BEAST NEW STANDARD
“All made by BEAST” They powered up and returned!
Always evolving, the 6 people who now do not waver, and now with their own color?
In July, they released the 2nd album『Hard to love, How to love』. The title song「Shadow」acquired first place continuously on the major charts and music shows, once again displaying the high level of BEAST’s popularity as well as their skills. When asked the members「The most memorable work you had this year」and they recounted back on their comeback, 「The one first place this time is considerably different from the first placings we have received up till now」they told us. Wondering what kind of mindset/heart is hidden in these words.
─ You returned in Korea after a year. During this one year, in order to upgrade, how did you spend your days?
Doojoon: The members were each busy with their own solo promotions. Even so, during the off-days, I went to meet my family and friends, get refreshed and then polished up on my own skills.
Hyunseung: I too, didn’t just focus on lessons; I played around a little and worked hard.
Yoseob: I worked out, I received lessons, I debuted in Korea and Japan, during this one year, I think I tested out my chances/possibilities.
Kikwang: For me, for the purpose of the next album, I’m working hard at studying composition.
─ When receiving first place on Inkigayo for 「Shadow」, Kikwang’s comment is pretty impressive. In front of the fans「I really want to receive this modestly. We will become BEAST who works even harder」you said that, what were you thinking of when you said those words?
Kikwang: After the announcement of the 2nd album, our first stage was our concert. Standing on stage, looking at the members, the thought came into my head. 「How many of these kind of concerts can we do in the future. How many people will be waiting, will be coming like this」. No one knows the future. So I thought, tomorrow’s sake, we should work even harder. We cannot forget to work hard…. I think it is with that heart that leads to the comment I said that day.
Yoseob: Getting first place is always a good thing but I think this time round the feel of it being ‘special’ was stronger. I think it’s because the gathering of hearts of the fans who waited such a long time due to our hiatus is what allowed us to win first place. On one hand we are really really thankful but on the other hand because they waited for us for so long, we have an apologetic heart too.
─ Prior to the conclusion of the 2nd album’s promotions, the release of the handwritten letters to the fans became a topic of conversation. Dongwoon’s words 「Some people love us and some people don’t like us but we will work even harder through our music so that they can love at least our music」, we could feel an artist’s determination in that.
Dongwoon: This album, we prepared it as fast as we could. But for several reasons, the release was delayed so our hiatus was even longer.「Now with a concert and the album coming out, will we really be able to make everyone happy?」with such thoughts, I was really uneasy. But now that is has actually happened, the fans’ reactions are good and I felt that our song really received love. We’re really thankful but of course there’s a lot of our hearts that’s sorry too so I wrote that as the content of my letter. In the future, we won’t forget to work hard, we want to repay everyone!
Hyunseung: During this comeback and as our promotion period moved along, once again we felt how precious and thankful the fans were.
─ This album was produced and composed by Junhyung, and the other members pitched in various ideas leading it to being a “All made by BEAST” album. Finally you’ve taken a step forward into being a group that personally produces (for yourselves)!
Doojoon: Over time after debut, we’ve all accumulated some musical knowledge so we’ve thought about things here and there. The thought differs from member to member. But even so, the heart of wanting to create the best work is the same for all the members. We completed it by actively voicing our opinions.
Junhyung: As much as we’ve waited, the fans’ anticipation is considerably larger. To satisfy that anticipation, we worked really hard. Although I don’t know if we actually managed to satisfy the fans, but either way we worked hard.
─ Previously Yoseob was on Radio Star and he mentioned,「During recording, Junhyung-goon would ask for weird/strange adlibs」.
Junhyung: If the recording hours are long, the members, the staff will start to feel tired/down. When that happens, to lift everyone’s spirits I will request for a slightly weird adlib from Yoseob (laughs).
Dongwoon: When Yoseobie hyung goes into the recording booth, the other members will be outside. It’s a situation where only Yoseobie hyung is unaware of anything and for several times, he keeps telling Junhyungie hyung「I’ll do it one more time~」. Us who are outside the studio witnessing it burst into laughter.
Junhyung: I’ve saved that data preciously. When the opportunity arises, I will reveal it to everyone, please anticipate till that day comes (laughs).
─ During a comeback, it’s definite that a close-up will happen on “the things that have changed”. There’s such stuff but as a group are there things like “We do not want to change this, we want to protect this”?
Kikwang: The thing that I hope will not change, because I’m a singer, is when I go up on stage, I want to always look good/cool and I’m always working hard with that mindset. Because of that, the members don’t neglect their individual efforts too. I think that if you’re working hard, you can constantly come out looking good/cool. It’s not like that for everything but out of everything I think the most important is singing. Next is performance. There’s also a considerable amount of attention for dancing.
Doojoon: I agree with Kikwang’s words 100%! All the members are like that too. Between the members, we speak of this often.
Yoseob: 「Since we want to do this for the next album, we need to prepare like this」we’re always saying things like that so the atmosphere builds up.
─ Finally, an original Japanese single will be released!
Junhyung: Please anticipate the detailed announcement later(laughs). I’m certain it will be a song that will not betray your anticipation. Please trust in it.
Dongwoon: Everyone is curious, right.
Doojoon: Because we’ve been promotion in Korea for a while, as compared to our first album in Korea, we’re more accustomed to it and there’s more strength. In addition, every member personally polished themselves up through various forms. For example, Yoseob has picked up boxing!
Yoseob: I’ve liked martial arts originally so I wanted to challenge it but people surrounding me said 「It’s hard, don’t do it」and opposed greatly to it… In the end I picked up boxing.
─ Not long ago, due to boxing, Yoseob released a picture of your muscular body and received attention.
Yoseob: Ah, I’m embarrassed(laughs).
─ Doojoon too definitely did boxing together right.
Doojoon: Lately I’ve been busy so I haven’t been able to go to practice. It’s not because it’s scary and I didn’t want to go, it’s because I’m busy (laughs)
Kikwang: Oh? It seems like Yoseob is busier than Doojoon, though? (laughs)
─ Previously, when speaking about「in charge of BEAST’s revealing/stripping」, it was Kikwang….
Kikwang: Oh, wait a minute! Since when I was in charge of it? (laughs)
─ From the influence of Yoseob’s muscular body, is there any member who perhaps is thinking of starting to take care of your boy (into muscular type) as well?
Hyunseung: It’s something that cannot be done!
Doojoon: I want them but I can’t do it, hahaha. Firstly, exercising regularly is not something that is easy to achieve. It’s definitely hard for me (laughs).
Junhyung: When I see Yoseob’s and Kikwang’s muscles, of course I think that it’s cool. But it’s just that, nothing more, nothing less. Just that, thinking that it’s cool.
─ For Yoseob and Kikwang, when you see your own muscles, what do you think?
Yoseob: 「Ah ah, I’m tired~」(laughs). Once you’ve built it up just once, the expectations of your surrounding rises so no matter where you go, you’re expected to show them off (laughs). So it’s not something I can stop now. Everyday continuously working out is hard. Really really hard. Even so, you still need to maintain it!
Kikwang: Completely agree! I also can’t stop exercising (laughs).
Yoseob: In the past, in Korea「muscular men are the idea of romance」. Anyway, for men, muscles are important. If it’s not erupting, it won’t do. But lately, it’s changed a little. Even though it’s muscles, a beautiful balance is important.
Doojoon: As expected, it’s too much for me (laughs).
─ So everyone, lately is there anything you did to upgrade yourself personally?
Doojoon: Not long ago, I changed my cell phone. Truthfully, I’m a ‘latest technology’ mania. When a new model for a phone comes out, I’ll change it.
Kikwang: I think I upgraded my soccer skills. I belong to the celebrity soccer team and sometimes I take part in the matches. Compared to before, I think I have more skills. The people around me also said 「you have skills」 and hearing that makes me extremely happy.
Yoseob: For me, I upgraded my boxing shoes. I received it as a present and when I tried it, it was all soft, I really like it! It’s like feather and its light and above it all there’s a zipper. After tying the shoelaces, you clasp it at the zipper, it’s that kind of design so even when you jump it doesn’t trip you, it’s the best!
Doojoon: When he starts talking about boxing, there’s no stop (laughs). Yoseob, while you’re at it, tell us your boxing goals too!
Yoseob: To not be hit by Doojoon! To be able to avoid even when he hits me (laughs).
Junhyung: I upgraded my drinking lately (laughs). Lately I like whiskey. If the friend I’m drinking with curls up first, I think 「I won」(laughs).
Dongwoon: I think I became strong mentally. In the past, even if things were a little hard, I’ll get bothered but now I’m not because I believe I can get over it. No matter what problems form up, with a good sense/meaning I’ll soon forget it.
─ If you could upgrade something about your members?
Junhyung: Kikwang’s humor sense! It’ll be good if he could upgrade it just a little more. His gags are so chilly, it’s not funny (laughs).
(※ At this time, Kikwang was having his solo photo shoot session so he wasn’t at the interview session)
Yoseob: Junhyung, please say this properly to Kikwang when he’s here in front of your eyes (laughs).
Dongwoon: I think more than Kikwang hyung, Doojoon hyung’s humor sense is the problem. Previously it was funnier but now ever since he had drama filming, it has gotten worst.
Doojoon: No, Kikwang is the one who has the problem, more than I do. Conversely, in the group the one with the most humor sense is Dongwoon. Even when I see him, I learn from him and I’ll work hard.
Dongwoon: I wish Kikwang hyung would upgrade his selca skills a little. He’s really bad at it (laughs). He will send me 5-6 photos and ask 「I’m going to upload on Twitter, which is nice?」. And I will say 「This and this, if you retouch it, it’ll probably look good」as an advice.
Doojoon: I will say something to Yoseob-goon. I hope for an upgrade in human nature! I hope you don’t hit me any more than this. I’m so tired of it my patience is at its limit (laughs).
Yoseob: Doojoon, you violated the rule of lying during an interview (laughs). Um, a member I’d like to upgrade? Dongwoon is a really good friend. If you need the need to upgrade yourself, notice it yourself, because he’s a friend who works hard, I hope he continues in that state of always trying hard.
─ How about love/relationship? Was there any upgrade from before?
Junhyung: For this, I don’t know if it’s possible to upgrade or how to, but I think I’m more discreet than I was before. This could apply to things outside of love too but (in) growing up, (it makes me) think about something properly first before acting on it.
Yoseob: When mentioned about love, it’s a little hard. Of course I’ve never properly dated in the past but the idea of meeting someone itself now is so hard and I’ve come to realize how precious that is.
Dongwoon: When I was a student, I had a girlfriend but I had no money so that was a huge problem, but now, I have money to spend on a girlfriend but I don’t have one. This is a dilemma.
─ The song to be released Japanese single is a song coupling with Junichi Inagaki’s 「クリスマスキャロルの頃には」. What were your thoughts in listening to the original song?
Junhyung: It’s an extremely unique song. To make it in BEAST’s style, how to re-arrange the song, it was a serious problem. The goal was to save the original song’s atmosphere as much as possible but to still finish it in a way that fit today’s era. I’m already curious about the thoughts of the people who hear it.
─ There is less than a month left to Christmas, what is everyone’s ideal Christmas?
Kikwang: I want to experience a warm Christmas in a warm/tropical country like Thailand.
Junhyung: I want to spend a wonderful Christmas with my friends at a place where people crowd. But obviously this year I’ll be working too so it’ll just be an empty dream (laughs).
Dongwoon: When I was young, my parents or my school teacher would dress up as Santa and give out gifts. Back then I truly believed that Santa existed so I didn’t know about the make up/dress up. Now that I’ve grown up, I hope someone would dress up as Santa and appear in front of me. Lately I feel like my purity is lacking….
Junhyung: So cute (laughs).
Yoseob: When the snow falls on Christmas, it’s romantic. It’s a dream to spend Christmas with family and friends in a meadow that’s filled with snow. It’s identical to a scene from a movie, it’s cool right?
Hyunseung: I want to rent a large room somewhere and spend it talking with colleagues. But hearing what Yoseob said, spending it romantically doesn’t seem like a bad idea.
Kikwang: Even though we speak of our dream-like Christmas, reality is we’ll spend it with the members (laughs).
Yoseob: Spending Christmas with the members, there is something like that (that we wish for) for us: There’s nothing at all, nothing scheduled (laughs)
Dongwoon: Even if we had schedules, it’ll be joyous~. More than that, it’s lessons that are tougher. Actually, towards the end of the year because of things like Gayo Daesang we receive a lot of lessons.
Doojoon: Nah, it’s joyous even during lessons. What’s harder is Christmas 2 years back when the six of us gathered to watch a Christmas movie and cried.
Yoseob: Ah~ That was hard. Crying in the dorm near Konkuk (laughs)
─ These days, the members are faithfully promoting on your own. Please tell us what you’d like to challenge next.
Yoseob: For now, expectedly it’s boxing! I’ll enter a competition and have my eye on the gold medal!
Kikwang: I went to watch a musical JYJ Junsu was in. During curtain call, everyone in the audience stood up for a standing ovation and as I saw that and clapped, I had goose bumps. At that moment, what all of the actors were actually feeling, I want to try that.
Hyunseung: I have an interest in acting. I want to try a character that absolutely does not listen to anyone else. Don’t you think it’ll be fun if I acted? But not as a main job, I think there’s too many eyes surrounding that pays attention to it. But I think it’s not a job that is as simple as you think it would be.
Dongwoon: For me, I want to try being either on an eating show/broadcast or a show that themes on travelling worldwide. Walking backpack in Southeast Asia, I like that.
Doojoon: Like Dongwoon, I’d like to try being on a show that goes travelling.
Yoseob: There, there’s that Junhyung fishing show right? (laughs)
Junhyung: That’s right! Not just broadcast but it’s my dream to be on the cover of 『Fishing News』holding a fish I caught in my hand (laughs).
─ Your goals as a group?
Dongwoon: If it’s a dream in Japan, it’s definitely Dome tour.
Doojoon: With many people filling up Dome, I want to create the best stage.
Kikwang: Japan, Korea, doesn’t matter where, I want to experience many performances
Junhyung: That’s right! That is the biggest goal for us.
Hyunseung: I want to spend a good time with the members for a long time.
Yoseob: Our theme is to happily challenge any work we do.
Kikwang: When people hear BEAST, 「They have the skills, they look happy, they’re cool, and they’re professional singers」For people to have that thought, we’ll work hard.
Doojoon: This is us but next year too we ask for your continuous support!
We had an interview with BEAST when it was about one year since they debuted and, the way they would nod their heads and agree 「yes, yes」 while listening to the other members’ answers left a deep impression on me. I felt that you guys were close and even seeing you after a long time has passed, that feeling hasn’t changed. It became quiet in the middle so I was wondering, are they sleeping? So I checked everyone’s faces but they weren’t sleeping, instead they were listening to each other intently. This deep relationship, the unshaken trust between the members, these are the things that BEAST needs to protect. Also, because of this trust, they’re not afraid of any changes, and they will continue to evolve.
Credit: a8sun (SOURCE), @KongKongXD (JP-KR), @yongjunna (KR-EN).
Completed with help from @yongjunim