GD, “I almost quit solo music… I needed a ‘COUP D’ETAT’ of my own”
[스타뉴스 윤성열 기자] “I understand “COUP D’ETAT’ as a means for people working right beneath the powerful to have the authority to bring a change in power. My goal is to break away from my current self to reach further. That brought me to the phrase ‘COUP D’ETAT’ and I think it is well-suited to the album in many ways.”
The leader G-DRAGON of boy band BIGBANG, consisting of other members DAESUNG, T.O.P., SEUNGRI, and TAEYANG, returned to us as a solo artist. He released the songs from his 2nd regular album COUP D’ETAT in two parts on September 2 and 5.
This is the first one in 1 year since his last mini album in September 2012 titled ‘ONE OF A KIND’.
At the press conference held in the evening of September 9 at Cais Gallery in Cheondam-dong Seoul, G-DRAGON explained, “I have put a lot of thoughts into this album. I thought of quitting solo music but the love from the fans made me return to where I am now.”
“Because I was often alone in taking care of a lot of things, I thought much about how to produce something new. It wasn’t so much an artist’s block, though. My ability to make judgments was starting to blur as I didn’t have anyone to listen to my album and evaluate it.”
He told the reporters he felt a great amount of stress working on this album, unlike his usual self.
He explained, “Music trend is changing rapidly. Just looking at this year, I could not think of a hit song of the year or a song that was liked by a wide range of people. So for someone who wanted to produce a song that could fit into both categories, I was haunted by many inexplicable feelings.”
The trendsetter in music and fashion told the reporters that it is not as easy as it sounds to fulfill the task. “I had to fight a lot of inner conflicts. It delights me that the fans love my music, but on the other hand their love puts pressure on me to produce better ones next time. More experienced artists call this ‘growing pains’. I have no choice but to work harder.”
He picked his ‘bad guy charm’ as a feature that attracts attention. “I sort of like having the ‘bad guy’ charm. Apart from the songs and performances, my usual gestures or styling are based on embellishing this charm. It could be seen ‘dorky’, but I think the fans are taking it in positively. I guess my young age plays a role, too. I want to pull in the audience to my charm.”
G-DRAGON has upgraded himself in this album from the previous one by including a wider range of genres and generally being more relaxed with his music. Instead of a provocative change, he has focused more on garnishing his musical talents.
The beauty of the album lies in the collaboration with world-renowned foreign artists. American rapper Missy Elliott featured in ‘Niliria’, while music producer Diplo and Baauer did so in ‘COUP D’ETAT’.
GD, fully satisfied with the collaboration with Missy Elliott, commented, “The track gets its motif from Korean music, so instead of new high-flying rappers, I thought it would be best to work with an experienced legendary artist. I had a female artist in mind, so I asked Missy Elliott since I have always been a huge fan of her. And she accepted the offer without a moment of hesitation.”
There are four title songs in the album. ‘Crooked’ is a song about a man going through a painful breakup, which is easy to sing along. The straightforward lyrics and rhythmic rock make the song even better.
‘Niliria’ is a hip-hop song that uses the vocal sample from a Korean traditional folk song of the same title. ‘Who You?’ is an acoustic that goes along a funky vocal and band sound, adding an artistic value to it. YG Entertainment’s trainee and future girl group member Jennie Kim features in ‘Black’.
GD is happy with his new album. “I personally think that my skills are improving. Working with myself and other artists gave me important lessons. My spectrum of music has widened as well.”
The press conference was also to celebrate the opening of the exhibition titled, ‘G-DRAGON SPACE 8’.
The number 8 carries a special meaning to the artist. He explained, “8 is my lucky number. My birthday is 18th of the 8th (August), 1988. It may sound superstitious, but I like the sound of the number and it also looks like Mobius strip. So I’ve always thought a lot about the number 8. If I think about it, my life has been gr8 (great). So I decided the theme of the exhibition as number 8. The gallery is divided into 8 different sections.”
On September 13, G-DRAGON will be releasing an album that includes different versions of ‘Window’ and ‘Black’ offline.
For 8 days starting from September 10 to 17, G-DRAGON will be holding an exclusive exhibition at Cais Gallery in Cheongdam-dong Seoul titled ‘SPACE 8’. The gallery will display unrevealed jacket photographs and other pictures, along with outfits and props used for his first World Tour.
2013. 9. 9.
