I thought about this while listening to Giriboy's music. "There should be at least one song that isn't that great, but why are they all good?"
GIRIBOY | Well, of course. They're all good.
Is that what you think as well?
GIRIBOY | Since I made the songs myself, isn't it normal to not release them if they're not great?
However, it seems like you still don't have a hit song that's familiar to the public (non-fans). The 'G R Boy' signature sound that's included in the music that's produced by Giriboy, however, is familar to most. How big is your desire to create a hit song?
GIRIBOY | I don't really have much of that (desire). Usually, I don't exactly feel the need for it at all. I'm okay as long as people who like my music, like my music. But there was once a moment where I wished that I had a hit song. That was when I stood on stage at a university festival. There's a kind of energy that's transmitted from the audience, and I feel that the energy would be different there if I had a public-friendly hit song for a stage that's not my own concert.
On the evening of 2nd December, 24 hours after our discussion now, your 7th album 'Fatal Album III' will be released. Do you think that there will be any hit songs from this upcoming album?
GIRIBOY | Hmmm.. I don't think so? (laughs) It's an album that was made in my style after being immersed in my own emotions, is it possible for this kind of music to strongly appeal to the public? I think that this album is just for one's listening pleasure. It's great to listen to before sleeping. Or since there's a song titled 'Snow Sweeping', please listen to it alone on a snowy day.
Let's look purely at the titles of the albums you're released so far. 'Sensual Album, 'Mechanical Album', 'Lonely 4 Songs', 'Gab Boon Gi' (Suddenly, the Atmosphere feels like Giriboy), 'Sexual Perceptions', 'Graduation', etc... They feel like they were titled loosely, yet there is something about the theme that penetrates through. This album is the third album in the 'Fatal' series. What's the key point of this upcoming album?
GIRIBOY | There are times where I think of the concept before making the album, there are also times where that kind of notion doesn't exist. For this album, the (concept) is "music that I originally wanted to make". The k-pop and pop sensibilities from ballads and indie band music that I was influenced by since I was younger. I was someone who wanted to make that kind of music, but I fell for something else, and now I'm taking a long path back to where I started out from. I made this while thinking of the emotions that I felt when I first started out making music.
Giriboy is a famous for being a figure in the hip hop scene, but did you want to show off that you're more of a multiplayer?
GIRIBOY | There are so many things that I want to do. I used to listen to hip hop and rock music everyday, but while making this album I stopped listening to them entirely. I didn't listen to Kanye West's new album, and didn't watch Travis Scott's documentary on Netflix until the album was completed. Because I was worried that if I listen to hip hop, I might want to (make the album) in that kind of colour again.
Is there music that you kept listening to in order to maintain the 'feel' that you had while making this album?
GIRIBOY | I went back to find the songs that I listened to a lot when I was young, the songs that I made in my early days that were stored in my harddrive, and the demo music. I listened to them while having such thoughts. "What kind of thoughts did I have then?" "What did I want to do back then?" I loved Sung Si-kyung and Roller Coaster (band)'s music, as well as Kim Dong-ryul and Yoon Jong-shin sunbae's ballads. The song 'The Time Is Now' was made in Roller Coaster's style, and many people said that it was addictive after I let them listen to it.
Roller Coaster is made up of Jinu, who currently uses the name 'Hitchhiker', guitarist Lee Sang-soon and vocals Jo Wan-sun - all the members are like gems. I was surprised to know that Giriboy once mentioned that he was influenced by Hitchhiker.
GIRIBOY | I really want to know what kind of thoughts that person (Hitchhiker) has inside his head, and take them away. If you listen to all the songs that he'd made, they're all good. As if they were made for me.
Hitchhiker is a composer who's able to make a variety of music from band music to sounds like 'Abracadabra', I think it would be crazy if the two of you talked about music together... Have you ever met him? If you meet him, what would you like to ask him?
GIRIBOY | "Do you have any remaining songs?" (laughs) First, I would like to have him listen to my music. Hyung-nim had made unique pop songs in the past, and he's also good with electronic pop music. We'd exchanged texts a few times in the past, but we haven't met since we didn't decide on a date. It's already about time we met.
This album, which is made with Giriboy's pure sensibilities, may feel like a fresh betrayal to hip hop fans.
GIRIBOY | Ever since I was young I've always gone to watch indie band performances. 5 years ago, when I went on 'Show Me The Money' as a contestant and not a producer, I performed on stage with the band Gate Flowers (게이트 플라워즈). However at some point, I think the band sensibilities disappeared from the music scene. Am I not seeing it or not hearing it because I lost that touch? Recently, the only band that's well known in the scene seems to be Hyukoh.
There were quite a number of interesting indie bands labels before and after Jang Kiha's debut, but I think that spot has been taken over by hip hop. I remember a famous Korean rock band member saying this in an interview, "Do you think that rock will be popular in our country?" But wasn't there a move in the hip hop scene to infuse rock sensibilities with hip hop?
GIRIBOY | When you listen to overseas hip hop music, there are quite a number of attempts at rock-style hip hop, be it through singing like a rock vocalist or giving off the rock vibes through the sound. Even if rock becomes popular in our country, only the styles with nice melody lines seem to receive love. Just like how many people only like 'Creep' out of Radiohead's numerous songs.
Since the emergence of 'singing rap' and 'melodical rap' few years ago, doesn't that show the importance of a good melody line? On that topic, how do you see the potential of Seo Donghyun, a high school rapper who made a comet-like appearance and made an impression on other contestants on Show Me The Money 8?
GIRIBOY | Donghyun is a genius. The kid first experienced performing on a stage on SMTM 8, and he's at that level. Just like what you said, he's a character that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He did well even though it was his first time recording with proper equipment, and he also writes good melodies. Most important of all he's kind. As he has a mature side, I learn a lot from him instead. When I look at Donghyun, I think about how nice it would be to have a kid like him. I think he's a child who grew up well under good parents, and he seems to have it all.
Having graduated from a middle school in Daechi-dong, and even entered Daewon Foreign Language School, I wondered if it would be (better) if he started working on music in earnest after successfully entering university... I'm not Seo Donghyun's mother, but even I also thought about it.
GIRIBOY | I also often mentioned that to Donghyun. "Don't say things like you're going to quit school to work on music, prioritise your studies and make music your form of stress relief as that's the only way good music will come out of it, don't try to change your original state." Donghyun understands such advice as well. He's a smart kid so he won't do any useless or strange things. I think he doesn't have any thoughts of giving up on his studies too.
Apart from Seo Donghyun, is there anyone else in your opinion that has good music and cool character?
GIRIBOY | Among the people I've seen lately, I think it's Jjangyou who also appeared on SMTM8. He calls me 'hyung-nim' while using satoori dialect, he's just really cool. There's energy and affection in him. And Mckdaddy who appeared on SMTM8 also has a perfect rap and style. What you see and hear is his real character and I really like that. But of course, my 'one pick' is Zion.T hyung. Everything about him is really really cool.
Giriboy's style and uniqueness seems to come from his imagination. In particular, it's really fresh when you combine the lyrics with sensibilities that can be easily seen in K-pop with hip hop beats. The style of setting up breakup situation ('Divorce Papers'), or talking about the emotions felt in love ('Attention Whore') are different from what you'd see in the hip hop world.
GIRIBOY | I've also done a lot of music that brags and talks about how great I'm doing, but they don't seem that cool. I think it looks cooler to talk things that make one feel like a 'loser' (‘찌질'). In movies, I like it more when the actor is crying hard while asking his ex-lover to return to him, rather than when the actor is holding himself together. Scenes like when the leading character is stuck in depression, in a dirty room with empty alcohol bottles rolling around. Isn't Keanu Reeves great in 'John Wick'? Since I'm more attracted to that kind of emotions, my music is filled with that kind of feeling too.
In my case, you're the first musician that makes me want to look at the lyrics booklet while listening to hip hop music. Are the dark and mournful lyrics from 'Empty House' written from your experience with a painful breakup?
GIRIBOY | Of course not. 'Empty House' is actually about a murder, but I've never killed anyone (laughs). If you listen to it carefully, it has violent and slightly creepy content. There was a movie actor that appeared in one of my dreams. Just like movie directors, scenario writers, manhwa artists, I like making up stories. I'm currently rapping, so I write those stories as rap lyrics. There are many different elements in music, but the most important one for me would be 'atmosphere'. Anyway, for music, the atmosphere is the answer for everything.
The atmosphere of the character Giriboy is somewhat awkward and languid. There are many fans who like the 'loser sensibilities' in your music, but at the bottom of it you can feel that there's a depressed and shaky side to it. In what ways do you feel that you're lacking?
GIRIBOY | There are too many. First I don't even know how to spell well (laughs). When I took spelling tests back in elementary school, my seat mate had to check my score and I always felt embarrassed about it, so it became something like a trauma. Also should I say that my body is quite lanky? Like I want to be charismatic when I shake hands with someone, but I'm a little feeble when I do it. Apart from music, I have too little knowledge about anything else. I'm studying these days, by searching up things such as history or social issues. I think that it's not good to live too stupidly. Why wasn't I studying when I'm living in a world where I can get all the information I need with my phone?
When you look at Swings and Giriboy who are representatives of the same label, the contrast is even more pronounced. One cries out "fighting" and acts like a mentor for self-improvement, whereas the other lives while talking about the beauty of 'loserness'. He's like a lion, while you're like an innocent boy. Of course, the little boy is not scared of the lion, regardless of whether he's roaring or not.
GIRIBOY | That hyung is a person who seems to be indifferent when he stands in front of everyone else, even though he's getting cussed out by everyone in this world. But I can see that he's having a hard time for a number of reasons in front of my eyes. It's professional of him to not show that on the outside. I feel that a lot as well. I know how well his tenacity can be.
The way the two of you look at staying strong despite adversities should be different. Isn't Giriboy the style to be like 'not my problem' despite whatever others say? You're not a weak person right?
GIRIBOY | Hmm? I'm weak though? I always feel that I'm weak?
In what way?
GIRIBOY | In fact, I don't think I'm the type to work well with my face known to everyone. I'm more well suited to live while making the music I like in the corner of my room. Like a king maker? To help someone from the back without showing my face. That kind of work makes my heart beat faster. However things somehow turned out this way. I was also influenced by Swings hyung.
Did Swings help to draw out the talent that was meant to be stuck in the corner of the room to the surface top?
GIRIBOY | That's right. Since a long time ago, he kept saying things like "we have to be the best", so I kept that in mind too (laughs). When I had my first performance I was so nervous that I kept making mistakes with the lyrics, and all I wanted to do was to go back home. The fact that I was in front of others was scary.
Within a few years of appearing on SMTM as rapper, you became a producer who judges and plans songs for other rappers. You're now at a position where you can highly paid for composing songs for idols. With that success, you should have satisfied your desire to some extent, does that make you re-think about the 'type' (that you'd thought that you were)?
GIRIBOY | It's not about being satisfied. I've never thought of wanting to succeed, I only thought about it a little when I appeared on SMTM3. It's really scary to think of situations where I become famous to the extent that other people recognise me no matter I go. Doesn't that seem like the content from a SF movie? Being watched wherever I go, living like as if I'm being observed by someone else. That's why there was a time where I just thought, "let's do it moderately" to myself everyday. Most of the hip hop people would say that they want to succeed, and I didn't want to learn from them. I didn't want to be trapped with the feeling that I would have to keep doing something if that went well. I'm a person who wants to do this and that.
So how are you like these days?
GIRIBOY | There are times where I dislike making music, there are times where I just want to make and enjoy music by myself and not be judged by others in the world. To pull myself together I went around searching for things that look interesting, and things that can help to change the mood. I DJ, read manhwa books, and play games. Recently I'm often in the mood to work so I do it almost everyday. That kind of feeling. I don't have a specific goal for music, but I'm happy this way now. I want to just live making music that I want to make while hiding in the studio.
Do you think that you're growing up?
GIRIBOY | I've seen many celebrities who don't want to grow up, but I haven't seen any celebrities who want to grow up. I want to grow up. I'm 30 this year in 2020, so I feel strange. When I think about my parents, I get emotional. Originally I wanted to get married and start a family around this age... But I still need to grow up more. Though I'm still changing my mind and going back and forth about things.
ORIGINAL POST FROM W KOREA
TRANSLATED BY @OHGIRIBB
PLEASE TAKE OUT WITH CREDITS
No comments:
Post a Comment