[INTERVIEW] iKON, “2 Comebacks in a Year? Not Common in YG” (COMPREHENSIVE)
[스포츠조선=정준화 기자] The agency doesn’t present them if they’re not ready. That’s why some fans call them ‘jewel box’, which indicates that the groups are ‘kept inside and hidden’. That is, YG Entertainment. However, iKON is making their second comeback this year, following their comeback in early 2018.
The success of iKON’s mega hit ‘LOVE SCENARIO’ became a driving force, and high-quality songs that came out after were decisive, according to the members’ explanation.
On August 2, iKON met reporters at Seoul Yeouido Conrad Hotel and had an interview celebrating the release of their new mini album ‘NEW KIDS : CONTINUE’, sharing their recent whereabouts and stories on their upcoming album.
First, the members shared their thoughts on making comeback. They also expressed their gratitude on the success of ‘LOVE SCENARIO’, the title song from their previous album. The song’s success became a driving force in preparing to make their second comeback and making their 2nd comeback encouraging.
DK stated, “The love and support ‘LOVE SCENARIO’ received became a driving force”, while JAY stated, “It’s not easy for artists to make two comebacks within a year, but we’re happy that we were able to make it”.
B.I felt the same way. He stated, “It’s hard to make two comebacks in a year. The members, staff, and our president, we all worked hard on the album. Please show a lot of love and support”.
CHAN stated, “We were loved with ‘LOVE SCENARIO’. Since it’s our next album, we all prepared hard”. BOBBY added, “The children sang to our song. I didn’t know at first, but people sang ‘LOVE SCENARIO’ while hiking. Then I felt like a lot of people like our song. I really felt grateful”.
Why is it hard to release songs frequently in YG? The members stated, “I think it’s hard… When the quality of the song doesn’t reach a certain level. Our president lets us release only when the songs are good. He supported us a lot this time and told us, ‘No matter how the results turn out, it’s not your fault’ He shared many kind words”.
Things have changed after the release of ‘LOVE SCENARIO’ and their 4th year after making debut. B.I stated, “Our president bought us a delicious meal for the first time. We dined with the CEO for the first time, and now we even have a group chat room. He used to have an image difficult to reach out to. Nowadays, we laugh at his jokes. He tries hard to make us feel comfortable”.
He added, “It’s our 4th year now. I guess he didn’t feel good about being strict and firm to us. He just tries to make us feel comfortable”.
Today at 6 PM, iKON will release their new mini album ‘NEW KIDS : CONTINUE’ on various music platforms. ‘NEW KIDS : CONTINUE’ is the final series from the trilogy that began with ‘NEW KIDS:BEGIN’ last year on May and continued with ‘RETURN’ released this year on January. The album will contain a total of 5 tracks including the title song ‘KILLING ME’, sub-title song ‘FREEDOM’, ‘ONLY YOU’, ‘COCKTAIL’, and ‘JUST FOR YOU’.
The members had time to review the previously released albums from the trilogy series. B.I stated, “We showed our strong will and image through the song ‘BLING BLING’. ‘LOVE SCENARIO’ was my type, personally. It talks about love and goes from a strong image to a mellow image. This album has more of both sexy and plaintive feelings”.
He added, “’Continue’ stands for our future. We want to create our own outlook on the world and walk towards the end”.
What do they feel about success. B.I responded, “It would be great if the songs perform well in charts, but that’s not the reason we’re making music”. The members felt the same way.
iKON emphasized their ‘first intentions’. The members stated, ‘iKON’s color is transparent. We’re not perfectly pure, but we’re transparent. What we seek is first intention. Young children have brilliant creativity coming from something. We value the ‘innocence of childhood’. iKON wants to be transparent”. They continued, “Our position in the K-Pop scene… We’re not being modest, but we just want to stay low. I feel like we’re still at a low spot “.
iKON will go through their most extreme transformation ever since debut. The members perfectly displayed ‘DARK&SEXY’ and ‘WILD&YOUNG’ concepts through pre-released teaser images and videos, capturing the hearts of fans. They will take off their image as ‘real-life boyfriends’ formed through their representative songs ‘MY TYPE’ and ‘LOVE SCENARIO’ for a while and reveal their unexpected masculine beauty.
The title song ‘KILLING ME’ attracts the listeners and viewers with its powerful and unexpected dance moves that progress along with sad lyrics and dynamic rhythm of the song. iKON will make their first attempt on a thrilling and sharp group dance.
There were questions on the choreography. SONG stated, “It was hard when we were learning the moves for ‘KILLING ME’ for the first time, but it was easier than ‘BLING BLING’ and ‘RHYTHM TA’. The dances were based on feelings, so they were difficult. The angles are already decided this time, so it was easier to fit in and fun to dance to”. B.I stated, “We’re preparing for the album and our concert this time, and we feel like DK made all the choreography”.
Lastly, the members stated, “Listeners in their 20s and 30s will feel empathy with our songs. If you focus on the title and listen, it will be easier to understand. The song will also be easy to change the lyrics. Please have fun while listening to our new songs”.
They continued, “Although we still lack, please show love and support our new album. We will always stay unchanged. We love you all”.
Meanwhile, after making comeback tonight at 6 PM, iKON will kick off their ‘iKON 2018 CONTINUE TOUR’ on August 18 at 5 PM in Seoul Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena, to continue meeting their global fans through the overseas tour.
2018. 8. 2.
