Glass talks to South Korean musician B.I

Glass talks to South Korean musician B.I about his solo pursuits, his new half album Cosmos and what love means to him.

TREADING your own path is a notoriously difficult task. However, for Kim Han-bin, better known as B.I his decision to go solo has led him on a journey of overnight success.

The South Korean singer, songwriter, rapper, and producer took his multifaceted skillset and applied it to his debut single album entitled Midnight Blue (Love Streaming). Released last March, the body of work comprised of three songs originally published as demos on his Soundcloud.

B.I. Photograph: Ji Yong Yoon

Just under three months later, he released his first full length studio album Waterfall, 12 songs that delved into his personal life uncovering his past, present and his hopes for the future. Not only showing a new side to the musician, but the title track’s music video also broke the record for most views of a debut male solo artist accumulating 12.7 million proving that B.I is an artist not to be reckoned with.

With no trajectory to press pause, B.I has continued on the path straight for the stars, or according to the name of his second studio album, Cosmos. The release of the first half of his second studio album proved once again his ability to skyrocket light years ahead of his competition.

 

Growing up, when was the moment you realised you wanted to pursue music? Did you play many instruments? And if so, what are they?
I realised my passion for music when I heard the song Shake Ya Tailfeather from the movie Bad Boys 2. As a kid, I had so much fun trying to imitate Nelly’s verse in front of the mirror.

I realised then that my dream was to perform in front of people with the music that I made. I don’t play any instruments right now but maybe if I have some time in the future, I’ll give it a shot.

B.I. Photograph: Ji Yong Yoon

Looking at your discography, hip hop, and R&B are huge genre influences in your music. Which artists do you look up to? Have you always been a fan of this type of music?
There are honestly a lot of artists that I look up to. Hip hop and R&B are big influences for me, but I try to explore as many genres of music as I can. As a producer and a musician, I’m always trying to experiment with new sounds, so I don’t want to lock myself into a certain genre.

 

You debuted a solo artist this year, has this venture alone been daunting? What has been the biggest obstacle?
I don’t believe I was alone debuting as a solo artist. My fans, my IDs [the name of his fans] have been fully supportive of me throughout the whole process – their energy pushed me to be the best version of myself. The little bit of pressure that I did feel stemmed from me wanting to put out music that [I] connected [with].

I’m grateful that my team was 100 per cent supportive of my ideas and they helped make my ideas into a reality.

B.I. Photograph: Ji Yong Yoon

Releasing your debut solo album, Waterfall earlier this year. How has the recording and your creative process evolved with your latest release Cosmos compared to Waterfall?
Metaphorically speaking, my album Waterfall was like a flower that just bloomed after the snow melts during winter. My album Cosmos was more a flower that bloomed in the green field, full of sunshine.

 

Cosmos is half an album. Why did you decide on this? What is the reasoning behind the name?
I decided that I wanted to divide one album into two half albums to properly convey the message of my music. Like in any good novel, each chapter has its plot development and I wanted to make sure that my albums tell a story about me. As I grow as a person and my music evolves, I hope my fans can travel with me on my journey as well.

 

The collection of songs in Cosmos is centred around love. What is the best piece of advice you have been given surrounding love and relationships?
I think this is probably one of the hardest questions to answer, but the best piece of advice that I can give about love and relationships was a line from a drama I once saw. It’s “can there be limitations when love is supposed to be endless?” –  this line struck a chord with me.

B.I. Photograph: Ji Yong Yoon

What is your favourite song on the album?
My favourite song on this album is my title track Cosmos. It conveys the concept that I most wanted to share with everyone which is eternal love. Love is something that is interpreted differently by everyone. So, I’m curious, what’s your cosmos?

 

Not only have you gone solo, but last year also you launched your own label 131Label. What are your ambitions or plans for your label?
131 is the numerical form for the letters B.I. I started the company with the word label, but we are planning to do various types of projects within the music industry. We are planning many art collaborations with our partner crews, based on music. Beyond the frame of K-pop, we want to make different types of artworks such as art pieces that have musical motives – the key to all these projects is that they are based on music.

B.I. Photograph: Ji Yong Yoon

Working as a singer, songwriter, and a producer, what is the process behind creating a song? Do you start with lyrics or a beat?
I think the creative process changes depending on the track. Sometimes I’ll start with the lyrics, others I’ll start with the beat, and often I’ll do both at the same time. Normally though, I start with the story and message I want my song to convey and naturally I come up with a title for it.

Who would be your dream collaboration?
There are a lot of different artists I’d want to work with. I love listening to Kanye [West], Drake, The Weeknd, Post Malone, and so many others. I think collaborations happen when both artists have a similar vision regarding the song. When I was younger the Beatles inspired me.

B.I. Photograph: Ji Yong Yoon

The theme of this issue is reflect. How do you reflect?
I think the word reflect walks hand in hand with the word remember. I’m a person that will never forget the love shown to me and in return, I try to return that love by being the best version of me today. Someone once told me, the past you may be the one that created the present you, but it’s the present you that can change the world.

 

by Imogen Clark

Photographer JI YONG YOON

Stylist FWANWOOK JUNG

Hair SOHEE KIM

Make up HANGYEOL NOH

Styling Assistant JAEEUN CHOI

Talent B.I

Look 1:

ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA

Look 2:

Turtleneck, shirt PRADA
Sunglasses GENTLE MONSTER

Look 3:

Jacket, shirt, hat BERLUTI
Necklace GLOSS AND MATT

Look 4:

Turtleneck, shirt, trousers, shoes PRADA
Sunglasses GENTLE MONSTER

Look 5:

ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA

Look 6:

Jacket, shirt, trousers, hat BERLUTI
Necklace GLOSS AND MATT