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| ▲ This image, provided by Starship Entertainment on June 20, 2024, shows Korean pop singer K.Will. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, June 20 (Yonhap) -- Singer K.Will expressed his feelings on the release of his new album "All That Way" after six years, during a joint interview held on the 20th.
He shared, "The pressure to release good songs grew stronger, leading to longer deliberation. While releasing this album, I felt both tension and excitement but also a sense of relief and pride as if I had solved a big task."
Reflecting on the album, he said, "Considering the current trend, this might be the last physical album I can release. I wanted to present good songs to many people." He acknowledged that despite having already released many songs during his active years, there were fans waiting for new music, and he felt it was his duty as a singer to release new songs.
"All That Way," K.Will's seventh mini-album, is his first new release since his fourth album in 2018, marking a six-year hiatus. Given that the standard exclusive contract period for younger idol singers is seven years, this break is almost equivalent to the activity span of some groups.
K.Will laughed as he remarked, "Neither I nor my company expected six years to pass." He explained that when he thought about taking a break, the COVID-19 pandemic coincidentally occurred. "It felt wasteful to spend time doing nothing, so I ventured into musicals, debuting in one, and then experienced a period of anxious confusion."
He mentioned, "About two years ago, I started gathering sketches that were fragmented here and there and began seriously working on the album. It's been a bit over a year since we clearly defined the direction and started production." The experience of facing half-empty audiences during the pandemic was a significant shock, even for this veteran singer, who debuted 17 years ago.
"I thought there might not be a next time," he said. "However, I received unimaginable love from many people, which gave me hope and light. Thus, I looked for what I could do and decided to release an album."
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| ▲ This image, provided by Starship Entertainment on June 20, 2024, shows Korean pop singer K.Will. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
The new album includes the title track "No Goodbye Song Suits Me," composed by Yoon Sang with lyrics by Kim Eana, along with other tracks like "Different from Me" by Muzie, "Table" which captures the warmth of spring and the loneliness of autumn, and "Lonely Together" by Sunwoo Jung-a, making up a total of six songs. The title track is a ballad that intensifies the sadness through K.Will's restrained vocal delivery.
The music video for "No Goodbye Song Suits Me" serves as a sequel to the 2012 hit "Please Don’t..." which garnered attention for its surprising storyline involving unrequited love for a same-sex friend. Seo In-guk and Ahn Jae-hyun, who starred in the original music video, reprise their roles, depicting a story set ten years later.
K.Will commented, "The 'Please Don’t...' music video was a hit due to its twist, so there was pressure for the sequel. It's rare for a music video to have a second part, especially after 12 years. However, I thought it would be interesting to continue the story."
He highlighted that, unlike previous ballads where he might have expressed emotions more openly, this time he aimed to convey feelings more introspectively, which he felt matched well with Yoon Sang's melody. "We recorded a lot," he added.
Debuting in 2007 with his first album "Left Heart," K.Will has released hits like "Heartbeat," "Dropping the Tears," "I Need You," and "Miss, Miss, and Miss," maintaining steady popularity over 17 years. As the longest-serving artist at Starship Entertainment, he joked about the growing number of artists and trainees, saying, "With so many new practice rooms, I must have contributed to creating at least one of them."
He emphasized, "Confidence on stage comes from preparation rather than experience. As one's career grows, so does the pressure. If you ask whether this album was necessary for my career as an artist, I would say it was 100% necessary."
He concluded, "If the six years felt long to others, I will show enough great results to fill that gap."
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