[TRANS] K-Pop Pia Vol.10 (2020) “2019 FNC KINGDOM -WINTER FOREST CAMP” part 2/2 - interview with Jaejin
"You have to work super hard!", something that has become his motivation
Lee Jaejin will follow Lee Hongki, FTISLAND’s vocalist, to enlist on January 21. In FTISLAND, he is in charge of the bass, subvocals, and recently, composing too. (t/n: I don’t know what they meant with “recently”, Jaejin started writing for FTISLAND with I Believe Myself and that was back in 2009. He started composing for FTISLAND with Yume, and that was in 2011.) has finally released his own songs, 3 months before he makes his enlistment, through his first solo mini album, Scene.27.
Jaejin presented us with a world unique to him, a world of music that is different than that of FTISLAND’s. Using Jazz as the basis, his songs are filled with warmth and softness, the way that he as person is.
There were barely any chances for us to visit him for an interview during his tour to commemorate the release of his album, but we were finally able to visit his waiting room in Nagoya concert hall for his solo mini live and listen to his story. Starting with the release of his album, Scene.27 and following up with his solo live, we made an approach to Lee Jaejin’s artistry.
In KINGDOM, he still holds on to his belief that FT is still the best.
――This issue will be an FNC FAMILY exclusive, so we would like to talk about KINGDOM first. As one of the performers, is there anything that you look forward to?
First of all, I am looking forward to meet the FNC family after a long time. We don’t really have that many chances to meet like this. And when we do get to perform together, I could only think of “as expected, we are still the best!” (laughs) Hongki hyung always said, “I don’t wanna do KINGDOM”, but when we started to perform, his gaze would change. For us, we also look forward to perform together with CNBLUE, our good rivals. However, they still can’t beat us of course, at least for us, huhuhu, sorry CN (laughs)
――Ho! As expected of FNC’s first artists! What about the collaboration stages?
I like that we get to have many collaborations and perform together. I like stages where I can show my colors properly, and the experience of performing with members of the other teams is precious, that I think it would be nice to have more of this. This time, FTISLAND will have less power as Hongki isn’t here, but our juniors that sing well (N.Flying’s Seunghyub, Hweseung) have come to help, and N.Flying have also come to help to be my back band for my solo stages. I am looking forward to that. I am busy thanks to FTISLAND and my solo. (smiles).
As a soloist, it is the most important to be able to show how much I enjoy music
――Please tell us more about your solo album and tour. You have just finished your Tokyo concert. You previously said that “the completion of an album is its concert”, but in reality, how was it to be able to sing live in front of fans?
I was nervous (laughs). At first, after completing FTISLAND’s FIVE TREASURES TOUR with its encore concert “ARIGATO”, I wanted to take and dedicate some time to prepare and perfect the (solo) concert. However, suddenly I had to take over the I Loved You musical from Hongki hyung, so I had to manage doing the musical (in Korea) at the same time as my mini live in Japan. I still had preparations for the mini live, and there were things that didn’t go as well as I wished, but I was happy that I was able to perform at the musical. I worked hard on the preparations on my own, but when I did my first solo live in Tokyo, there were staffs and fans who put in so much efforts to help me, I thought one again, “ahh I have this many fans..”, “I can’t just let it be like this!”, “I have to crazily work hard for this!”, I was incredibly motivated. “Let’s do this!”, and that’s how I have become so much ambitious now. (laughs)
――I’m looking forward to it (smiles). You seemed really nervous during your first live in Tokyo?
On the first day, there were so many things that were unexpected to me. I have always performed as a band, but this time, I am performing a solo. That’s why, there are so many things that I didn’t know about. Not only that I had to change my singing techniques, but also how to center the sound that came through the in-ear monitors, a lot of details that had to be done differently. That’s why, no matter how many times that you did rehearsals, when the actual audience came in, unexpected things still bound to happen. So whenever I felt that I did a mistake, I would feel really nervous because of that. Especially, in the first concert, when I started singing, my voice came out too loud that I was surprised myself. And that’s why I became really nervous suddenly (laughs). I knew clearly that if I feel troubled by it from early on, it will just follow me around to the end, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I just wanted it to be the best.
――I could feel that by the night performance, you were already more relaxed.
Yes. I have been around for 12 years, I have an excellent adaptability (laughs). From now on too, I hope that I would be better and better in every concert.
――Jaejin is a bassist, but during your solo live, you only touched your bass once, during the Polar Star performance. How did it feel to perform without bringing along your bass?
As expected, I feel safer if I bring my bass~ (laughs). I have been doing live performances for 10-ish years which made me develop singing while playing my bass pose, so now that I have to sing without bringing along my bass, something just felt wrong to me. Even more, I was already too used to being in the position to support Hongki hyung, so it felt unfamiliar and strange that I was in the position to lead the band and everyone. As FT’s bassist, I have developed the mindset to play and have fun on my own, but now, not only that I have to be the main vocal, it had just been brought into my attention that it is important that I develop a good rapport with the audience as well. I wanted to apply this right away to my next live performances, but now that I have to enlist first, I guess it would have to wait (laughs).
Now that I have tried out being the main vocal, I could see the efforts that Hongki hyung put in.
――What kind of image that you want to show as a soloist?
I am still a rookie soloist, so I think that my top priority for now is to show what is it that I’m doing properly. That’s why, nowadays, I’m learning how solo artists engage the audience in the fun. I’ve been watching foreign R&B solo artists’ live these days. What I learned from there, is that they all instead of actively telling the audience “what”, they actually put importance on thoroughly enjoying the show themselves. I think they were so mature and cool, I want to do it like them too. Indeed, it’s also something that differentiate it with a band too. In a band, it is important to be able to harmonize, but as a soloist, you only need to 100% focus on yourself, I feel that it is important that you can show how much you enjoy the stage yourself.
――After trying out being a main vocal singing by yourself on stage, is there anything that you have come to realize in regards to Hongki as FTISLAND’s main vocal?
I have come to realize... a lot of things. In regards to doing recording for example, as I already said before, all this time, my responsibility has always been to support. But using the same singing methods as a main vocal, it actually turned out too weak, it just didn’t turn out well. In FTISLAND, Hongki and I not only have different vocal style, but we also hold different roles. I have been doing music for 12-ish years, but as expected, it is hard to be the main vocal.
――Then, how did you overcome it, being a main vocal?
I’m doing something that I really have never done, so I shared my worries with Hongki hyung who has a whole lot more experience on this, and I tried out a lot of different things too with him. However, he then had to go enlist (laughs) However, now that I have given this a try, I got a little more sense of responsibility. The responsibility not only to support, but also to lead. Once more, I feel how Hongki hyung is amazing.
――As expected, Hongki! like that (laughs)
That’s right (laughs). We also did musical practices together, and I asked him a lot of things like what has he been doing all this time (for the musical). I have come to know things like, “Ah Hongki hyung was doing something like this at that time..” or “Ah Hongki hyung has been working hard on this” that made my respect for him grew. I couldn’t help but to wish Hongki hyung for more strength as there were things that actually were too bothersome (laughs) but Hongki hyung put so much efforts into them - and he knows it himself too, that’s why he has such a great confidence in his singing.
――Ah, I also felt the same about Hongki when he became the vocal trainer in Produce 48.
Right? For Hongki hyung, 3/4 (of his talent) is something that he got naturally (laughs) but the other 1/4 is hard work that I didn’t know he put in until now.
――How would you like to advance as Jaejin, a vocalist?
I feel that being a vocalist is a new thing to me. I feel like I am starting over as a rookie. I am happy that I also get to do a musical during this rookie phase. I learned a lot from these people who are vocal experts. I also found out a lot of things that I want to fix, it turned out to be such a great experience. It also gave me a lot of motivation to advance myself.
――You are doing your musical while also doing your tour simultaneously, but I feel that your throat is doing just well.
No, it’s not well at all.
――I didn’t know.
Is that so? That’s a relief then.
Through FTISLAND and solo, I want to try out different characters.
――To sing the songs from your album live, are there any changes that you made from the original version?
I made some changes to Love Like The Films and Oasis. I sang Love Like The Films more softly when I did the recording, but for my live, if I sing it the same way, the sound of the band will overpower my voice. That’s why I sang it more strongly in the live. For Oasis, because it’s a cool sounding song, I thought that it would be better to arrange it more cleanly and tightly for the live performance, that’s why I made a bit of changes to the sound. I think it is just right to have the recording and the live versions sound differently.
――You also did the arrangement for FTISLAND’s live too, but for your solo live, what kind of arrangement that you had in mind?
If want my concert this time to have the mood of the album Scene.27. I said, let’s make it Jazz and ballad sounding.
――Among them, there is FT.Triple’s Love Letter, it made think of the old times.
That’s right. I also sang it after a long time. Fans were like “Oh! Love Letter?!” (laughs).
――Why did you select this song to be included in your first solo live?
It’s also one of the challenges that I took upon. I can’t do FT.Triple anymore now in FTISLAND, but it’s one song that is most well known with my voice as the main one, so I thought that it is a good opportunity to bring it back.
――You also did Polar Star, the song that Hongki said “I’m not gonna do it”.
Everyone likes it, right? I like it too, as it is a song that gives you the feeling of hope. As Hongki hyung already said no to performing it, I’m doing it instead (laughs).
――How was it, singing an FTISLAND song as your own?
I only played my bass for the Polar Star stage, and the fact that I sang it while playing the bass gave me the FTISLAND song feeling. It felt like I sang to support Hongki hyung, so it was like the feeling of meeting someone after a long time. I am working hard for my solo, but as expected, I want to be able to perform as FTISLAND again as soon as possible. Doesn’t everyone feel the same way?
――That’s right, that’s right. As I watched your Polar Star stage, I felt that, indeed, Jaejin is the best when playing bass.
Well, it can’t be helped. It’s something that I have been doing in the past 10 years (laughs).
――As we all miss the you that is playing bass, what about making a song that you can sing while playing bass?
No no no. The way that is used to catch the rhythm for bass and for vocals is different, so it is hard to play bass while singing the melody. That’s why I chose to not play bass during my solo live this time around. Adding to that, as Scene.27 has Jazz and R&B underlying to it, even just playing the bass is already hard, so to do both, for me it would be impossible~ (laughs) Indeed, I’m presenting different characters as FTISLAND and as a soloist.
When we tune in to each other in FTISLAND, I am just too focused that I can’t remember anything else.
I am working hard as a soloist, but indeed, I want to perform as FT again as soon as possible!
――As you embarked on your live tour, was it able to make you look back on the Scene.27 album?
I still don’t have a clear map on this, but I am starting to have a bit of direction that I want for my next album. For my next one, I have a certain music style that I want to try, as lately I have been listening to it.
――What direction is it to be exact?
It would still be Western style music like Scene.27 but with simpler melody and I will add more repetitive parts to it. I won’t pay attention much to the lyrics, the songs will be easy for everyone to sing along, something like songs that you can party with. But it’s not a concrete plan yet, for now, I am still gathering ideas. It’s because, in 2 years (note: after he finishes his military enlistment), I will prioritize FTISLAND first. And so, doing solo could be in plan in about 3 years from now. By then, my musical interests might have changed too. I have a lot that I want to do (laughs).
――Was it a new experience to be able to work with a band of Japanese musicians for your solo tour?
Yes. As expected, they have different styles in many ways compared to when I am in FT. In FTISLAND, as a bassist, I have a lot of challenges that I took on, there were a lot of cases where I went, “How should I do it?” that it gave me headache. In the band here, everyone is pro, and I am free to do anything. “Ah this is the feeling of being the main vocal (laughs). I only need to memorize the lyrics and sing. I don’t even have to do tuning, I don’t have to change my instruments too. I’m liking so much the freedom that I have.
――In 2019, you were not only lead a band as a soloist, you were also able to participate in N.Flying’s tour. Through this experience, were you able to see the good points of being in FTISLAND once again?
That’s right. I might be just boasting, but I did feel, “As expected, FTISLAND has an amazing vocalist!”. Of course, please don’t take it that I’m saying that N.Flying is bad, but I feel that Hongki hyung is just that even more amazing. Also, (in FTISLAND) as we have spent so much time together, I feel that our bass and drum is much tuned to each other. I enjoyed playing bass with N.Flying’s Jaehyun, however, I feel that I can match with Minhwannie’s drum playing energy much better that I always enjoyed it so much. I think, even if I play with other bands, I would feel the same way. In N.Flying, I’m in charge of keeping the rhythms, but in FTISLAND, I feel that we all are in charge of it together. When we tune to each other in FT, I would become too focused that I don’t remember anything else. Really, (laughs) I wouldn’t even know what I did wrong or what I do, to that extent. However, I think I can only say this (about FT) as we have been around for more than 10 years (smiles).
――I think, it’s more that you would feel a lot of things as you work together for a long time.
As Hweseung entered the band, I feel that there seems to be more balance in their vocal department. The fact that they have a twin vocalists, where hweseung can take on the parts that require long and high notes, while Seunghyub can take on raps with his low and deep voice, I think it has become their strength. They have nice vocal and music style, they also have grabbed their balance. They also have a bit of this Western music style to them, as well as band style, it feels like they have a little bit of FTISLAND and CNBLUE. It feels like they are able to absorb a lot of different things. They also have good songs and live performances. The harder they work, they more time passes by, I feel like they would be able to be an excellent band. They are a band that I am looking forward to see how they would advance in the future. That’s why, I hope you will be able to support them while FT and CN are away. You can like them, but don’t forget that FTISLAND is still the number 1!
t/n: Translated by Lu, 100% accuracy is not guaranteed. Translation is based on Japanese-Korean translation thanks to fprit. :)