Singer Shin Hyesung continues to work hard in all humility. He made his debut in 1998 as part of Shinhwa, and it has been four years since he struck out on his own to embark on solo activities. He has already achieved success with his own music, but he says that he will continue to work hard.
Shin Hyesung released his Vol.3 Side 1 ‘Live And Let Live’ to much commercial success in the 2nd half of 2008. In a cafe in Sejongno in Seoul, we get to meet him in a more comfortable atmosphere. Side 1 showed the world what other possibilities Shin Hyesung is capable of as a solo singer, that “ballad singer” Shin Hyesung is also capable of other styles like Brit rock, big band, and alternative rock. The results were more than satisfactory.
“It’s not like ballads are all that I’m doing, I want to try new things other than ballads too. Trying other genres only added to my music experience, and I’m glad to see an album with a theme.”
With the experience of Side 1 under his belt, he has now released Side 2 ‘Keep Leaves’ on 17th Feb, two months later than planned. To complete the album, there was a lot more work done in the later part of the production. As it’s easy for ballads to become long and boring, there was a lot of emphasis placed on the song order to make the album more exciting.
“The original plan was to split the 3rd album into 2 mini albums, but eventually it became full albums as we carried on. It seems that the motivation for me is just to let fans hear good music.”
The poor economy has also affected the music industry, and it wasn’t easy to produce full albums. He mulled on the idea of releasing mini-albums instead, but then dismissed the thought for the sake of his fans.
“In the past when my favourite singers released albums, I would sit down and listen to the album once through without pausing. But these days it seems that people only listen to the first few songs and the title track, if that’s the case then releasing a full album would be meaningless. Based on this, I hope you all will listen to all the songs once through at least, because all 10 songs contain a lot of effort.”
The title track ‘Why Did You Call’ was released on 12th Feb to resounding success, to this Shin Hyesung smiles, “This is one of the best responses I’ve had since I started my solo activities.” The song tells of a couple who still long for each other despite having parted ways. The highlight of the song is having the emotions swell to a climax and then calm down slowly instead.
“The crisscrossed structure accentuates the sad feel of the song. Placing the chorus before the climax of the song took some effort too. The lyrics are narrated directly and simply, and it’s a song that anyone who has been through a breakup can relate to.” Besides this, the album also features the song ‘I’m About To Die…’, written by Wanted member Kim Jae Suk and Choi Shin Won, where he displays his melancholic vocals to maximum effect. ‘Here’ is written by Kim Do Hyun and Kim Gi Bum, capturing the attention of the listener with its melancholic piano accompaniment and lyrics.
Shin Hyesung has spent a great amount of effort on the balance of the songs, inserting short intros Part 1 and Part 2 to make the entire album more complete.
Even with more than 10 years of experience as a singer, Shin Hyesung’s state of mind as a solo singer is brand new. “I never had much psychological preparation when I made my debut, and I just basically sang as if I was a machine. Now I’m more comfortable. But I still get stage fright when I go on stage, just like back then, especially on stage as a solo singer. It’s really nervewrecking. There’s still a long way ahead of me as a solo singer, and I will continue to work hard.”
Shin Hyesung’s thank-you liner notes are simple, yet real. “Thanks to the people who always create happiness for me, always looking at the same place. Please walk together with me, just like always.” He has always been feeling grateful to the people who have been looking towards the same place, and they are his fans. Vol.3 Side 2, which Shin Hyesung himself has been looking forward to, is what he hopes will be a gift to his fans.
Source: Kuki News
Chi trans: 孩子气@S.C.I.C
Eng trans: midnightgirl13@absolutshinhwa.wordpress.com
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