Childhood Nostalgia, Music, and Toughness; Rich Brian x G-SHOCK’s Story
Cek eksklusif interview kami bareng Rich Brian tentang kolaborasi jam pertamanya.
Step into the world of creativity and timepiece innovation as we delve into an exclusive conversation between Hypebeast and Rich Brian. In this interview, we explore the genesis of Brian’s collaboration with G-SHOCK, where the music artist infuses his nostalgia and artistic essence into the iconic GA-2100 watch. Join us as we uncover the stories and inspirations behind this unique reinterpretation, his fantasy band, the tunes he’s vibing with now, and what toughness means to him.
Bahasa: Kolaborasi perdana antara Rich Brian dan G-SHOCK berhasil melahirkan jam tangan tahan banting dengan twist warna bold yang terinspirasi oleh memori masa kecil Brian. Dalam interview eksklusif kami kali ini, Rich Brian ngeshare inpirasi desain jam GA-2100 miliknya, musical dream teamnya, hingga arti toughness buat dirinya.
Hypebeast (HB): Hi Brian, what are you focusing on right now?
Rich Brian (RB): Currently, I’m focusing on creating a lot of music, just as much music as I can. I’m in the process of working on my next album and exploring other creative projects in general. As for the album’s release date, it’s in the works, but I can’t reveal it just yet.
Bahasa: Saat ini, gue lagi fokus bikin musik sebanyak mungkin, sebanyak yang bisa gue hasilkan. Lagi proses buat album berikutnya dan juga eksplorasi project kreatif lainnya. Tapi soal tanggal rilis album, masih dalam proses, belum bisa direveal sekarang.
HB: What’s your earliest memory of G-SHOCK watches?
RB: G-SHOCK watches were always around me, thanks to my dad and brother who are huge watch enthusiasts. My brother’s currently into building watches; he’s deeply passionate about it. He introduced me to G-SHOCK and Casio watches. So, that’s probably my earliest memory of growing up around them.
Bahasa: Jam G-SHOCK selalu ada di sekitar gue dari dulu, berkat ayah dan kakak yang suka banget sama jam. Kakak gue sekarang lagi suka ngoleksi jam, dia punya passion banget di situ. Dia yang pertama ngenalin gue sama G-SHOCK dan jam Casio. Jadi, itu mungkin ingatan pertama gue, growing up around them.
HB: What does toughness mean to you about overcoming artistic challenges?
RB: Toughness means persisting through the process of creating art. You’re not always going to be inspired all the time. But the most important thing is pushing through and showing up. Just show up to do your work because every day is important. It’s crucial to sharpen your craft, even when you’re not fully inspired nor creating your best work. Overcoming those times when feeling uninspired and unmotivated isn’t easy, but choosing to show up, to be there, and to try things out, even when it feels like a chore, is important.
Bahasa: Gue pikir, terutama saat ngadepin artistic challenges, toughness punya arti untuk tetep ngejalanin proses bikin karya apapun situasinya. Lo nggak selalu bakal punya inspirasi setiap saat. Tapi yang paling penting itu terus berusaha dan nggak pernah absen; datang dan ngerjain kerjaan lo, karena setiap hari itu penting. Penting banget buat mengasah kemampuan lo, meskipun lagi nggak terlalu terinspirasi dan hasil karya lo belum terbaik. Ngatasin masa-masa yang bikin lo nggak termotivasi atau kurang inspiratif emang nggak gampang, tapi pilihannya ya tetep muncul, ada, dan coba hal-hal baru, meski rasanya kayak tugas yang berat. Tapi hasilnya bener-bener worth it.
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HB: How is G-SHOCK’s toughness philosophy related to young people in Southeast Asia?
RB: Being from here, it somewhat connects to my earlier response. I’d say, toughness means continuing forward, even when uncertain about what’s ahead. It’s about always being prepared for what comes next. For me, gratitude has always been integral to my philosophy. It’s easy to become jaded or disinterested, especially after working hard to achieve something. However, I believe it’s essential to remain thankful for what you have. It’s a way to stay happy and focused and avoid unnecessary distractions while continuing to pursue your goals. Staying grateful is exceptionally important to me.
Bahasa: Ini pertanyaannya cukup spesifik. Tapi gue rasa, sebagai orang Asia Tenggara, toughness itu adalah maju terus pantang mundur, meskipun nggak yakin sama hal yang ada di depan. Buat gue pribadi, rasa bersyukur selalu jadi bagian penting dari filosofi hidup gue. Gampang banget jadi bosan atau kehilangan minat, apalagi setelah kerja keras buat mencapai sesuatu. Tapi menurut gue, penting banget buat tetap bersyukur atas apa yang udah ada. Itu cara biar tetep happy, fokus, dan hindari gangguan nggak perlu sambil terus ngejar tujuan. Jadi, tetep bersyukur itu bener-bener penting buat gue.
HB: Speaking about the collaboration between 88Rising and G-SHOCK. What was the inspiration behind the design?
RB: The design was inspired by a memory from my childhood when I was probably six or seven years old. I used to play the drums and watched a video my dad showed me of a band festival. There was a drummer in one band I admired, and the guitarist had this stunning guitar. It was a vibrant light blue with thunder-like patterns on the fret, tinged with pink. That color combination has always stuck with me—I love pink and light blue. And I used that color combination for this watch because I’ve never really gotten to use it on anything else. I wanted to bring that nostalgia into this design.
Bahasa: Desainnya terinspirasi dari memori masa kecil gue, waktu gue mungkin umur sekitar enam atau tujuh tahun. Udah lama sih. Dulu gue suka main drum dan nonton video festival band yang ditunjukkin bokap gue. Ada drummer di salah satu band yang gue kagumi, dan gitarisnya punya gitar yang keren banget. Gitar itu warnanya biru terang yang menyala dengan pola petir di fret-nya, ditambah warna pink. Kombinasi warna itu selalu ada di pikiran gue—gue suka banget warna pink dan biru terang. Jadi, gue memutuskan buat pakai kombinasi warna itu untuk jam tangan ini karena sebelumnya belum pernah gue pakai di hal lain. Jadi, menurut gue, ya gitu deh, gue pengen bawa nostalgia itu ke desain jam ini.
HB: That’s incredible you still remember that and reference it.
RB: I still from time to time look up the video online. Even though the video that I saw was from a DVD, I’m glad I’ve somehow found it on YouTube.
Bahasa: Kadang-kadang gue masih suka nonton videonya secara online. Meskipun videonya dari DVD, gue seneng akhirnya bisa nemuinnya di YouTube.
HB: That’s very cool. So what does this collaboration mean to you personally?
RB: This collaboration is cool because it’s an incredible opportunity G-SHOCK has given me to take control of the design. They allowed me a lot of freedom, facilitating my connection with the design team. We went through several design phases, making it a very enjoyable process. It was my first time designing a watch, and it was a really fun experience. Maybe it’s something I’ll explore again in the future, who knows!
Bahasa: Kolaborasi ini keren banget karena G-SHOCK ngasih gue kesempatan luar biasa buat ngedesain jam tangan ini secara total. Mereka ngasih gue banyak kebebasan dan konekin gue sama tim design. Kita lewatin beberapa tahap desain, jadi prosesnya seru banget. Ini pertama kalinya gue desain jam tangan, dan pengalaman itu seru banget. Mungkin nanti gue bakal explore lagi di masa depan, siapa tau!
HB: What was your brother’s response to the fact that you’re designing a watch, considering his current interest in building watches? Is he intrigued?
RB: He was very intrigued, he’s very happy for me. Right now I only have one of the watches, so I’m keeping that for myself but once I have more different copies of the watch I’m going to give one to him.
Bahasa: Dia penasaran banget, dia seneng banget buat gue. Ya, sekarang gue cuma punya satu jamnya, jadi gue simpen buat gue dulu tapi nanti kalo udah punya lebih dari satu, gue bakal kasih satu buat dia.
HB: So alongside NIKI, Warren Hue, Atarashii Gakko!, Spence Lee, and other 88rising artists, you shot the campaign for Rich Brian x G-SHOCK. What was that process like? Can you tell us a little bit behind the scenes?
RB: That was cool. I was pleased with how the photos turned out; it was a smooth photo shoot on a great set. Recently, I did a video shoot for the custom watch. I was more focused on acting, following a storyline chasing music sounds, which was fun. It was my first time seeing the final watch in person, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s a tougher watch to style due to its specific color, but I like the challenge; it pushes me to think outside the box.
Bahasa: Keren banget. Gue seneng sama hasil fotonya; syutingnya cepet dan gampang di tempat yang keren. Baru-baru ini, gue syuting video buat jam tangan custom G-SHOCK. Gue lebih fokus ke akting, ikutan cerita chasing suara musik, yang seru banget. Ini pertama kali gue lihat jam tangannya langsung, dan gue bener-bener seneng dengan hasilnya. Emang tough buat ngestyling jamnya karena warnanya spesifik, tapi gue suka tantangannya; bikin gue mikir out of the box.
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HB: You’ve collaborated with some amazing artists. If you could assemble a dream team, for a record, who would be the ultimate most musical supergroup and what genre would you explore together?
RB: Oh, that’s really interesting. I would get Thundercat, Syd from the Internet, Tyler, the Creator, Kendrick Lamar and then Mac DeMarco. I’ve been very inspired by them recently. Otherwise, I’ve been liking a lot of Indie music or songs that have a lot of guitar in it. There’s this one artist I’ve been listening to recently, her name is Kate Bollinger.
Bahasa: Wah, menarik banget. Gue bakal ngajak Thundercat. Gue akan ajak Syd dari The Internet dan kemudian Tyler. Gue ajak Kendrick dan Mac Demarco karena dia keren banget. Dan, ya, banyak lagi. Tapi itu mengapa gue dengerin mereka. Gue lagi banyak terinspirasi sama mereka akhir-akhir ini. Selain itu, gue suka banget sama musik Indie atau yang punya banyak gitar di dalamnya. Dan, ada satu artis yang belakangan ini gue dengerin, namanya Kate Ballinger.
HB: You reckon she’s the next up-and-coming artist on the rise?
RB: I honestly don’t know how long she’s been doing music for. But I feel like, she should be, she’s great. Another great artist that I’ve been listening to a lot is Liana Flores. She has a song called “rises the moon”. I think that’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard recently.
Bahasa: Sejujurnya gue nggak tau udah seberapa lama dia main musik. Tapi menurut gue, seharusnya dia bakal jadi, dia bagus banget. Artis lain yang bagus yang lagi gue dengerin adalah Lyanna Flores. Dia punya lagu yang keren banget, judulnya “Rises the Moon”. Gue pikir itu salah satu lagu paling indah yang gue denger belakangan ini. Lagu itu cukup terkenal, terutama di TikTok dan lainnya tapi bagus banget, indah banget.
HB: Okay, so going back to G-SHOCK. G-SHOCK has lasted a very long time in the industry which is very impressive, in your opinion what do you think has made G-SHOCK so popular for the last 40 years?
RB: I think G-SHOCK is good at keeping up with the times, and the trends, but at the same time not just riding a wave. It’s kind of the way that I look at music. I keep up with what’s going on currently, but not just so that I could take inspiration from them. If you do, then it just seems like you’re doing what everyone else is doing. I’m paying attention to everything, not to follow the rules but to know which rules to break.
Bahasa: Menurut gue, G-SHOCK pintar banget dalam ngikutin perkembangan zaman, keeping up with the trends, tapi bukan yang ikut-ikutan gitu. Kayak cara gue liat musik lah. Gue emang ngikutin banget apa yang lagi terjadi sekarang. Tapi bukan cuma buat diikutin, tapi buat bisa diambil inspirasinya. Karena menurut gue, kalo terlalu mirip sama tren yang lagi ada, rasanya kayak melakukan hal yang sama dengan apa yang orang lain lakukan. Di satu sisi gue dengerin semua yang lagi terjadi sekarang buat tau aturan-aturan mana yang bisa dilanggar juga, kan.
Jam tangan G-SHOCK x RICH BRIAN akan tersedia secara online pada tanggal 8 Desember 2023 di webstore Casio Indonesia dan offline mulai tanggal 9 Desember 2023 di G-SHOCK store tertentu. Cek juga keseruan dari selebrasi G-SHOCK 40th Anniversary Shock The World Southeast Asia berikut ini.
