Arena Homme+ Magazine September 2021 issue featuring JAY B: Nature, Dreams and Music
That day, JAY Bโs world was filled with grass that came up to his knees, sunset that briefly peeked through the dark clouds, and ghosts of the silent campsite. Insects flew about in the intimate conversation of creation, dreams, and the future. An interview with JAY B amidst the passing seasons.
So you are working on an album?
The album is almost finished. I couldnโt release it at the beginning of the year, so Iโm releasing it now in the second half of the year. Iโm thinking of preparing things early on for next time so [we] are preparing for the production of another album.
There was a big change this year, you moved from JYP Entertainment to H1GHR MUSIC, right? What did you expect before becoming a part of H1GHR MUSIC?
At first I was worried. and was concerned over what to do if I couldnโt adapt. My goal for this year was to adapt to the agency and its artists, but everyone has made me feel comfortable. I thought I would have to do a lot of adjusting to the new agency staff, but I was surprised by how understanding they were of the system I had experienced. The way there has been no problem in our communication has far exceeded my expectations. Things are flowing smoothly.
It must feel like a fresh start. You must be looking forward to getting to do what you couldnโt do previously, but on the other side you must also have hopes to learn more. Is there anyone that could provide you with blunt advice?
Iโm not the demanding type. And I have never strongly demanded anything from the company either. But that doesnโt mean I accept anything the company makes and provides me. The difference is that my opinion is reflected in my work more than before. If I was going to lead everything at work, there would have been no need to join an agency. Joining the agency means communicating with their staff. I also think we should listen to other people's opinions a lot. And you have to give feedback too, of course. I am working well with the company. Be it a push or advice as help, I learnt a lot from my previous company. Since I have learnt a lot from there, I should trust myself a little more now. I try to relay what I know and learn about things Iโm not knowledgeable of. I rely on Jay Bum hyung a lot. I contact him right away when thereโs something I donโt know, and we have a lot of conversations.
Is it important that an artist is stubborn? Do you feel the need to emphasise your own music and personality?
Artists have different personalities, just as people have different preferences. I don't want to diss an artist who is stubborn, nor do I want to tell anyone who isnโt stubborn that they are not an artist. I acknowledge everyone. I, personally, want to express the way I live. I like making music. An artist should be clear about what they want to do. Whether it be to become a star, or to express themselves through music or to earn money, it has to be clear.
What is your clear stance as an artist?
Whether itโs fiction or reality, I want to make stories. Iโm the type that wants to tell a story. It was like that too in my GOT7 days. I believe one should create and establish their own path in life. I think that's fun. It's hard, but it's worth it. It adds more meaning to my job and I think it becomes more valuable. If I didn't do it myself, I would feel less attached to it.
Thereโs nothing more fun than oneโs own work. Showing your work and waiting for the response must also be thrilling.
Exactly. I love hearing that my music is good. Iโm very shy so I cannot express it very well but Iโm very thankful and proud too. And it reassures me that Iโm not going down the wrong path.
It does feel like all the hard times disappear when you hear good feedback. But feedback isnโt always good. There are even people who avoid them because of fear of criticism.
To be honest, when it comes to unpleasant feedback, it kind of makes me feelโฆ โouch!โ But I accept it because it is still an evaluation. It also gives me a boost. Itโs fun.
You are a solo artist now. Do you feel a burden or pressure?
I donโt feel pressured, but I do feel the burden. I joined H1GHR MUSIC and I feel a sense of belonging. I gain something from this company, but I think this company should gain something from me, too. I have worries about things like whether Iโll be able to benefit the company or not. I feel slightly uneasy about possibly not meeting expectations too.
You feel a sense of responsibility.
There's always a reason and a purpose to start anything. Everyone starts music because they like it, and if they start, there must be music they want to make. So if there is criticism, one would feel down, but if the final product is good, the people that worked on it would feel good. Thatโs what I hope for.
You uploaded a bunch of your Def. songs onto your YouTube channel. There was quite a lot. Are you the prolific type?
I used to be butโฆ I guess Iโm still the type to make many songs. (Laughs). But compared to back then, my production has decreased a lot. My stamina canโt keep up. (Laughs). I used to be able to start and finish working on a song at dawn and when I felt like I could do more, I made more. Nowadays, even when Iโm working on only one song, not only is it hard for my body, but I also feel drained so I canโt make many songs.
Isnโt it really fast to make even one song at dawn?
Ah, thatโs true. I used to work like that three or four times a week, but now I work once or twice a week. Come to think of it, I don't think I'm the prolific type anymore.
Being able to make a lot of things means you have a lot of ideas.
Having run out of ideas is also a reason for having less work done. There are five mixtapes Iโve uploaded onto YouTube with four to five tracks each. At the time, I not only worked on those but music for GOT7 too. After hustling so hard, I feel like Iโve run out of material. I look around wondering where to find inspiration. When I finish making the melody and want to write lyrics, I feel lost.
In order to be prepared for those situations, creators keep a collection of material. How do you collect resources?
I often read or use my imagination. These days, I often put myself in othersโ shoes. When watching a movie, one would empathize with the protagonist. Itโs only natural since the plot revolves around them. But I would pay attention to the supporting roles or passerbys in the background and think about the story from their point of view. I would think about what I would do if I heard those words and if I were in that situation. I also pay close attention to any words that might be a good source of inspiration. In the past I would focus on how the plot developed, but now I look at the words that the author uses repeatedly. When I think of any useful words or ideas, I jot them down.
Observing the supporting roles instead of the central narrative is such a novel idea.
I suddenly thought of it while watching a movie at home. The protagonist had said some harsh and rude words to a supporting role. It was something like โGet out of my way.โ I thought โHow would it have felt to be the one moving out of their way? What would they feel?โ These were the thoughts I had.
Has anyone told you that you have a unique perspective?
Iโve often heard that my personality is very unique.
People can say they donโt like something despite others saying they like it. That could come off as unique and fresh ideas come from an uncommon perspective too.
I think itโs 50/50. There are times when something might not feel like much for me while others like it, and times when everyone else seems quite indifferent while I like it. A song I recently liked the idea of is โSmile, Wait for the Flashโ by Giriboy where he used the โkachaโ shutter sound as gunfire. Using โkachaโ like a gunfire as a metaphor for wrapping up your feelings after a breakup was a refreshing idea. It was great.
Do you also often use your instincts?
I try hard to. I donโt naturally use my instincts, but I try to look at things through a different lens. I tend to have random thoughts, and I had one today during the shoot too. This is a camping site, but there was no one camping. So I imagined how it would look when full of people moving about. Also during the shoot, there was a long blade of grass under my feet on a field of grass. I should have avoided it but I accidentally stepped on it. I felt sorry for the grass that got stepped on and out of instinct I said โsorryโฆโ
Seems like you have keen sensibility.
I wish I could be sensible. Iโm too cautious to say that I am sensible, though.
I think you would be considered a sensible person because you make music. But I noticed that the comments are disabled for Def.โs mixtapes on YouTube.
The songs that I make under โDef.โ are 100% music that I personally wanted to make. I didnโt want to receive feedback, so I disabled the comments. If I release an album under โDef.โ in the future, I probably won't be able to disable the comments. I donโt know. The reason I have disabled the comments is because I donโt want to see any praise nor criticism. I donโt look at the comments for my SoundCloud tracks either. Because theyโre very personal projects, Iโm worried I could be swayed by it so I donโt look at it on purpose. I donโt want to be swayed by anything when it comes to my personal projects. I guess thatโs my way of being stubborn.
So it sounds like youโre saying the songs that are made under the name Def. are like a part of you. I can feel your sincerity towards your music.
I would pretend to be indifferent to evaluations, but Iโm really scared of receiving negative comments. Not the criticism but Iโm scared to look at comments that decide something as โnot good.โ If they say that itโs not their style, then itโs just personal preference. There may not be songs that match their preference within my discography. But itโs difficult for me to hear people say โthis is not good, bad, or meh.โ After all, those songs came from me and are like my children.
I remember many tracks with gentle melodies and discovered JAY Bโs delicate side. Is this surprising to hear?
This is the first time Iโve been called delicate. I do have several sensitive/vibey songs. I want to try something like a pop, hip-hop, or smug and cocky vibe but Iโm not good at that. I donโt think itโs my personality.
What is considered a good melody to you?
Something that feels good at the first listen. My music taste has been so diverse recently that even when I talk to my friends about music, the songs that we all like are different. Itโs hard to reach a consensus. In the creatorโs perspective, even if something doesnโt sound good to others but it does to the creator, I consider that to be a good melody. I used to stress over how to write a good melody, how to sing it, and if the company would like it. As I move on step by step, I found a standard where at least the melody should sound good enough to me to not abandon the song since everyone has different preferences.
Personal preferences are important but it must be an important job to cater to the general public too. No, I mean, a difficult job.
Thatโs right. I think I still lack the ability to create melodies that the general public would like. I will have to learn step by step. One thing I feel is that there must be a part that sticks. I canโt exactly describe what type of melody it would be, but to set a minimum standard, it would be โa melody that Iโm satisfied with. If itโs one that Iโm not satisfied with but the public likes, I should follow that.
Do you tend to use many tracks when making music? Thereโs lot of songs these days that use dozens of layers of tracks.
We used a lot of harmonies with GOT7. Because there were so many harmonies, there was a crazy number of tracks too. These days, I try to be minimal and reduce harmonies. I donโt layer many tracks. I usually have the main track with a few harmonies and some adlibs.
K-Pop in particular mixes many genres and harmonies to create complex music. They are very flashy. What do you think of this phenomenon as someone who prefers to be minimal?
I see it as a good thing, because it means that the general publicโs preference is expanding to a variety. Itโs rather better. Of course, the basics are also important and I do feel the necessity to study them but we also need to agree with change. We should accept change. Who knows, I might grow old to be someone that canโt accept change and wonder, โwhat kind of music is this?โ But I feel that now is a time to open our eyes to change. When I find that a song is difficult to listen to, I will purposely listen to it repeatedly.
Itโs been 10 years since youโve debuted. How much have you changed over these 10 years?
In the past I was ambitious and had high expectations, but now I am more relaxed. With age, I think my sensitive side is becoming more and more dull. When I let go of some desires, I get to be accepting of more things. The scope of my activities also seems to have widened. I used to have a stubborn side to me in the past. Now Iโm like โdonโt expect too much, donโt anticipate too much,โ just do my job diligently!
There are many artists that use other creative hobbies to ease the burdens of their main job. What do you do to cope with your fuel for creativity?
My hobby is photography so I take many photos. I also learned how to draw at one point but nowadays, I donโt have time to draw since Iโm busy. I also make records of things often. I write down my thoughts, even useless things. I also use an audio recorder to record my mood, thoughts, and things Iโm currently doing. I also write letters to my future self. Things like โthis is why Iโm struggling, this is what would be good for me now but how it would be for my future self?โ Wondering what I will be thinking about and what I would look like. I write letters to myself about stuff like that. I put them in envelopes according to the year and on the envelope I write down the year the letter was written.
So Itโs like an archive of your time. Writing, journaling, letters, photos, music, itโs interesting. A very organised way of saving your thoughts to not lose them. Having said that, is there anyone else you would like to show your records to besides your future self?
Ah! I canโt show this to people. Theyโll cringe. (Laughs) Itโs sort of embarrassing. I can show the photos to everyone but I want to keep voice messages to myself. I hope that when I am older, I can look at them as I laugh and reminisce about my life. Theyโre records for myself.
Do you also record everyday life in any way?
I record when I find it interesting the way I thought about something. Even looking at my journal from last year or the year before, my thoughts were different from now. I find it intriguing to see the way people can change like this. I think I tend to have many thoughts, so I record them every day.
From the position of a creator, I guess journaling can be seen as an activity to collect oneโs senses and emotions to use them as material for inspiration.
Thatโs right. My brain isnโt good enough for me to remember everything. There are situations when I recall a memory and decide I could write this down.
What was the most fun thing you did lately?
Itโs a bit dangerous, but it was when I rode around on my motorcycle with my friend. There was suddenly a heavy downpour. Since I needed to go home, I rode the motorcycle in the rain. I was completely soaked when I got home. The journey home was super difficult, but I was fortunate enough to not have suffered any injuries. It was a completely new experience so it was very fun. I donโt want to experience it again but it felt like an adventure.
Wearing the Burberry 2021 F/W collection in the pictorial today must also be a new experience. Slightly different from the refined and classic Burberry, the collection shows a lot of change. What were your usual thoughts on Burberry?
I thought of it as a clean and straightforward style. Ever since some time, I noticed their young and bold changes. Although todayโs outfits contained many new attempts and changes, I felt that their style was still well refined. I felt that Burberry used their own unique perspective to cleanly interpret natureโs elements. Wearing the outfits, I felt like they had a lot of fun ideas.
Which outfit left the biggest impression on you?
Choosing just one is very difficult. There was one that gave off the feel of a medieval knight, and made me feel like a monarch. Iโve heard that in medieval times, people would also wear bearskin from hunting. I think that has some influence on the Burberry outfits that I wore today. Every time I put on an outfit, I always felt like a medieval knight or king. The fur on the clothes had a strong animalistic feel to it. The scenery, weather, and concept were all very harmonious with each other.
Going back to the topic of music, you said that you like to tell stories. Do you also create a universe with music?
Yes, I create a universe for each album. This album creates this universe, while that album creates another. The albums wonโt connect to create one universe, though. Each album is its own world, nothing more. I canโt make them magnificently connect into a grand universe. I like to put my story into each album.
Can you use a keyword to describe the universe of the album you are about to release?
It would be โSOMO:FUME.โ This is the first album that I made after joining H1GHR MUSIC. This album consists of my energy, feelings, and thoughts, so it contains the meaning of my hopes for people to consume (somo in Korean) this product and and my wishes for my emotions to smear on to you like perfume, which is why I combined [somo] with the [English word] perfume, and named [the album] SOMO:FUME.
In which direction will JAY Bโs music flow from now onwards?
Iโve pondered about directionality for a long time, but I couldnโt come up with an answer. The important part is to participate enough for me to not have regrets and be careful. I may disappoint myself if I have too many expectations for the future. I need to work diligently to not be disappointed when I look back; so that in the future, I can see that I worked hard.
Please support JAY Bโs 1st EP album [SOMO:FUME] coming out on August 26 at 6PM KST. jayb1stsoloep.carrd.co
