Treasure In Me

trapped in this Primadonna world and no turning back

[ftlsland]

FTISLAND do the Mannequin Challenge with thousands of people at the FNC Kingdom concert!!!

[ftlsland]

@minhwan12: The tall, handsome, and cute Rowoon haha, Kingdom was fun, bye bye!!

@SF9official: I took a picture with Minhwan-sunbaenim who I respect a lot after the concert!! Haha can you see my awkward smile ㅜㅜ I guess I froze because I was really nervous.. I’ll be a good singer that will always be warm and kind to my junior, just like Minhwan-sunbaenim!! I love you sunbaenim!!!

trans. cr. @fysf9

[djpri]

[FT Trans] FTISLAND 2017 Season’s Greetings Interview

CHOI JONGHUN:

Q. Do You Enjoy New Experiences Or Adventures? - I tend to enjoy adventures. I also take the hard route on purpose to feel satisfaction or relieve stress. I’m playing golf lately and I always want to score better. Just like everyone else, I’m scared about starting something new.  But once I start, I end up forgetting about the fear and focus on the task.

Q. What Kind Of A Role Model Do You Want To Be? - I want to give energy to people who are pessimistic and are exhausted from life. I used to be like that once. Maybe it’s been 3 to 4 years since then? I went through something that turned me into an optimist. I’m still young but because I went through that experience, I wish other people also enjoy a meaningful and happy life. Why not make it fun? You only live once.

Q. Are You Full Of Energy? - I’m usually on the quiet side. But as FTSLAND’s leader, I try my best to brighten up the mood.

Q. What’s The One Unforgettable Moment With FTISLAND Members From The Past 10 Years? - It’s hard to pick just one because there are so many…But if I have to pick one, drinking Sake and enjoying delicious food at a private inn in Japan? I want to go back there with members.

Q. If You Get Enough Time And Money, What Do You Want To Do? - Explore the African Safari! I’ve visited pretty much all of the usual places for work and travel. It’d be a big adventure to go all the way to Africa and explore the Safari. It can be scary but once I’m there, it’d be so much fun! Q. If You Were To Dream Of Your Second Life? - I want to be a painter. I wish I can freely express my crazy side and transfer happiness and sadness onto canvas. I think it’d also be fun to share my process and experiences with other artists. LEE HONGKI:

Q. When Do You Feel The Bravest? When Do You Feel The Most Timid? - I become both shy and brave when I have to show myself at a place that doesn’t belong to me. For example, there are musicals, a joint-stage with other artists and places with fans of other artists. I think I enjoy the thrill. I openly tell people: “I’m shaking right now.”

Q. Have You Ever Done Something You Weren’t Sure About? - I don’t take on ridiculous risks. I think about it in my head first. I do what I think I can do. I never do what seems impossible and what I don’t feel right about.

Q. What About The Things That Make You Wonder “Can I? Can’t I?” - I tend to do those. That’s how I felt before starting the musical. But once I did it, it was really fun. I am really glad that I did it.

Q. What Kind Of A Life Would You Be Living In 10 Years? - A life with a rich heart. A relaxed life where I can slowly prepare for what I want to do. Won’t our members be married and taking care of their families by then? I hope our maniac fandom will be much stronger. I want to age peacefully in that circle while doing what we each want to do.

Q. Can You Imagine Getting Older With Fans? - Our fans also live their own lives. Even after I age, I want to give strength to fans with music. I hope the fans keep cheering me on knowing, “Lee Hongki is this kind of a person. He does this kind of music.” I don’t want them to think of me as a role model, idol or a substitute boyfriend. I want to age with them while relating to music and each other’s lives. 

LEE JAEJIN:

Q. When Did You Make The Boldest Decision Of Your Life? - Before debut, I had to decide if I was going to stay with FTISLAND or quit. I think I rehearsed with everyone and hung out with them with the mindset of “I don’t have any money. If I don’t do this, what else am I going to do?” I didn’t consider this to be work at the time. So I wasn’t greedy. I was much more brave than I am now. Q. Do You Have A Strategy Of Finding Courage When You Need It? - Not really. I don’t think you have to be brave at all times.  I think you will naturally find courage if really need it. If you can’t find it and fail at something, that’s how it was meant to be. Q. Who Gives You The Most Strength? - Lee Yongjik is my acting teacher. He was actually my older sister’s acting teacher. But when I felt helpless 3-4 years ago, I thought I should learn how to act and called him up. Since then, he taught me how to act and control my emotions. He is my mentor as well as a friend, a father and a big brother, and sometimes a little brother. When something happens, I call him before I even call my mom. Q. Did You Know You’d Be Active As FTISLAND For More Than 10 Years? - I never thought about it. Because all of ours members are honest and try their very best each moment, we never even had to think about 10 years later. I can actually imagine 10 years from now. Wouldn’t we each be married, fly overseas to perform in rock festivals, and promote individually as well as together? Q. On Your Own, What Do You Want To Do Other Than Acting? - I want to teach students. As a teacher and life senior, I want to tell them how enjoyable listening to music is and teach them about approaching unfamiliar music with an open-mind. I want to be someone who can communicate and relate to my juniors. SONG SEUNGHYUN:

Q. What’s The One Challenge You Face Right Now?

- Rather than having a special challenge, I think it’s always a challenge to stay where I am. Always being grateful of making it this far and taking care of myself. Grooming myself and having some healing time. I need to be healthy both physically and mentally to take on a new challenge.

Q. How Did You Mature Over The Past 10 Years? - I’m still far from growing up. I may be the oldest child at home but I’m still like a child among members. Rather than maturing, I can tell I’ve aged. When I look at my reflection, the day after drinking…So I’m exercising. I need my physical strength to keep working.

Q. If You Were To Pick A Role Model Or Someone You Want To Resemble?- Im Changjung. He is both an excellent singer and actor. He is loved by the general public. But most importantly, I think he is a person who knows how to live happily before he is a celebrity. He is always smiling, takes good care of his juniors, and enjoys meeting new people. Q. How Do You Think FTISLAND Will Change In The Next 10 Years? - Except for the fact that we would all have families, I don’t think there would be a major difference. As time passes, wouldn’t we become more like friends than brothers? We would depend on each other more. Q. What Is Your Long-Term Goal? - I want to be the best on stage. But in the process of achieving that dream, I think it’s more important to be happy. Don’t get stressed out but to live with a full heart and not be tied to money. I think it’d be nice to live with in a pretty house with my family. Of course, I’d be very grateful if I’m still working as FTISLAND. I’ll also take on acting and other opportunities. I won’t force a chance but when I get one, I give it my all.

CHOI MINHWAN: 

Q. What Would You Try All Your Life? - Instruments. I really like playing different instruments so I want to learn something other than drums. I think it’s awesome to see older adults play the guitar or piano. Look at Metallica. They are all in their 50s but they are so passionate and full of energy on stage. When I have a kid of my own, I want to teach him/her instruments and raise him/her with music.

Q. Artists Should Always Try New Things. But Before You Are An Artist, What Kind Of A Person Are You? - I want everything to be as perfect as they can be. I don’t like unexpected changes so I picture everything in my head. I can’t fall asleep if I don’t memorize all of my musical lines in advance. I don’t try things that I’m not interested but when I get hooked on something, I get obsessed. So I even get picky about the necessary tools. If I’m going to exercise, I need all the machines and if I’m going to study, I have to buy pens and papers first.

Q. ‘ Can I Do Well?,’ ‘Is This Possible?’ Were There Times You Weren’t Sure About Something But Succeeded At It? - I was really worried while preparing our album last year. We argued often. Rather than a popularity, we were focused on sharing the real FTISLAND music. Even if we didn’t produce a hit song, we wanted to show our fans, who have liked us since the beginning, that we have improved. We wanted them to feel proud of their decision to be FTISLAND’s fans. Everyone was satisfied in the end.

Q. There Must Be Something You Wish For Even After 10 Years - I wish we had more time. For example, I wish we can work on an album over several years. The more time you spend on it, the better album you’ll get. Compared to when we first debuted, we have much more time now. We should be getting more as more time passes, right? Q. If You Hadn’t Been A FTISLAND Member, What Would You Be doing? - I think I would be studying. I didn’t really have a special dream as a child but I did follow my dad’s suggestion to be a judge and read some law books. I don’t think I’ve gone to a good university though. I can’t sit still for a long time.  *** Cr. FTISLAND 2017 Season’s Greetings + DJ. Pri @tumblr.com ;; Twitter @chocopieK

[sf9--archive]

♕💄 LIPSTICK PRINCE 💄♕

[sf9fantasy]

Sh*t SF9 say and do

[djpri]

[Pri-Log] 20160727 FTISLAND On SBS Sisters’ Radio

Two Song Place Reunites!

Cr. FTISLAND.Tumblr FNC’s odd-duo FTISLAND’s Song Seunghyun and Song Eunyi briefly regrouped on Wednesday, July 27th. But the spotlight was not on them. Kim Sook: Song Seunghyun is coming. Does that mean we need to hear ‘Age-Height?’ Song Eunyi: You know how I never say no to this kind of things? But today, FTISLAND came back with a super full album after a long time. We don’t even have enough for FTISLAND Kim Sook: Tell Seunghyun to come on separately next time HK: We personally want to hear it Song Eunyi: Hey Hongki…don’t do that Joining DJs Kim Sook and Song Eunyi on SBS LOVE F.M.  ‘Sisters’ Radio,’ FTISLAND made their first radio appearance to promote their 6th official album ‘Where’s The Truth?’ Song Eunyi touted she personally asked FTISLAND to come on their show and the band agreed. And for the first time ever in their nearly century-old career, FTISLAND was late to a schedule, except for Hongki.

Kim Sook: Where are the other members? HK: They are on their way. They are probably listening to this in the van. Song Eunyi: My partner, Seunghyun, texted me. He says they will be here soon. He says they are running in the van Kim Sook: Why? What’s the point? Conserve your energy~

Somehow, the member most famously known as the ‘sleeping beauty,’ was the only person on time. Perhaps Hongki was in the area? Others were late because they were coming from individuals’ home during rush-hour. Jonghun, Jaejin and Seunghyun showed up together; Minhwan arrived last separately. He said, he lives the farthest away. Well, the early-bird catches the worm. For about 10 minutes, Hongki was able to enjoy all the attention to himself. Kim Sook: It’s been a long time since I last saw Hongki. You got prettier, more handsome. Did you lose weight? What happened? HK: Yes, I lost some weight. And since I’m practicing for the musical at the same time. And because my hobby lately is bowling, I go straight to the bowling alley after I’m done for the day. Kim Sook: I heard your scores are high HK: I do that sometimes Kim Sook: What are they? Song Eunyi: A Pockey is a must HK: It’s Turkey Kim Sook: What’s a Turkey? Song Eunyi: Getting 3 strikes in a row is Turkey and 3 is 4-Beggar  Kim Sook: You can do 4-Beggar? HK: I can do more if I’m lucky Song Eunyi: He easily scores more than 200 HK: This is my battle wound  Kim Sook: Whoa! The callous skin around your thumb! How hard did you bowl? HK: I’m practicing really hard Kim Sook: Did you ever compete with Song Eunyi? HK: Not yet Song Eunyi: Not yet Kim Soon: Song Eunyi is really good HK: Really? Song Eunyi: I have my gear but I’m not as good as Hongki HK: I have my gear too Song Eunyi: Let’s go bowling sometime Kim Sook: Song Eunyi wears an Iron Man glove  HK: I do too Song Eunyi: Everyone ones  Kim Sook: Really? Song Eunyi: People with their own bowling ball wear them Kim Sook: Song Eunyi bowls like the ball is about to go in the butter but then hits a strike HK: Wow!  Kim Sook: She’s been bowling for about 20 years

Turkey? 4-Beggar? This Pri humbly confesses, she felt much like Kim Sook during this conversation and had to google Bowling terms. Ah…this another realm called bowling. I personally like bowling and would love to do it more often. But the reality is…I’m terrible at it. I have a terrible arm strength, an awful sense of balance and definitely the worst aim ever. And I’ve seen plenty of Hongki’s Instagram videos to know…next time I get to meet FTISLAND, Hongki and I WILL NOT be discussing bowling. XD Maybe the rest of the members felt my pain…because they finally arrived! The rest except for Minhwan! JH: Where is this kid? HK: So busy, so busy Kim Sook: Hong Star just told them off. So busy HK: Focus! ***FTISLAND INTRODUCTION*** JH: Hello, I’m FTISLAND leader Choi Jonghun. It’s nice to meet you SH: Hello, I’m FTISLAND guitarist Seunghyun, nice to meet you JJ: Hello, I’m FTISLAND bassist Lee Jaejin. I’m sorry

Fortunately for our treasures, the DJs were more than forgiving. In fact, Kim Sook admitted she was late by about 30 minutes one time. When you are stuck in traffic, there is nothing you can do.I can totally see this happening. But I’m also crying for the radio show’s poor producer. LOL ***MUSIC BREAK: ‘I HOPE’ - FTISLAND***

JH: I’m really sorry but this is our first time being late to a LIVE radio. We were never late, not even by a minute HK: So why are you late to here? JH: I’m so sorry JJ: We were listening to the radio,  banging our heads and going crazy in the van  Kim Sook: Hongki said you were running in the van. Were you really? JJ: Yes, we were really running Kim Sook: Why? Song Eunyi: Cha Soohyun says, “it’s been a super long time since you were on radio” Kim Sook: How long has it been? HK: It’s been 1 year and 4 months Kim Sook: Did you come out on this because of Song Eunyi? HK: Of course  JJ: We are sorry Song Eunyi: You are here, so it’s fine SH: Minhwan isn’t here yet Kim Sook: Where is Minhwan? HK: FNC managers need to get into trouble Kim Sook: Suddenly why? JJ: I thought our CEO was here  Song Eunyi: Our Hong Star has a director-level positionKim Sook: I’m curious. Did Minhwan even get on the elevator with you? SH: He is still on his way While waiting, the DJs and FTISLAND congratulated FTISLAND’s #1 Win on ‘The Show’ and the album ranking #5 on Billboard’s World Chart. JH: I found out today HK: The news article came out today ***MUSIC BREAK: ‘I HOPE’ - FTISLAND*** Minhwan finally showed up during music break and as a fan-requested punishment, he had to do aegyo. He said “sorry” in a super cute way but based on Jaejin’s reaction, it was super questionable. LOL It’s okay Minrari, you are still adorable!

Now that all five members are here, let’s get this radio show started!

Song Eunyi: Minhwan, your arms are getting thicker and thicker. How much do you play the drums? MH: I think I’ve gained some weight but also muscles from drumming Song Eunyi: Won’t his arms get huge later? Kim Sook: Like Popeyes’? JH: Half of that is fat. Those may look like muscles but they are fat MH: I can still beat everyone in arm wrestling because I play the drums. I don’t think I will lose anywhere either JH: Are you suddenly bragging? HK: It’s a Self-PR era JJ: Good job Now that all five members are here, let’s get this radio show started! Q1. FTISLAND goes on a lot of tours together. Are you not sick and tired of each other? JH: We are JJ: But it’’s boring without all of us together. We can’t go around unless it’s all of us. It’s not fun Kim Sook: Don’t you argue sometimes? HK: On tours? Kim Sook: Yes HK: No Kim Sook: You don’t? HK: There’s nothing to argue about because we argued so much in the past. We even argued over food Son Eunyi: Like that? HK: For example, we go out to eat. When we do, we don’t have much time. Our managers rush us and I get angry like, “hey a human should eat to work. How can you make us work without feeding us?” Jonghun tries to compromise and pick the same fast menu for all of us. But each of us want to eat something else. The younger ones can’t really say what they want. But I go, “no! I’m not eating!  I won’t eat unless it’s that! I won’t sing!” JH: Hongki, you know so well! You are saying this yourself Q2. Hongki, aren’t you going to color your roots? HK: I aimed for two-tone color with black and this colorKim Sook: You look like Ahn Youngmi HK: No, I can’t…Song Eunyi: He is prettier than Ahn Youngmi Kim Sook: Ahn Youngmi waited and waited and finally colored her roots when it was down like 10 cmHK: But when I get my hair set, it looks nice. When I set it and shaked my head, it looks pretty Kim Sook: So you won’t color your roots HK: No. I hate going to the hair shop. It’s too far away JH: It’s too bothersome HK: And I have to sit still Song Eunyi: Yes, that waiting time Kim Sook: You can’t sit still HK: No, I always have to be out and about Q3. How did you work on music when you were always out and about? This album is high-quality! It must also be meaningful since you each contributed to it. HK: Since we also produced it, there were things that felt very burdensome. And also because of the genre, we had lots of worries and had to talk about it a lot. Which song should be the title song? Which style should we take? We even talked about it with our company. But in the end, we decided to go strong. CHA! CHA! SH: He’s pushing that lately HK: People do that when bowling HK: From the lane next to us Song Eunyi: After hitting strike?  HK: After hitting strike, CHA! Kim Sook; So what happened with this album? HK: CHA! SH: It ended with CHA Song Eunyi: Who gave the most number of suggestions about the album? HK: Everyone did JH: We all shared Kim Sook: Tell us how the discussion went HK: Jonguh and Minhwan said since our previous album was as strong as this one, let’s mix the sound that the general public likes with the band sound we want. Jaejin, Seunghyun and I said we need to drive it home. We changed our image and got a positive response for it. So I didn’t want people to think that we went back to how we were SH: Minhwan just had a thought HK: What did he say?   SH: He said, “I did?”  MH: I never said those things HK: Not Minhwan, Jonghun said it. That’s how it was but in the end, we all agreed to go strong. Jonghun also agreed JH: What’s good is good Kim Sook: Because he is the leader. After gathering opinions, what’s good is good

Q4. Let’s talk tracklist! Kim Sook: Seunghyun, what did you do for this album? SH: I didn’t write songs for this one Kim Sook: Wake up Seunghyun! SH: I wrote lyrics to one song Kim Sook: Which song? SH: It’s called ‘Paparazzi.’ Jonghun actually… JH: I gave it to him as a present. Seunghyun, you don’t have any copyrights. Here, I’ll give you this! Take at least 50% of copyrights. I gave it to him as a present. Just write the lyrics! SH: That’s not why he gave it to me… JH: That’s why I gave it to you SH: Really? Kim Sook: So cool~ He was looking after his little brother Song Eunyi: You will have plenty of opportunities to write lyrics but it’s easier to do it together  SH: Because songs by other members are so good, I didn’t really have a chance to squeeze in Kim Sook: Then personally, what’s your favorite song? SH: I like ‘Paparazzi.’ I don’t know who wrote it, but its lyrics are so amazing Kim Sook: You especially liked the lyrics?  SH: Yes HK: There aren’t that much to the lyrics. It’s all repetitive Kim Sook: What about you Hongki? Which song do you think is the best out of the album? HK: I really like the title song but I also like ‘Out Of Love.’ It’s the second track…It  has a popular melody but also has strong sound Kim Sook: It’s sound is really strong MH: It’s the first track Song Eunyi: ‘Out Of Love’ is the first track? HK: Yes, yes, yes Song Eunyi: Minhwan is like the teacherMH: The second track is ‘Take Me Now’ HK: I’m sorry. It happens. You didn’t have to point it out

***MUSIC BREAK: ‘I HOPE’ - TAKE ME NOW + COMMERCIAL BREAK*** After commercial break, the focus was on Jaejin. He had stayed close to silent during the first part of the show and Primadonnas weren’t going to have that. Many of them texted the radio show, asking the DJs to get Jaejin talking because he is “a really funny person.” Jonghun chimed in and asked Jaejin to show off his imitation of K-Will singing. Jaejin said the sound depends on his throat condition and today, apparently, wasn’t the day.

JJ: Let’s move on! I’ll burst it out when I’m ready HK: CHA! Song Eunyi: He does this when he gets hooked on something, right? He is seriously hooked on bowling Kim Sook: And on CHA. He is hooked on bowling and CHA!

A Primadonna sent in a question if Hongki cried after winning #1 on ‘The Show.’ HK: I didn’t cry. I have xerophthalmia JH: Just say you cried! HK: But I have xerophtalmia Song Eunyi: Your eyes twinkledJH: Just say you cried! Song Eunyi is waiting! HK: Because I was really happy… I guess I get tears when I smile Song Eunyi: So you didn’t cry but you were happy

Another Pri asked Jaejin to take his mask off. Jaejin said he was wearing it because he didn’t shave. Jaejin, you are a guy. It’s fine!  HK: Jaejin didn’t get pick for his looks anyway JJ: Thank you. I’ll work hard Kim Sook: But your facial hair looks cool! It suits you!JJ: I’ve had this since I was in middle school. I shaved it once with a laser but it grew again. I have so much body hair! Kim Sook: You kind of look like Solid right now. In 2 days, you could become Raymond Kim Next topic: FTISLAND’s concert in Seoul coming up on August 20th and August 21st. And as Seunghyun pointed out, August 21st just happens to be his birthday. Apparently, he didn’t know…and according to Hongki, the members picked that day on purpose to plan something special for him but now they changed their minds. LOL Kim Sook: You should’ve pretended like you were clueless SH: I’m screwed Song Eunyi boasted FTISLAND shines the brightest on stage. This is fact. HK: We even heard this from our friends. They said, we are really awesome on stage but what’s wrong with you after you get off the stage? MH: What’s wrong with us off the stage? HK: You aren’t the one to say… MH: Okay, okay, okay! HK: I’m going to tell everyone everything about you! The DJs also brought out a recent discussion of a possible collaboration between FTISLAND and Wonder Girls. This was in response to FTISLAND mentioning in an interview they would like to try a collaboration with the girl group. When the DJs relayed that Wonder Girls felt super honored but they felt they are not skilled enough to match FTISLAND, Jonghun called the response too “boring.” Hongki summarized, “that means they aren’t interested!” Song Eunyi: No, no, no. Wonder Girls were like “really?” But they said FTISLAND’s skills are up here while theirs are down here JH: We can teach them JJ: I just got goosebumps! HK: Jonghun, say things like that outside! Don’t say it on the radio! Kim Sook: So if Wonder Girls agree to do a collaboration with you, would you really do it?  HK: Of course JH: We’d love to collaborate together and maybe shoot a variety show together HK: OH MY GOD….

Okay, Jonghun. We all know your love for girl groups. Calm your butt down!!My baby is going crazy!! Time to get your Kleenex ready. 

At Pris’ requests, FTISLAND agreed to sing ‘We Are…’ LIVE. As the members have told us from the start, this is a fan song just for Primadonnas . Don’t try to re-interpret it as another of Jaejin’s love stories lol This is solely about FTISLAND and Primadonna!  *** ’WE ARE…’ FTISLAND LIVE *** Just soak it in, soak it in~~ Namaste~~ No matter how you transition, you can’t skip out on talks about drinking with FTISLAND. Kim Sook: Who is the best drinker among five of you? JH: Everyone except Jaejin JJ: That’s right. They all drink well except me Kim Sook: So the rest is a fair game? HK: I quit drinking lately Kim Sook: Hongki doesn’t drink? HK: It’s hard to sing. So I can’t drink any Kim Sook: So you just exercise? HK: Yes, musical practice, music programs, bowling and sleep! The same thing the next day. CHA! ***Quick Questions for members*** Q. What are figures to Jonghun? JH: Investment Song Eunyi: Really? You really think to that extent? Kim Sook: How many do you have? JH: I have countless bearbricksKim Sook: You would freak out if one of them goes missing? JH: I would know. Even though they are so many of them, I know which one is where MH: I don’t think so… Q. What’s the company to Hongki? HK: Chopsticks. There are two chopsticks to a set. With just one, you can’t eat. You need both of them together to eat. Kim Sook: That’s so deep! HK: So treat us well! Song Eunyi: It’s also unfortable if one stick is shorter than the other HK: Exactly Kim Sook: He got here early and was all business-mode like “where are the rest of the members? I need to have a talk with managers” SH: Hongki is our director

Q. What’s Two Song Place to Seunghyun SH: A team that I’d love to do again HK: When you do, can we write a song for Two Song Place? JJ: Do you have an idea in mind? Song Eunyi: I can hit high notes HK: You are good at singing Song Eunyi: Make us one for a rock festival Kim Sook: Seunghyun must’ve really liked Two Song Place SH: I really did HK: We liked it too  Kim Sook: So we can look forward to a second album? SH: I’m good as long as Eunyi and the company agree Kim Sook: Since Hongki is the company, ask Hongki. Can we? HK: I’ll make a proposal so that the company will invest Song Eunyi: Done! CHA!

Q. What’s chicken to Minhwan MH: It’s happiness. I’ve eaten so much since I was young Song Eunyi: I saw him. He ordered a delivery chicken on LIVE television and decided if it was one whole chicken Kim Sook: The one when he matched all the bones? MH: It became one chicken HK: Really? MH: You can be relieved that it’s one whole chicken

The planned question for Jaejin was “what’s 92-line to Jaejin” but Hongki thought it was too boring. So he changed it to… Q. What’s a girl to Jaejin? JJ: A girl… HK: Wow, you really can’t talk today SH: Can I answer as Jaejin? If I was to imitate Jaejin… HK: What’s a girl to Lee Jaejin? SH: Facial hair. It keeps growing no matter how much you shave HK: What is that? Song Eunyi: Does that mean he always has a girlfriend? SH: Yes. He is that attractive JJ: Thank you for your hard work

Hongki promoted his first musical in Korea ‘The Days’ coming up at the end of August. The DJs asked musical-veterans Seunghyun and Jaejin to offer Hongki some advice.

SH:

This is what I’ve realized through this promotion. Hongki’s singing has improved a lot. He just needs to keep breathing and not get nervous

JJ:

I think Hongki still needs to work on delivering his emotions from the heart. Hwaiting! If he works hard, he can be like me

A listener sent in a random question. About 4-5 years ago, she had seen a man, who looked like Hongki, driving a convertible, yelling and screaming. Hongki said it couldn’t have been him since he doesn’t have a convertible. Jonghun decided to throw a random person under the bus and said it may have been Jang Geunseok because he looks like Hongki and has many convertibles. Good to know.. LOL

And that was it for FTISLAND’s first radio appearance for ‘Where’s The Truth?’ promotion and my first Pri-Log in years. CHA!!!

- DJ. Pri

***  Cr. SBS Sister Radio + DJ. Pri @tumblr.com ;; Twitter @chocopieK

[djpri]

[FT News] Music-Log: Boycott, #1, Fight For FTISLAND

Back in January, FTISLAND’s fans dealt with outrage. It began when FTISLAND’s new title song would be by a third-party composer. Fans began a boycott campaign, demanding FNC Entertainment to change the title song. Their message was loud and clear: “How much longer do we have to wait for FTISLAND to freely release the music they want?” FTSLAND was aware of the incident. They say they were even thankful to fans.  Lee Jaejin: “It looked like CEO Han Seungho was thinking over it a lot. Even though he told us, ‘you are doing a good job with your own music,’ he probably didn’t want to let go of the music genre that was successful in the past. But our fans gave the CEO certainty. I liked it (fans’ boycott). I didn’t do anything. I wanted them to keep fighting.” That’s how the title song became ‘Take Me Now.’ The song, written and composed by Lee Hongki, summarizes FTISLAND’s past 9 years. Their days of singing what the company wanted them to sing became “tell me where to go,” and their fight to find their own music turned into “I will find an answer.” 

On July 26th, FTISLAND won #1 on SBS MTV ‘The Show’ with ‘Take Me Now.’ The song itself had disappeared from music charts one day after release. But it was able to win #1 on a music program because of fans’ strong support. While other music programs keep scores based on song or album sales, ‘The Show’ depends on viewer votes. So some people may call FTISLAND’s victory as ‘fans’ victory.’ But the fact they have fans who can give them the 1st place glory, that fact itself is a meaningful achievement for FTISLAND. Why? FTISLAND’s fans are a group who love their ‘music.’ Lee Hongki described them as the “core.” Their fan cafe that was once dominated with talks about “what they wore today” and  “how Jaejin and Hongki fooled around,” is now a place to discuss music, performance, sound and arrangement. Furthermore, they work hard to spread FTISLAND’s music. It’s not only for their stars but for the love of music.  FTISLAND’s fans will streaming the new song and vote on music programs until promotions for ‘Take Me Now’ end. Even if they don’t have much chance of winning #1. It would be the same for their next album, and the album after. During this process, if the company hints at blocking self-composed music, fans will boycott again. The actions they show now are their never-ending support that means “you are doing a good job. Keep going!” *** Cr. Biz Enter + DJ. Pri @tumblr.com ;; Twitter @ChocopieK

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[FT Trans] FTISLAND Takes First Win For ‘Take Me Now’

[FTSUB] FTISLAND Thank You For First Take Me…

Choi Jonghun: Thank you

Lee Hongki: We didn’t even expect this album’s songs to sell well but fans’ power presented us with this awesome award!!! Thanks for helping us do real music!!! We’ll work hard!!!! #rock #n #roll #ftisland

Lee Jaejin: #TheReturnOf #Number1 #Artist #Thankyou #Primadonna #worldwide #primadonna #ImAlways #Thankful #Thankyou #again

Song Seunghyun: Thank you for #1 on The Show. We are in your care for the rest of the promotion period.

Choi Minhwan: Thanks for #1 win!! I didn’t think we’d win becuase of our song sales but this is really all thanks to Pris, right…? Thank you for making the 2nd album in our hearts #1~ Since we are a rookie, we’ll keep a rookie-like mindset! ^^ We’ll work hard on music *** Cr. Trans by: DJ. Pri @tumblr.com ;; Twitter @ChocopieK & Video Hardsub by: Twitter @Cranberry_31

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[FT INTERVIEW] FTISLAND, We Don’t Want To Be ‘Artists That Represent FNC’

FTISLAND is the start of FNC Entertainment,  a company that’s gotten big enough to go public on KOSDAQ. Celebrating their 10th year since debuting in 2007, FTISLAND has a huge fan base in both Korea and Japan. They are FNC’s root and heart, but the members themselves say, they don’t want to be ‘artists that represent FNC.’ The reason is simple. They want to step away from the company and do the music they want to do. Their dream is not to become ‘artists that represent FNC’ but a ‘band that represents Korea.’ On the 18th, FTISLAND released their 6th official album ‘Where’s The Truth?’ Members themselves produced it to show their own color and identity. It’s filled with even stronger sound than their official 5th album ‘I WILL,’ which was dubbed as ‘FTISLAND’s turning point.’ 

. Why Did  You Name The Album ‘Where’s The Truth?’  We used to do vocal-centric songs like ‘Love Sick’ that are popular among the general public and easy to sing at Noraebang. We are a band but we felt we were off to one side. Everyone advised us to do popular songs so we can easily become famous and we followed that advice. We wanted to find our own color but we did what the general public wanted. We named the album to say this time, let’s ignore all that prejudice and find what’s ours.” - How Did The Company React? Since releasing our 5th official album last year, we told the company, “we will now do our own music.” We agreed that the company will only provide what we need.  - It’s A Strong Genre. You Must’ve Needed Courage We debuted with ‘Love Sick’ and because that song was a hit, we could only continue what we started. As we continued promoting, our got farther away from what we wanted. When we hit our 5th or 6th year, we told the company: “while working as an indie band in Japan, we wrote our own music so now, we will show what we want in Korea.” The company suggested showing a gradual change and we agreed. But that didn’t go so well. When we were releasing ‘Severely,’ we said we will release all self-composed songs but the company asked us to give them one more chance. But that album didn’t well either. That gave us a reason and we told the company to let us go. (Laughs). The company agreed and told us to do whatever we want. We were really holding it in and waiting for the right moment. - How Long Did You Have To Wait? We first told them our intention to do our own music in 2012, when we released ‘I Wish.’ We waited for more than 3 years. - Did All Members Agree On New Album’s Style? Some members like other genres. Jonghun said we should relax a little and go smoothly. But we agreed that since we released a strong album last year, we should do it again to solidify that image. Instead of going around, we thought it’d be better to really drive it home. We wanted to tell the world that we are doing music like this. We think after that, we can do music more comfortably. - You Are Now A 10-Year-Old Band. Was There A Turning Point? When we released our 5th official album last year. An album lasts as that musician’s history. In a way, a new musical chapter in our band history began last year. That was our biggest turning point. The company still makes it but we made our own music for the last album and this album. And because we took part in everything, we consider the new album our second album.  - What Does The Company Mean To FTISLAND? They are our provider and supporter. We love them and we hate them.  I don’t know how others do at other companies but we’ve been with FNC since we auditioned with them. I spoke my mind since then. My biggest thing was the direction I wanted to go. I told them, “I came to entrust my dream in you but this isn’t my dream.” I’m working with them to make both of our dreams come true…but when that doesn’t work out, I explode. (Lee Hongki) - FTISLAND Was FNC’s Star Artist But Now There Are Many Other Teams. We don’t want to be artists that represent the company (laughs). We want to step away and do what we want to do. We want a band that represents Korea. (Laughs). - What Do You Want Others To Know About FTISLAND? We were created as an idol band but we went around and proudly performed. We helped to tell the world that ‘Korea also has bands.’ I think we pretty much went to all of the rock festivals except those in Korea. At Korea’s rock festivals, some indie bands don’t look at us in a favorable light. That’s something we can change at a rock festival. We can show them if we re-write our Japanese songs but we want to compete with songs we released in Korea. Right now, we don’t have enough of them. We are waiting for our moment.  - Did Your Fan Base Change Over The Past Decade? We got new fans since releasing last year’s album. It’s amazing to see them at concerts. Fortunately, we have everyone from teens to those in their 40s. Those in their 30s and 40s really have fun at concerts. It’s gotten much more fun since we started to get male fans. It’s a little surprising to hear men’s thick voice call our name. (Laughs). We always had many male fans in Japan but because it’s still new in Korea, it’s fun. Fans really party at our concerts.  - Some People Still See You As Idols We hated it until 3 years ago. Now, we like being called idols. We hated it because idols are teens’ mentors and to be that, you have to smart, cool and pretty. We aren’t like that. They didn’t let us smoke even in a smoking area but we still did it. We were adults. There were scandals when pictures of me drinking and smoking got posted online. I thought I couldn’t be free because of the idol title. I hated that. But now, being called idols make us feel young and fresh. (Laughs). We just really hated it in the past but we don’t want to deny the benefits we got from our position as idols. If we can please the audience with our own music, that’s awesome. 

- You Say You Are Free. Did You Get Into Any Trouble? We don’t do anything illegal. We stay free while following necessary rules. We were also lucky. (Laughs). We promised each other to not do anything illegal. 

- Are You Thinking About Changes After FTISLAND Shows Your Own Music? WE are planning for a chance. Our sound will change a lot. It won’t be simple beats from the past. Even when we write a ballad song, we think the vocal shouldn’t be the only one singing but instruments should sing as well. They may be the same melodical songs, their sounds will be much different. - You Don’t Do Much Of Else Other Than Music That depends on the members. Some of us want to branch out to other things and they probably will. At first, we really just wanted to do music. But when we started talking and listening to each other, we ended up taking part in other things and because they bring different results, we think we should continue. They make more opportunities for us to share our music as FTISLAND. That makes us greedy.  *** Cr. Naver Ent + DJ. Pri @tumblr.com ;; Twitter @ChocopieK

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[FT INTERVIEW] FTISLAND, “It Needs To Be The Five OF Us”②

Many idols promise their fans ‘forever,’ but it’s actually rare for them to reach a 10th anniversary. FTISLAND accomplished this. When asked about their secret, vocal Lee Hongki confidently said, “no member thinks he is the best.” Other members joked, “really? I didn’t know.” From this, I could tell FTISLAND members’ belief that a band can’t complete music by having just one person shine. And that their relaxed mindset made their decade of harmony possible.  To strengthen FTISLAND’s band music, Choi Jonghun, Lee Hongki, Lee Jaejin, Song Seunghyun and Choi Minhwan returned with another hard rock. We met their honest selves. 

10. This Album Comes With Your Concern About “Finding Your Future On Your Own.” What’s FTISLAND’s Concern Lately? Lee Jaejin: Except for Lee Hongki, we didn’t do anything other than band activities. I think it’s now time to do other things as well. Before, I only wanted to focus on music but now, I wonder if I saw the world too narrowly. My biggest concern is if I can focus on music wisely and do other things I want to do. 

10. The harder A Song Gets, More Pressure Must Fall On Drummer Choi Minhwan Choi Minhwan: I’m actually thankful to our members. Before, I didn’t get to show drumming on TV or during LIVE. Lately, I am glad that I play the drums. Before, I was sad that I couldn’t show my everything even when I don’t appear on variety shows or act and just play the drums. I cried a lot at home. (Members: Did you really cry?) So I am happy lately.

10. How Is Vocal Lee Hongki’s Stamina? Lee Hongki: I started to rearrange our setlist so that I can take a break without interrupting anything and other members can perform solo. I’m taking care of my body lately. There’s no pressure. It’s going to be crazy. (Everyone laughs).

10. Lee Hongki Has The Unstoppable Image. Don’t Junior Idols Ask You For Advice? Lee Hongki: Many of them do. So I asked this: “what kind of a kid were you when you auditioned?” I’ve been like this from the start. I haven’t changed since I auditioned. (Laughs). It’s possible for us to confidently speak our minds because we have that good of a relationship with the company. We’ve been communicating since we were young. We can talk to them easily because we are its first child.  10. It Must Be Nice to Have Lee Hongki In Your Team Choi Jonghun: It’s super nice Lee Hongki: Sometimes, they ask me to talk to the company Choi Minhwan: I’m watching and learning. When I have a concern, I keep it to myself but Lee Hongki lets it out right away so it’s refreshing. He is the first person I look for when I am worried. 

10. Unstoppable But Doesn’t Get Into Trouble. We Have Two Of Those In Korea, Kim Heechul And Lee Hongki Lee Hongki: I’m proud of that. I learned a lot from Kim Heechul. He calls for a driver even when he just had one drink. Because…I don’t know. (Everyone laughs). He really likes hanging out with guys. 

10. As An Idol Band, You Started Promoting Among Prejudice. Your 10th Anniversary Must Feel Really Special Lee Hongki: We really got all of the possible negative feedbacks in the world. Since then, our company debuted other bands. That made me get competitive. I found so many doors I wanted to open and so many things to try for the first time. I can’t even count all the hard times I’ve had. At one point, I wanted to quit music. I’m sure all of us suffered in their own way.  Choi Minhwan: When I first debuted, they demeaned us for playing instruments at such a young age. Later, they criticized us for writing and not writing our own music. Every time we accomplished something, we ran into another hardship. When we meet real musicians, they are all impressed with us. All of are that skilled. Now we want to know them that we are not an easy target. So we post on SNS to come and see our concerts. They will know once we perform together. (Lee Hongki: Is this a band diss session? Choi Minhwan: It’s ‘Show The Money’ band version. Members: Laughing) 10. As A 10-Year-Old Band, What’s Your Secret To Stay Together? Lee Hongki: We are close to one another. We make a good team and we want to do the same thing. We may have small personality differences but we are overcoming them. In the end, we know we can’t be without all five of us. No member thinks he is the best. 10. You’ve Done Music That’s Not Far Away From Your Goal For 8 Years Lee Hongki: I didn’t know ‘Love Sick’ would do that well. Once we succeeded with a popular image, we couldn’t let go of that continuance. We were frustrated because that was not what we wanted. It felt weird when it succeeded.  Choi Jonghun: We got nothing to say to the company and we did receive some strength.  Lee Jaejin: We couldn’t help it because so many of the songs that we didn’t agree on became a hit.  10. Even So, FTISLAND Can Do Your Own Music Because Of Support From Primadonna Lee Hongki: The fans we have now are maniacs. They support our music. Because they heard the songs we did in Japan, they want that kind of music too. This time, fans held a boycott campaign on SNS for us. I used to clarify any misunderstandings. This time, I did nothing. I was personally so thankful.  Lee Jaejin: Our CEO thought about it a lot too. Even though he said “you are doing well with your own music,” I think he was worried about the music we’ve done well in the past. But Primadonnas gave the CEO a certainty. I think they got to the CEO with “we want to see this kind of music from FTISLAND.” I felt happy. So I let it happen to cheer on our fans. 10. You Seem Much More Relaxed Than When You Released ‘ I WILL’ Song Seunghyun: You can say we let it go. While protecting our passion for music, we decided to let go of our personal problems. I think that’ll allow us to become more passionate about music and focus on the stage.  Lee Hongki: At that time, we felt like we had to rush since we are nearing our 30s. So we said let’s relax. We take it slow and when we prepare an album, we asked everyone in the company to report what’s happening. We didn’t want to do a concept that the company made. We discussed it with the company employees and confirmed it. It was stressful but it also gave us plenty of time to think.  10. How Complete Is This Album? Lee Hongki: You can’t 100% complete music. That’s why we always try, express our own colors, make music, try again and change how it feels. That’s how we are making our team’s color. I’ve been saying this since I was young. It’s corny. I’ve said I want to be a chameleon.  10. Band Music Is Losing Popularity. Any Doubts On Your Belief To Continue As a Band? Lee Hongki: What we are good at is a band. Hip Hop got suddenly popular lately. I believe band can also become popular again. Lee Jaejin: I don’t think we’d know without trying. If we keep trying and share our band music with people, I think there will be those who remember us and listen to us.  *** Cr. TenAsia + DJ. Pri @tumblr.com ; Twitter: @ChocopieK

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[FT INTERVIEW] FTISLAND, A New Era Begins ①

“Each album is a chapter in our history.”                                                      - FTISLAND

After debuting in 2007, FTISLAND opened a new chapter in history as an idol band taking over the country. Then for the following 8 years, they did music that could be loved by the general public. In a way, it was obvious for FTISLAND to get evaluated as an idol before they got evaluated as a band.  In 2014, FTISLAND released hard rock with official album ‘I WILL’ for the first time in their 8-year-old career. It was the moment when FTISLAND finally revealed its identity as a band. If ‘I WILL’ was FTISLAND’s strong determination to change their history, their 6th official album ‘Where’s The Truth?’ (which they are certain it will not even make it into the top 100) is the start of their new era.  FTISLAND’s decade, the first page in FTISLAND’s own story is here. 

10. The Title Song Is ‘Take ME Now.’ It’s a pretty powerful song. FTISLAND: Starting with our last album ‘I WILL,’ we told the company that “we will only do the music that we want.” The conversation went well.  10. Didn’t The Agency Worry About Popularity? FTISLAND: The popular band image is far from the musical direction we want to take. Of course, we earned our fans and popularity through our title as an idol. We are using that as our foundation to do the music that we want to do and find our own world. We consider it our challenge to successfully mix popular music with band music. 

10. The Other Tracks Have Dynamic Genres Including What’s Popular FTISLAND: It was difficult to only make strong songs. But even with ballads, we didn’t use a four-quarter measure or medium tempo. We made sure they are rhythmical and have band sounds. We made it possible for all instruments to play together instead of just having the vocalist sing. 

10. How Did You Convince The Company Between Popular Music And Your Music? FTISLAND: We’ve been telling them for a long time. We asked them to let us do the music we want even before ‘I Wish.’ The company told us to find the middle of a change. But that didn’t work out. So on our 8th anniversary, we said, “just let us do our own music.” The company said “go ahead.” We said, “thank you.” (Laughs)

10. The album title is ‘Where’s The Truth?’  FTISLAND: Whenever we write lyrics and make songs, we try to tell our story. We are still young and can’t find the answer to our future. We expressed that frustration. Everyone tells you to just listen to your elders. We don’t like that fixed idea. We want to face our challenges and find our answer.  

10. The Music Video Is Pretty Graphic.  FTISLAND: We wanted to make it even more shocking. But that’d get us in trouble over ratings. We thought if getting rated 19+ would make us look mature and cool  (laughs) but we thought of our younger fans. Because the song is fierce, it matched well with strong images like fire and a gun.  

10. How Are Fans Reacting To Hard FTISLAND? FTISLAND: We got more male fans. That’s a really big change. We are thankful to our current fans because they like and support the music we like. Fans are more knowledgeable about rock than we are. (Laughs)

10. What Do You Think Changed Perception About FTISLAND? FTISLAND: We used to get criticized by indie bands. We got an okay response for ‘I WILL.’ Some people said, “they are finally doing music.” Since we don’t really go on variety shows, we think their perception change when they stumble upon our music or concert videos. We get a different response at events like K-POP concerts. It’d be great to expose our LIVE. It’s sad that Korea doesn’t have many music shows or venues that allow bands to play LIVE.

10. How About A Rock Festival? FTISLAND: We can if we bring our songs from Japan. We don’t have enough Korean songs. We will perform as soon as we get a setlist that suits a rock festival. 

10. Which Band Is FTISLAND’s Role Model? FTISLAND: We’ve been asked that question since we were young. We don’t have a role model. We have many bands that we like and look up to. But we don’t think we should be like them. A band must have its own color to succeed. We will learn from them but we won’t make our color with them. 

10. If You Were To Guess This Album’s Chart Ranking? FTISLAND: It won’t even make into the top 100. A song like this has never made it into charts in Korea.  If you watch music shows, no one sings something like this. But don’t you think it’d look awesome? We think it’d be cool for us to perform hard rock when fresh idols dance.

10. What Does This Album Mean To FTISLAND? FTISLAND: To be honest, we did talk about releasing an album that has our own color and popular genres. But the majority of us agreed we need to solidify our image as FTISLAND. That’s how we can make music more easily in the future. Each album is a chapter in our history. If we are to hammer in a nail, our previous album only pushed it in half-way. With the new album, we will hammer in FTISLAND’s color all the way. *** Cr. TenAsia + DJ. Pri @tumblr.com ; Twitter: @ChocopieK

[djpri]

[FT INTERVIEW] FTISLAND Come Back ‘Where’s The Truth?’

- Why Did You Pick ‘Take Me Now’ As Title?

Lee Hongki: “Choi Jonghun made ‘Pray’ for our previous album ‘I WILL.’ It’s a super powerful song. So we picked it to solidify our image. Because it’s Summer, we wanted to a smashing music.” 

- The Title’s Genre Is Hard Rock Lee Hongki: “We threw away what’s popular. We showed you a popular rock for the past 8 years. In our 9th year last year, we started to slowly show you the music that we want to do with ‘I WILL.’ Lately, it’s hard to find band music on music charts. We wanted to show how we change based on the fame we earned through popular music.”

- Did You Give Up On What The General Public Wants? Lee Hongki: “It’s easy for us too to do what the general public wants. But that’s very different from the music we want to do so it was hard to do it with sincerity.” - How Did You Hold It In All This Time? Lee Hongki: We had lots of disagreements with the company. We got popular and that continued on with our albums. One point, we told the company that we want to the music that we want. So we started to change our music. We started the change in our 2012 album with ‘Severely.’ When we had to renew our contracts 2 years ago, we demanded the company to let us do what we want. The company asked us to do one more popular rock but it didn’t do well. So we got a reason to get what we want.” - If You Were To Guess Music Chart Ranking? Lee Hongki: “It’s not even going to be in top 100 because it’s so far from popular music. I don’t even want to win.” - When Did You Start Working On The Album? Lee Hongki: “We started last year. We feel especially attached to this album. We produced it and even decided on the music video, jacket and concept. Last year’s album and this album are FTISLAND’s new chapter. I want to call them chapter 1 and chapter 2.”

Lee Jaejin: “Working on this album was meaningful. Before, I didn’t know the charm and positives of a band. I only studied. While doing a popular rock, we studied abroad in Japan. I wanted to say we can also do music like this in Korea.” - Did You Add Anything To This Album? Lee Hongki: “I was satisfied with our last album. So this time, I tried at album sound. I mixed band and dubstep and used synthesizer and keyboard. The album includes various genres including traditional rock. I also tried Jazz for the first time. “ - What Do You Want To Clearly Express With This Album? Lee Hongki: The title song is a powerful rock but has various genres. With this album, I want to show our wish to do band music. To solidify our powerful image, we brought even more modern sound.”

- Did You Have To Think About What The General Public Would Want? Lee Hongki: I thought about what popularity is. Rock is a popular music in other countries. Korea tend to be too shifted to one side. I wanted to bring in a variety.”

-  Explain What You Mean By ‘To Find The Truth Against Prejudice and Misunderstandings’ Lee Hongki: “When you are young, we get many advices as you live your life. Each time, people give you the same answer. But unlike their advice, I want to live the life I want to. That’s why I expressed I will find the truth.”

- That’s Complicated Lee Hongki: “(Laughs) If you read the lyrics, it won’t be that difficult. It’s somewhat rebellious.” - For Example? Song Seunghyun: “Everyone asks why we go down the difficult path when we can easily do the music that the general public wants. We really wanted to shed that prejudice. We wanted to tell them, ‘we will go our own way so don’t worry about it.’”

- If You Were To Guess Fans’ Response? Lee Hongki: “The fans we still have want powerful sound. I think they’d be satisfied. We have to satisfy them. (Laughs)” - Any Stress From Composing? Lee Hongki: “I was totally stressed! I don’t know many codes like other members so I hit my limit pretty often. That’s why I made a producing team. I’m best at writing lyrics, brainstorming melody and sketching out the rough draft.” - Please Explain Composer HONG’S TOWER Lee Hongki: They are musician friends. There used to be 8=7, including me. Lee Jaejin was also part of it but he left and now we are down to 4 - Why Did Jaejin Leave The Team? Lee Jaejin: “The rent was too high. (Laughs). I just left to work at home.”

- Does The Company Support HONG’S TOWER? Lee Hongki: “Not even 1%. There is a space to work on music at the company. Jonghun uses the studio in the building but I didn’t want to write music there. I thought I’d get watched and I don’t like staying too long at the company. It’s like not wanting to stay long at a school or work. I like being in my own space. I also wanted to do it with friends. The company’s studio is not big enough for a group.” - Any Disagreements Among Members? Lee Hongki: “Bands usually work on writing songs together but we write them individually. Once I finish roughly sketching it out, I asked them to play it. From the moment we start making it, we listen to it together and fix it together. If it’s weird, we say it.” Choi Jonghun: “Since Hongki is the vocal, he really cares a lot about lyrics and melody. He fixes it so that it’s easier for him to sing and understand for recording. “ - When Was Your Biggest Argument? Lee Hongki: “We fought the most when we were in middle school Now, we are each too busy on our own. We just go for a drink before we fight. Everyone is free. Because they each enjoy themselves with boundaries, we never clash.” - Fans Seem To Think FTISLAND Is Being Treated Poorly By The Company Lee Hongki: They may think that because we didn’t have a showcase. But a showcase wasn’t going to be appropriate. We need to explain that to our fans. We planned to tell them anyway.”

- Are You Communicating Well With The Company? Lee Hongki: “Yes, we are. Of course, sometimes it doesn’t work out but it’s fine.” - Why Did You Renew Your Contract? Lee Hongki: “Because of loyalty. We don’t plan to disband.” Choi Jonghun: “We didn’t think there would be another company to keep us. We thought FNC was the only one able to do lead us. So we decided to renew it but the term is too long. It’s 5 years! (Laughs)” Lee Jaejin: “I regret not changing any terms in the contract.”

- Many Bands Make Labels Lee Hongki: “I don’t think now is the time to discuss labels. It’s just not the time. We’ll think about it maybe next year. (Laughs)”

- FNC Was Recently Caught In Stock Manipulation Case. Any Episodes? Lee Hongki: “None. We really found out about Yoo Jaesuk joining the company through news articles. We only say the truth.” - The Entertainment Scene Is Noisy Choi Jonghun: “Hongki looks like he’d make the most trouble but he is queit” Lee Hongki: “I call for a driver after having just one drink. Isn’t that just logical? I don’t want to do anything illegal.” - It’s Already Been 9 Years Since Debut Lee Hongki: “We even had a party because we were happy. But 9 seems lacking compared to 10. So it felt weird.”

- Do  You Have Special Plans For 10th Anniversary? Lee Hongki: “We are planning something with our members. For our 7th or 6th anniversary, we rented a club and promised a free concert for our fans with drinks. We also have a plan to get a DJ and party like a real club. It’s not 100% certain but we also thought about having a concert for a week with different songs each day.” Choi Jonghun: “We are also thinking about performing songs requested by fans. We have so many ideas.”

- If You Were To Imagine 10 Years Later Lee Hongki: “I hope we are eating well and living well. (Laughs). Just like Hip Hop right now, I wish bands succeed too. I became close with Simon D when I first debuted. The Hip Hop scene was growing at that time and now it’s huge! I’m so jealous. BewhY is so cool I’m a fan!

- Which Song Do You Feel The Most Attached To? Lee Hongki: “I feel attached to all of them but if I had to pick one, I like ‘We Are.’ It’s a sweet song from members to fans. We made many ‘fan song’s. ‘We Are’ is about how much you love the other to the point you can even sing it at a wedding. The lyrics cheer up fans.”

- There Are My Bands In The Company. If You were To Evaluate Them? Song Seunghyun:

“CNBLUE is doing so well so I got nothing to say but other teams have a long way to go.”

Lee Hongki:

It feels like watching our younger selves. When we were trainees, we did a band without any help. But these kids learn everything. I’m jealous too. But if they are going to do it in a luxurious setting, I hope they do even better. Sometimes I ask trainees if they want to be a celebrity or a band. If they say both, then it’s goodbye forever. But if they say they want to be a band, I really cherish them. I feel closer to them.”

- There Aren’t Many Students Wanting To Play Instruments… Lee Jaejin: “It’s disappointing to see people prioritize convenience lately. There are many people who study instruments and they are so much better than me. But I don’t think they enjoy it. It’s sad to see them play with a computer and not knowing about band’s teamwork.”

Lee Hongki: “I think this is happening because our performance scene isn’t active.” - You Aren’t Active As An Actor Lately… Lee Hongki: “Right now, I want to do music than acting. I became crazy about music since making ‘I WILL’ album last year so I didn’t leave the studio for about a year. I don’t think I can act anymore.” - You Start A Musical In August Lee Hongki: “To be honest, I’m just really into music lately. So I decided to do music and acting together. (Laughs)” - Come Back Over Lapses With Rehearsals

Lee Hongki: “I’m trying to practice when it doesn’t. So I’m practicing for musical fast.” - Lee Hongki Is Very Busy. What Do Other Members Thikn? Choi Jonghun: “We tend to understand when other things overlap with band activities. But it’s really hard on the person who has to do both. It’s sad to see that he can’t focus on one thing but we can’t just do band all the time.” Lee Jaejin: “Sometimes I don’t like Hongki because he is too busy. He has to sing all the songs since he is a vocal. I’m worried he might hurt his throat.”

- How’s Your Schedule After Comeback? Lee Hongki: “After comeback, we have a concert and I begin my musical. After one month, we go on a tour in Japan. After that, I’ll do musical for another month. I’m happy that I have so much to do.”

- What Kind Of A Band Do You Want To be? Lee Hongki: “We want to be a band that’s like a chameleon. We don’t want to be stuck in one genre but have colors of various genres. To express this in one word, I can only think of chameleon, fairy pita and white paper. (Laughs)” Lee Jaejin: “We have many elements that We feel confident in. Our theme is different for Summer and Winter. In the Summer, we party and smash everything and in the Winter, we sing emotional songs. We know what we are good at. We will study and try harder and become a new band with each album.” *** Cr. IS Plus (Interview 1, Interview 2, Interview 3) + DJ. Pri @tumblr.com ;; Twitter @ChocopieK 

[djpri]

[FT INTERVIEW] FTISLAND, A Message To Fans And Their Long-Term Plan

Almost in their 10th year, FTISLAND continues to sketch out their future as a successful band. They say they hope to stay as a band even after they get older and get married. As they dream to become a band loved for long time, we look forward to how they will showcase their own color.

In June, 2007, FTSLAND debuted as a rather interesting group. They were called a band but were more known for their visuals. They were more of idol stars and were even nicknamed an ‘idol band.’ However, they didn’t settle as the flower boy band and continued to grow. Now, they are back with an album with their own color, 6th official album ‘Where’s The Truth?’ FTISLAND is approaching their first decade in the music scene. Their 10th anniversary is next year. Lee Hongki says they are planning something special for that time. Lee Hongki: “Maybe it’s because we debuted really young, I still feel like I’m 22. Looking back, it’s been a long time. But I don’t think it’s been a long time. So I really like it. I never cared about the 5-year and 7-year jinx but when we think ‘so they’ve been active for 7 years already? Then how old are we?’”

Looking back at their 10 years together, Lee Jaejin says the most memorable moment was when new member Song Senghyun joined the team.

Lee Jaejin: “Seunghyun wasn’t with us when we were really doing well and when we crashed hard. But when we talk about those moments, Seunghyun says he watched it on TV. He is so cute.”

Lee Hongki: “Seunghyun said he was really excited about joining FTISLAND because we watched us at our prime. But he joined during our worst time. He told us a few years later that it was completely different from what he had imagined.”

In the past 10 years, FTISLAND also saw a shift among their fans: many of them left. At the same time, the members grew closer to those who remain loyal.

Song Senghyun: I enjoyed watching fans leave. I think we are only left with fans who like our music,”

Lee Hongki: “Because we have many maniac fans now, we have more people who look forward to our music. It feel like those who had to leave left and only the core remained.”

To express their love for their fans, the new album includes a fan song. ‘We Are,’ sang by all five members, comes with messages that FTISLAND want to share with fans.

Lee Hongki: “We have released several fan songs but they were all sounded like songs for your significant other. This time, it’s obviously a fan song. It’s about we know how much they had to endure and wait. Thank you for believing in us and waiting for us.”

Fans are also responding with unchanged lover and support. Their most frequent response is “thank you for singing.”

Lee Hongki: “I feel happy that they treat as musically. Before, they only talked about our clothes, hair, and members’ moods but lately, I’m so proud to see their concert reviews focus more on performance, sound, condition and teamwork.”

They are a band, but they were also an idol. Unlike other indie groups, they were in front of the general public often. FTISLAND definitely has wants and a sense of responsibility from their position.

Lee Hongki: “We have our wants and a sense of responsibility. We didn’t do the music we wanted to do but we are grateful for the fame we earned that time. I think that allowed us to survive by promoting our music now and move forward. So I think we have to work harder.”

FTISLAND members say they aren’t worried about music chart rankings. Lee Hongki says he “pretty much gave up” but Song Seunghyun says “we didn’t give up. It’d be great if we succeed but we don’t expect it. If it succeeds and gets in the top 50, that’d be awesome. It’s already awesome that we are listening to such songs at this time.”

They are definitely different, but FTISLAND can remind you of Wonder Girls. The two groups both debuted in 2007. Much like FTISLAND, Wonder Girls also released an album with self-composed songs and recently transformed into a band. FTISLAND say they want to have a collaboration stage with Wonder Girls.

Cho Jonghun: “Wonder Girls is the only girl group that I’m not close to at all. I usually know at least one member from each group but I don’t know anyone from Wonder Girls. I want to collaborate with them and become friends.”

**

Source: The Star + DJ. Pri @tumblr.com (translation & rewrite) ;; Twitter @ChocopieK

[djpri]

[FT INTERVIEW] ‘Idols’ Rebels’ FTISLAND “It’s The Summer. It’s Time To Smash It All”

‘Faking Is Forbidden.’ Unstoppable and confident. They don’t even hide their troubles with their agency (FNC Entertainment,) even reveal smoking with black painted nails and freely share dating stories. They are FTISLAND, known as the mutated rebels among Idols. They debuted in 2007 as a 5-member band. As the ‘first idols’ to take the stage with instruments, they quickly rose to fame with debut song ‘Love Sick.’ It was a hot beginning.

But vocal Lee Hongki says, “I really hated being an idol.” “Idol means teens’ mentor. That means I have to be proper, cool and pretty. I can’t do that. They didn’t let me smoke even in a smoking area and stopped me from taking pictures while drinking. Those were controversial even though I was a legal adult. I don’t reject the popularity and fame I got through the idol title but I always wondered why can’t I be free? Why do I have to live in that box? Why can’t I express my everything?” In the end, they shed the idol image. They ignored all of the idol rules and orders and marched straight forward as ‘rule breakers’ with instruments. This doesn’t mean they are bad seeds or trouble makers. Lee Hongki says they “promised each other to not do anything illegal.” Song Seunghyun also credits some good luck.

With hard rock that began with their album ‘I WILL’ released last year, FTISLAND is facing off against idol’s rule that you have to promote music that sells. Choi Jonghun called it “FTISLAND’s real beginning.” Choi Jonghun: “Because we started to make our own music with ‘I WILL,’ I consider that our real beginning.” Lee Hongki: “I consider ‘I WILL’ as FTISLAND’s biggest turning point. It’s the first chapter in FTISLAND’s new history.”

FTISLAND’s 6th official album ‘Where’s The Truth?’ is the second chapter in FTISLAND’s turning point. IT’s hard rock again this time. Title song ‘Take Me Now’ centers on synth sound and then explodes with band sound. The previously released MV teaser is powerful. Passionate guitar, bass and drum performances among flames, and images that remind of the public burning are creating all the buzz. Lee Hongki: “It’s the summer. It’s time to smash it all. Since our previous album was very strong, we wanted to drive it home again. If we do another soft, popular music, people who saw us in a different light last year would be disappointed. We couldn’t lose the fans that we want.”

“1st place? I don’t care!” They say this now but at one point, they won 1st place with every song they released. That was the time when they were advised, according to Choi Minhwan, “to only do popular songs like ‘Love Sick,’ ‘After Love,’ ‘Thunder’ to quickly rise to fame.” Choi Minhwan: “They weren’t all that great. We wanted to be a band with our own color but we only did those songs because we were told that’s how we can succeed. This time, we named the title to find what we want.”

Lee Hongki: “We were getting farther away from the direction we wanted to go. I think we first said it while preparing our 4th official album. That we will do our own music instead of these. The company said let’s change slowly so we agreed and released ‘Madly.’ That didn’t do well. So we demanded they let us go. We held back a lot. We were waiting for the right time.” Lee Hongki calls their agency FNC, which he openly disses, as “a giver with a love, hate relationship and a supporter.” Lee Hongki says he is only “expressing a few grievances” but those who watch are always nervous.

Lee Hongki: “I said everything since when I first auditioned for them. I needed the company to accomplish my dream and the company also called me to reap profit. I want to discuss and decide what we both want but I explode when that doesn’t work out.”

Lee Jaejin: “I often feel better. When we want to speak our mind after disputes over music with the company, Hongki had already done so on SNS. Sometimes, I think he did a good job. Other times, I wonder if he really had to go this far.”

Choi Jonghun: “We just think he had a bad day. That’s after we calmed him down. If we hadn’t, it’d be really bad. It’s most effective for Hongki to talk anyway.

Even so, FTISLAND renewed their contract with FNC in 2014. The reason? Lee Hongki says it’s because “we didn’t think there was another company who would take them. Aren’t we somewhat free? We are the only ones acting like this in the company.” About to celebrate their 10th anniversary, FTISLAND’s goal is their 50s. Lee Hongki says that’s because “a band is cool when they perform together at an old age.” They also plan to enlist in the army together because “it’s cool to go as all 5.”

Choi Minhwan: “We talked about it a lot over drinks.” Choi Jonghun: “I am so happy to be born into a band. As long as we stick together, I think we can stay together for a long time. We fought too much as trainees so now we don’t even fight.” Lee Jaejin: “I think it’d break our hearts to not enlist in the army together. Because we are a band, we can’t perform without someone. If we go individually, that’s 4-years of break. That’d be too much of a loss for us as a band and musicians.” The closer goal of new album ‘Where’s The Truth?’ is diversifying music charts taken over by pop songs.

Lee Hongki: “We hope many people listen to it. We hope music charts become dynamic. We are going to perform them for you as ‘everyone, there’s this kind of music! Please like rock too!’ We will do our best on rock genre.” *** Cr. Newsis + DJ. Pri @tumblr.com ;; Twitter @ChocopieK

[djpri]

[FT INTERVIEW] FTISLAND, ‘As The First Idol Band, We Want To Last The Longest’

FTISLAND is back with a counter strike to once again paint the K-Pop world with their own color.  FTISLAND returned after about a year with their 6th official album ’Where’s The Truth?’ The album comes with  a meaning of finding their truth against prejudice and misunderstands that suppress them. Members composed and wrote all of their songs and even produced them to clearly show off their color as a band. Choi Minhwan: “When we live our lives, we rely on our friends, seniors and parents for advice on how to solve certain problems. But in the end, I don’t think you can find your answer without facing it and experiencing it yourself. The song comes with a message that we hope you go the way you want and experience unexpected successes. It wishes you enjoy your life.” 

Title song ‘Take Me Now’ is written and composed by Lee Hongki. With an explosive energy through synth and band sound, the song gives off a hard rock vibe improved from their last album. The lyrics also contain a will to find one’s own answer.  FTISLAND say they spent the most time discussing which song should be the title song.  Lee Hongki: “We debated the most among ‘Out Of Love,’ ‘Take Me Now,’ and ‘Fade Into You.’ Jonghun suggested we should go with an easier song since we released a strong one last time. But I worried if we did that, our image would go back to how it was before. So we decided to go with a hard song again. We picked ‘Take Me Now’ because it’s energetic and definitely hard rock.” For this album, the members’ main challenge may have been deciding the title song. However, the past 10 years have been an ongoing challenge for FTISLAND.   Lee Hongki: “We debuted as an idol band at a young age and we received every possible criticisms from musicians active in Hongdae’s indie scene. I even questioned f I should keep going like this. But in the end, we had a dream and we were able to keep our band to protect that dream.” FTISLAND debuted in 2007 with ballad ‘Love Sick.’ Since then, they continued to release songs of a similar genre and vibe. Members say they did it partially to stay relevant. The company and other colleagues also pushed them to do songs that people can sing at Noraebangs to become popular fast. Lee Hongki: “That wasn’t our color. I wrote the title song to say, we won’t accept all of the advices but find our own way. Now, we can laugh about criticisms. Fortunately, we have something that every member is holding firmly on to. They say a band shines brightly through the color of their music but we know that we must have the five of us. If we break up, we’ll somehow get by but that will get us farther away from our dream. We don’t want that. As the first idol band, we want to last the longest.” FTISLAND say they hope you look at the album as it is. Through it, Lee Hongki says he hopes the elders in their 70s and 80s remember the golden age of rock and young people to recognize the charm of a band, which they say is the band itself.” 

Lee Hongki: “The fact that we make music with our own hands from start to finish and inspire other people.” Choi Minhwan: “I didn’t understand it when I first started. We each had to do our own thing and somehow harmonize. But we couldn’t communicate and everyone struggled so we couldn’t do any music. It became fun once we started to agree with each other.” Lee Jaejin: “Our communication is what’s charming about a band.When Minhwan starts to drum fast, we all know what’s going to happen next and we adjust to it. I like that we don’t keep seeing new things like a show but just listen and enjoy concerts.” 

Improvisation is also a band’s charm. Lee Jaejin says because band is a real sound, they can’t perform perfectly like robots. Lee Jaejin: “ I enjoy the way we keep going after making a mistake, timing and realizing what needs to be done. When we record for our albums, we do it to the given beat. But when we perform live, we switch up the tempos. I think a band is alive.” 

FTISLAND says their goal is look far ahead into the future and keep performing as FTISLAND even pass the age of 50.  Lee Hongki: “A band gets cooler as it gets older. Fortunately, we really work together. We understand each other’s musical style and make it together. I think the longer we stay together, the better we work together. “

In closing, FTISLAND say they are even more confident about this album than they were about the previous one. With ‘I WILL,’ members admit they were nervous because they were conscious about response from the indie scene. But they say their 6th album comes with much stronger sound. Their confidence makes us even more curious about how FTISLAND will show their turning point and kick a counter strike. *** Source: The STAR + DJ Pri @tumblr.com (translation & rewrite) ;; Twitter @ChocopieK

[lakkimi]

[VID] [ENG SUB] FTIsland Exclusive Interview with Kimchi Radio

cr: 101Kimchi Radio

[lakkimi]

[PIC/TRANS] [160624] Corin’s Instagram Update

[TRANS] I went to see FTISLAND’s Nippon Budokan concert. Its the best. I went to watch their Live with the hope to see a really good band. Even though since I got to know them, I have gone to a lot of their Lives, when I listened to their songs together with everyone at the venue, “Aahh.. its a song of that time..” it brought a lot of memories. Even though I didnt get to be involved in all, I like all of FTISLAND songs, particularly, Wonderful Life, Come On Girl and You Dont Know Who I Am are impressive today. Among them, Wonderful Life is a song that Jonghoon told me “its a song that was made with the intention to make minor changes and yet ended up bringing major change in the ambiance of the song, but its a song that indeed cant do without such ambiance” when he let me listen to the demo. Comparatively, its a song that boldly shows the change of direction in its arrangement. To this point, I havent put in too much suggestion for FT, but as I listened to their Lives, they do music that goes beyond my imagination, indeed its just the standard for great bands. 

Thats how I listened to it. But to think about it, as much as theyre wonderful, I dont think their characters change even when theyre on stage, theyre just being their normal selves.. 

Theyre the best. Thank you. 

t/n: Corin is a producer who has been working with FTISLAND for a long time. :)