(Superpower + Collaborating with Other YG Composers)

Trans can be found after the cut ^_^

YJS: Which superpower do you have?

GD: My superpower is… I can compose a hit-song in a blink of an eye. So I try not to blink my eyes.

YJS: Do you mean that you write songs in a short time?

GD: I still… write from an instant inspiration. [GD played on words by using “영감님young-gam-nim” (meaning an “elder” in Korean)- “영감 young-gam” (refers to an ‘inspiration’) and ‘님 nim’ is a suffix that pays respect to elders/superiors; also having a double meaning as if he’s paying respect to his inspiration]. It’s not that I write well, but when I write music, many people like it [song].

YJS: Do you tend to start writing [music] when you are determined to write some, or only when you get an inspiration?

GD: I tend to write [music] when I get an inspiration, but I also write them when Iam told to.

YJS: So do you get inspiration often at your desk?

GD: It [song-writing] can be done in a short period; when I sit down, it’s done atthat moment.

YJS: I need to get that superpower off you.

GD: I’m in front of YJS [a senior in music industry- so GD is being humble]… I really like your music.

YJS: You write songs with such catchy melodies. I was in love with 거짓말 [Lie].  When I listen to GD’s music post 거짓말 [Lie], I could tell that he has his own style.  I can feel that the songs are writtenflawlessly without thinking too much when I listen to his music.

GHJ: You work with Teddy.

GD: Yes, all the time.  Some of you may misunderstand this, but the songs released to the public until now, I did not make them all by myself.  I have written some on my own, but they have not been released to the public.

YJS: So how does this ‘working together’ happen?

GD: To explain it simply, I am in the studio all the time.  In the studio, we do not work like “we needto work today; we need to finish an album by a certain month; this song needsto be a big hit”.  Although we are guys, we like to talk a lot.  We talk about many different things with each other. It can be something funny, about girls, about life… I learn a lot from him.  When we talk about stuff, we go “oh, this theme seems good?”.

YJS: You think of a theme first.

GD: We always talk first.  Whether it be jokes or whatever, we talk a lot, then I ask, “I think if we can use this theme to that theme, it’d be very good.”; then Teddy goes, “Yeah? How about this chord?” and plays on the keyboard.  Then I continue by “How about this melody?”, then he continues again by “How about this arrangement?”.  Then again I continue by “How about I insert some rap verses here in this style?” … type of collaboration.  So it’s not just Teddy that I talk to, but I talk to every composers in YG continuously.

YJS: It’s great that you compose music through conversation.  It’s true [from a fellow musician’s perspective] that if musical structure such as melody and chord progression starts the overall composition, it is likely that the song won’t be too firm on its ground… 

(Behind stories on “Ain’t No Fun” + “Having an Affair”)

JHD: Have you ever gotten an inspiration from talking with other Big Bang members?

GD: Yes, lots.

JHD: Which Song?

VI: There’s this song 재미없어 [Ain’t No Fun] in our newly released album.

GHJ:I like that song as well.

VI: That song was written when we were really bored.

GD: Yes, I have.  When I wrote 재미없어 [Ain’t No Fun – from the Alive album], we were talking about girlfriends and the past experiences.  When you are going out, the males are usually more active in taking control, but when the males are tired and such, you expect the females to cheer you up.  In our [Big Bang’s] case, when we are back from busy schedules, we want to lean on that significant other, but when the females are also tired and such, you can’t really talk, and it’s no fun- that became the storyline for 재미없어 [Ain’t No Fun].  I think that you really have to put your real feelings and experiences into the songs to communicate sincerely with the listeners; let them feel the true emotion of the song. But when you add in some fictional elements, we think that the listeners will know that this story is fake and unreal. So I try to write with my own experiences as much as possible.

VI: I am in the same team, but also from a fan’s perspective, I had a question.

YJS:SeungRi, our viewer!

VI: As JHD know as well, The song 바람났어 [Having an Affair-from 무한도전 Infinite Challenge] you collaborated with Park Myung Soo [PMS] as “GG” was a big hit.

JHD: It was so huge.

VI: It was a big hit beyond imagination…

JHD: It was ranked first on last year’s online music charts

VI: I never expected PMS to rap so well.  How could you produce such a song that makes even PMS look so stylish when rapping?

JYD: He [SeungRi] has too many questions? [can’t really hear well from the fancam]

VI: But I couldn’t ask him [GD] at the time. I am in the same team, and I have my own pride, how could I ask him?

KYC: So you are asking on air.

YJS: How did you [GD] produce PMS?

GD: That song was produced because of a program [무한도전-Infinite Challenge].  There was another song meant for that project, but PMS said it was too ‘weak’- so the song changed was 바람났어 [Having an Affair].  I was with Teddy at that time; it took 6 hours in total when we finished recording a demo/guide version- with full lyrics, melodies, and arrangements were all done within that 6 hour time frame.  It was written without too much thinking.  I was thinking ‘what song can be entertaining and funny?’

(On producing Big Bang albums and Writing lyrics)

 GD: When I record guide version of the songs, I tend to imitate other members’voices, so that it sounds like them.  Because I produce Big Bang albums, I know their character, and the best way they would appear in which parts of the song.  TOP sounds the best in second verse; it would be good if I appear in the start of the song; DaeSung will build up in the middle, TaeYang needs to appear in the chorus, and I will add some weight to the song…

JHD: SeungRi didn’t come out yet.

GD:I don’t know how you [the public] think of SeungRi’s voice, but I like his voice.  But one thing that’s certain, is that it can’t be used too much in a song.

GHJ: Why?

VI: Compared to other members’ voices, it’s weaker.

GD: If SeungRi’s voice is in too much just to distribute the parts evenly, I don’tknow how the fans will comprehend this, 

VI: It [the music] gets lighter.

GD: The song can get a bit lighter, because his voice is yet…

VI: Thin.

GD: His voice is sweet, so in my opinion, if a deeper voice is in the middle and SeungRi becomes the support, the song gets better.

YJS: So it’s not like you [GD] distribute the parts equally, but rather, using thebest more in the right places.

GD: Yes, in that way.  These days, if you are a young Idol listening to only the music of present days, all songs will and can doubtlessly reflect the trends of today. When I was young, I don’t know why, I listened to many foreign songs as well.  The reason why I wanted to become a musician is because I liked the older Korean singers and listened to them so much- and they have influenced me.  YJS’s lyrics are also so beautiful…

JHD: Which lyrics do you like by YJS?

GD: It’s something that draws a picture on your mind.

GHJ: Yes, I agree.

GD: I think lyrics are very important; I don’t know whether it could be similar to working on filming a movie.  When you watch a movie, when you insert your own past memories, you can agree and feel the emotional storyline better. Likewise, the lyrics can have its own video like music videos, but even without those videos, it would be great if you are just reading the lyrics, and it [lyrics] depicts an image by itself, like YJS’s lyrics do.

JHD: [Recites YJS’s lyrics from 너의 결혼식 (Your Wedding)]…

Source: gd-fan.com via jinhichole dale

English Translation by 지나가다 @ DCGD.