Big Bang’s ‘Bae Bae’ M/V explained

G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Seungri, and Daesung raised eyebrows online with the release of their “Bae Bae” music video. It was unusual in many ways, and -- as American music magazine Billboard put it, represented Big Bang’s “sexual peak.” In a conversation with reporters at the Conrad Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul on Monday, Big Bang talked about the creation of the buzz-creating video.

“We wanted to make something unusual, something that people would find fun, something that made you feel like you were going to a different world,” said leader G-Dragon. “We paid a lot of attention to details in each scene. We wanted to make a video that could be experienced differently very time you watch it.”

As for his part in the video, G-Dragon said, “My character embodies unrequited love. He falls in love with a girl, but can’t get himself to talk to her. You see a lot of girls in my scene, but they’re all mannequins. And his ideal is represented as an angel. He can’t actually talk to her in person, but has a lot of passion.”

T.O.P, who arguably has the most unusual persona in the video, said that he was inspired by Jack Nicholson’s acting. “I wanted to create a new, crazy character. It’s a character that makes you laugh,” he said.

He also explained the fake eye, saying, “The character is fundamentally pure at heart. The eye represents something that the character is lacking in his life. He’s lacking something, and that’s why he’s singing those lyrics.”

The music video had a deeper significance for Daesung, who said he felt the character reflected his true personality. “I’m on a deserted island, but I’m wearing these flashy clothes,” he said. “The director actually came up with the concept for me, but it fits me.”

“I like being alone, and thinking to myself. I can relate to someone who’s on a deserted island alone, in the middle of the vast sea. The flashy clothes, meanwhile, represent who I am when I’m working,” he explained.

G-Dragon, who said he visited the set for Daesung’s scene, commented that he thought Daesung seemed like a “modern, sexy Little Prince.”

“He looked like a boy, who had grown up trapped alone in his own little world,” he said.

Meanwhile, Taeyang said, “I just thought it would be funny if I appeared on a horse. The concept was one of those sexy guys in an old Western movie. In the video, I appear riding a horse through the desert. A girl appears to me like a mirage, and in the end we ride off somewhere.” He added, “While Jiyong’s (G-Dragon) scene has a lot of pink and blue lighting, I wanted to have a more classic-looking scene, filled with the hot sun.”

The video was a victory for Seungri. “Finally, I get to shine visually in this video!” he joked. “My part is the bridge, when there’s no beat and it’s just a quiet guitar. You see me holding a match. I wanted to express the fear of losing someone you love, represented by the fire on the match.”

The video also shows all five members frolicking together in the moonlight, dressed in hanbok, or traditional Korean garb. “It’s an ‘ancestor’ concept,” said T.O.P, laughing.

About that scene, Taeyang also said, “There was a distinctly Korean taste to the ‘Bae Bae’ music video, so I was curious about what people overseas would think.”

“I watched some of the reaction videos, and everyone seemed to like it. It was interesting. They seemed to have a kind of culture shock,” he said.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)