INTERVIEW GOT7's second sub-unit Jus2 comes into 'Focus'

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Jus2, the second sub-unit of GOT7 comprised of JB and Yugyeom, released their first mini-album Tuesday. “Focus,” a six track R&B pop album was composed and written by the two members in collaboration with other songwriters. Each of the six tracks on the album touches on the human senses.

The title track “Focus on Me” embodies sight with lyrics such as, “Just let me love you. Now focus on me,” and speaks of the thrill of being drawn to each other. The second track “Drunk on You,” written by JB, is urban, groovy R&B pop and the third, “Touch,” deals with the tactile effects of love.

The fourth, “Senses,” which is JB's favorite, encompasses all the senses that love stimulates; while the fifth, “Love Talk,” written by Yugyeom, is a deep house piece that focuses on hearing. The last track “Long Black,” also penned by Yugyeom, compares love to the varying tastes of coffee.

GOT7 was originally formed in 2014 by JYP as a seven-member boy group. The full line-up is still considered the primary GOT7 group, but Jus2 said they wanted to distinguish themselves from its music style.

Q. Tell us how the unit Jus2 came about.

Yugyeom: The idea popped up during GOT7's world tour. I noticed that I had performed on stage with all the members except JB. Our management agency staff suggested that JB and I would make an interesting pair because we are both strong performers, so that is how we began to prepare for this album.

Q. How did you come up with the sub-unit name, Jus2?

Yugyeom: At first, we considered JBxYG or JYP (JB and Yugyeom Project). Then we came up with Jus2, which refers to two members who can sing and dance well and show off a great deal of charm.

Q. JB, this is your second sub-unit after you paired with another bandmate Jinyoung under the name the JJ Project. Can you tell us the difference between working with Yugyeom and Jinyoung?

JB: Working with Jinyoung was like walking quietly down the street, but with Yugyeom, it felt like skydiving. With Jinyoung, I felt like I needed to read a book or do something productive, but with Yugyeom, I could be idle and relax a bit more.

Q. How did you decide on the title track?

JB: To be honest, we did not expect “Focus on Me” to be the lead song because that was the first song we wrote in collaboration with fellow songwriters at a song camp. However, everyone including Park Jin-young, CEO of JYP Entertainment, loved it and recommended it as the title track.

Q. How is Jus2 different from GOT7? What were your bandmates' reaction to your new album and music video?

JB: We wanted this album to be different from GOT7 albums so we sought to bring out what we couldn't do within GOT7. Jus2 shows more restrained choreography and in terms of music, it constantly goes back and forth between strong and weak beats.

Yugyeom: We have taken care of nearly everything for this album, including music, choreography and fashion styling. GOT7 members rooted for us and complimented our songs and the music video.

Q. What was the hardest part about working together?

JB: We know each other so well because we have been together as a group for a long period of time. One thing that was hard to coordinate, however, was choosing what to eat for dinner. We have different tastes in food ― Yugyeom loves Western food like pizza, steak and pasta, but I prefer Korean food, like haejangguk (hangover soup) or yukgaejang (spicy beef soup).

Q. How was writing the lyrics for the songs, especially the title song?

JB: When writing the lyrics, I tend to focus on how to best represent the overall mood of the song. The inspirations behind each story of my lyrics were based on my experiences and imagination. During my free time, I usually go outside and read people's faces to interpret their emotions. For instance, if I see somebody hurriedly crossing the crossroad, I reflect upon a time when I was driven by impatience.

After carrying out their promotional activities in Korea, Jus2 will travel to seven Asian cities to showcase their new album. After stopping in Macau on April 7, the duo will take their show to Tokyo, Taipei, Osaka, Jakarta, Bangkok and Singapore.

On April 10, the two members are set to release a Japanese version of Focus,” a collection of the six tracks and an additional track.