[ENG trans] G-Dragon Nylon Japan April 2016 Interview

  
  
  
  

Nylon Japan Magazine, April 2016

Interview with G-Dragon and Nana Komatsu

Translated by TOPsDayDream
Please credit when using.

－Somewhere in Tokyo. It’s taken nearly half a year to coordinate the schedules of these two people in order to have this photoshoot. It’s been raining the whole week, but in what appears as the sky giving her blessing upon the shoot, the sun has come out today. It feels as though this moment will never happen again, and none of us will ever forget it.

(Occasionally, G-Dragon would give his answers in Japanese. These answers are underlined below.)

After the photoshoot, we adjourn to the interview room. G-Dragon eyes a melon soda float.

GD: Is this non-alcoholic?

NYLON: Yes

GD: That’s a shame. The world tour is over and today is the last of the work, so I wanted to drink (laughs). 

ALL: Ahahahahaha

With his jokes, he creates a friendly atmosphere. His kindness has made Nana smile too.

NYLON: First, please tell us your honest thoughts about today’s shoot.

GD: It was fun.

NANA: I was really nervous.

GD: Maybe it didn’t really come across, but I was nervous too (laughs).

NYLON: You two have met before.

GD: We met last May in Korea, at the Chanel 2015/16 Cruise Collection show.

NANA: It was almost exactly a year ago. That was our first meeting.

GD: But we didn’t talk for long. It was little more than an introduction.

NANA: At that time I was invited for a magazine report, and when I met you they were filming a video. When I watched the video afterwards I looked so shy, I was very embarrassed about it (laughs).

NYLON: What were your first impressions of each other?

GD: At that event there were many foreign celebrities, but apart from us there weren’t many people from Asia. Besides that, her Asian beauty stood out from the crowd. 

NANA: I was so excited when we met and talked. Even though it was our first meeting, he spoke to me very courteously, and reaffirmed my opinion that he was a lovely person.

GD (shyly): Thank you.

NYLON: This is your first reunion since that meeting. Have your impressions changed?

GD: She seemed very mature when we first met, but I heard she recently turned 20. After meeting today I feel like she’s grown even more.

NANA: Thank you very much. I wonder if I have matured at all (laughs). Since then I’ve also cut my hair quite short.

GD: Oh yes, it was a lot longer when we first met. It looks lovely short.

NANA: Thank you very much. The whole day today has felt like a dream.

GD: Ahaha. It is all a dream (laughs).

NANA: It’s definitely a dream (laughs). I don’t think I’ve ever felt this nervous. I was worried I was becoming too stiff during the shoot, but GD would speak to me with a smile and kindly read what I was feeling, so I could relax sometimes. But I was very nervous most of the time.

GD: I think when you’re acting or being photographed, you need to be a little nervous, so perhaps those nerves were good (laughs).

NYLON: BIGBANG visited many different countries during the world tour. What did you do during your free time?

GD: Recently I’ve become interested in vintage furniture, art and sculptures. During the world tour, or when I had the opportunity to go overseas, I’ve gone to those countries’ art galleries. Between Paris, Japan and America, the countries we go to are fairly set, but wherever possible I try to use my time to visit different galleries. Nana-san, do you go to places like that?

NANA: I haven’t really been, no.

GD: When I come to Japan I’ll often go to galleries. I haven’t really been to many in Tokyo, but I’ll often go in Kyoto and around Kansai. I recently went to an island. Ah, what was it called? It’s an island with works by many artists like Kusama Yayoi. If you go a little past Osaka?

NANA: An island in Shikoku? The name isn’t coming to mind (laughs). Do you research things like that yourself?

GD: Yes! I like castles too, so I’ll look it up and go wander around. The galleries aren’t busy, so I can visit them quietly. In Paris we’ll often make our own reservations and go see things. In places like that photographs are usually forbidden, so I don’t upload them to my SNS accounts. I just imprint them in my memory and leave.

NANA: You’re very active.

GD: Yes. Ah! I remembered! Naoshima! It’s an island in Kagawa Prefecture.

NANA: Oh, you just remembered (laughs). 

NYLON: Nana-chan, you also visit many different places on photoshoots. You just shot your first photo compilation called “Trabzon” in Turkey?

NANA: It was my first trip to Turkey. For this photoshoot everyone wanted to go to a place that isn’t used much for photoshoots. It was just as I imagined it, so I’m really glad we went to Turkey.

GD: I’ve never been to Turkey. Was it fun?

NANA: It was more lovely than I’ve ever imagined. The people were all so warm.

GD: Could you try different things? Was the food good?

NANA: We first visited Trabzon in northeastern Turkey, where the food was so good I ate too much and had a stomachache (laughs). But after that we went to Istanbul where I recovered and had a lot of fun.

GD: That sounds good. (While holding Nana’s photo compilation) Now that I look at your photos it seems like a lovely place. It has a healing energy about it. How long were you there for?

NANA: About a week. The whole book was shot in Turkey.

GD: The location is beautiful and there are many lovely pictures, but did you have any free time? What did you do during that time?

NANA: I only had the first day free. Since the theme of the book was “becoming a Turkish girl”, I wanted to absorb the scenery, and I went to buy the hijab I wore on the cover.

GD: It matches the cover and the atmosphere of the shoot very well. The local clothing suits you. It looks great. 

NYLON: Next, please let us know a little more about G-Dragon’s music world. What is the environment like when you create music?

GD: I don’t really have a certain place where I’ll write music. I’ll often get inspiration from casual conversations, or when I’m making music in the studio, or just lazing in bed. I think music is something that comes to you – you can’t force it, so if I start by thinking of it as work it doesn’t go well. It’s best when it comes to me by having fun conversations like this one.

NANA: What do you do if something suddenly comes to you in a conversation like this?

GD: I’ll quickly make a note of it in my phone.

NANA: Amazing. So it’s possible that later you’ll find some inspiration in today’s conversation? (laughs)

GD: It’s possible! (laughs)

NANA: You don’t work particularly from music first or lyrics first?

GD: It’s different every time. If I have a theme, or am inspired by a certain word, I’ll expand it from there. But there are also times when I’ll hear a melody and think of lyrics based on that. It changes depending on my mood on the day.

NYLON: We’ve heard that Nana likes “Haru Haru”.

GD: You like Haru Haru? That’s surprising.

NANA: I also like your solo song “Crooked”

GD: A song about a man getting dumped (laughs)

NANA: That’s true (laughs). I really like BIGBANG’s MVs. Do you all create them together?

GD: Yes, all the members create them. Of course there’s also the director, but when we create the music we already have an idea of what we want the MV to look like. Since we created it, we know best what we want to convey with our music. But since I’m not an actor, I feel embarrassed every time we film.

NANA: You can’t tell at all. Everyone is so wonderful.

NYLON: Nana-chan, you attended one of their Japanese concerts?

NANA: Yes, I went to one of the concerts at Tokyo Dome. A few years ago I was invited by a friend to go see my first BIGBANG concert, and I had a lot of fun. It was the first time I ever felt like a concert was really fun.The performance was really cool, and the MCing funny, so it was wonderful to see those two sides to them. It was really funny seeing their impressions of famous Japanese people (laughs).

GD: Ahahaha (laughs).

NANA: The songs, the MVs, the concerts, the MCing – everything is so lovely!

GD: Thank you very much. I feel embarrassed having you say these things to my face! (laughs)

NYLON: Nana celebrated her 20th birthday in February. G-Dragon, what was your 20th year like for you? (T/N: 20 is significant in Korea (20 Korean age, 19 international age) and Japan as it’s the year of majority, much like 18 is in many Western countries.)

GD: 20 years old… honestly, the whole year was all about work, work, work, so I don’t really have any good memories (laughs). We had only recently debuted, so I was just working as hard as I possibly could. Every single day was about work so… I don’t really have any good memories from that year… I don’t know. Now it seem like a bit of a waste. There are so many things unique to that age, like falling in love and having fun, but we just didn’t have time for it. Work is important, but now if I have a little free time I’ll try going to different places and doing different things. Once time passes you can’t get it back, so you have to enjoy the moment. Time really passes so quickly. And now I sound like a little old man! (laughs). 

ALL: Ahahaha

NYLON: Nana-chan, did you have any change in your state of mind after you turned 20?

NANA: When I was young I really thought that 20 seemed so adult, but having turned 20 nothing has changed. Except that there are more things I can do, like drink alcohol. As we were saying earlier, there are many places I’d like to go. I want to cherish my time. I want to trouble by myself, meet different people, and try things other than being an actress and model. I’m still only 20, and as G-Dragon was saying, there’s no limit to the things I can do now.

GD: Exactly. It’s important that you make the things you’re saying a reality. I also love travelling, but it’s important to not only go to the good places, but also to places that are different to what you’re used to. I think you can learn a lot more by going to places like that. Please try going without your manager and staff too. There are so many important things you can gain from the people you meet in those places. As a performer you can gain so much. But it’s important to enjoy life not only as a performer, but as a human being. Because your life is no one’s but your own.

－As he says this, since these are two very busy people, a halt is put on the interview. G-Dragon, who has travelled the world and just completed his final interview, raises his hands in victory and shouts “YES!” while Nana applauds. It was only a short time, but for that time we were able to overflowing smiles and innocence of these two people. 
  
  

  
  
  

Translation by TOPsDayDream