All You Need To Know About B.A.P.'s New Japanese 'One Shot' Single According To Band Members Bang Yongguk And Daehyun [EXCLUSIVE]

Though it has been less than two years since B.A.P. stormed onto the international music scene with their debut EP "Warrior," the six-piece hip-hop group has become a major act to follow in the South Korean music scene.

Revered for their strikingly powerful sound along with their cutting edge look of their album covers and music videos, B.A.P. continues to expand their reach beyond their homeland, starting with Japan.

Last week, B.A.P. released their second Japanese single "One Shot," which also includes newly recorded versions of the songs "Hajima" and "Rain Sound."

In an exclusive interview with KpopStarz Japan reporter Kiyori Matsumoto, B.A.P. frontman Bang Yongguk and his bandmate Daehyun gave us a guided tour through the three songs on the band's new Japanese single and the accompanying new music video.

"One Shot"

Bang Yongguk:  B.A.P unveiled the [original version of] "One Shot" as the second single following our debut single "Warrior." The title song "One Shot" contains a message, "to do our best and challenge in everything, while living with burning passions, and not to miss each one-time opportunity." It's a song that captures your eyes and ears at once, with the grand orchestra and upgraded performance.

Daehyun: The lyrics in the Korean version convey the song's meaning as "do not miss the opportunities that life brings to you and live with all your strength." In translating it into Japanese, we tried our best not to change the meaning. So you can consider the contents as virtually the same. The Korean version of the "One Shot" music video is completed like a drama, but in the Japanese version we placed the focus on showing more of our performance. There are many scenes of all of us dancing together, so it has a different feeling than the Korean version.

"Hajima"

Bang Yongguk: The version of "Hajiima" recorded in the single is a song with modern reinterpretation of the dance music in the 90's, impressive with the combination of simple melodies and charming lyrics.

"Rain Sound"

Bang Yongguk: "Rain Sound" combines hip-hop beats with an acoustic guitar riff. That song is about the nostalgic emotions one feels over memories of a past lover. The lyrics are about hearing the sound of rain as if it was the voice of the main character's girlfriend asking him questions about his emotions. The vocals convey a heart-wrenching sorrow that cannot be explained with words. My heart is trembling because we can sing this song, which has been quite popular in Japan, in Japanese for this new release. Our second Japanese single contains totally different versions of all three songs, so I believe listeners will be able to hear the full musical spectrum of B.A.P.