YG reveals plans for 2011 through YGLife blog

Previously, YG Entertainment revealed that they would answer burning questions from fans through their YG-LIFE blog.
The site was recently updated with detailed plans for 2011 from CEO Yang Hyun Suk.
–
Hello, this is Yang Hyun Suk.
Today is December 30th; there is only one day left in 2010.
Today I will answer some of the fan’s questions regarding YG’s plans for the first half of next year.

1. GD&TOP had three title songs for their album – What is the plan for future promotions?

To be more precise, GD&TOP had five different title songs. Aside from the “Intro” song, G-Dragon and T.O.P sang 5 songs together, and we plan to promote all 5.
This plan is similar to that of 2NE1’s. Instead of concentrating on a single song, we want to inform everyone about the entire album.
After “High High“, “Oh Yeah“, and “Knock Out“, we plan to promote “Don’t Go Home” in mid-January. Director Lee Ki Baek, who’s worked on G-Dragon’s “A Boy” MV, will direct the music video for the two new songs.
We plan on releasing the music video for “Knock Out” on January 3rd. It was directed by Seo Hyung Seung, and finished just a few days ago. It’s a little ambitious, but given the time and opportunity, we want to move ahead with GD & TOP’s solo MVs.

2. For what reason did you choose “High High”, “Oh Yeah”, and “Knock Out” for the first round of promotions?

The reason is very simple and straightforward.
To promote the five songs, each song must fit with the time and season. “High High” and “Oh Yeah” really fits with the end-of-the-year atmosphere, so we decided to promote them first.
“Knock Out” is the ‘main’ title song, and it was my favorite, but I had one concern about promoting it – I was worried about whether it would be approved for public TV broadcast.
If “Knock Out” did not get approved, we would only promote “High High” and “Oh Yeah” through public TV channels, and promote “Knock Out” on Mnet’s “M! Countdown.”

3. What is the reason for the lack of TV appearances?

This has become the biggest issue among YG fans. I understand that fans want to see more of their favorite stars, but as the individual in charge, I have to be more careful.
The reason for the reduced appearances is because we are concerned for our artists. To show up on music programs for 3 minutes, the artists will have to wake up very early in the morning to start rehearsing. For female group 2NE1, they have to prepare their hair and makeup, and start moving at 2:00 in the morning. Having schedules the night before and not getting any sleep to go to broadcasts is also very commonplace.
In a week, [artists can have] 4 nights of music programs, various CFs and photoshoots, events, oversea schedules etc… Although 2NE1 didn’t appear on variety programs or radio shows, I could feel their tiring situation. I just wish they could sleep an hour more.
Although the artists may be receiving a lot of popularity, it takes a toll on their bodies. YG’s biggest worry is that the artists don’t have any time to spare because they are preparing for their next stage.
Regarding broadcast appearances and conflicting results…
I’ll use 2NE1’s first mini-album and G-Dragon’s first solo album as examples. Both teams only had one broadcast a week, and had interesting results.
The result was better than we had expected, and [thinking about the artists also], we thought we needed to lessen the number of broadcast appearances.
Of course, the album’s success is proportional to broadcast appearances, but it’s definitely not half-and half. Let’s examine this in detail.
As a rookie group, 2NE1 had one broadcast a week. Their debut songs “Fire” and “I Don’t Care” were very well known, and their mini-album sold 165,000 copies. At the same time, Park Bom’s “You and I” was also quite popular, and she only went on broadcasts twice a week.
Last August, G-Dragon released his solo album. At the time, he broke the record on Hanteo Data System by selling 130,000 copies. Now he has sold 248,000 copies. This is also very surprising within YG, since this album did better than Big Bang’s albums.
YG does not carry our own results, so please refer to YG’s long-time sound-music distributor Mnet Media to confirm them. There are no mistakes for albums that have been on sale for a long time, and a CEO of a company has no reasons to lie.
It’s easy to ask, ‘What if there are demands for YG to conform? What if the relationship with the broadcast companies decline? Perhaps there’s an easier way?‘
However, YG considered everything and chose the more difficult way because we think that while this kind of promotion may seem frugal, it has more value and emotions attached to it.
I won’t speak further on what is the best decision or conclusion, but we do worry about our artists during their promotions.

4. On Seungri and Big Bang’s album plans:

A while ago, we revealed that Seungri will release a digital single on January 3rd, and Big Bang’s new album will follow on February 1st. There have been some changes.
We want to give all their fans even greater news!
At the time, we planned to kick off Big Bang’s Japanese tour in April of next year, so we wanted to promote Big Bang’s new album for two months, beginning February 1st. Because of this, GD&TOP and Seungri’s album promotions would have been shorter than normal.
Fortunately, we were able to delay Big Bang’s Japanese promotions by one month.
Thanks to this, GD&TOP’s second round of promotions for “Don’t Go Home” will be extended, and Seungri’s digital single will become a mini-album.
We had planned for a digital single release on January 3rd, and a mini-album 10 days later, but we decided not to do an online release, and just reveal everything at once.
While reviewing Seungri’s preparations for the mini-album, I had an idea for “Ambush” to be the mini-album’s title. Even though it’s the first time for Seungri to be co-writing and co-composing, YG has recruited new producers to elevate this product, so please look forward to it.
The new release date for his mini-album is January 13th. The dates for Big Bang’s album will be revealed at another time through the official channel.

5. Will the “BIG SHOW” be held early next year?

Big Bang’s “BIG SHOW” concert, which was held annually on January, will be held on February 25th, 26th, and 27th next year at the Olympic Athletic Stadium.
Since the “BIG SHOW” is scheduled right alongside Big Bang’s new album, all of Big Bang’s latest music will be featured, including GD&TOP and Seungri’s mini-album. We’ll be releasing a more detailed announcement soon, so please check it out when it’s revealed.

6. What is the schedule for Big Bang’s Japanese tour?

Starting next May, Big Bang will be holding a two-month tour in Japan, which is expected to bring in a 160,000-member audience.
Up ’til now, Big Bang has only done short-term promotions during their week-long stays in Japan. Starting next year, they’ll be promoting more directly and aggressively.
The agreement between YG and our Japanese partner is to completely differentiate the group’s Korean and Japanese activities, and to focus completely on one at a time.
Again, they’ll be in Korea for March and April, in Japan for May and June (due to their Japanese concert), in Korea again from July through September for their new album, and in Japan for October and November.
Big Bang’s popularity in Japan is a lot higher than what is known in Korea, so we are hoping to garner more favorable results with more direct promotions.

7. What are the plans for 2NE1’s Japanese debut?

Honestly, proposals regarding 2NE1’s Japanese debut have been in the talks since last year. The reason for the delay was that they were a rookie group who had only just debuted, and the consensus was that they needed to focus on Korean activities first.
With their first album promotions at an end, 2NE1 will officially be debuting in Japan on February of 2011. As expected, the record company they’ll be working with is Avex.
Avex has always shown much affection for 2NE1, and the biggest owner of Avex will also be working with the girls, so we’re anticipating a lot for them.
2NE1’s first Japanese activities will be on February and March. We’ll be working hard to ensure that 2NE1 can still release a new Korean album in May or June.
Details regarding 2NE1’s activities have yet to be confirmed because Will.I.Am is currently busy promoting Black Eyed Peas‘ latest album.
On the day of the Yeonpyeong Island skirmish, Will.I.Am asked, “Is 2NE1 okay?” He’s watching 2NE1TV and revealed himself to be a bigger fan through the show. He also stated that he will be making more new tracks for 2NE1.
There are still so many things left to say, but I’ll end it here for next time.
Reflecting back on our year, there are still a lot of things we regret and lacked in. As there is Big Bang’s comeback to look forward to next year, the YG staff and I are filled with excitement and anticipation.
In addition to saying that we will be working harder than ever, we hope that all of the fans have a Happy New Year and to be healthy.

Thank you (Bow~~)
2010.12.30 From Yang Hyun Suk


Credits: supermar@allkpop

BIG BANG 2011 Calendar Making DVD

source: tesonachoachoa@yt

G-Dragon Interview on 10Asia

The reporters of 10Asia spent three days, starting December 24 till 26, working. It was the weekend that included Christmas. However, who cares about working? During those three days, we watched the performance by G-Dragon (from here on GD) and T.O.P, we interviewed them on the set of their show and took pictures of them on stage. We just feel bad for them having to spend Christmas with the two who said they feel bad for each other. Below are the excerpts from 10Asia’s interview with GD.

Big Bang member GD [Chae Ki-won, Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

10: You seem to have some dark bags under your eyes. (laugh) 

GD: Yes, I performed all night yesterday as well. (laugh)

10: You have returned to living a busy life. I know that you enjoyed some free time after your solo activities.

GD: I partied hard for about a month or two after receiving permission from the CEO of YG Entertainment [Yang Hyun-suk] as soon as I finished my solo activities. (laugh)

10: Was it the first time having free time since making your debut? What kind of effect did that time have on you?

GD: It was tiring and difficult when we [Big Bang] had a busy schedule but it all disappeared when we were done. (laugh) I think it was a similar feeling to that. Everthing from the past seems like nothing. That is why I had plenty of time to prepare myself for my future activities after figuring things out. That one year, after finishing my solo activities was the first time since making my debut that I got to prepare something. Whether it was to rest or think, I was able to work on something in a leisurely manner during the past year instead of rushing through everything. That is why my confidence for the next album and meeting people grew.

10: I can’t find the appropriate word but I guess I should say your attitude has changed?

GD: Yes, my attitude has changed a lot. I became more placid and I feel that I try to understand things more. The CEO told me that I shouldn’t always think of myself and that I should try to put myself in the other person’s position as well. I began to understand most of everything much better after he said that. Before, whenever we had a busy schedule, I’d say ‘Why do we have so much on our schedule’ and get irritated about it but I know now that even the smallest things are important. One could say that I am like someone who just recovered from a serious illness. That is why I’m in such great condition and am looking forward to what I’ll get to do in the future.

10: It seems like you’ve achieved a sense of liberation. (laugh) 

GD: My mind has become a lot more at ease because I feel that this is what I am supposed to do rather than call it liberation. Others might say that I have achieved huge success but to me it became my stimulus and the process of how I developed. And now, instead of being burdened about how others see me, I want to present them with what I can give them.

10: So does that mean you had cared what the people thought about you? 

GD: In the past, I changed many things including the tone of my voice because I was conscious about my job when I was in front of others. Also, I had a different image in front of others versus my friends but now I feel they’re becoming similar. That’s why I’m more afaid of doing interviews now. I think that breaking that line between myself and as an entertainer and the real me is good but it can become a dangerous thing when doing interviews in Korea. (laugh) Other than that, I don’t feel that there is anything to worry about how others see me. It is who I am and I think that the people like me for it and I will continue with it in the future.

10: I think that is why the lyric “Even though I’m short, my girlfriend is tall” in the “Intro” track of the new album is quite memorable. It seems like you didn’t want to drag on about what happened in the past and just cleared everything up by saying “Ah, I’m just like that.”

GD: It cleared up many things. When I made my debut I was younger and I don’t think I thought about what kind of image I was portraying to others. And I began assessing who I was after I released my solo album. I experienced a lot of pain and it was even scary to wake up every morning. When I wake up something happened and another thing would happen. I think that’s why I was quite broken then.

10: How did you overcome that? 

GD: It takes time. As time went by I realized that I’m a pop singer so whatever my intention was, what the public perceives of it is my doing so it’s my fault if I give off the wrong intention. And I thought that it’s no use to talk about every little thing that has happened. I wanted to show it coolly through the next album or through words and I just remained quiet because the way I wanted to express my feelings, such as through writing or talking about it, wasn’t acceptable. That is why during that time I did my best in what I was doing and put in all my efforts to give a good impression. I now see more people who support me. I think that is how I should go about things from now on.

10: Have those inner changes had influence on your music? The track “Baby good night” from the new album is unlike the other style of songs from your previous work.

GD: Of course. It’s because when you break away from the mold the possibilities are endless. While, the artist will produce the same music over and over again if they decide on the style of music. You can say that is the problem of all idol stars and it will continue to become a problem if it’s not broken and worsen if they release album after album without resting.

10: That’s true. The artist will just coast along if they don’t have the time to think.

GD: Yes. I think that the right kind of music is not made once the artist feels that music is work. On the contrary, I will be able to enjoy making music if I am given a year or three months time. I feel that when one is working on music, performing or just having fun that it directly influences the music.

10: So it will be harder from now. You were busy making track after track since your debut.

GD: I lost my confidence during that time. I thought to myself that I can always do my best and I was in a slump once I locked myself into trying to form my own style of music. I heard that rocker Seotaiji and other singers said that they go through torment thinking about their next album. I haven’t gone through that phase yet and it may seem pretty cocky to say this at a young age but there was a time where I thought to myself, thinking that there is no guarantee for the next five to ten years if I thought I have come with everything that I can.

10: That was why I felt bad about “Heartbreaker.” While you did a thorough job on perfecting a single idea with “Lies,” that same process was missing in “Heartbreaker” giving a likely reason to doubt even if it wasn’t a plagery. I wonder if things could’ve turned out different if you had more time. 

GD: That’s when I realized that I will always need much time for preparation. I used to compose songs on the spot, as if pulling things out of a vending machine but now I can’t bear to stand before my fans with music made in such a way, and it also affects my attitude on stage as well.

10: That’s what I thought as I listened to “Heartbreaker Part II” participated by Flo Rida. Part II was created with more understanding toward music than the earlier version, analyzed and re-combined to give a new flow and rhyme. It would have been awesome if the earlier version had come out like Part II.

GD: Most people turns the conversation to Flo Rida whenever that song is mentioned together with the issue of plagiarism but that wasn’t my intention to begin with. What I had in mind was to show local musicians can stand equal to musicians from abroad just like I was doing rap alongside with Flor Rida in the same track. It’s like what I wrote in the lyrics “I shall not kneel anywhere.” But because of what happened beforehand, the reviews I received at the time, both good or bad, weren’t properly focused solely on music which is quite a pity.

10: The rap at Part II was very interesting, the way you divided its flow in short units and confronted each sound with rap. You created a perfect beginning to end flow within your given part.

GD: I did the rap as fast as I could (Laugh) When I did solo album I took my time deciding on arrangements that fit the role of title track. But this second time, where my part came before the Flo Rida’s part, I decided that I got to show everything within the short time frame so I filled it with strong, diverse elements.

“I wish lyrics alone can sound like a good writing”

10: I believe all those thinking to compose that single piece have helped to widen your horizon for both understanding and composing music.

GD: I gained more freedom in some aspect. But each feeling is different: the times I work as a member of Big Bang and the times I do my solo album. But the more I work, the more I feel like I’m learning and maturing at the same time. I wouldn’t know the consequences of album I produce now but the feelings I gained from this present experience will be reflected on future albums of Big Bang. Because both other Big Bang members and I will notice the way the music matures, this will again be a great help down the road.

10: Your lyrics seem to have changed in part, too. In the recent album I got the impression that you went deeper into yourself rather than expressing yourself aloud to the public.

GD: Just like movies that contain various stories in genres of comedy, thriller, horror and more, I concentrated on the aspect of story-telling for lyrics. I wanted them to sound like an actual story with or without music. I wanted a clear plot for them. I guess it’s the influence of all the foreign raps with stories that I grew up listening to.

10: The track “Nightmare” in the latest album seems to best reflect your point. Just by closing my eyes I can actually visualize a person who runs and then flies during the early part of the song. It has that flow of rise from beginning to end.

GD: That’s right. That’s the kind of impression I was hoping to give to those who listen to “Nightmare” with their eyes closed. I wish to compose a kind of music like shown in the film “Inception (2010)” in which the final part turns out to be either a horror or fantasy depending on the individual. I put particular effort there so the ending could be anybody’s guess.

10: I’m not sure if it’s because this is solo track but “Nightmare” seems to be the piece that makes the most obvious display of your characteristics, the sharp changes between parts. I could detect almost four different levels of changes. The style is similar to that found in “Lies” and “Heartbreaker” whose music both has beginning and end marked by sudden of sound in between. Is there a reason you prefer this style? 

GD: It’s one way of showing what my music is like, wholesomely, to the public. These days people can make ring tones out of certain parts of the song they like. Melodies of such ring tones are usually chosen among the song parts that have the strongest impact, which usually happens to be chorus part of the song. And because people these days decide on music just with few listening, the chorus part with strong impact became even more important. Of course, you could say a song is already a hit if many people remember it by its ending chorus alone. But I want all parts of my song to be remembered. This is my way of composing a song that can be remembered wholly, by giving twist and turn at every corner and evoking different story.

“Now is the real beginning.”

10: It seems like you have just gotten over a certain stage in your life.

GD: Entertainers should come forth to address the public. In my case I had to both create and sing the song on the stage. I came this far thinking this is probably the only thing I can do but I guess I was burdened by the fact that everything went public.

10: Last year in particular, no doubt, as everything linked to GD became an issue.

GD: Yes. Under such circumstances I became more wary and lonelier. But after going through all that, doing my music and waking up to new things I believe I can now take things with more ease. I think I can show 100-percent real me through this latest album.

10: It seems like this is the real start.

GD: It is. It also seems like I have been building up on my experience all along and this feels like my true beginning. It is same for Big Bang.

10: So what would you like to do at this point? From the track “High High” you wrote that life is about one lucky shot but in reality it was your consistent effort in music industry that got you this far. 

GD: Wait, I don’t think I’ve come across my lucky shot yet (Laugh)

10: Really? (Laugh)

GD: This may sound a bit snobbish but I don’t think I’ve achieved anything yet. It’s still a long way ahead and I don’t think I’ve shown anything of a lasting impact – still in the process of building it up step by step. I’m sure this is what all the other members of Big Bang are dreaming of, too, the opportunity to strike something really big someday. (Laugh).


Source: 10 아시아
Taken from: TeamBigBang
(via bigbangupdates)

YG Entertainment to release detailed news for 2011 on their blog

Fans of Big Bang are patiently waiting for their comeback in Korea and YG Entertainment has been a bit vague stating that Big Bang will make a comeback in February 2011. Well, it seems more detailed information may be coming our way as a teaser was recently posted on the YG Life Blog.

Loosely translated as, “Tomorrow morning at 9AM, YG Entertainment will release information for 2011 that fans have been curious about.” – Yang Hyun Suk (YG Entertainment CEO)
The message itself is also a bit vague, but fans should be excited as they’ll learn more about YG Entertainment’s 2011 plans.


Source: YG-Life blog + ALLKPOP