#jaejin

“This year has been full of ups and downs. However, no matter what happens, we can only continue expressing ourselves. We will protect our voices, the members will not forget how to play their instruments. So promise you won’t forget us! We may be selfish, but we are serious about our music. We will continue to improve. Please believe in us.” - Lee Hongki

FTISLAND held their ‘2019 FTISLAND Japan Encore Live – Arigato’ Finale in Makuhari Messe Event Hall on September 1^st. This was the encore to their 13-stop nation-wide tour ‘FTISLAND Japan Live Tour – Five Treasures’ held from April 4^th to May 5^th(earlier this year). There were a total of 4 performances across both Osaka Grand Cube and Makuhari Messe Event Hall. For a while now, they’ve declared that this would be “the last live before enlistment.” As the last live, all performances were sold out on the same day (as release).

This was an encore approximately 4 months after ‘Five Treasures’. While the overall layout of the setlist remained unchanged, approximately half the songs were replaced. Additionally, there were songs performed live for the first time, and a showcase of new songs to be released in Japan and Korea as a present to fans. Inclusive of the double encore, there were a total of 24 songs. All 4 members were completely devoted to playing this setlist, which summarises the history of FTISLAND as they approach their Major Japanese Debut’s 10^th anniversary next May. At the very end, Hongki who is enlisting on September 30^th gave his farewell to fans with a smile: “thank you for these past 10 years! We’ll be back!”.

As Song Seunghyun (Gt, Vo), Lee Jaejin (Ba, Vo) and Choi Minhwan (Dr) took their positions, Lee Hongki (Vo) called his usual “shall we go?” and sparks rose from the stage. Then, the show kicked off with the full-spirited God Bless You. The band went full-throttle from the start. The fans also stood to meet them, waving their yellow lights. It was fantastic to see the shining jewel of the ‘Five Treasures’ tour opening this performance. With the venue immediately united, they began singing along as Hongki gestured and called out ‘Singing!’ during the chorus.

“At last, today is our final. We’ve also prepared a present for you. Firstly, we will be performing a song that Jaejin and I wrote from our album Everlasting,livefor the first time,” Hongki said. With that, they performed If U Want. It isa song resonating with Jaejin’s sexy bass. From the outro, Seunghyun’s impressive guitar connected to their next song Top Secret. These two songs were rearranged specifically for the encore live. Next, was Theory of Happiness. Then, with Hongki’s words “I’ll receive your voices!”, the fans simultaneously started singing along to the beautiful Aqua.This song is a FT-style J-rock song which truly boosts the sense of unity.

With the prompt, “Can you go even crazier? SCREAM!”, they launched into the FT-style band rock songs Take me Now andPray.It’s been repeatedly acknowledged that these songs helped them shed their idol image and become a rock band in Korea. While singing in Korean, Hongki showed off a different expression. As he sang more heatedly, the heat of the fans who sang along in unison also rose.

During the MC, Hongki laughed as he announced, “I’m soaked all the way to my pants!”

He continued, “Next year it’ll be 10 years from our Japanese (major) debut. However, we won’t be able to hold concerts. So we’ve organised a segment for our old songs with a seasonal theme. Despite this tour being called an ‘encore live’, you all expected us to change things up didn’t you? In order to catch those who didn’t expect it by surprise, we prepared different songs for this tour. Once again, I realised we have a lot of good songs. From here on out, I really want to keep creating good songs too.”

With the image of ‘4 seasons’ in mind, the next set of songs were rearranged into an acoustic medley.  Spring = Primavera, summer = Let it Go, rainy season = So Today, autumn = I Believe Myself andwinter = Winter’s Night. All songs were rearranged and reconfigured for this performance.

The second half began with two songs which “radiate feelings of happiness when you sing along”. In response to the fans singing with full-power to Golden,Hongki’s whole face lit up with a smile and he shouted, “Amazing!”

“Ah, today is the end isn’t it? But it’s not the end forever! We will return unchanged so please don’t worry. So that you’re not sad while you wait, we’ve prepared various presents for you. I’ve also decided on something. This is true for Japan too, but in Korea our male fans have increased. I will invite 100 of my Army comrades to attend our concert.” Hongki spoke while smiling.

“To tell you the truth, I received the notice of my enlistment just as we arrived in Japan for these concerts. When I saw it, my heart sank. Even though there were so many things (schedules) planned for me, I’m sorry you won’t be able to see them,” he said frankly, with some bitterness.

“It’s a bit sad, but while you wait we have prepared a present. This next song is the new song we will release next year in celebration of our Major Debut’s 10^thAnniversary. It’s called Sunrise Yellow. Our colour is yellow right? In order to achieve Freedom from now on, this song will become a staple at FTISLAND concerts! Therefore, today’s concert will become the PV!” he announced, introducing the invigorating new pop tune. It is a song with a springy rhythm, which will have you unconsciously jumping along.

After the new song solidified FTISLAND’s set of ‘iron clad*’ songs, the magical main part of the concert, which had everyone dancing passionately, came to a close.

(*staple songs, songs that are always strong performed live)

As the calls for FTISLAND grew steadily louder, the 4 members returned to the stage.

“I’m really sad that it will be the end after these next 2 songs. However, we will return safely!” Hongki said, and was met with loud applause.

“Promise that you won’t forget us. This year has been full of ups and downs. However, no matter what happens, we can only continue expressing ourselves. We will protect our voices, the members will not forget how to play their instruments. So promise you won’t forget us! We may be selfish, but we are serious about our music. We will continue to improve. Please believe in us.” He spoke earnestly.

“While you wait, please feel free to go enjoy our junior’s concerts. However, you cannot fall in love with them!” he said laughing.

With this, he introduced Don’t Lose Yourself from their upcoming Korean mini album Zappingto be released on Spetember 9^th.

“The song we are about to sing is our new Korean release. As we were talking about earlier, this is a song which tells you not to forget your sense of self. The voices of the audience who sang the chorus at the Korean concert have been put onto the CD. But I also want to sing with everyone here in Japan.”

Hongki’s gentle voice enveloped the venue, and meshing with his gradually strengthening voice, the fans sang along strongly to the chorus. Seeming satisfied with the song they created with the fans, Hongki gave his thanks “thank you!” while singing.

“We’ll be reaching a turning point 10 years after our major debut in Japan, but we won’t be here for it. When we return, it’ll be the start of our second life. Please anticipate it. Our dream is to do music as a band even as we grow older. Men become cooler in their 30s and 40s. It’s the same for our music. I’m looking forward to it. Thank you so much for the past ten years! We’ll be off!” He gave his thanks with a gusto. However, it seemed as if he were trying to hide his tears by looking up into the back of the crowd.

Their ‘arigato’ was full of the thoughts they wished to convey. Hongki waved his hands toward the stands, to which he received an answering flurry of yellow lights.

More than ever, the lyrics (from Arigato) “in this selfish life, please stay beside me. From now on too, please support me” permeated the audience, filling their hearts.

As they brought it all to a close, Hongki shouted “Thank you! Laugh!” as he sang. Immediately, loud calls of ‘encore!’ rose.

“Don’t cry. We’ll do this song to leave you with smiles on your faces,” he said as he shouted Stay What You Are with all his power and sang for the audience with a smiling face.

Looking as if they were truly finished, the 4 members lined up in the centre and bowed.

“Thanks to you, I was really happy today,” said Seunghyun and Hongki clapped his hands toward the audience in praise.

After the members finished, Jaejin was left alone on stage. He said, “When we said ‘thank you’, I recalled memories from the last 10 years. Although you will be able to see me at my solo soon, FTISLAND will be going on a break from today. It’s lonely, isn’t it? I will remember this view so that when I am down, I can try my best.”

Then, as tradition, he shouted “thank you everyone!” without his mic. The answering “thank you” from fans carried a wave of gratitude in return to him.

FTISLAND started doing live activities during their teens. At that time, they couldn’t speak Japanese and their performance skills were still lacking. However, from their major debut onward, into their 20s, concert tours became the centre of almost all their activities in Japan. They grew into a band that could hold concerts in arenas every year. Of course, as their Japanese became more fluent, they were also able to talk frankly about everything with their fans, who they see as ‘friends’. At an FTISLAND concert, no matter the venue, the distance between hearts is close. FTISLAND accepts their fans, and the fans accept them in return.

Additionally, after all is said and done, I’ve become addicted to the 3 members’ tight instrumentals led by Hongki’s heaven-sent live vocals, which can lead you comfortably through the concert.

We won’t be able to experience this wonderful sort of concert for approximately 2 years. However, as Hongki said, they have prepared various presents in the meantime.

The first is Bassist Jaejin’s solo debut mini album Scene. 27 to be released on October 9^th. He will also be holding his ‘1^st Solo Mini Live Tour – Love Like the Films’ across Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

Then, the three remaining members (sans Hongki) will be representing FTISLAND in ‘2019 FNC Kingdom – Winter Forest Camp’. It seems we will be able to see collaborations with their juniors.

Jaejin, Seunghyun and Minhwan all plan to enlist in 2020. There’s no question that when they all return in their 30s, they’ll show us more thrilling live performances. At that time, I wonder what sort of songs they’ll bring back with them.

Report by: Yukari Sakamoto @ Excite News Japan
Photography by: Seitaro Tanaka, Masahiro Yamada
Translations by: @onafallingstar

Setlist

1.God Bless You
2.BEAT IT
3.Boom Boom Boom
4.IF U WANT
5.TOP SECRET
6.シアワセオリー
7.AQUA
8.Take Me Now
9.PRAY
10.Primavera
11.Let it go!
12.So today…
13.I believe myself
14.Winter’s Night
15.Golden
16.Hold the moon
17.Sunrise Yellow（新曲）
18.FREEDOM
19.PUPPY
20.未体験Future
21.Flower Rock

＜ENCORE＞
1.Don’t lose yourself
2.アリガト
3.Stay what you are

Jaejin:“We are preparing music and various other things so our fans don’t get bored in the meantime.”

Hongki:“Musicality depends on a band’s colour, but I think conveying your favourite genre, your favourite stories, your favourite songs, from yourself to your audience is what a band is.”

The band who celebrated their 10th anniversary last year, FTISLAND, will release their 8th album ‘Planet Bonds’. Even though the members produced songs rich in variety, listening to all the songs resulted in a fully unified, FTISLAND feeling. In preparation for their Spring Live (tour), they also talked about various things which occurred from production until now.

Interviewer: It’s your 11th year and you’re entering a new chapter with a new album! Last year you celebrated your 10th anniversary and this year it’s now your 11th, isn’t it?

Hongki:“The enthusiasm from our 10th year still remains, so I don’t particularly pay attention to the fact that it’s our 11th.”

Minhwan:“We all met in our teens, so it feels strange that our 20s will be over soon (laughs).”

Jonghoon: “As we’ve all reached adulthood, I think we need to work harder.”

Seunghyun: “Making music is fundamentally working hard together as a band. However, we show ourselves individually in front of our fans, so I think as individuals we also have to grow.”

Jaejin: “I feel that we’re starting anew now that our 10th anniversary is over. As we must fulfill our duties as Korean men (and enlist) soon, we are preparing music and various other things so our fans don’t get bored in the meantime. With these thoughts, we’ve been doing a variety of things lately.”

Interviewer: They created their 8th album ‘Planet Bonds’ with these feelings. What kind of album have you made?

Hongki: “There are many (songs) with bright lyrics full of hope. There are also powerful songs and softer songs reminiscent of our indie days. As implied by the title ‘BONDS’, the flow between songs is quite important. So, to begin with, we wish for you to listen to the songs in order, from the first track.”

Jaejin: “The word ‘PLANET’ holds great meaning, including Earth. However, recently, I feel like there are many ways to understand the word. Not only Japan and Korea but as we are able to communicate across various worlds, I feel there is only one ‘PLANET’. Therefore, I believe that ‘PLANET’ also means (large) scale bonds between people.”

Interviewer: The lead song ‘Hold the Moon’ is composed and written by Hongki. Please tell us about what happened during production.

Hongki:“Recently, I’ve really liked the atmosphere of songs featuring synth. I actually thought the song would have been good for my solo and was warming up to it, but I decided to provide it for the production of this album instead.”

Interviewer:‘Hold the Moon’, is different from Jaejin’s works: ‘Dancing On’ which has a band sound, and ‘Game’ which has an impressive bass.

Jaejin: “I created ‘Dancing On’ while imagining it performed by a different band. It’s nostalgic as it’s got a similar atmosphere to the songs FTISLAND performed a long time ago. It’s been a while so I asked the members ‘what do you think?’ and their thoughts were, ‘let’s put it in!’. ‘Game’ is a song I originally made while thinking about FT songs. As there aren’t many bass-focused songs, I made the song while trying to be conscious of the bass sound. I adopted the same arrangement (although the chords changed) as Hongki’s ‘Champagne’ (included in the 7^th album ‘United Shadows’) as I wanted to try something more fun.”

Interviewer:Did you insert the impressive bass line later?

Jaejin:“This time, I put it in from the beginning. From there, I put in the drums and guitar, then decide on the overall composition and then attach a melody. Usually, there are a lot of times I would create it from an orchestral accompaniment. By doing it like this, the way the melody unfurls will suit the song. There are many cases where the melody comes first in order to create the feeling of freedom. However, recently, we’ve been creating a lot of songs starting with the musical accompaniment first.

Interviewer: It’s been a while, but ‘Skyway’ is written and composed by Minhwan isn’t it?

Minhwan:“To begin with, I wished to convey feelings of hope in my song. Because I like the night sky, I wrote this song while thinking of the fans as I star-gazed.”

Seunghyun: “I also worked hard on composing, but the colour of my songs was a bit different from this album’s so unfortunately they weren’t included (laughs).”

Interviewer:During the ‘FTISLAND POPPING MINI LIVE’ in Nagoya in February, Hongki said Seunghyun’s song was ‘an amazing song’ didn’t he?

Hongki: “It felt a bit like 80’s rock and it really conveyed Seung-chan’s feelings well, so I liked that about it. When we met up to decide which songs to record, I said I wanted to arrange it and include it. However, we ran out of time, so it didn’t make it in this time. It might be in the next one!”

Seunghyun: “The songs I make all tend to be a bit different from FTISLAND’s colour. Next time I think it would be nice to make a song which suits the member’s performance style, so that no matter if Hongki-niisan or Jaejin-niisan sings it, it’ll get the ‘OK’.”

Interviewer: We anticipate it!

Interviewer:Composer Jonghoon’s ‘Flower Road’ is a song where everyone sings. In FT’s case, there are many songs where all members take the vocals aren’t there?

Jonghoon:“Yes, it’s always there. It’s been a while since everyone’s sung, so I have brought this song to close the album, but there’s also meaning there. From the very beginning, as I created this song, I was thinking all 5 of us would sing. I will be happy if you feel like your heart has been cleansed after listening to it until the end.”

Interviewer: Although the members created the songs separately, there’s a sense of unity when listening to them all.

Jaejin: “Even if we say it feels like FT, I don’t think it would be an FT album unless each individual’s personality was mixed in. So it goes without saying that it’s natural for us, as FT, to make songs and arrange them.”

Interviewer:What’s happening with your Spring Arena tour in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka?

Jaejin: “Nothing has been decided yet. We are releasing a new album, so while we prepare our new live I think it’s important that we show everyone a new (type of) rock. We’re thinking of making the image a little more ‘pop’ so that even people who don’t know our songs can sing along.”

Seunghyun: “When making a setlist, it’s usually Hongki-niisan who creates it initially. Then, after that, the four of us will check over it. However, as it’s a live in the Spring, I really want to line up songs which will suit the Spring. I like all the songs, but I really want to play ‘Sayonara’ while conveying the feelings of the lyrics.”

Hongki: “But I haven’t decided on anything yet, ok? (laughs)”

Interviewer: Although it’s a bit abstract, what does the word ‘band’ mean for FTISLAND?

Hongki: “Generally speaking, in simple terms, the word ‘band’ gives the impression of being cool or free. However, our true experience is that being in a band gives us a chance to translate the things we want to express about ourselves by our own hands. I think that’s good enough. Musicality depends on a band’s colour, but I think conveying your favourite genre, your favourite stories, your favourite songs, from yourself to your audience is what a band is.”

Translations by AdminA@fti5 (@OnAFallingStar)
Original article @Lily120227

“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 withI 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, ¾ (of his talent) is something that he got naturally (laughs) but the other ¼ 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. :) 

name / group / dob / blood type / place of birth / in charge of what in the group

Q1.  Through FNC KINGDOM, tell us an episode of you becoming closer to the  (FNC) family”.

Q2.  Who would you like to have collaborations with in FNC KINGDOM? What do you want to try?

Q3.  If you should fill in: “I am FNC’s ●●●!”?

Q4. What is FNC KINGDOM to you?

Q5. Please tell us a TMI from a member of the FAMILY (members of the same group are okay).

Q6. What challenge do you want to try in 2020?

Lee Jaejin/FTISLAND/12.17.91/A/Incheon/Bass, Vocal

A1. I have become closer to N.Flying by performing together - we did a PV together, and we also had a collaboration stage for the Kingdom Concert.

A2. I want to have a collaboration stage of FT and CN

A3. I am FNC’s scholar / wise man

A4. It is an opportunity for me to change how I look at things

A5. Hwiyoung is cute and Chanhee asked me to buy him drink

A6. I hope I will be able to go through my military life healthily and I also hope it will be the time that I get to develop myself.

Song Seunghyun/FTISLAND/92.8.21/O/Sacheon/Guitar

A1. It gave me an opportunity to talk and get closer with juniors that usually aren’t really close to me.

A2. Yonghwa hyung! He is a cool person, both as a leader, as an older brother, and as an artist.^^

A3.?

A4. It is an opportunity for us to let go of senior/junior relationships, and get along well like friends.

A5. Except for me, everyone is pretty and handsome>_< (t/n: this makes me sad, like how?)

A6. I will go to the army healthily and I will be back.

Choi Minhwan/FTISLAND/1992.11.11/A/Seoul/Drum

A1. We went to an after-concert gathering after the concert was over.

A2. I want all of the drummers to have a collaboration stage.

A3. I am FNC’s drum god.

A4. We are like family.

A5. N.Flying’s Jaehyun has a big mouth.

A6. I will shape my body!

FTISLAND offers band-style music that is rare in the K-POP world. On October 9 (note: 2019), Lee Jaejin, the bassist of the band, has released his first solo album. Before he goes to enlist, he had made the determination to himself, “if you are going to go solo, now is the time”. Jaejin who was visiting Japan at the time had made the time to visit RollingStone Japan for an interview.

Korea is the number one idol powerhouse in the world. In the midst of the massive survival competition in the K-POP world, where there are more than 300 idol groups, donning intense hairstyle, makeup, and costume, and boasting unparalleled synchronized group dance, it is very rare to see a group of youths that are still faithful to the authentic pop and rock style and moving forward with it, drawing a line of difference between them and the others in the industry. This group is FTISLAND. As the group is marking their 10th year since they made their major debut (in Japan), this time, we will be featuring Lee Jaejin, the band’s bassist who has been by Lee Hongki’s side on stage. Unlike his lovely face and delicate appearance, this central pillar of FTISLAND is dropping a bold sound that is hard to imagine through his solo album, Scene 27. He had answered to the interview with RollingStone candidly in fluent Japanese without any need of the use of interpreter.  

―Following FTISLAND’s Lee Hongki to debut as a solo, is it something that you wanted for yourself?

Actually, since a few years ago, I have received offers from the agency, “Do you want to try out going solo?”, but I had wanted to focus on FTISLAND, so I had only been gathering ideas. However, Hongki-niisan will enlist in September, and in line with that, FTISLAND will go on a break, and I will follow niisan to enlist too. As soon as I complete the military service, I intend to focus on FTISLAND  again, so I thought, “if I want to do a solo, it is now”. I thought to myself that I might not get another opportunity to move one step forward for myself if I don’t take the chance to go solo now, so I got back to the agency, “I will work hard, let’s do this!”.  

―It feels like, your long-held wish has finally come true.  

That’s right. However, in the beginning, I didn’t have any vision as to what kind of music that I wanted to do for my solo… I don’t like the way that it sounds like an excuse, but we were really busy, so I didn’t have any time for it! (laughs) I have just written a lot of songs and done a lot of comebacks with them, gone to a lot of tv shows, and done a lot of live concerts in Korea, Japan, and around the world. I didn’t really have any time to think of the songs that I would want for myself. However, this time around, I have received a lot of help from the agency, I was able to make it somehow (claps to himself proudly).

―How do you want to express yourself the most as?

For me, I had always felt like I would describe myself the most for my FTISLAND-ness. After all, I have dedicated all of my youth for FTISLAND. I would propose melody and lyrics that I made from my point of view, and these ideas would collide with the other members’ (Lee Hongki (Vo.), Song Seunghyun (Gt.), Choi Minhwan (Dr.)) as they have strong personalities. That’s why, I thought, if I want to honestly express myself as a soloist, I would have to do the opposite method, making it “Lee Jaejin’s uniqueness as seen by other people”. I tried to extract how is Lee Jaejin seen by other people, from people who inspired me - the members, fans, family, staffs, seniors and juniors from the same agency, friends, colleagues, and people that are precious to me, and from these people, their impressions of me and advises to me are reflected in my music.

―So it was a reversed method, it is surprisingly quite out of the box. 

It’s because I have always expressed how I view things through FTISLAND already. Through my solo work, I actually get to have an opportunity to show another side of me, and I thought it would be interesting to show a mix of the Lee Jaejin that other people think of and the Lee Jaejin that I think of. That’s why, from my way of singing to the way the songs were recorded in the studio, I made it different than how I would usually do it.

―Is there any impression that other people have told of you that you found “eh, that’s unexpected!”? 

It was when people told me that I produce high pitch voice easily.

―It’s because the audience always listened to your live singing attentively.

No, it’s not like that! (laughs) My role (in FTISLAND) is to harmonize with Hongki-niisan’s voice, so that it sounds nice to hear; however, if I sing using the same way that I did for FTISLAND for my solo release, it would sound strange. I’m still retaining my ability to control my voice easily. It turned out that all of the songs that I had picked for my solo album had higher pitch than my usual voice, so I thought it could only be done with adding in more breath and warmth than usual to my singing. It was really hard when I did the recording. Particularly, when I recorded for Love Like The Films, the key was lowered and raised several times, that we had to repeat the recording for 3 or 4 times, and the entire recording process took about a total of 6 days. 

―In the “Love Like The Films”, Hongki is credited under vocal directing.

Frankly speaking, image that I have of Hongki-niisan is “the bad person who never practices”. Of course, he is an excellent singer, he also does a great job as the band’s frontman, however, as fellow team members, I wished he would practice more. However, after he helped me with vocal direction this time around, I would like to review that. (laughs)

―Ah I see. (laughs)

For me, as a main vocal, I still need to find something that can stand out and be my point of attraction. I haven’t really calculated the way that I sing in the way that “if I sing a song this way, it will be delivered to the audience also in a certain way”, so I thought that Hongki-niisan who has had a long career as a vocalist would know more about it, so I asked him to watch over the recording. Lately, niisan is working hard practicing and he also has a musical coming up, he just has been really busy so I didn’t have the heart to ask him to do it at first. But our agency then said that “Hongki will give (vocal) direction to Jaejin”, so it was sorted out that way.

―So, that’s how he came in!

That’s true. In reality, the moment that he heard the song, he told me “This is Jaejin that is singing, but it sounds somewhat not right”. “This song is putting together the ideas that everyone suggested Jaejin should do” but “in this part, you sang this too softly, you should give more power to it, so the audience can still hear it clearly” or “in this part, your pitch should be more straightforward” - all kinds of possibilities that I wasn’t even thinking of. Hongki-niisan is very knowledgeable in techniques on how to “sound good”, he taught me these in great details.  

―As expected of the vocalist who has carried FTISLAND on his back. With just one added detail, the way that a song could be expressed could increase greatly.

That’s why, we were able to complete the recording of the song with satisfaction, I felt really grateful that Hongki-niisan was willing to help. When we asked him “please also look at the recordings of the other songs”, he replied “I don’t want to, it’s too bothersome”. (lol)

―Ah, that’s what happened.

It was unfortunate that he was able to only look at the title song, however, niisan was really busy that he didn’t even have any time to sleep. FTISLAND also was working on the preparation of our encore concert at that time, so it couldn’t be helped. 

―Then, Scene.27 is packed with all of the efforts poured into it.

Thank you. I hope the message could be delivered well.

―Other than that, are there comments on the album that you found refreshing?

I heard things like “R&B suits you well” or “you can take on Jazz if you work just a bit harder”.

―The voice that has a bit of huskiness in it, it is Jaejin’s voice charm.

I appreciate any feedback. I have prepared myself to accept any feedback, whatever it is, so I actually would be grateful if the listeners could give me a lot of them. Actually, in this album, I wanted to focus only on the vocal and let go of my bass. 

―And as a result, it purely shows Jaejin as a vocalist.

Please indulge in thinking of this as someone completely different, not the Jaejin from FTISLAND. I am challenging myself to take this opportunity to present myself as an entirely rookie solo artist. I also am planning to hold a mini live this coming October with band style performance, so please look forward to my vocals. 

―Your agency junior, N.Flying is also starring in the MV. As they played with so much fun there, the MV also turned out to be full of energy.

These guys were actually busy too, but for me, they deliberately made the efforts to empty out their schedules, practiced and filmed with me - “we will help niisan with everything!” and somewhat I felt “ah, this is the weight of being an older brother”. 

―You guys really have a good relationship.

I can only reply with “Me too, I will work hard!”, and paid them back through my (bass) performance. Actually, this is the first time that I felt such a proper give and take relationship with my juniors. I supported N.Flying by helping out in their live concerts, and this time, they came to help me instead. This made me feel such a brotherly relationship with them, that lately, I thought of how cute these guys are.

―In fact, you have been seniors-juniors for a long time in your agency, but “lately”?

Yes, lately. Originally, I am the kind of person to not really think of any other relationships other than with the FTISLAND members.  

I usually listened to anyone who asked me for counseling or just to share their worries, but I don’t usually feel that “we are one team at heart” with my juniors.  Honestly, in the past, I used to not to be too fond of N.Flying (smiles), I thought that they didn’t really put in enough efforts and seemed to be still too premature.  For me, I am solely the bassist of FTISLAND, and my team is solely FTISLAND - if we put it in the extreme, “I am only the bassist to FTISLAND”. However, lately, these guys have worked so hard and have grown rapidly too. I have come to “If it’s N.Flying, I can play for them too”. Now, they are such a team of cute juniors in my eyes. I’m not that great of a senior either, but now, I want to share with them and have talks on things that I have knowledge on or things that I can give them advise on.

―Why did you choose bass in the beginning?

I only realized recently, but I was an introverted kid when I was in elementary school. I didn’t have any friends, so when I entered middle school, I wanted to brighten up my image. I had started to have friends then, and they asked me, “do you want to make a band together?”. I didn’t have any experience with any musical instruments back then, so I only replied, “Sure, what should I do?”, and they said, “Drum and guitar are hard, so you’re bass”, and so, that’s how I started bass. Compared to guitar, it only has 4 strings, and I could just start by producing the “dung, dung, dung, dung” sound riding the rhythm, it was easy. It was also popular with the girls. 

―Most of bands indeed start with “I want to be popular!”.

For me, it is the case (laughs). However, it is for sure that it was how my life began. My sister is an actress, and she used to be under the agency that I am in now. She told me, “I think my agency is setting up a band, do you want to give it a try?” - she recommended me to an audition, luck was on my side, and I managed to debut. 

―You debuted in 2007, in the midst of the heyday of idol teams that sing and dance, why did FTISLAND aspire to be a “rockband” back then?

Actually, in the beginning, the aim was a multiplayer kind of band that can play a lot of genres. However, if we look at the world, there are a lot of rock bands particularly that are charming. The more that I immersed myself in a new genre, and the more that I practiced, I was captured even more by the rock genre, and swore to myself, “Let’s become a rock band!”, and here we are now. I am crazily in love with the kind of power that only rock holds, and the feeling of catharsis that one gets when they perform. I feel the pride of this band called FTISLAND that possesses the charm to suit not only upbeat rock music, but also are good at pop ballads, and any types of music.

―So, what types of bass that you like?

Currently, I’m mainly using SPECTOR, LAKLAND, and Fodera. However, when I am discharged later, I want to buy Fender.

―Are there any differences between doing activities in Korea and in Japan?

Honestly, I think FTISLAND can best demonstrate 1000% of their charms in Japan. In Japan, we really feel that we can play comfortably and with a peace of mind. As stages and sets in Korea are centered around idols and hiphop, there isn’t many place where we can perform as a band properly, so honestly, we have had a hard time because of this. There is also the case where we don’t have much choice but to give up the (musical) direction that we want. So, when we want to perform properly to the audience in Korea, we got our PAs, sound directors, concert managers, and staffs that we trust in Japan to come to help. Doing major debut in Japan and actively promoting there is highly regarded in Korea. The home of the rock genre is the US, and so I don’t know if it’s a country thing, but the staffs there (in Korea) seem to just have “Going my way”-like mindset to them. There have been instances where it was hard when we tried to request something when we had performances. For example, when we asked them “please slightly raise the volume of the kick drum in our ear monitors, and please make the bass sound harder” or something like that, they would reply “Is that necessary?” or the like. They did follow our request, but I guess if we think about it, those who think that these kinds of exchanges are what rock is all about and those who enjoy these, thinking that these are merely differences in culture and way of thinking, are those that are winning.(smiles) 

―I love that you are looking at it positively (smiles). Now, what are your dreams for the future? 

If I get to be a bit richer, I dream of building a nice livehouse in Korea. It will be an ideal place, where performers can perform properly, and audience can listen to music properly as well.

―In a RollingStone Japan interview too before, Hongki also said that he wanted to build a music studio.

That would be nice! However, for Hongki-niisan, even if he does build a music studio, I think all that he does there will be just play games. He would say something like “You guys, do your best!” and leave the trivial or bothersome things to us, and when he feels like he is in the mood, he would say “This is nice” when he does vocal recording. However, songs that are made in such lively atmosphere will end up pretty rock, so I guess everyone would enjoy such songs anyway.(laughs)  

~~

Disclaimer:Translated by Lu. This translation is based on the Japanese - Korean translation credited to fprit. Due to the indirect translation, inaccuracies are likely and possible, but I will also refer to the original article here to do double checks whenever needed.  

And enjoy Jaejin’s Scene.27 album here ;)