[TRANS] 211123 Real Sound interview about "Alter Ego"

See the article written by Azusa Takahashi from here. Translation by @yuitranslates. Please do not reupload without permission.

ORβIT shows an evolution with "Alter Ego", which they created all 7 together. Looking closely into their teamwork, which showed even more in this new mini-album. 

This is the first time in 9 months that ORβIT is active altogether. With their online concerts "With" happening on November 27-28, their speed is unstoppable. On November 23, they also released their 2nd mini-album "Alter Ego", which they created all 7 together. We asked ORβIT about the thoughts they put into their album and their current thoughts, as well as recently discovered charms of each other.

The evolution seen in "Alter Ego"

-- First, please tell us about the steps behind your last release "Enchant" and your newest release "Alter Ego"

HEECHO: From the moment we finished making our last album, we were already working on the next one. Once we finish working on one, we move on to the next. Once we finish "Alter Ego", we'll be working on the next as well. It's just natural that we released the newest one.

SHUNYA: Although "Alter Ego" is our 3rd release, it's the first time we finally worked on the song production and the music video as a 7 member group altogether. I wonder how the reactions will be for EαRTH (ORβIT's fan name), as well as those who will get to know us during this release.

-- Some of the members wrote the lyrics to some songs this time as well. Please tell us about the thoughts you put into each song, starting from "Eclipse".

HEECHO: When thinking of what to do for the title song, we thought about what we are capable of doing. As a result, we realized we're the only ones who can talk about ORβIT. Since we made EαRTH wait to see us active together, we wanted to make this about "us making everyone's wishes come true". We drew metaphors with our space concept to write the lyrics.

YOONDONG: The performances have also interesting parts.

HEECHO: The choreographer told us that they wanted to challenge something new with us. I think we came out with something nice, so I hope you enjoy it.

-- The next song, "Shady" is written by JUNE.

JUNE: "Shady" is another "Alter Ego" from "Eclipse". It's a song describing the story of another self. In the bridge, there is a part that goes "To a soothing awakening // Slowly shifting". That is the part where it links with the alternative personality. YOONDONG sang it nicely, it became an important part of the song. Of course, YOONDONG's rap is also to look out for.

-- YOONDONG, how was it to sing it?

YOONDONG: I'm not sure if JUNE made it that way on purpose, but I really like the overall feeling of the rap parts of "Shady" and it was nice to sing.

JUNE: When we were deciding on how to split the rap parts, I thought YOONDONG might suit the second half more. We tried it and it worked out really well.

YOONDONG: It was really nice to sing.

-- "Forever" written by YUGO was a very interesting song with heartfelt lyrics on a refreshing melody.

YUGO: I paired these lyrics to a refreshing melody so that it doesn't become too sad. I'm sure there will be moments when members won't be able to be all together in the future, but I hope it doesn't become too heavy on us. In the second verse, there is a part that says "I’ve decided that I’d protect // The place you will come back to" and mentions of all 4 seasons, those are my favorite.

YOUNGHOON: When I first heard the soundtrack only, I thought we could choreograph something cool and the song will turn out very bright. But once YUGO gave it rather sad lyrics, the difference turned out nice. I also don't think about being apart as heavily since we can definitely see each other again. I think the song and the lyrics go well.

-- How was it to sing it?

YOUNGHOON: I think it was hard to express the feelings. Personally, "Forever" was the hardest for me in "Alter Ego".

SHUNYA: Same for me, "Forever" was the hardest. I tried singing with more breath to express that fragility within the freshness of the song, but it was hard to keep it balanced.

-- Since the 4th song "With" is a simple ballad, the lyrics are conveyed more easily.

TOMO: Since we were able to work on this album altogether, I wanted to just write about the 7 of us being together. I wanted to make a connection after seeing "Eclipse" and "Forever", so I incorporated ORβIT's concept and used the word "star". For example, writing "starry night" read as "star" and writing "earth" read as "star". I also included diction that are associated with winter sceneries, since the album is being released in winter.

-- Your solo song in "00", "Showersnow" was also about winter.

TOMO: That's right. That is why I also focused on showing a different winter. In "Showersnow", the snow was a beautiful thing, but the snow in "With" is something that prevents us from seeing what's in front.

-- I'm sure it would be interesting to listen to them side by side. Finally, the last song "Hana". This song was already the hot topic on YouTube and TikTok.

SHUNYA: This is a type of song that ORβIT has never sung before. Even before "Enchant", we were already talking about having a song that EαRTH and ORβIT can enjoy together during concerts. So we worked with the lyricist on the lyrics many times until we got to this song. Comments on YouTube like "It's a fun song with a deep meaning" make me feel glad that we discussed a lot while working on the song.

-- All the songs were made with many different thoughts, but how did you evolve from "Enchant" to "Alter Ego"?

JUNE: Actually, some concepts were carried on from "Enchant".

TOMO: I think you will understand if you listen to "Eclipse". We chose a title song that carried over "Enchant", so "Blind" and "Eclipse" have similar sounds. On top of that, "Blind" has sounds that feel more youthful, while "Eclipse" has sounds that feel more mature. The choreography also has more maturity it, so please look forward to it.

-- I'm sure there are things that were made possible because all 7 of you were together for this album.

YOUNGHOON: Exchanging opinions was a lot easier and faster. I think we were able to understand each other without misunderstandings.

YOONDONG: Yes, communication was smooth. I think we were able to do this at double the speed from last time and we were also able to talk about more things, a lot of good things came from it.

YUGO: Since we were able to interact more, I think it made our work even better than the previous ones.

SHUNYA: The sleeve design was also easier to do. Until now, it was mainly me deciding the general idea and then passing it on to the others to see the reactions. This time, I listened to everyone's ideas and made 5 versions, then it was decided by vote. It can be said that it was made by all 7 of us, I'm proud to say that this is ORβIT's work.

-- Was anything harder on the contrary?

HEECHO: When we were recording separately previously, we were doing it via Zoom, which made it hard to understand each other sometimes. This time, directing was a lot easier, but I ended up being with every member without a break..... I recorded last after talking so much, so it was harder.

-- That must've been a lot of work indeed.

HEECHO: It's also ok to leave it up to the composer, but I know more about the members. That is why I thought it's better if I do it.

-- I see that so much effort and love was put into the making of "Alter Ego". How do you want EαRTH to listen to it?

HEECHO: There are a lot of hidden meanings to the lyrics which were direct specifically to ORβIT fans, so it might be fun listening to it while looking for those. Of course, even if you don't understand the meaning, you can listen to the melody and the lyrics. So I'd recommend it to those who are listening to ORβIT for the first time as well. It would be nice if they found out about the music we make by listening to "00" and "Enchant" as well and if they'd look forward to our future works.

TOMO: There are songs that make you look forward to the performance, then the ones who are good to "listen" to. I think our works are the ones you "listen" to. Aren't there songs you just want to keep replaying? We want to make those kinds of songs, so it would be nice if you'd listen to them for a long time.

Charming points about other members and what is characteristic about ORβIT exactly?

-- I'm sure there are charming points you noticed about each other now that you are working together as 7 members.

YOONDONG: HEECHO does a lot for us, I'm always thankful.

TOMO: He does things in the backstage that I wouldn't be able to. Since he's a leader, he takes care of us a lot too. He's always working to make the song and dance quality better.

JUNE: When it was only the Japan members, we would sometimes be unsure of ourselves. Like "what should we do?", "maybe like this?" or "yeah we can do it that way too." But HEECHO always decides quickly, he is very reliable.

-- What about YUGO?

YOUNGHOON: I think YUGO's face expressions on stage have gotten better. Even when there is something worrisome during practice, he's gotten it perfected on stage. There's things about face expressions that I can learn from him too. His colors became more prominent.

SHUNYA: I've always felt this, but I think YUGO has the power to go "into" the song. Like YOUNGHOON said, he can change his face expressions and singing voice depending on the song. I think those skills improved.

-- Then, about TOMO?

HEECHO: I think you guys think of TOMO as the one who's good at singing, but TOMO also has an inborn talent to perform. I think it's unconscious, but he adds his own accent to the choreography and he can do anything, whether it's singing and dancing. Plus, he's a good person. He doesn't make fun of others.

TOMO: (laughs)

HEECHO: For example, let's say JUNE does something foolish. TOMO can put himself in JUNE's position and say "I'm sure he has his reasons." It's hard to put yourself in others' shoes, TOMO is very cool, even his personality.

YOONDONG: I really like the way TOMO sings. Plus, we've been excercising together lately. I think his muscles are very nice.

TOMO: In the end, it's about my body? (laughs)!

YOONDONG: TOMO's body is also very cool. He can sing, dance and is also sportive.

-- All compliments (laughs)! Then, what about YOUNGHOON?

YUGO: He's really good at making use of the camera. Even during "Hana", I learned a lot about the timing which he would face the camera. He's also a hardworker. He's already so good at dancing, but he practices so much it's surprising. He also teaches us.

SHUNYA: I always thought YOUNGHOON wasn't very interested in other people until I came to Korea (laughs). Once we started practicing, he actively taught us, even the small details. There were times when I wasn't sure about my singing in "Forever" and "With", and YOUNGHOON gave me detailed advice. When it comes to dancing, there were times I was unsure, then he would group us and say "let's unify it like this". He's a very good big brother.

-- Continuing, about JUNE?

HEECHO: JUNE would sleep without a shirt even before we got very close, so I think that's how much he wanted to get close to us (laughs). Jokes aside, JUNE is not only good at rapping, I can also trust him with singing. There are rappers who aren't comfortable with singing, but JUNE is. I want everyone to know that he's good at both.

YOONDONG: Also, JUNE's Japanese lyrics are always nice. When I wrote lyrics in Japanese for the previous album, he taught me a lot. He's very reliable. Also, JUNE is good at gaming. He's also good at making the loser frustrated (laughs).

-- I see that JUNE is well loved (laughs). Then, what about SHUNYA?

YUGO: He's diligent, for anything really.

SHUNYA: Wait, "diligent" doesn't fit my image (laughs)!

YUGO: During recordings, he's always practicing outside the room. For dancing, he's always in front of a mirror practicing too. He's very diligent (laughs).

YOUNGHOON: That is why we can see his growth the most. There was still room for growth at first, but he practiced a lot to make up for it. So even if there are things SHUNYA can't do, I'm not worried. I'm sure he will practice. It's hard to do this job while being able to stay observative of yourself to see what's lacking. but SHUNYA is capable of doing that well.

-- Finally, about YOONDONG?

HEECHO: When YOUNGHOON and I crash, YOONDONG brings the younger members together, he's very reliable. When I'm not able to convey it well in Japanese and I end up saying it in Korean, YOONDONG helps me translate too. He's always there to support me.

JUNE: He's the one who supports ORβIT. He's the one who brings us together despite us doing whatever we want. I noticed this especially after we came to Korea.

TOMO: YOONDONG also helps checking on us during practice. When I'm practicing on my own, he gives me detailed advice. I personally think YOONDONG's voice fits ballads well. He sings in a way that makes you want to listen, so I hope we can deliver more of YOONDONG's ballads to fans.

-- I'm sure there is a lot about each other that you rediscovered. What is a noticeable characteristic of ORβIT that can be seen especially when all of you are together?

SHUNYA: I think it's the contrast between members. For example, in "Hana", there are members who are having fun, while there are also members who are playing it off cool. I don't think you can see this difference if we weren't together. I think there will be a lot of videos of us 7 together that will be coming out, so please enjoy the difference between each member.

YOUNGHOON: We will be performing "Bloom" in the coming concert and I think that will showcase each member well. The stage direction was decided by the members, so please look forward to it. There's a lot more to look out for outside of our singing and dancing as well.

SHUNYA: Since the concert has been postponed twice, we're doing something that will overcome your expectations to make up for it. Please look forward to what's coming. We created something that we can only do online, while working with the staff and dancers.

-- Finally, please tell us your thoughts on your future works.

YOONDONG: Our main job is to perform, so we're always working on that. However, we also want to work on content and social media content that will make EαRTH happy.

JUNE: It would be nice if we could become closer through content and social media content.

YUGO: I think not compromising with ourselves is also an important part of being an artist. We want to continue onto 2022 and on while keeping that spirit.

YOUNGHOON: Now that we're 7 together, it feels like we finally debuted.

SHUNYA: Until now, it was "pre-ORβIT". From here, it's "real ORβIT", so please look forward to it!

See the article written by Azusa Takahashi from here. Translation by @yuitranslates. Please do not reupload without permission.