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| ▲ Korean singer kim soo-chul poses for interview photos at Yonhap News Agency's Seoul headquarters on July 31, 2024. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- "Yayaya aja aja, don’t give up! Let’s go even if it’s hard, until we make it!"
Listening to Kim Soo-chul's powerful voice paired with the fast-paced electric guitar, one can easily imagine him bouncing energetically around the stage despite his small stature. His new album "Where Are You," set to release on the 31st, captures the essence of the 'Little Giant' Kim Soo-chul's vibrant energy. This album reflects his yearning for lost innocence and his thoughts on a conflicted society.
Among the tracks, "Aja Aja," which offers comfort to young people, resonates deeply with Kim's life journey, marked by numerous failures as he modernized traditional Korean music.
In an interview on the 30th at Yonhap News Agency in Seoul's Jongno District, Kim expressed, "This song tells the MZ generation that I will be their friend and encourages them to come forward. News often depicts young people as lonely and isolated. I want to tell them they are not alone and that they have a friend."
Since the release of his traditional Korean music album "The World of Zero" in 1987, Kim has been dedicated to what is often termed 'non-profitable' traditional Korean music. After consistently producing traditional music, including the background music for the film "Seopyeonje," he is releasing a pop music album for the first time in 33 years since his 9th album in 1991. "I've wanted to release rock music for the past decade," Kim said. "I've been recording whenever I had the chance, but I was busy and focused on traditional music, so I kept missing the right time. Now that I'm older, I wanted to release a pop album while I still have the passion."
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| ▲ Korean singer kim soo-chul speaks during an interview at Yonhap News Agency's Seoul headquarters on July 31, 2024. (Yonhap) |
Kim Soo-chul wrote, composed, and performed all eight tracks on the album, conveying his discontent with materialism. The title track "Where Are You" longs for a friend's pure past, and "Tree" sings about the invaluable nature of things that can't be bought with money, inspired by a tree that gives everything selflessly. Reflecting on the recently deceased Kim Min-ki, Kim Soo-chul noted that while "Tree" wasn't written with him in mind, Kim Min-ki's love for helping the underprivileged reminded him of the song.
In "Stop It," Kim Soo-chul expresses his disappointment with a society constantly in conflict. Utilizing lyrics from his hit song "Pull Yourself Together," he sings, "I told you to pull yourself together, my friend. Stop it."
Kim remarked, "When you watch TV, all you see are stories about conflicts, whether in politics or war. I wonder why it’s like that. People are tired of these conflicts, and I wanted to say 'stop it.'" While he mentioned the need for a guiding 'elder' to reprimand society's leaders, he emphasized that he simply expresses his feelings through his music. "I believe my role is just to compose music. If even one or two people resonate with my songs, I find it rewarding, and what matters is that I've done my best."
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| ▲ Korean singer kim soo-chul poses for interview photos at Yonhap News Agency's Seoul headquarters on July 31, 2024. (Yonhap) |
Debuting in 1977, Kim Soo-chul has learned not to fear failure in his music career. Despite not gaining widespread attention for his albums modernizing traditional Korean music, he affirmed that he would still focus on traditional music if he could go back. His enduring love for traditional music is evident in this album, where he re-recorded the instrumental track "Guitar Sanjo" from 2002, extending it to eight minutes.
Kim reflected, "If I had feared failure or regretted my choices, I wouldn’t have been able to continue making unprofitable music for so long. There's a lot to learn from failures. I've had many unsuccessful albums, so I know how to handle it."
Recently, his efforts have started to pay off. Since the success of a performance last year with a 100-member orchestra combining Eastern and Western musicians, he has received numerous concert proposals. The 'Little Giant' is ready to take another step towards his goal of globalizing traditional Korean music.
"Our country has dominated in film, pop music, and sports, so I believe we can do the same with pure music. I'll do my best to promote our traditional music."
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