[MANIA NUMBER ONE] WHAT DOES PHOTOGRAPH MEAN TO DARA THE ‘SELFIE-MANIAC’?

Photos are about memories. Leaving a trace of the loved ones, beautiful scenery, and precious memories. Photos and artists have a lot in common. Recorded music is about memories, and albums are a preservation of the artists’ memories. Sharing and giving their work to the loved ones.

To DARA, photos and being an artist is the same thing. 2NE1’s DARA. Fans call her 2NE1’s promotion agent, and she calls herself that too. DARA is dubbed the “selfie-maniac” because she constantly posts her photos on social media like Twitter.

Waiting for her meal at YG’s cafeteria, preparing for the concert, being playful with the other members of 2NE1, sitting in a chair at a hair salon, and so on.

Why does DARA take photos? What does photograph mean to DARA?

I was at YG’s headquarters to meet DARA. The building is well-known through MBC’s “Infinite Challenge.” It was around dinnertime when I visited. As I walked in wondering if the food there tastes as good as people say, the guard stopped me, telling me to write the reasons for visit. So the visit to the cafeteria was postponed.

We waited for DARA in the 3rd floor recording room. There sat a giant teddy bear, placed there by YG’s founder YANG HYUN SUK, who is known for being a teddy bear maniac. Another was a plastic model of Mazinger Z, and a giant Gundam. Outside where the pool table sat, YG’s trainees were chitchatting. This is where DARA and her loved ones are.

DARA, who came in the room with a “hello,” handed me a drink with wings attached to it. It indeed suited her. DARA herself seems like she is hovering 30cm above the ground with two wings attached to her.

When asked why she takes photos, she answers, “I wanted to share a lot with the fans since I made a debut as 2NE1. So I post them on social media.”

Sounds like the perfect answer, but doesn’t answer “why” she takes them. “It comes to me naturally, and I want to share them with the fans because they want to know what we are up to,” she added.

I asked when she started doing this. Did she have the urge to share with the fans before or after her debut?

She tells me it’s since her cell phone came with the functions. This is before she rose to stardom in a blink of an eye when she appeared on ABS-CBN’s Star Circle Quest after moving to the Philippines.

She uses Polaroid and cell phone to take more and more photos. With her friends in the street, with her family at a nice restaurant, and those photos piled up in her album. Her photos are stored in albums and CDs. Her room is filled with these items. She often takes them out and recalls her past, wondering what others would be doing now. To DARA, taking photos is an ongoing memory-building process.

DARA was a singer and actor in the Philippines, and she became popular when she was introduced on SBS’s Global Homestay program in 2004 and Human Cinema. In 2007 she joined YG Entertainment, and she had to wait not knowing her own future until 2009 May when she made a debut. Everything was uncertain, and she even started to have doubts about her own talents.

She recorded those moments in photos. Left alone in the training room, Han river seen outside the window… and she still takes out those photos not to forget how she felt back then.

DARA said she wanted to share with the fans. But why is it DARA’s job? She says, “I wouldn’t have been able to do it if someone forced me to do it. I feel like I’m doing something I can. The agency gave me the title ‘promotion agent’, and I wanted to deliver news on our new albums and upcoming concerts.”

I asked again, why it’s her job. Since their debut, BOM was the vocalist, MINZY dancer, and CL rapper. Some said DARA is the “pretty” one in the group.

She explained, “That’s the part that concerns me most since our debut. I was especially concerned when we marked our 3rd anniversary.”

“I was upset. Others have a lot to show on stage, but I didn’t know what I could do. I thought I needed change.”

She added, “I’m not so young anymore, so I even thought of being the ‘mysterious’ one. But the answer I found was being myself, doing what suits me most. Showing myself.”

DARA showcased some dynamic performances on stage. She acted and sang. She did something that made her happy. She brought her happy memories to the present. For DARA, memories are a form of record, and they are kept in albums. And her job was to share those albums with the people she loves.

“And perhaps that’s why I cried so much recording ‘MISSING YOU.’”

DARA told me she wants to “do things persistently.” Some fans comment the photos are not fresh enough, and some ask why she doesn’t post more. She said, “I didn’t think about communicating with the fans when I started posting photos on social media. But I found joy and hope out of it.” She is energized when others are looking at her photos.”

“Should I continue doing this? Until when? I think sometimes. But the messages from the fans make me forget all the bad things, and it gives me energy.”

I asked if people who take a lot of selfies love themselves a lot. She answered, “I want to love myself more.”

DARA is a pro. She checks over and over again before she posts anything. She reads over her comment 100 times before publishing it. She wants to be a positive influence to the people she loves. She wants to share happiness and enjoy it.

DARA, during the interview, often said, “Because I’m old,” “As I grew older.” Her physical age may be a little older than other girl groups, but DARA is in charge of 2NE1’s positive and young energy. She is the pillar of 2NE1, with two wings attached to her. But she didn’t think the same about herself.

That’s why she takes photographs.

“I want to dance in fancy jeans even when I’m old. I don’t know how much longer, but I want to keep being the promotion agent. I want to take photos and share with people. Because I love what I do.”

She does not forget to take a camera with her when going overseas for concerts. She takes photos again and again. She takes photos of herself and her colleagues enjoying life. A while ago she even made a video of her cat with all its photos in celebration of its birthday.

DARA keeps building memories. She says, “I like my photos being taken than myself taking them.” There are more opportunities for her photo to be taken.

She is enjoying being a star, as she loves her photos being taken by many people rather herself taking them.

As the interview reached an end, DARA did not forget to do her job as the promotion agent.

“It’s a secret, but 2NE1’s album is being released soon, and we are set to kick off our World Tour starting March 1st. Please keep checking my social media page.”

 She added that fans should be excited about her special performance at the concert this time. She wants to act again. She told me it’s going to be a very big challenge as she is introverted.

 DARA’s memory building. Recording and creating albums will be continued, along with photo-taking.

Credits: YG LIFE

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[Mania number 1] What does a picture mean to ‘Selfie mania’ Dara?

A picture is a memory. People take pictures because they want to keep the pictures of a lover, favorite scenery and also the memories that they wish to keep forever. For that reason, the picture resembles the career of a singer. A record is a memory and the album is a job to contain those memories. It is a task in which we want to share the work we love with people we love.

To Dara, a picture can be considered as something that is same as a singer. Dara from a girl group 2NE1. Not only herself, but also the fans call her either 2NE1’s promoting captain or YG Entertainment’s promoting captain. Dara is referred to as a selfie mania as she restlessly uploads pictures on SNS such as Twitter and so on.

Dara waiting for a meal while standing in a line at YG’s cafeteria, Dara preparing for a performance, Dara with 2NE1 while making funny facial expression and Dara getting her hair done at a hair shop.

Why is Dara taking pictures? What does a picture mean to Dara?

We have visited YG private company building in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul, to meet Dara. YG private company building became famous through MBC ‘Infinite Challenge’. It was just time for dinner. The moment when we were about to enter the building thinking ‘is the cafeteria here really a ‘gourmet place’’, we decided to check it out at a later time because the guard on the 1st floor asked the reason we are here and also to write the person whom we are going to meet.

We have waited Dara at the recording studio on 3rd floor. In the recording studio, there were big teddy bear doll, Mazinger Z big hangar model and a gundam robot that is a size of most babies greeting us, which are all based on the taste of Yang Hyun Suk YG CEO, who is known as a teddy bear mania. On the billiard table outside the recording room, YG trainees were having conversations. This is the place where Dara is always with the one she loves.

Dara opened the door of the recording room saying “Hello” and gave a drink that has the wings. The drink that has the wings and Dara, they matched well. Dara has the feeling of staying about 30cm off the ground with her small wings.

When we asked “Why do you take pictures”, an answer that says “I came to think that I really wish to share lots of things with the fans after making a debut as 2NE1. That is why I take pictures and upload them” returned.

It is a standard answer but it was not an answer to the question “Why”. Dara said “(To me), taking pictures is just what I do and the fans are also curious about my private life so I wanted to share such things” and conveyed.

Then, we asked when she started to take pictures. We asked about whether it was before or after making the debut if she wanted to share with the fans.

Dara said that she thinks it was since when the camera function started to be added to the cellphones. It means that it was even before she immigrated to Philippines and became a star in no time through ABS-CBN ‘Star Circle Quest’.

Dara took pictures again and again with Polaroid and cellphone. She took a picture with her dear friends, a picture when eating delicious food with the family and all the pictures she took in that way is all stacked in the album. They are in lots of albums and some of them are even in CDs. Just with the albums and CDs, it completely fills the space in the room. Even now whenever she has time, Dara takes out the albums and think of “Wow, I was like this back then” and “What would this kid be doing right now”. To Dara, pictures are still a part of building up memories that is still ongoing.

Dara was active as a singer and an actress in Philippines and she was introduced in Korea through SBS ‘Experience! Global Village Homestay’ in 2004 and made her famous through ‘Human Cinema’ and so on. In 2007, she signed a contract with YG. Until she made a debut as 2NE1 in May 2009, it was only the days of waiting in which it was not possible to know when she will be given the opportunity. It was possible that she might be forgotten, unsure of whether she will be able to make everything become a reality and it was the days in which even made her have doubts about the talents that she thought she had.

Dara left all those moments as pictures. She took a picture of herself sitting at the practice room alone, and took a picture of dark Han River that is seen outside the window of a practice room. The reason that she takes out and looks at those pictures sometimes even now is because she does not want to forget about it. She does not want to forget about how she felt back then.

Dara said that she uploads the pictures on SNS because she wanted to share with the fans. Why does Dara have to do that kind of task? Dara said “It is something I can’t do if somebody made me to do it”. She said “I think I am doing what I can do. The agency gave me a nickname of promoting captain so I am spreading the information about the new album and performances and so on”.

We asked again. Why do you do that kind of thing? Since the debut, Bom was in charge of vocal, Minzy was in charge of dance and CL was in charge of rap in 2NE1. Dara often heard that she is in charge of the beautiful look in 2NE1.

Dara said “It is the part I am worrying about from the debut until now”. Dara said “I especially worried about it a lot when it became 3 years since the debut”.

“I was upset about it and other members definitely have lots of things to show on the stage but what could be the thing I can do and I worried. I also thought that I need change.”

Dara said “My age is not that young so I even thought that do I have to look mysterious or something like that. But then, the answer I found is “To show the side that matches well with me, something I can be good at and just to show who I am”.

Dara showed a dramatic stage during the performance. She did acting and singing at the same time. She showed the moments that made her most happy when she was little when on the stage. She brought the good memories to good times of now. To Dara, memory is a record, the record is in an album and the album is to be shared with people she loves.

“Since we have been talking for a while, I think that might be why I cried so much when recording ‘Missing You’.

Dara said “I always want to be consistent”. When I upload some picture, the fans say it is fresh and if I don’t upload a picture, they ask me why I don’t upload them. Dara said “(Taking pictures and uploading them on SNS) it was the thing that I simply did without thinking about interacting with the fans and stuff but I feel joy and hope when I am keep doing it”. When the fans feel happy, when someone says I get energy for the whole day with Dara’s picture, Dara says that is when she also gets energy.

There are times when I think “Do I have to keep doing this, until when. However, when the fans say I get to forget about bad things that happened today when I see your message, then I also get the energy.”

We asked isn’t taking a selfie a thing for people who have strong affection towards themselves. Dara said “I want to love myself a little more”.

Dara is a professional. When uploading the pictures on SNS, she looks again for many times just in case. When uploading a post, she uploads it after reading it for 100 times. It is because she wants to give good influence to people she love. It is because she wants to share the memories in a happy way.

During the interview, Dara frequently used the phrases “Because I am old” and “Since I am getting old”. Her physical age might be a little older than other girl groups but we think Dara is really the one who is in charge of positive and young energy in 2NE1. We thought that Dara, who looks like she has wings, is really an important center in 2NE1 but it looked like she was having a sense crisis toward herself.

So, Dara takes good pictures.

“I want to sing and dance while wearing the jeans that have studs even when I get really old. I don’t know how long I can do this for but I want to be YG promoting captain. I want to take pictures and share.” Dara said “I love this job”.

Whenever going on overseas performance, she never forgets to take the camera. She takes pictures again and again. She enjoys and takes picture of herself and colleagues. She even made the video by gathering the pictures of the cats she has been taking so far to celebrate the birthday of her cat not long ago and gave it as a present.

Even now, Dara still builds memories. She said “I think I like to get pictures taken rather than taking pictures myself”. It means there are still lots of pictures to be taken from her rather than her taking pictures.

The fact that she likes lots of people taking pictures of her more than her taking pictures also means that she is enjoying her being a star that is currently ongoing.

When about to wrap up the interview, she still did not forget her obligation as the promoting captain.

“It is still a secret but 2NE1’s album will be released soon and we will begin the world tour from March 1st in Seoul. I will keep uploading the pictures on SNS so please look forward to it.”

She also did not forget to say people can look forward to the special stage that she will present in this performance. Dara says that she wants to start acting again. She said it will be a big challenge as she is an introvert.

It looks like Dara building memories, record and album will continue forever along with taking pictures.

Credits: Naver Star Cast