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Ever wonder what pop's biggest stars would look like with a Skrillex 'do? So do we.
- Rihanna: Oh, Ri-Ri, we love the way your hair lies with this 'do.
KCON Los Angeles wasn't GOT7's first American visit, but it might have been their most eventful yet. The boy band not only met supporters at a fan meeting and performed their singles at L.A.'s famed Staples Center, but also surprised attendees by appearing in an impromptu fashion show on the convention floor and held a dance battle with fellow boy bandeers Monsta X during the concert
In the middle of the fun, not to mention the promotions for their uplifting new single "Just Right" -- which hit No. 3 on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart, a new record for the act -- the guys took a breather to chat with Billboard backstage at KCON.
KCON 2015 Saturday Recap: Super Junior, GOT7, Monsta X & More Shake the Staples Center
Despite their hectic pace, the guys' energy was high as they spoke excitedly over one another, at one point making a joke about how all of them wanted to talk at once. BamBam, Yugyeom, Youngjae and JB were the most chatty while Mark and Junior remained more observant and calm; balancing out the uber-pep in the room.
Even with member Jackson missing, the boys didn't miss a beat onstage nor as they spoke animatedly about meeting U.S. supporters, which undoubtedly will spike their anticipation to meet more international fans on tour -- which the guys hinted might happen next year. Get a feel for the guys' energy -- along with some words of encouragement -- below.
What's it been like rehearsing in the Staples Center? What's going through your minds right now?
Yugyeom: We're very honored. It's been awhile and we see there are more fans. American fans are great and we're particularly excited because this is where NBA teams play. It feels even more honorable.
You visited America not too long ago, but you said you're noticing a bigger fan reaction. How so?
Yugyeom: Including our fan meeting and hi-touch [earlier today at KCON], we met fan from San Francisco, fans from Canada. We feel like our fanbase here is getting bigger.
What's it like traveling to America together? Do you guy have a favorite place to eat yet?
BamBam: In & Out Burger, all day. But traveling together is more fun; there's more energy traveling together. We're good together, we're doing well.
You're GOT7 but obviously one person isn't here and you're six. What do you do when a member is missing?
GOT7: We take over their part and rotate the spots in choreography. We make sure it's a balance, but it's the best when we're all together.
You recently released "Just Right," both the single and its EP. It has a real uplifting message, how did you feel about taking on this single?
Yugyeom: We can do these kinds of uplifting songs while we're young. It's really fun. And it makes us feel really good.
Do you ever feel any kind of burden or worry when presenting these types of songs?
Youngjae: It's more excitement than being nervous.
Moving onto the "Just Right" video, it seems like you got a chance to show your personalities -- particularly on the dance break part when you guys make some funny faces -- more than most groups do.
Yugyeom: That's our favorite part.
JB: Personally, I actually have gotten hypnotized by repeating it so much.
BamBam: You know, this time it's not really a cute concept. People are like, "Oh! It's cute!" We're not trying to be cute this time.
You guys perform acrobatics and stunts in your live shows. How do you prepare for that? Are you ever scared to attempt a trick?
Yugyeom: When we were trainees, we practiced a lot to be good at that. It's been two or three years of perfecting the flipping and the technique. But when we try a new move for the first time, we get kind of worried about an injury or having an accident.
Any cool moves you're working on right now?
BamBam: We'll soon get to work on something new; something people want to see, something more dangerous. We're working on it, well, Mark's the only one working on it. I'm trying. [Laughs]
Any new music on the way?
JB: Our new EP came out recently and we're going to work on that song more. We want to take proper time to promote it. Meanwhile, we're going to be doing many concerts this year and at the top of next year.
GOT7 Assure Fans They're 'Just Right' on Breezy New Single
Your supporters really came out in our Fan Army Face-Off. Do you have a message to your international fanbase?
JB: We hope our new song is brightening your day. We're going to work harder to see fans all around the world and you can expect to see more of us in the future.
So, if you could give fans one piece of advice to brighten their days, particularly to those who are going through a rough time, what would you tell them?
Yugyeom: It'll be all right. Whatever happens, take some time, and it'll get better. Don't worry.
Mark: You don't have to worry about your looks or what you look like. You're your own person.
Youngjae: [Begins singing the Michael Jackson hit] "You are not alone..."
JB: Look up at the sky when you're down. It makes me feel better when I look up to the sky.
Junior: What you're worried and thinking about right now, it might not be a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
BamBam: Don't worry about what other people think of you. Just be yourself, listen to yourself. Just do what do want you want. You know, YOLO. And then listen to our song and watch our music video. [Laughs]
A little over two years ago, the unsigned singer/songwriter Steve Grand dropped out of the sky with his viral video for "All-American Boy" and quickly garnered national attention. The buzzy self-funded clip’s gay-themed storyline was based on the out indie artist’s own life and net 1.1 million YouTube views in its first 10 days.
Steve Grand's 'American' Success Story: Kickstarter-Funded Debut Album Arrives on Charts
Grand also gained views and fans for a different reason, after it was discovered that he had previously been an aspiring model with a lot of saucy underwear shots in his portfolio. Still, his fleshy past only perhaps propelled his career. Grand later mounted a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign to fund his first album, All American Boy. It was the fifth most-funded music project ever in Kickstarter history (and the largest by an act never previously signed to a label), bringing in $327,000. The set later debuted on Billboard’s charts, including a No. 3 bow on Independent Albums.
But now, despite how social media helped fuel his rising career, Grand recently took a “social media vacation,” as he tells Billboard. “It can get really toxic,” he says, noting how some of the coverage he’s received from blogs and websites has been “malicious.”
Grand -- frustrated by sites that continually showcase his years-old underwear modeling photos -- tweeted on July 29 that it “would be nice if any other aspect of my life/work as artist/advocate got a fraction of the press I get 4 wearing a bathing suit by gay media.” More tweets followed from the exasperated artist, including one to Queerty asking them to “stop only posting the handful of half-naked pictures of me taken over the last 6 years to get your page clicks.”
Would be nice if any other aspect of my life/work as artist/advocate got a fraction of the press I get 4 wearing a bathing suit by gay media
— Steve Grand (@SteveGrandMusic) July 30, 2015“Ninety-nine percent of those [modeling] pictures are from six years ago,” Grand tells Billboard. “I've never used those images to represent me as an artist. They had their place a long, long time ago.”
Grand knows that social media can, “of course,” be a wonderful tool, but right now he feels “a sense of clarity” following his social-media cleanse, so to speak.
Exclusive Premiere: Steve Grand's 'All American Boy' Debut Album Is Here
That said, “I am going to have to figure out how to reintroduce [social media] in a more healthy way,” adding that he’s “lucky that people want to talk to me at all. I should be grateful for that, and I absolutely am.”
Moving Forward
“I felt so much more creative this week,” Grand says of his social media break. “I've been actually recording again.”
Grand, who co-wrote all of the songs on his album and penned 11 out of its 13 tracks on his own, is already working on new material.
“There's a song where I'm really using a lot of religious references. … I don't think I ever expressed my deserved anger at the church for everything that I see it responsible for, in terms of what I struggled with as a kid in being gay and the messages that I was told. I think that I'm taking out my anger a little bit on all of that.”
Watch Steve Grand Spoof Media's Fascination With His Body… While Shirtless
He also has a series of live shows lined up through October, including a series of pride festivals in cities like Cleveland (Aug. 8) and Louisville, Ky. (Sept. 19).
Would Grand do another Kickstarter campaign? He’s hesitant, but “wouldn’t throw” the idea out. “I've definitely learned a lot from that. I would definitely do some things very differently. Like, not offer to draw people's faces for $25 and then get 200 of them.” Ah, the perils of Kickstarter funding -- where fans can not only pledge money for an album, but also receive creative rewards in the process.
He also says he would “absolutely consider” signing with a label, depending on the terms. “I've learned that there's a lot of good things about being on a label, now that I know everything that you have to do without being on a label.”
Christopher Free- 1 of 2448
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