YANG, “WINNER’s life comes before YG’s success” [Interview]
[OSEN=손남원 기자] A wind of boy group has blown this summer in the music world. YG’s new WINNER has brought on a sensation with their debut track “EMPTY.” WINNER is YG’s the first boy group in 9 years since BIGBANG. YG’s Executive Producer YANG HYUN SUK took 10 months to debut WINNER since announcing the formation of this group. What took him so long?
He explaines, “The lives of young WINNER members come before YG’s success. Their future and lives depend on the debut album, and I could not let myself to allow them to make a debut with an imperfect album.” Thus we hear the story of YANG, the god of producing hugely successful artists like BIGBANG, 2NE1 and LEE HI.
“WINNER is a brand new group. As a producer, nothing is more nerve-racking than showcasing a new artist. This would apply to any agencies. I was unable to sleep with WINNER’s debut so imminent. This goes beyond whether it will be a hit or not, it is about announcing the beginning of a new group. If this goes well, opportunities in the next 5 or 10 years will open up for WINNER. I am deeply grateful for all the fans who responded much more enthusiastically than we had ever expected.”
WINNER has been topping real-time charts on 9 major music sites like Melon, Olleh, Genie, Bugs Music and Mnet for 2 days in a row with the title track “EMPTY” from their debut album “2014 S/S” released at 0 hour of August 12.
“The album is a 10-month worth of extremely hard work. They practically lived at the studio. They did not receive the songs from composers; they wrote and composed each one of them. The reason they avoided a typical dance song is that they wanted to set themselves apart from other idol groups. YG also wants WINNER to become a boy group with quality music. That’s how BIGBANG grew so big.”
It is quite unprecedented for a new group to sweep across all charts immediately after their album release. The achievement is especially meaningful since all members were involved in writing and composing the entire album. Their “lining up” of songs on several charts, which is rare even for top artists, is arousing much attention as well.
“The aspect we put heaviest emphasis on is that we don’t get directly involved. We are only here to support the process of making the album. They did not rely on YG’s marketing or composers. This kind of method of creating their own music will help prolong their success. Their hard work will shine brighter as time passes.”
“EMPTY,” a song that expresses the emptiness after a breakup in hiphop, is a joint work by BOBBY and B.I from WINNER’s former competitor B TEAM on WIN, and is written by SONG MIN HO. “COLOR RING” is a work by KANG SEUNG YOON, SONG MIN HO and LEE SEUNG HOON, in which KANG SEUNG YOON was in charge as the main producer.
“It took 10 months for WINNER to make a debut. A producer is not simply a person who produces music, but it is someone who can pull out potential in new artists. I believe my principle led to the current BIGBANG, 2NE1 and PSY. WINNER is just about to bloom, so it is our job to watch how big this tree will grow. It’s not about whether YG succeeds or not. The members’ lives depend on it. I am in charge of the lives of young members who came to YG with full trust. Thus it is important for me to lead them to success by unleashing their talents. It makes me evermore cautious and heedful.”
WINNER’s first official debut performance will be on August 15 when YG Family holds their concert ‘AIA REAL LIFE: NOW FESTIVAL 2014’ at Seoul’s Jamsil Sports Complex.
2014. 8. 13.
