Kang Daniel [Cosmopolitan Interview]
01. These days, beauty industry is more than just about gender and genderless (beauty) are popular. Givenchy Beauty's Kang Daniel is one of them too, wasn't this phenomenon felt strange at first?
I never thought that I played a special role in breaking gender boundaries. It's an era where we should obviously respect diversity. When I became a beauty model, my maternal grandfather said “I am going to buy 'Rouge' that Daniel advertised too” which then I replied with a laugh.
02. Looking healthy is important, but real healthy lifestyle is just as important. How are you spending your free time in this pandemic situation?
Nothing has changed since I am such a homebody. I think I could stay at home up to five years, really. In the past, there was an experiment to test how many months people could spend in one room where they had computer and they could eat whatever they wanted, once I thought about applying for it. Haha. I want to skydive when COVID19 situation stabilizes. I was really interested but it's a shame that I couldn't go due to current situation.
03. There seems to be a lot of episodes for the self-proclaimed 'homebody'. In second mini album MAGENTA which was released in August, you took a large portion in writing lyrics and told many stories, but musician often put their autobiographical experiences in their lyrics.
I don't have that much experience since I am a homebody. If there is a genre of music that express how life is hard and difficult, I can confidently tell my story but in the abstract of what I've been through, I don't think I can express it well. So rather than projecting my experience, I looked for movie and animation and found (inspiration) from it. I think Netflix is the best window to see the world. Through their film we could enjoy a different type of relationship that exists in the world. I enjoyed bizzare genres like fantasy and horror. I like American Horror Story. I'm a fan of Guillermo del Toro, my favorite particularly are (Pan's Labyrinth – Ophilia and Three Keys). I am very interested in Lovecraft genre inspired by Cthulhu mythology.
04. Unlike what a lot of people said that “Kang Daniel only knows dancing”, it seems like you actually have a lot of interests.
There are so many things I really like beside dancing. These days singing are really fun. I watched a lot of movies as well as dramas. I usually read webtoon but I'm hooked into comic books recently. I like seeing architectural design and I learn painting by myself. I also learn foreign language since I am also a college university student. I love playing games. I enjoyed a difficult game with a clearing rate only 2% of minor in the world could win.
05. Kang Daniel as singer that others see and Kang Daniel that I know myself, which of the two is the Bonkae and Bukae? (Bonkae = main character in a game) (Bukae = second character in a game)
I think human Kang Daniel is the secondary character. I'm going to grow this second character well and then turn it into a main character. Haha. My dream is to become a farmer. If I were to name this second character, I'd like it to be an ordinary name but the name Daniel is so precious, so I will just live as Kang Daniel the farmer. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to live with a pseudonym. Wherever you go, when you are using your card, your real name will be known and it's often burdensome. I'm quite timid.
06. How do you put a formula to define Kang Daniel on your own, not from someone else's point of view?
The sun or the moon. Actually I don't want to define myself in a specific words. Just like day and night, there are people who listen to my songs and there are people who don't remember my songs. In any circumstance, I try to keep my composure and show consistent image. I think that's the most important motto for me right now.
trans by tomatodann