So what is 2AM's secret to succeed in this difficult attempt? We are curious whether we can find out the answer in this interview.
The days when there's no dance practice.
We met up with 2AM. Even when they did not actively promoting their album, they were highly demanded by entertainment programs as 'the #1 singers', and add Jo Kwon's recording for a daily sitcom to that, they must have a really tight schedule. Even it's only 4 o'clock in the afternoon we could see that they are exhausted.
But 2AM boys were not edgy and did not show that they were tired. Because Seul Ong couldn't cope with the short time between photoshoot and interview, he fell asleep on the couch, but the other members answered all the questions passionately and full of energy, especially questions regarding music. Unlike other singers, even when the members talked a lot they didn't drink any of the drinks prepared for them. When asked if they were tired or not, they gave us a smart and witty answer. Chang Min said, "We don't have dance practice so our schedule is not very tight (smiled)." And when we asked, "Then why do you work out so hard to maintain your body?" he smiled again. "Even though I don't dance, I have some spare time, so... (smiled)."
Ballad can be a steady-seller.
From a certain point of view, 2AM is an idol group and a ballad group, and they chose a different path from others. 2PM and other dance idols who started roughly at the same time as them soared to stardom as soon as they debuted, and 2AM had to watch them from below. But now they are on equal ground, even surpassed the other groups. And we are curious about the difficult process to achieve that.
Seul Ong said, "It is true that we were very uneasy at the beginning. But after our first song 'This Song' entered top 50, we were hopeful. And we told ourselves to keep going and gained confidence. If our first song flopped, we might alter our type of music." When we talked about how other idols got instant success, Chang Min said, "Honestly, we envied them. We would be lying if we said we didn't envy them. But even though we are a bit slow, we thought we would like to be a steady-seller."
Seul Ong added, "Actually in our county, to do popular music it is important to be well-known. At that time Kwonnie and Chang Min Hyung appeared in entertainment programs. At that time we thought, 'Let's just advance to this direction.' Ever since the public started to know about us (our vocal skill or song quality), we tried really hard not to disappoint them."
The 'kkapness' that started unintentionally.
Jo Kwon and Chang Min made a start in entertainment shows and when they gained popularity, they became hopeful and keep pushing forward with their music. We asked them if 'kkapness' was the factor that increased awareness about 2AM in entertainment shows. Jo Kwon said, "I never even thought that ballad singers were not allowed to do things like that. I was also never worried about whether I should or should not do it. It's not that I did it on purpose, but I just thought I would show my natural self."
Jo Kwon then said, "Actually in real life, Chang Min hyung, who appeared on entertainment shows the most, is quiet. Seul Ong Hyung and Jin Woon talk a lot and joke a lot. And in real life I don't normally have a quiet personality either. I talk a lot during promotions. There are a lot of sides of me. I've shown all of them and among them there's this 'kkap'."
Because they confidently showed various sides of themselves, 2AM's popularity increased. This awareness combined with the best vocal skills among idols is explosive. We wanted to know how hard 2AM had to practice to earn the position as a vocal group rather than an idol group, but they did not give us a direct answer, yet it was powerful.
A peculiar answer rarely heard from an idol.
"We have practiced all we have to practice during our trainee years," Chang Min said. It is an answer which is rarely heard from an idol. It is an answer we sometimes heard when we interviewed some talented vocalists. Actually it is said that a singer's singing ability would not improve much after they debuted. When they prepared enough, they debuted. But it is possible for them to improve on their skills, but 2AM also gave answer like that.
"Of course sometimes we feel that we need to work on some things. Then we use our own money to get lessons. We have vocal lesson and musical instrument lesson. We arrange it ourselves if we need practice," said Chang Min. And Jo Kwon said, "Of course we also lack in some areas. And if we do not have any concern about singing and wanted to just stop, we always prepare ourselves by saying to ourselves that the public is watching us."
Great body, no, it's just taking care of oneself.
During our conversation, we noticed Chang Min's sturdy body. He said, "Nowadays 2AM members have better bodies than 2PM (laughed)." Not only Chang Min, nowadays all 2AM members have great bodies. Although Kim Jong-Kook has broken the stereotype, back in the day 'muscular bodies' were deemed unsuitable for ballad singers.
"We see working out as a way to take care of ourselves. We are not concerned about the notion that ballad does not go well with muscle. Actually we work out not because we want to show off our bodies since our music is not some music where you can take off your clothes. It's just that we do everything we can to take care of our bodies and the result is our bodies become muscular," Seul Ong explained.
It looked like there's an answer here. The secret that 'Kkap' and ballad, which do not mix well together, are able to receive a lot of love. 2AM is indeed a model student. Although being a ballad expert in the middle of dance-dominated music world has it's disadvantages, they did everything they could the best they could. Even in interpersonal relationship. When asked which singers they wanted to be close with, they answered, "No one. Because we are all close. Instead of being close with fellow singers, now we would like to be close with actors. We are curious about their world. I heard that Go Hyun-Jung sonbaenim liked 'kkap' very much. We would like to meet her once and show her some 'kkap' moves. Sonbaenim also has a lot of energy, so it looks like we can feel the energy in return (laughed)."
2AM's genuine power.
We get the impression that 2AM is genuine. It's the genuineness that can move you when you see it. All singers work hard, but 2AM gave the impression that they are above the general standard.
Although they didn't rise to the top instantly, as a group that started as idols in this idol generation and became 'real' singers, the fact that 2AM give their best effort in everything they do and genuinely driving the public to accept 'kkap' and ballad as one is just plain magic.
SOURCE: OSEN
TRANSLATIONS BY suzelle@IAMfor2AM - 2AM International Forum
PLEASE DO NOT TAKE OUT WITHOUT CREDITING.
[/b]2AM, "We would like to show some kkap shaking to Go Hyun-Jung sonbaenim."
2AM is a confusing group. That is compared to other singers from other agencies. 2AM is a team that started a 'rebellion' in the music industry. There's an old but strict rule in the music industry that ballad singers are not allowed to act flippantly in entertainment shows. In talk shows or coupling programs, ballad singers can be funny but it has to be done elegantly and eloquently. If they try to be funny by using their body excessively or showing expressions that will ruin their images, they will not be able to get into the emotion when they sing on stage.
It is a rule that has been maintained for a long time, but 2AM came on the scene and broke the rule. From Jo Kwon, who is leading the other casts in entertainment shows with his 'kkapness', down to the other members, this team are not afraid to show things that are supposedly will ruin their images in entertainment shows. Although at the beginning the fans and everybody involved were concerned, 2AM successfully broke away from the stereotype.
2AM, they have a strong existence without being brash.
'Can't Let You Go Even If I Die' was one of the hit songs during the first half of this year, and now their multi tracks from their full-length album 'You Wouldn't Answer My Call' and 'Like Crazy' once again got 'all-kill' in the charts. Especially in the generation dominated by dance idol groups, it is difficult for a ballad song to reach #1, but then they (2AM) showed us their incredible power to sweep the charts with ballad songs.
In short, 2AM has become a group of singers who have that calming feelings but also give off eccentric feelings. Even though they successfully separate their 'kkapness' in entertainment programs and their image as ballad singers on stage, they also proved that ballad singers could top the charts that generally prefer dance singers. That's why 2AM is confusing.
Other agencies are currently planning the promotion strategy for their singers' and they are very concerned about whether or not they should follow 2AM's ways. But it is obvious that no one can do as well as 2AM because from what we see those people will be caught between a rock and a hard place. So what is 2AM's secret to succeed in this difficult attempt? We are curious whether we can find out the answer in this interview.
The days when there's no dance practice.
We met up with 2AM. Even when they did not actively promoting their album, they were highly demanded by entertainment programs as 'the #1 singers', and add Jo Kwon's recording for a daily sitcom to that, they must have a really tight schedule. Even it's only 4 o'clock in the afternoon we could see that they are exhausted.
But 2AM boys were not edgy and did not show that they were tired. Because Seul Ong couldn't cope with the short time between photoshoot and interview, he fell asleep on the couch, but the other members answered all the questions passionately and full of energy, especially questions regarding music. Unlike other singers, even when the members talked a lot they didn't drink any of the drinks prepared for them. When asked if they were tired or not, they gave us a smart and witty answer. Chang Min said, "We don't have dance practice so our schedule is not very tight (smiled)." And when we asked, "Then why do you work out so hard to maintain your body?" he smiled again. "Even though I don't dance, I have some spare time, so... (smiled)."
Ballad can be a steady-seller.
From a certain point of view, 2AM is an idol group and a ballad group, and they chose a different path from others. 2PM and other dance idols who started roughly at the same time as them soared to stardom as soon as they debuted, and 2AM had to watch them from below. But now they are on equal ground, even surpassed the other groups. And we are curious about the difficult process to achieve that.
Seul Ong said, "It is true that we were very uneasy at the beginning. But after our first song 'This Song' entered top 50, we were hopeful. And we told ourselves to keep going and gained confidence. If our first song flopped, we might alter our type of music." When we talked about how other idols got instant success, Chang Min said, "Honestly, we envied them. We would be lying if we said we didn't envy them. But even though we are a bit slow, we thought we would like to be a steady-seller."
Seul Ong added, "Actually in our county, to do popular music it is important to be well-known. At that time Kwonnie and Chang Min Hyung appeared in entertainment programs. At that time we thought, 'Let's just advance to this direction.' Ever since the public started to know about us (our vocal skill or song quality), we tried really hard not to disappoint them."
The 'kkapness' that started unintentionally.
Jo Kwon and Chang Min made a start in entertainment shows and when they gained popularity, they became hopeful and keep pushing forward with their music. We asked them if 'kkapness' was the factor that increased awareness about 2AM in entertainment shows. Jo Kwon said, "I never even thought that ballad singers were not allowed to do things like that. I was also never worried about whether I should or should not do it. It's not that I did it on purpose, but I just thought I would show my natural self."
Jo Kwon then said, "Actually in real life, Chang Min hyung, who appeared on entertainment shows the most, is quiet. Seul Ong Hyung and Jin Woon talk a lot and joke a lot. And in real life I don't normally have a quiet personality either. I talk a lot during promotions. There are a lot of sides of me. I've shown all of them and among them there's this 'kkap'."
Because they confidently showed various sides of themselves, 2AM's popularity increased. This awareness combined with the best vocal skills among idols is explosive. We wanted to know how hard 2AM had to practice to earn the position as a vocal group rather than an idol group, but they did not give us a direct answer, yet it was powerful.
A peculiar answer rarely heard from an idol.
"We have practiced all we have to practice during our trainee years," Chang Min said. It is an answer which is rarely heard from an idol. It is an answer we sometimes heard when we interviewed some talented vocalists. Actually it is said that a singer's singing ability would not improve much after they debuted. When they prepared enough, they debuted. But it is possible for them to improve on their skills, but 2AM also gave answer like that.
"Of course sometimes we feel that we need to work on some things. Then we use our own money to get lessons. We have vocal lesson and musical instrument lesson. We arrange it ourselves if we need practice," said Chang Min. And Jo Kwon said, "Of course we also lack in some areas. And if we do not have any concern about singing and wanted to just stop, we always prepare ourselves by saying to ourselves that the public is watching us."
Great body, no, it's just taking care of oneself.
During our conversation, we noticed Chang Min's sturdy body. He said, "Nowadays 2AM members have better bodies than 2PM (laughed)." Not only Chang Min, nowadays all 2AM members have great bodies. Although Kim Jong-Kook has broken the stereotype, back in the day 'muscular bodies' were deemed unsuitable for ballad singers.
"We see working out as a way to take care of ourselves. We are not concerned about the notion that ballad does not go well with muscle. Actually we work out not because we want to show off our bodies since our music is not some music where you can take off your clothes. It's just that we do everything we can to take care of our bodies and the result is our bodies become muscular," Seul Ong explained.
It looked like there's an answer here. The secret that 'Kkap' and ballad, which do not mix well together, are able to receive a lot of love. 2AM is indeed a model student. Although being a ballad expert in the middle of dance-dominated music world has it's disadvantages, they did everything they could the best they could. Even in interpersonal relationship. When asked which singers they wanted to be close with, they answered, "No one. Because we are all close. Instead of being close with fellow singers, now we would like to be close with actors. We are curious about their world. I heard that Go Hyun-Jung sonbaenim liked 'kkap' very much. We would like to meet her once and show her some 'kkap' moves. Sonbaenim also has a lot of energy, so it looks like we can feel the energy in return (laughed)."
2AM's genuine power.
We get the impression that 2AM is genuine. It's the genuineness that can move you when you see it. All singers work hard, but 2AM gave the impression that they are above the general standard.
Although they didn't rise to the top instantly, as a group that started as idols in this idol generation and became 'real' singers, the fact that 2AM give their best effort in everything they do and genuinely driving the public to accept 'kkap' and ballad as one is just plain magic.
SOURCE: OSEN
TRANSLATIONS BY suzelle@IAMfor2AM - 2AM International Forum
PLEASE DO NOT TAKE OUT WITHOUT CREDITING.