[No Reply] In Interview with Kim Ki Ja

The Kim KiJa Daum Cafe (which revolves around Indie) has a new corner "Alive, Deep Inside", showing other sides of the artists to the fans. Their first artist was No Reply.
At first a video was released with cuts from the interview and a live performance.



Later the full interview has been revealed (click on 'Read More'), followed by snapshots, to look at here and No Reply's favorite music, see here



The first site of 'ALIVE, DEEP INSIDE' is filled with emotion duo No Reply. No Reply are Jung Wook Jae and Kwon Sun Gwan, a 2 member band rising people’s expectations through winning the 2nd place at 17th Yoo Jae Ha Music Competition in 2006. After releasing their debut single '고백하는 날' in 2008 and their first full length album 'Road' in 2009, they are widening their fan base in high speed with music that has not just musicality but also popularity. While their popularity also comes out on several festivals and performances, their concerts have been sold out. No Reply finished their activities for their 1st album with the performances at Seokang University Mary Hall February 26~28. In this cold winter we're pulling out a package of their warm and small stories.

Q. 6 month after you released your first album 'Road', how did you spend that time?

Wook Jae(WJ): It went past really fast. After the release, performances were proceeding tightly and we also had a lot of broadcast and radio appearances. There were various works we experienced for the first time and we were crazy, but it was fun. More than anything else a lot of fans appeared and they gave a lot of love, so one glad year went by fast.

Sun Gwan(SG): The time we made the album felt far too long, and the time we were active felt too short and as if it passed in just a moment. That the flowing of time can feel so different... At first, when the album came out, we didn't do anything for 2 weeks and were just watching the reaction through the internet. But suddenly the work came blowing like a storm. Of course it was not like as for Idols, but we were unpracticed at broadcasts, unpracticed at performances, and also unpracticed at speaking, so we were in a flurry, and it went over like in one moment. Of course there were also difficult experiences. We thought much of meals and when we went to work without eating, our nerves became sensitive, but in general we really enjoyed work.

WJ: I remember the concerts. We had the first concert in July in Hongdae, and a lot of people came, it was even sold out. That time over 200 people came to our concert. I thought that really a lot of people came, but there came by far more people to repeat the party Thanks, once again.
(Q. It was sold out quite fast.)
WJ: At the second time, we even couldn't realize it. I didn't thought I would be able to do a performance that gets sold out. Once I wanted to invite my parents and also went into the preorder battle, but it was really hard to get a ticket. I merely made it because people were cancelling their tickets.

Q. While being active, is there a question you hear very often?

WJ: Normally questions about what we are spending our time with are many. In the corner 'ask whatever you want' of our club, a lot of questions are coming up, if it's about our family relations, or maybe where our houses are, such things are often uploaded. Because I like sport, I do sport to pull off the stress and I also like games.

SG: People are curious what meaning the name No Reply has. It is not a name we built putting in a big meaning. There are colors about names; if you say 'cool', you think of summer. But if you say 'Radio Head', it feels like an achromatic color. Like that we wanted No Reply to have several colors through music, so we built the name without any special meaning. They also ask a lot about fashion and clothes. Especially where I bought the socks. They are also giving us a lot of presents.

Q. Not just during concerts, but also other performances, how is your feeling?

WJ: I'm lost at how the planning gets bigger and bigger every time. There is also the burden of the 2nd album. But still, because there are a lot of people liking us, I feel good. The fun thing during the performance is, when the performance ends and we are shooting a Polaroid photo and give it to the audience; the fans like it a lot. I tried it at the GMF; in 2007 I watched Jason Mraz' performance and was inspired, so I tried and it was really good. Fans said they were really thankful and they will keep it well, they also scanned the photo and uploaded it at the club.

SG: I feel it every time we perform, it is fun and as if we would play with the fans. It is fun, but still, I am always thinking I am lacking. ‘How to do it that it will become better’, I am always thinking and really feel this lacking. I want to go out satisfied, but it won’t work; but I am working hard to get better.

Q. While the performance proceeds, is there a change in the flowing of the atmosphere?

SG: After all, it looks as if we were close. At first we were stiff like ice, we also had cramps. (laughter) But still, we're getting better bit by bit. When we're doing performance these days, we're still nervous, but we grow comfortable, and also the audience seems to get more comfortable seeing us like that.

Q. Working on songs, is there something you refer to?

SG: It is not limited; I get inspiration from my own feelings, circumstances in the environment, and express that. Of course what I get the most inspiration from is music. I think of wanting to move people. On the other side, I like to take a walk; I get directly encouraged by the environment of the surroundings and get touched by it well. Because it is an up and down of emotions. Those things are expressed with music.

Q. When you're composing, how do you do that?

SG: It's a narrative of my personal experiences. It's always the thoughts I am feeling. People seem different, but they are similar. There are various, ubiquitous emotions I feel. I am not a special person, and because I am a normal person, the sound of such ubiquitous stories seems to fit to each other.

Q. (Jung Wook Jae) is running his solo project called TUNE(튠), what meaning does it have to you?

WJ: My major is Environment Engineering. Looking at it, people have duplicity. I am not always using expressions about the seriousness, expressions that carry my-self to that extent, but through the project TUNE those expressions are slowly coming out. You can also feel that it is a heavy subject to a certain point, but I started the project to express that I have such thoughts about environment, politics, policies etc. Because the culture of expressing in Korea is not that spread, I want that such communication becomes livelier because of the project TUNE. Consideration about environment, starvation, child policies are surely not always a heavy subject. If communication between the people goes well, it will somewhere draw some result like that. From that point, it is saying ‘let's approach it more easily with the medium of music.’ It's responding to each other with music through TUNE. 'So this person is thinking that', I thought it reaches more people, showing it with art more than with words. Artists are putting importance into their activities. I think, opening the mouth of the people bit by bit, we will make the world a bit better.

Q. What do you think is the secret to No Reply's popularity?

SG: It's freshness. We are people with many defects. (laughter) We also make a lot of mistakes. But people are seeing that and seem to like us even more. They like it more our voice cracks or we sing wrong. While forming this motherly smile.. recognizable 'right right, you strain yourself.' Is it that feeling? (laughter)

WJ: Well. Looking at the awesome bands that make similar music around us, there are many good looking people, young and tall (laughter) We're not exactly like that. Free and easy, insignificant, fans seem to like that image a lot. As we show it, our characters are different; looking at it, because two different people like that met, it is as if you can comprehend the variety.

Q. Kwon Sun Gwan is for Jung Wook Jae?

WJ: I see him since I was quite young. I have seen him since elementary school 3rd, 4th class, so it's been 17, 18 years. For me Sun Gwan is an existence like socks. It's a famous episode; every time we perform Hyung prepares a lot of socks. The color of the socks have to fit exactly to his clothes concept, that is his completion of his preparations. Because socks are something people need, it is something that is always there. If you put on your shoes without socks, you always graze the feet. Because you have to stick to them. I do not think so deep like that. (laughter) It's scary, how shall I tell him.

Q. Jung Wook Jae is for Kwon Sun Gwan?

SG: Just, someone who is there. (laughter) Someone who's just by my side. Not different from family. Because I see him more than my little brother. I see him even more than my mother. He really is someone who's always there. I am always thinking grateful of him.

Q. About the 2nd Album that will come out some time.

WJ: We're under pressure. First, the 2nd album will proceed more tightly than the 1st. When the last concert ends, from then on, we will start right away with a tight and severe recording, and we are now working on the sketch.

SG: We also have a concept for this album. The concept is a matter of national secrecy. Compared to the 1st album, we will do more things with music we want to do. We also wanted to make the 1st album similar, but if there was a lot of fresh music that time, we made in the process of making the band, and music from before No Reply released their 1st album, the 2nd album is music made after No Reply's formation. Maybe the changed musical taste will also be reflected. It will be as if the color changed. It is planned for the last half of this year. But I am worrying too much working on something, so when working on unusual music I morbidly become detailed. Normally it is just my free and easy character, but strangely, just when I start to work, even a little sound I approach with too much importance. So I am looking forward that the moment it will be finished is the last half of this year.

Q. Music is for No Reply?

WJ: To a certain point there is a difference between the music of No Reply and the music of Jung Wook Jae. For me personally, music is like letting know what kind of person I am. No matter how well or bad people can talk, in the music someone can show what kind of person he is. When you listen to music of masters, you can feel that. When I see them making music and listen to it, I am guessing 'ah, that person maybe lives like this'. For me too music has this existence. Also in No Reply's music, we make music that gives the fans to understand that we lived like that until now.

SG: That's a difficult Question. Music was simply the part I liked the most since I was young. It was like that and from one moment on, I started to think from one time on that I also want to express my heart and feelings with music like that. One moment I run after it like mad, searched for a way, and now I try to make the result of that. It just came naturally like fate. Music is for me the shape of the life I live, so without music, there is no story possible. I am so insecure and a weak human, like that I can tell everyone stories with music. For me music is also something like a miracle.

Q. Mupeul (Fans) are for No Reply?

SG: It's like a fortune. The Number of members also went over 3000 some time ago. When you can't make good music you will vanish some time. Because I said 'fortune', it doesn't have the meaning of property, we are getting much strength from them and they are always moving us.