[ARTICLE] 160328 K.Style B.A.P Interview 

B.A.P, releasing their awaited Japanese 1st album! “I feel like we’ve gone back to where we belong in no time”

B.A.P will release their new album “Best. Absolute. Perfect” on 3/30 (Wed). In this awaited JAPAN 1st ALBUM, there are 13 tracks, containing 3 original Japanese songs including “KINGDOM”, as well as other representative tracks from their Japanese singles. Furthermore, B.A.P will be conducting high touch and fansign events for the first time at Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka as album release events. 

After a break of approximately 1 year, we’ve gone to interview B.A.P who are finally making their comeback! They talk about their Japanese holiday and practice during the break, thoughts about the new album and fans, and about the “B.A.P” who are starting once again.

― You’re having a proper comeback now, but you’ve already held a fanmeeting in Japan at the end of last year. How was it?

DH: It’s been a really long time since we’ve met the fans, so seeing them at a close distance made me very happy. Firstly, we met the Korean fans during the comeback showcase in November, and then then also the Japanese fans during the fanmeeting after that, and since we went straight into album promotions afterwards, I felt that we were able to fit back into where we belonged straightaway. 

― I heard that you came to Japan during the break.

DH: For 3 nights and 4 days, we stayed at a very nice hotel….. We also ate lots of good food.

HC: Like…. Okinawa’s famous beef yakiniku was delicious.

― Other than the holiday, did you do anything [during the break] to improve on your singing or dancing and such?

DH: I went back to Busan, and performed lives and such at the entertainment school I studied at before. We each did something about music, so I think we all polished up on our sensitivities and was also able to prepare for the album recording straightaway. 

YJ: I borrowed a small practice studio in Daechidong and and practised singing. I practised alone so I was lonely and it was a bit tough (laughs).

DH: Ah, in Sinchon, there’s this guesthouse-like practice studio where young trainees dorm and practise. I spent around 2 months there.

DH: Everyone would sleep and wake up together, eat together, and the laundry and toilets were for communal use. At there, how should I say this…. I felt like I learnt a lot about life (laughs).

YG: I went on holidays here and there. I went to Tokyo and Osaka by myself, Okinawa with the members, I also went to Pattaya, Germany, Czech Republic and Austria and such. 

HC: I also went to America and Mexico with my close friends, and to Japan as well. Although I went to Osaka with my family.

YG: During then I was in Tokyo. I was in Japan in the new year of 2015.

HC: On new years, we were both in Japan and texted “happy new year” to each other (laughs).

YG: When I took the train in Tokyo, a fan noticed me and asked “Yongguk?”. My cap was low on my head and I wore a mask too, but apparently they recognised me from my mole on my nose (laughs).

HC: Someone also asked me “Himu?” when I was in Osaka. When I said “no” in Japanese, they said “you’re lying”, and I admitted it easily (laughs).

JU: I… since we’ve been busy with activities since debuting, I don’t think we had much time to enjoy and experience normal things. I went on holidays and spent time with family, and played to my heart’s content.

DH: I also went to Jejudo with my family twice. 

― Seems like you went on holidays, did self-initiated practise and spent memorable times. As the leader, what are your thoughts on starting promotions again Bang Yongguk-san?

YG: Being able to promote again as 6 feels different to before and being able to do what we wish to makes me happy and it’s very good. 

― Your 1st Japanese album “Best. Absolute. Perfect”, as the title conveys, is full with B.A.P’s charm and has perfect and wonderful content.

YJ: Wishing that this will be one of our representative works, we used our group concept as it is for the title. In addition to our previously released singles in Japan, the Japanese version of “CRASH” and 3 original Japanese tracks are included as well in this album that we’d planned and produced to be released in Japan right from the beginning. The lead track “KINGDOM” is a very exciting song, and “BACK IN TIME” is also a favourite of all the members, so it’ll be nice if the Japanese fans like it too.

― I felt like “BACK IN TIME” has an especially Japanese-like melody.

HC: This song was composed by a Japanese person. I like “BACK IN TIME” so much that I’d continually pushed for it to be the lead tack, but “KINGDOM” is a very good song that doesn’t lose out to it.

YJ: If “KINGDOM” is a continuation of the image that we’d shown till now, then “BACK IN TIME” has a revolutionary feeling to it.

HC: From the title “Best. Absolute. Perfect”, it’s our 1st Japanese album crowned with our group name, so we wanted something heavier for the content.

― The original Japanese songs will be broadcast to the world from Japan.

DH: I want to do more and more of this. If there’s the chance, I want to try it in not only Japanese, but in English and other languages as well. I think the members think the same way.

― From the songs you’ve already released in Korea, how do you choose them [for the album]?

DH: It’s a collection of songs that the Japanese fans like

HC: We chose the songs that had a good response when we toured around Japan.

YJ: We wanted to include original Japanese tracks when we debuted in Japan, but I think there are many people who liked us after seeing our promotions in Korea. So we decided to first introduce the Korean songs that they were familiar with already with Japanese lyrics, and I feel like meeting the Japanese fans with original Japanese tracks after showing what we were like gives it another layer of meaning.

YJ: For me it’s “BACK IN TIME”. When I first listened to the music only, I felt that the melody and lyrics were refreshing, and even after recording it, I felt like it was a fun song so it’s my favourite.

DH: For me it’s “KINGDOM”. I think I did well in the recording, and along with a refreshing atmosphere, I think it shows off some B.A.P-ness.

JU: Same as Youngjae hyung, it’s “BACK IN TIME” for me. I thought it was a good song whilst recording it, and the Japanese composer was also present during the recording so we asked many questions and was able to get along well. He’s called SUNNY BOY, and it’ll be nice if he’ll read this interview (laughs).

HC: It’s still “BACK IN TIME” for me since I like this style of song after all. When I first heard it, I thought “this is good”.

ZL: It’s also “BACK IN TIME” for me, but even though it’s a style that B.A.P hasn’t tried before, I think it’s perfect for B.A.P. It’s a good song, so I was able to push through during the recording, and I was addicted after listening to it.

YG: I like all the songs. Instead of choosing which song I like, since it’s our first Japanese album, and contains songs that we’d released in Korea as well as original Japanese songs, I think it’ll be good if the listeners of the album choose their favourite.

― It seems like you will have high touch and fansign events after the album release. You don’t have high touch events in Korean right?

YJ: We have fansigns in Korean, but since a high touch event allows for direct contect with fans, there’s an image of us exchanging energies. High touching is fun, and I’m also happy to meet the fans. I think the fans feel the same, so I’ll be happy if we can enjoy the event together.

― Starting with the concerts in Korea on 2/20, 21, you’ll be beginning your world tour from now right?

YJ: In this tour, we’re preparing so that our new songs from the Korean comeback (“Young, Wild & Free”, “Feel So Good” etc) and solo stages can be performed. There are also EDM arrangements for the songs. There’s a lot of parts where we can have fun with the fans, and since the concert this time has grown in scale, I think that we too can enjoy the concert in a new way.

― What sort of songs are there for the solo stages?

YJ: I’ve prepared a song cover, Daehyun-kun and Himchan hyung have rearranged our own songs, I think we each have a performance that highlights our own style. Jongup-kun and Zelo-kun have prepared an original dance performance. 

― With this album, you’ll be formally restarting Japanese activities. Could you please leave a message for the Japanese fans who’ve waited so long for you?

YJ: We’ve also heard that they’ve waited very long for us, and I too want to meet the Japanese fans as soon as possible. We’ll be having a tour as well, and events are being prepared too, so it’ll be nice if we can meet more often and become closer like friends.