IU - NHK BS1 Hot @ Asia 130315 [TRANSLATION]

NHK BS1 Hot Asia IU 03/15/2013 by ew5204ever

00:00
MCs: Hello.
YK: It’s 5pm now. I’m Hot Asia’s Yoshii Kanoko.
HS: I’m Harry Sugiyama.
YK: So first up today is Hot Entertainment.
HS: Yes. We have Korea’s national little sister who has not made an appearance for quite some time, IU. Well even though we call her ‘little sister’, she’s already almost 20. I’m looking forward to this quite a bit, we’ll explain in further detail in a moment.
00:32

01:00
HS: Shall we begin then? Firstly, let’s start off with this corner.
Voice: Korea’s talented singer, IU. Certainly with this song, her pure and cute image has allowed her to receive lots of love from many fans regardless of gender. With what kind of feelings did IU have when creating her new album?
IU: It’s about confessing my feelings towards a guy I like.
Voice: From taking up the challenge of writing lyrics to her thoughts on the recording for the album. Making special preparations to transform into a superstar is Mr Sugiyama.
HS: ‘Really sexy’ was the feeling I got…
IU: Thank you.
Voice: Tracking down the makeup-less face of IU, who is developing from an idol to an adult singer.
01:59

02:18
YK: Is IU still as cute as ever?
HS: Ah no, she’s really cool. Well it’s been a year since we last met, she has really become more feminine, really… she’s expresses herself gently too and above all, this time round, I got to meet her without any makeup on.
YK: Wow sounds like you had a good time, didn’t you?
HS: Yes, that’s right. Since we’re on the topic of IU, let’s take a look at this. Look at this, it’s her first original Japanese album. It’s finally out.
YK: What songs are there in the album?
HS: Well, you could say she’s become more of a ‘girl’ or ‘lady’, like a poem. Like a guitar arpeggio, it touches hearts. It’s a really cool album filled with anticipation as she’s maturing into an adult.
YK: Did you already listen to all the songs on the album?
HS: That’s right. It’s just as I described.
YK: Shall we take a look at the video then?
HS: Right, let’s go.

03:24
Voice: Korea’s popular singer, IU’s visit. Mr Sugiyama brings her directly to a Tokyo restaurant
HS: Good evening, good evening, good evening. Nice to meet you, it’s been awhile. Please take good care of us. Also… this is IU.
Lady: Yes, annyeonghaseyo (hello).
IU: Oh, annyeonghaseyo (hello).
HS: That ‘IU’.
Lady: Yes, I know who she is.
Voice: IU, whose name is even famous, who debuted at the young age of 15, is a singer and also an actress. Receiving a lot of support from fans regardless of their gender, she is now turning 20 soon.
HS: Once you turn 20, you’re going to enter an entirely different world. What do you think about that?
IU: First and foremost… I get to drink beer and alcohol, in Korea.
HS: You get to drink?
IU: Yes, beer… cheers!
HS: Cheers!
IU: In that moment, I felt like I had really become… an adult.
Voice: In order to welcome the cute guest from Korea, Mr Sugiyama has prepared a special item… Ayu (fish) for IU?
IU: Mmm… it’s delicious.
HS: I’m glad I passed!
IU: It’s really delicious.
Voice: Also, her first Japanese album which will be released soon, titled ‘Can You Hear Me?’
HS: Can You Hear Me?
IU: Yes.
HS: I can hear! It’s the best~~ really.
IU: Ah… thank you. It’s my first original album, so I’m really nervous right now. I really want to find out my fans’ reactions, so my heart keeps beating really fast.
HS: Could you share with us the theme of this album in general?
IU: (In Korean) Is it alright for me to talk about the theme in general?
IU: It’s a new challenge for me.
HS: Challenge.
IU: ‘Voicemail’ will be my first original composition on the album and umm.. yes it’s a new challenge.
Voice: IU is taking up many new challenges this time round. One of which is that all the songs on the album are in Japanese.
HS: Was it difficult?
IU: Yes, it was. Be it pronunciation, or expression, it was all difficult… but although it was really difficult… I enjoyed myself.
HS: Could you teach me more about expressing feelings or meaning when singing in Japanese?
IU: There are many songs with really beautiful lyrics, so as I sang, I was able to think about the meaning and feel the song.
HS: Was the recording process really long?
IU: Yes, it was. I recorded the songs in Japan.. Hiro-san directed all of that, but because he’s such a gentleman…
HS: Gentleman?
IU: Yes, I really enjoyed myself.
Voice: Japanese producer, Hiro, who worked with Namie Amuro, as well as Canadian R&B producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, helped to produce this original Japanese album.
07:31
IU: It’s sung in a high pitch… ‘Beautiful Dancer’… so there were some challenging parts, but it has a really pretty melody and song lyrics, so I really enjoyed singing it.
HS: Produced by Jam&Lewis… aren’t they American? IU, you were in Korea, right?
IU: Yes.
HS: Then you recorded in Japan…?
IU: Through music, Americans, Koreans and Japanese became one, so it was really interesting.
HS: You sang it in a way unlike before, it really felt almost like a fantasy. Were your vocals different from that in other songs?
IU: Yes! Ohh… wow you’re great. How did you know? I was thinking too that I planned to sing this song differently and I kept thinking about that as I sang.
HS: I really like it.

08:45
Voice: Besides, IU took up the challenge of singing a song from a musical this time too. After much discussion with the staff, a song with a deep meaning was chosen. Also, writing the lyrics for the first time, depicting a young girl’s feelings is ‘Voicemail’.
Lyrics: Really… waking me up in the middle of the night with your phone call… really, do you not mean anything? Is it really just because you’re bored? Yes? Please tell me.
IU: The lyrics to the song are all dialogue. From the start… to the end, all of it. It’s about confessing my feelings to a guy I like, so I pretended to be really confessing my feelings as I sang… so I created feelings of both sadness and shyness.
HS: Also, what made my heart beat faster is that your singing tone… is really sexy.
IU: Ahaha.. thank you. Ah you really know a lot about me, don’t you?
HS: Yes, of course!
IU: It’s really amazing…
HS: Because I’m happy, really.
IU: Did you do research about me?
HS: Besides research, just listening to your songs… I really liked them, because they were so easy to listen to.
IU: Thank you.
Voice: The songstress that keeps evolving… what could be her next challenge?
IU: I want to become more humourous, more ‘mischievous’.. like become more playful.
HS: Why?
IU: When I was a kid, I read in books that when things were difficult, or when I was scared, humour would triumph above all. I really liked that phrase, so I felt that a humorous person was a strong person.
Voice: Something you want to ask yourself 10 years down the road?
IU: Is there someone you love and who loves you? When I’m 30, I hope to become someone who knows more about love.
HS: You can’t do that without falling in love.
IU: Yes, of course.
Voice: IU, who is developing into a mature singer, will have more challenges ahead of her. Also, it seems we’ll have more to look forward to.
12:38
HS: Yes, from her flawless complexion, I see a girl who is becoming a matured lady. The highlight of this album is that it has a grand arrangment. There are parts of it that are like a fairytale and filled with fantasy, but not to forget IU’s excellent vocals that really strike chords within you.
YK: Which song in particular?
HS: Ah, that’s a tough one. ’Beautiful Dancer’ is good, but ‘Voicemail’ is composed by IU and I really like IU’s natural image and I could really feel her hesitation and internal conflict for a 19 year old girl. Her vocals are so excellent that I feel like she’s whispering to me. Although it was written from the perspective of a girl, as a guy I feel that I can relate to the sweet song content. Of course, it would be great if everyone could listen to it too.
YK: Ah you’re giving lots of wonderful comments, but during the interview that played on the video just now, you just kept praising her over and over again.
HS: Yes, that’s right. I tried counting, I said it 17 times in total. Well, I’m a guy after all… so, of course I fell for her.
YK: It’s Mr Sugiyama talking right?
HS: Yes.
YK: But even from the perspective of a female, she seems to have really blossomed.
HS: I feel like she’ll become a new IU. So her live fanmeeting will be on March 27th.
YK: Yes, her fans must be really looking forward to it.
HS: Of course.
YK: So Sugiyama-san, did you enjoy the food?
HS: Certainly, wonderful selection.
YK: That’s great! It’s Harry after all.
HS: I’m Sugiyama-san. Don’t get confused. It was my selection so everything that appeared on the table was delicious. Next time, I hope to introduce Japanese ramen.
YK: That’s a wonderful idea.

Translated by squishy via junius’ Korean subs