Jpn-Kor: 왓탐 진로 @whattimeisit, Kor-Eng: Egle @2pmalways | Scans by Yooko_11

6 people going towards the future

I want to enjoy singing this piece, thinking that we can do it, because we’re still this young (Taecyeon)

Q. We’ve listened to your Japanese debut single “Take Off”. It’s a speedy song overflowing with freshness, which can be hardly attributed to the “Beastly idols”.
Nichkhun: Where you surprised?

Q: Yes, very much so. It is also very enjoyable and feels like it shows a different side of 2PM.
Taecyeon: We were also surprised when we first heard the song, because it was very different from the usual “2PM style” color. Except for “10 Points Out of 10” we have a lot of sad love story songs, but this one is very bright and positive in both – the lyrics and the melody. I think it’s a song that matches well people in their early 20s like us. I want to enjoy singing this piece, thinking that we can do it, because we’re still this young.
Junho: You can feel the freshness in the sound as well. I made up my mind to work hard with confidence, because I think this song expands our possibilities.

Q. Actually, it feels like through this song it is possible to feel the real 2PM even more.
Nichkhun: 100% bright?
Junsu: Actually, we’re even more chaotic in person (laughs).

Q. 2PM displays a profound manly charisma on stage, but up close you seem to be bubbly and naïve. You are also very nice and polite. When we get to know you better, this difference between your features surprises people, how can you change your images so well?
Taecyeon: I think that not a single artist comes up on stage to perform, being exactly as he is in real life. An artist is just like an actor playing the role of some character – he has to play the act of the character in the lyrics, song after song. I think that a singer must change his ways of expression according to the color of the song.

Q. Then what kind of character lies in “Take Of”?
Taecyeon: (laughs) A superman, who leads everyone towards a bright future!
Nichkhun: We might be repeating ourselves, but isn’t it good just to sing it out loud? There’s a message in the song, we’re the messengers who relay it. So we need a kind of expression which could represent the song. In my case, I do a little bit of mind control backstage. Sometimes even telling myself “I’m a cute youth”…

Q. How do you want to express the worldview shown in “Take Off”?
Wooyoung: The message of “Take Off” is a hopeful departure. I sang imagining the moment of open freedom when the plane takes off from the ground.

Q. Ah, so that’s how it is. What are the hard points of trying to express the meaning in a foreign language?
Nichkhun: That’s exactly the part we had to work the hardest on.
Junho: Since it is a bright song, we were supposed to enjoy recording it, but we were focusing on the correct pronunciation a lot, because if we were to pronounce the words in a bad way, the message wouldn’t be delivered to the listeners. We sang even paying attention to our own habits.

Q. For example?
Junho: Usually when I sing I make the vowels longer to express emotions, like, “a” becomes “a-a-“, “i” – “i-i", but I was told that kind of thing in Japanese would make the understanding of words harder*. It was the first time I had to worry about the dilemma regarding emotional expression and correct pronunciation.
Junsu: That’s right. Everyone would reaffirm that expressing emotions in a foreign language was a hard thing.

Q. I wouldn’t have guessed you had that kind of worries.
Chansung: But the recording was very enjoyable! In my case, Super Changttai-hyung, who was outside of the recording booth, kept on telling me “Enjoy singing it! More, more, more, go up!”, and because of his lead, I was able to sing in good spirits.
Wooyoung: It was hard for me to record the song, because I was in the middle of filming the drama. Since Korean dramas are being filmed over a very tight schedule, I didn’t really have much time. But since it’s such a bright song with positive lyrics, I got energized just by singing it. It’s a song that gives you vitality.
Nichkhun: That’s right. “Take Off” is really a song which can give you strength. Even the title is overflowing with energy. The words “Take Off” are really good themselves.
Taecyeon: (in low voice) “take off” has several meaning really. Like, stripping, and so on…
Chansung: Khun-hyung… are you really?!
Nichkhun: (pretends to be taking off his clothes)….!

Q. Is there a part of the song that you like the most?
Junsu: “I’ll be” and “with you~”. The melody fits well with the lyrics, and I’m doing the chorus.
Taecyeon: I like the part where all 6 members sing together “New meetings brighten up your life”.
Junsu: Also, please pay attention to my ad-libs in this part.
Chansung: I’m not saying so because it’s my own part, but I like the lyrics “The magic word which gives strong courage”.

Q. Chansung-san, you’ve picked a fairytale-like word. Then what is a “magic word” for you?
Wooyoung: When friends tell me “Let’s cheer up”. Everyone’s really busy and we can’t meet up, but I think these are the words that tie us all together. Everyone, let’s work hard until the next time we meet!
Junho: It’s cliché, but… “I love you”… I think that words like “I love you” give you the courage to move on.

Q. Oh, thank you for these phrases! We’ve seen the PV already, and it’s possible to enjoy two different sides of 2PM – the near-future fashion in other-dimensional space, as well as the natural 2PM.
Chansung: The concept is the journey of hope towards the future. You’ve said it was other dimension in space, but it was a spaceship to be more exact. It’s a story of us going into the future in that spaceship. The point of this song is the “plane-dance”.
Junsu: It was created by the person, who’s always responsible for our choreography. He created a familiar type of dance, keeping in mind that it was for our Japanese debut song.
Taecyeon: We’ve had a lot of acrobatic elements in our choreography so far, but “plane-dance” is a simple one with us spreading our arms up like wings. Everyone will be able to follow that move immediately, right?
Chansung: But it’s rather hard to match the perfect timing all together. Even as we went to Japan in March, we had to squeeze the practice in between our schedules. Despite the fact it’s been awhile since we came to Japan… Too bad (sniffs).

Q. It would be great if you could enjoy Japan during your Nationwide Tour in May. There’s a large holiday in Japan in May, called “Golden Week”. Is there something like that in Korea?
Junsu: No. Even if there was, vacation for us is like a cake in the sky. Ever since the trainee days, I don’t remember having vacation for more than 2 days. (pretends to be crying as he says that)
Junho: (as if talking to himself) If I had vacation I would go to a ranch… and play with horses… and of course turn off my phone… in a quiet place…
Chansung: I want to go to New York… A, I’m sorry. I got too carried away for a moment (laughs).
Nichkhun: There’s no such thing in Thailand as well. The only holidays in Thailand are in April (Thai New Year) and the general New Year festivals. Japan is lucky…

Q. Hmm… Sorry to have asked such a question. In order to change the mood, I suppose by the time this issue is released, you will have completed your tour already. In your opinion, what kind of tour it will be?
Junho: I’ve heard that the concert venues give the opportunity to communicate with fans from up close, so I want to meet a lot of fans.
Nichkhun: I want to experience different aspects of Japanese culture, and try out tasty dishes. I’m especially going to eat tonkotsu ramen in Fukuoka no matter what! (laughs)
Wooyoung: We’re going to work in order to give you a hot stage which blows off the stress of everyday life. From now on, please look forward for our activities.

* Note: in Japanese sometimes the length of a vowel might carry a meaning of the word, for example, “kite” is “come/coming”, while “kiite" is “listen/listening”, so singers have to be careful of when and how they make the vowels longer in the songs.