From head to toe, swag checked. G-Dragon is back with the bigger power to shock.
Colorful, crazy, and fun are some best words that could describe G-Dragon’s “ONE OF A KIND.” After three years of searching for his color and identity as a 25-year-old man and a musician, G-Dragon has come to the conclusion that he can only be described with a box of crayons, and a white paper to draw on.
When asked in what he is one of a kind, after a moment of silence and resting his chin on his hands he said, “I don’t know. This is too difficult.”
That quiet contemplation of five to ten seconds explained everything about why it had taken so long for people to understand the core message of the music video for “CRAYON,” the title tune off the first mini-album “ONE OF A KIND.”
The rapper-singer was not able to define himself with a single word. To demonstrate the range of his potential, he brought out the joker from a pack of cards with flair--a cartoon character, a maniac, a party rocker and a "sexy lady" that instantly turns into the face of the "Dark Knight" villain.
G-Dragon sat down with the magazine at YG Entertainment's Seoul office on Wednesday to show that he has more to offer than just colors in array and flashing lights.
This is your first solo effort in three years and you must have a lot of emotions and ideas to bring out. Were you able to express all that? Out of 100, how much are you satisfied with the result?
88......The number eight is meaningful for me. I had eight concepts for the album as well [G-Dragon was born on August 18, 1988].
Your inspiration to people comes not only from your music but fashion. Of all the fashion styles in the music video for “CRAYON,” which one is your favorite?
It’s hard to pick one. I just wore what I’ve been wanted to wear, just like how I do in making music. Things like I’ve seen or couldn’t wear before, you know? Like the outfit that makes me look like a Frankenstein from the clip. That’s a showpiece from one of the designers I like. He actually gave it to me in person. The design is really nice but dancing in it was quite hilarious.
Was the short skirt one of the outfits that you’ve always wanted to wear? (laugh)
I purposely wore that to look funny. I was trying to direct the music video with some comic scenes, from a Pinocchio to a lady. But the back shot is not me. I don’t know why it got so controversial. That’s one of my backup dancers. I’m telling you again, that’s not me! (laugh)
You show different versions of yourself through characters in “CRAYON” music video. Of course, that must have been set to suit the whole concept, but what does it exactly mean?
Yeah the stories are kind of jumbled together. What I had intended to express is a crazy person seeing things in a dream. It’s about an insane man going through different scenes in his dream and for that I needed to play so many different characters. We actually had more to show than what’s in the video now. Because the title “CRAYON” brings up the image of something colorful, I wanted people to feel that different characters and colors, and think that I was just crazy. I really like how it came out. In contrast, the music video for “ONE OF A KIND” has a sort of controlled emotions. For “That XX,” I played a double role to visualize that dreamlike feeling.
The phrase “wild and young” repeats in “ONE OF A KIND.” It seems like it’s like a moto for you. Do you think you have something to polish from the wild side?
Probably yes. First, I love that phrase. It’s the motto of my life. But it’s a bit difficult to go extreme in this culture. There’s a boundary for going wild and I’ve gotten used to that. I’m silently fighting with that boundary, but that never comes out in action. I do worry about how and what I’ll do next in the future. But for now I’m doing things I like without any problem so far. So far. Yes.
You’re literally “young and rich” [the rap lyrics in "ONE OF A KIND"]. Some pople think that you’re at the peak point of your career. Since you just mentioned that you worry about your success, how do you see yourself in the future, career-wise?
Like I always say, you never know what’s going to happen. This could be the start, or could be the end point [of massive popularity]. If people think that I’ve reached my limit, then I’d compliment myself for doing well. If I were at the peak point, then that means I’ve made my dream come true at an earlier age than average people. This means that I have nothing to lose, and can dream a bigger dream. Though I can’t foresee the future, I prepare a lot for whatever is to come. I think I’m crazy when I look at myself these days. I can see myself going wild and mad on stage. We [himself and other YG Entertainment officials] really like that. That crazy energy just erupts when I’m standing on the stage. It’s like… something’s about to break out from inside. But again, I don’t know how long that energy will last so I’m doing my best when I can. When people don’t get inspired by my music and style, I think that’s about time when I should get off the limelight and support other musicians grow. Right now, that energy is just overflowing.
Starting to dream about becoming a singer and reaching that goal all happened comparatively at an early age for you. You’ve gone through so many ups and downs to get here and must have had time to focus on yourself when preparing for the solo album. How much proportion does “Kwon Ji-yong” [G-Dragon’s Korean name] have in G-Dragon’s life?
Just 2 or 3 years ago, Taeyang and I often discussed about whether we’re on the right track or what we should do if we fall on the way. My conclusion is, this is just who I am. I can’t separate Kwon Ji-yong and G-Dragon’s life. My job is to bridge that gap in between the two. If I were to separate my life as G-Dragon and Kwon, I’d be very sad and devastated. Admitting that this is something I’ve been doing since young and what I’m good at, I’m happy. I want to tell myself, “You’re doing well.” (laugh)
It upsets me how most people always say that GD is extremely arrogant and selfish. He's a hardworking guy and he's always on the go. He looks tired and "older" than usual and a lot of people fail to realize that he probably doesn't sleep more than 3 hours per night after a debut/comeback. A lot of people don't consider celebrities as "people", because they're portrayed as perfection in the media all the time. But GD (just like everyone else) has days where he's tired, fed up and exhausted beyond the ability to sugar coat his life to everyone he meets. My friend, who knows him personally, speaks so highly of him and I've seen the texts they sent to each other. If anything, GD is a good man who values his friends extremely high. With the amount of work that's put upon his shoulders, I'm surprised he hasn't broken down yet. I have nothing but respect for him no matter what people may say. He's definitely an idol worth looking up to in pretty much all aspects. ^__^)/ oh, and the picture you posted (except for the models being male) is very similar to the poster that comes with the album when you buy it : D
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the comment. I don't expect celebs to be perfect, I know they're human... That's one of the main things that bothers me about idol culture: the expectation that ur fave idol is pristine and flaw free. I hate that they don't get to date publicly and all that and r expected to run on fumes while looking perfect at all times. I worry for them when they obviously hadn't had a break in ages and look too skinny.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know he has at least one friend that treats him like a normal person. Phew! Lol
The pic is from the digital album photo book. I posted them all in one of my GD One of a Kind spazz posts.
Thanks so much for the comment. I don't expect celebs to be perfect, I know they're human... That's one of the main things that bothers me about idol culture: the expectation that ur fave idol is pristine and flaw free. I hate that they don't get to date publicly and all that and r expected to run on fumes while looking perfect at all times. I worry for them when they obviously hadn't had a break in ages and look too skinny.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know he has at least one friend that treats him like a normal person. Phew! Lol
The pic is from the digital album photo book. I posted them all in one of my GD One of a Kind spazz posts.
It upsets me how most people always say that GD is extremely arrogant and selfish. He's a hardworking guy and he's always on the go. He looks tired and "older" than usual and a lot of people fail to realize that he probably doesn't sleep more than 3 hours per night after a debut/comeback. A lot of people don't consider celebrities as "people", because they're portrayed as perfection in the media all the time. But GD (just like everyone else) has days where he's tired, fed up and exhausted beyond the ability to sugar coat his life to everyone he meets. My friend, who knows him personally, speaks so highly of him and I've seen the texts they sent to each other. If anything, GD is a good man who values his friends extremely high. With the amount of work that's put upon his shoulders, I'm surprised he hasn't broken down yet. I have nothing but respect for him no matter what people may say. He's definitely an idol worth looking up to in pretty much all aspects. ^__^)/ oh, and the picture you posted (except for the models being male) is very similar to the poster that comes with the album when you buy it : D
ReplyDelete