[101000][Interview] Jay Park for Allure Magazine

If a singer's at the shooting place of a pictorial, it is always possible for anyone to notice that 'today is the day when a singer's being filmed'. This is because they, either in a loud or soft voice, always keep humming, singing, playing, and dancing. Always behind their back, there is an aura switched on that says, 'I'm greeting the music god right now'. Even if they have severe shyness and hide themselves for a few minutes, it's no use. Whatever genre it is, their identities are easily found out by turning on music. As soon as the volume of the audio is adjusted louder, singers, like they have an electric current flowing through their bodies, start moving their hands and feet without them realizing. Their shoulders move up and down, and their feet play an invisible drum.

In the set, Jaebum was a singer. While waiting for the staff, he left the many chairs of the studio alone, instead choosing to sit at the foot of the stairs, following the rhythm with his shoulders whilst reciting a R&B song. The everyday Jaebum who had no makeup or hair styling was not a charismatic beastly idol, but a boy with a face that calls up protective instincts from others. The appearance of Jaebum outside of the stage, agreeing to his statement that had said that his fandom had started from maternal instinct, showed such lovely, innocent simplicity. However, as I interviewed him face-to-face, I could tell that maternal love wasn't the only reason so many 'noona's went wild about him. Of course, he is objectively beautiful enough. His boyish face is more nicer than the ones in cartoons, and his body, refined with dancing and exercise, is hard as steel. However, as the questions progressed on, it could be read that what he had trained and equipped so harshly was not his six-pack, but his passion and love towards music. It was almost to the verge where I felt respect towards him for not wasting his God-given abilities callously but lashing himself strictly. More than anything, I knew for sure that it was the fans who had waited for him and trusted him without changing that had let him the power to do his music however he wanted. His fans, also, know about this sort of mindset Jaebum has better than anyone, which is probably why they support and love him.

How was the boxer concept today?
In truth, I watch MMA and UFC often. I also always watch Choo Sung Hoon's games. I sometimes think that if I have an opportunity later, I want to receive training and try standing on the ring once.

Did you ever do any fighting sport like boxing?
When I was young, I learned tae kwon do for about 2 years. It was around when I was five or six, and I got to spar with a hyung that was two years older than me. I remember that I cried after the match since I kept getting my face hit because of the height difference. (Laugh)

Don't you have any other exercises you do with the crew you breakdance with, or with any other friends? Guys like to play ball games, don't they?
My friends don't really like exercising with me that much. They say that they can't dance because it's too hard after exercising with me. It's because if I stay in one spot for a long time, I start living with a clear routine. After I wake up, I eat, then I exercise, and practice at night. That's the only work I do in the day. I also always set a firm goal when I'm exercising as well. Like doing 100 push-ups, and 100 sit-ups. So that's why my friends say they can't do it because if they exercise with me, it's too hard dancing at night. So I always do weight (training) by myself and just practice dancing together with them later. There are things we have to do together, like acrobatics.

You're well fast into the fanmeet schedules, right? It seems that you keep touring around the Asia region...
Yes, you're right. With Korea as the starting point, I had fanmeets at the Philippines and Singapore, and will meet fans at Shanghai and Thailand.

It must be tiring to move around that much.
I originally didn't like riding airplanes, but I'm used to it now. I think I rode an airplane about 15~20 times in the recent 2~3 months. Now, even if the plane shakes, I do what I was doing with relaxation.

Isn't it hard to get used to the time zones? Did you develop any methods to spend time at an airplane well, or getting used to the time zone differences?
Those kinds of things are hard to develop (Laugh). I can't sleep in planes at all by nature. I thought that if I pull an all-nighter, I would be able to sleep in the airplane, so I tried to always stay up the night before the flight in the past. But now, I think that it's best to just board naturally. So these days, I watch movies in the plane or I write lyrics. Bestie is also a song I wrote in the plane. The songs that I started but didn't finish could be finished smoothly in the plane. You can't help but concentrate after all, because you can't go on the internet, or go on the phone, and you don't know anyone there. (Laugh)

What's the most memorable place while doing your overseas fanmeets?

I once appeared in a TV program in the Philippines. At that time, the producers took me to the viewers' seats, and suddenly the fans just approached me and gave me kisses (T/N: Not on the lips, of course). So many people just came one by one and kissed me. I was really surprised. In Korea, it only goes as far as touching your arm or holding your hand. But afterwards, I found out that the Philippines had a tradition of greeting each other through pecking. Afterwards, even the older people came and asked if they could give me a kiss. (Laugh)

Haha, we really need to adapt that culture. Anyway, when I saw you at the fanmeet last time, it seemed that Jaebum-sshi was really shy? You were more like a bashful boy rather than a charismatic beastly man.
It's natural that I'm shy because there are about 7000 women there. Truthfully, I was really bashful. I think it's good being charismatic on stage, and talking comfortably ordinarily.

Are you the type whose attitude turns in contrast between guys and girls? There are many girls like that out there.
I don't really have that kind of thing. Actually, it's a problem that I'm too comfortable with my friends. I joke around a lot. With women, in truth, I really didn't have a chance to be with women other than my fans, so I really don't know.

Hmm, you're getting out of answering the question really well?
(Flustered) No, that, I mean, it's because I can't really think of anything. I think these kinds of things are different. Like not farting in front of women?

Hahaha, okay. I know that you're being starred in the movie Hype Nation, did the filming end well?
Yeah, it finished well. The exact schedule didn't come out yet, but they're readying it to be released around next year's summer.

You acted for the first time, how was it?
I was sorry that the given preparing time was short. In the actors that appear with me, there was a woman called Kelly, and she's a person who appeared in many Hollywood movies. She gave me advice and taught me many different things.

You probably had an emotional scene, wasn't it hard to act out?
There's a scene where I shout in anger. I acted without thinking it was hard, but I don't know if it'll be hard on the people who'll see my acting later. It's certain that the whole genre/movie relies more on the dancing and camera angle rather than the actor's acting. (Laugh)

After you came back, you're seen often in concerts, but you don't seem to appear on TV often. Do you have any thoughts on what kind of activities you'll be focusing on?
First, I want to make good music and let the fans listen, and make the fans proud of my music. After the cool music's prepared, and the time's right and an opportunity arises, I want to meet the fans in various ways, be it through the TV or concerts. I don't really have something planned, like something I have to do. Right now, I'm doing what I really wanted to do, like performing my music with friends.

It would be fun, choosing your own musical concept and choreographing, but isn't it hard to do all this by yourself?
I don't know yet. I'm currently working with fun. I don't really decide since this song has this kind of style, the hair's like this, and the outfit has to be like that. If I get to perform a song, I think that it's most important to deliver the lyrics and sing it with passion, rather than the concept of the outfit or my hairstyle. In the past, I watched many Usher, Justin Timberlake and Chris Brown music videos. When I saw it, I had many thoughts of 'Ah, I want to do things like that'. However, it's so fun nowadays, ChaCha makes the beats and letting me listen, me getting an idea from that and writing the lyrics and whatnot. The hairstyle I have right now isn't a format found from a magazine, but created from something that was drawn from an idea in my head. It's because there wasn't anyone who had a hair like this. However, it isn't that I direct everything 100%. I listen to the many pieces of advice professionals in various fields and we create things together.

[Do you like the lyrics you wrote yourself and the music you made?/b]
When people see the lyrics of 'Bestie', they sometimes say that it's childish. But I wrote it truthfully. I try to write the lyrics fitting to the theme of the song, and make it entertaining and put in suitable rhymes. In truth, there are songs that mix in English without purpose and that makes the whole song nonsensical, right? There are songs that even I think, when I listen to them, 'What the heck does this mean?'. So since I know how to use both languages, I try to write lyrics that make sense and are easy to understand.

[b]Even though it's way easier to write raps in English, what's the reason for you writing raps in Korean, too? It must be difficult.
It is difficult. But I always write it by myself. Even though it's unfamiliar, I write the lyrics in the words I know. Of course, I'm probably worse than the other rappers, but it's still important that I write my own lyrics myself. You're only a real rapper if you write your own lyrics.

Don't you have a specific part that you have a greed for as an entertainer?
Everything's important. Songs are important, abilities as a lyricist is important, and I have to work out my face expressions well on stage. I honestly want to do everything well.

In those things, what's the thing you worry about the most?
I want to make my face expressions better when I sing. When I moniter myself, there were times when my expression was weird because I was concentrating hard on singing. Like frowning. I also want to try learning guitar and piano. When I was young, I learned piano for a little while then I quit, but nowadays as I write songs, I really want to learn piano badly. But to do that, I have too little time.

Nowadays the eagerness to start working on your album might start creeping on you, aren't you getting impatient?
I don't have any thoughts that I have to do it quickly. Good results aren't from forced working. The first album is really important, right? Instead of working on it quickly, I want to really prepare and show you guys.

When will that time be around? Everyone's waiting with so much desperate anticipation.
I don't really know that well. Actually, I do have a song right now. Me and ChaCha are working on it together. I think I'll be recording it in a few weeks. This time, the song's really good, so it's likely that that song will be the title song. ChaCha composed it and I put the lyrics to it. It's a hiphop-R&B song, and it's in a style that Korean fans would like. After recording it, we're going to create a cool dance routine, too.

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CREDITS : Bestiz ; eltk@2ONEDAY.COM (SOURCE); JinaStar@2ONEDAY.COM (TRANS) J