Q: The method of releasing a new song every month is unusual.

Taeyang: We wanted to show every song included on the album. We also really wanted to film a music video for every track and show it. While thinking about what method would work, CEO Yang Hyun-suk suggested releasing one song each month.

When we were rookies we tried a similar method, but back then it was difficult because we didn’t yet have our own color. Now we have so much we can show, so we’re happy.

G-Dragon: It’s similar to our early debut activities. Back then the goal was simply to make people know who we were, so rather than doing what we wanted, we had to do what we were told. We received songs from composers instead of performing our own. If back then it was hard because our musical color and direction weren’t clear, now we have a defined concept, so we’re enjoying doing the music we want.

Q: The lyrics of the title track “Loser” feel quite autobiographical.

Taeyang: Celebrities are people too. We get hurt when we see malicious comments online. As the years pass, the pressure grows. There’s also loneliness that you can’t talk about with anyone while working in this field. We wrote those complex emotions into the lyrics. We wanted it to give strength to people our age who struggle with the same worries.

T.O.P: Recently the atmosphere of society has felt quite gloomy. On the outside we may look glamorous, but once we step down from the stage there are times we feel depressed, almost like we’ve come to hell. We wanted to share those emotions with people.

G-Dragon: Actually we weren’t trying to divide people into “losers” and “winners.” What we wanted to say is that celebrities are just the same as everyone else. We simply have a special job. We laugh at funny things and cry at sad things just like anyone else.

Q: “Bae Bae” contains a lot of sexual metaphors.

G-Dragon: I wanted it to feel strange but not bad, fun but like you’re being pulled into another world. I didn’t intend to make a 19-rated song from the start. While listening, your imagination gets stimulated, so the enjoyment of both hearing and watching it increases.

Q: There’s a 25-year-old woman mentioned in the lyrics, and coincidentally Mizuhara Kiko, who you were rumored to be dating, is also 25.

G-Dragon: Kiko is twenty-five? (laughs) We were discussing “what age do women look the most beautiful?” We debated between 25 and 26, and in the end chose 25 because it felt like the most beautiful age. I hope people just see it as a fun expressive element in the song.

Q: Some say the songs on this album are more public-friendly than before.

G-Dragon: Since we’re popular singers, I think we should make music that the public can enjoy. When doing solo activities you can show your own color more strongly, so you can sing songs that might feel more difficult. But when working as BIGBANG, the songs that feel good to us often turn out to be good for the public as well. This time we tried to make songs that anyone can easily sing along to.

Q: T.O.P and Daesung seem to have paid special attention to their hairstyles.

T.O.P: The pineapple hair? (laughs) It’s a style I used to do often during school vacations. This time I wanted to transform with a playful, popping image. While thinking about it, my childhood self came to mind.

Daesung: People say that by covering my eyes completely with my bangs my face actually looks clearer. I’m not sure if that’s an insult or a compliment. (laughs) Because my hair covers my eyes, I sometimes need help from the members while performing on stage.

Q: T.O.P, you’ve also been very active on Instagram lately.

T.O.P: For the past two years there wasn’t much communication with fans. When I first started Instagram, I didn’t expect to upload this many photos. But seeing fans enjoy them made me start posting like crazy without realizing it. I’ll keep sharing what I’m doing at the moment whenever I can. If it becomes annoying later, I’ll think about it then.

Q: You’re at an age where love and dating should be active, but as idols that must feel burdensome.

Taeyang: We’re similar to friends our age. Dating isn’t a bad thing. Since we’re singers who express ourselves through music, I think we need many experiences. Dating is one kind of experience. But in Asia, especially in Korea, people seem to react very sensitively to it, so we have to be careful.

T.O.P: It’s true that this job requires some distance from women. When too many things become public, there are many side effects.

Q: Recently CEO Yang Hyun-suk’s “20-year contract” comment became a hot topic.

T.O.P: If we could stay together for 20 years, that would be wonderful. But I want to continue only as long as we can still receive applause. If even one of us begins to look shabby or loses confidence, I think we wouldn’t be able to stand on stage together anymore. If we can still look cool even at eighty years old, I’d like to stand on stage together then too.

Q: Does that mean if one member stops looking cool, we might never see BIGBANG again?

Daesung: The other members will do whatever it takes to make him look cool again. We may not fight with each other, but we are competitive. If someone feels like they’re falling behind, they try harder themselves. If the hiatus gets long, just think, “Someone must have lost their cool.” (laughs)

G-Dragon: We’re BIGBANG because we respect each other’s individuality. The group as a whole has to look cooler. There can’t be anyone left behind.

Q: Daesung, I heard you’re very popular in Japan.

Daesung: Personally I didn’t have much confidence. I thought it was enough if I could play the role of connecting the members and the fans. But after doing solo activities my thinking changed. Now I feel I play a more important role than anyone else. I’m the strong “waist” of the group. Before, if I made a mistake I thought it would harm BIGBANG and YG. Now I think, “Anyone can make mistakes.” I feel more relaxed.

G-Dragon:For men, the waist is important after all. (laughs)

Q: G-Dragon, I heard you recently went through a slump.

G-Dragon: It wasn’t a painful or agonizing slump. Sometimes songs just didn’t come out well, and some days I simply felt lazy about composing. I wondered what the problem was when nothing about me had changed.

The past year was about finding that answer. I thought I didn’t have my own muse, but BIGBANG turned out to be my muse. When the members gathered again for this album, I got out of that slump. I was BIGBANG, and BIGBANG was me.

Q: What is the driving force that allowed BIGBANG to last for 10 years?

T.O.P: We’ve never fought even once. I think we’re the only friends we can share our worries with. We rely on each other. Now we know each other so well it almost becomes a problem. (laughs)

Daesung: Personally, when something big happens, the first people I think of are the members. Even when I had my motorcycle accident in 2011, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome it alone. The members gave me a lot of strength.

Taeyang: When we were trainees, the company was going through a hard time. Spending those difficult times together naturally created a strong friendship. We developed a kind of hungry spirit too.

G-Dragon: Like Taeyang said, I think it’s because we all went through hardship. There were hungry days, and each of us had our own pain. Thinking about those difficult times taught us to be satisfied with the present. We keep working together so we can last a long time. If we had started with everything from the beginning, maybe we wouldn’t have this passion now.