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| ▲ This photo, provided by MBN, shows three of the seven finalists at the press conference for 'Glowing Trotmen.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by MBN, shows singer Son Tae-jin at the press conference for 'Glowing Trotmen.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Mar. 14 (Yonhap) -- “Trot not only captures joy but also sorrows, love, and excitement. What makes trot so attractive is that it can easily reach all age groups.”
The seven finalists who will be competing against each other at the final stage the local cable channel MBN’s hit singing competition show “Glowing Trotmen” shared their own answers to the question asking what makes trot such an appealing music genre during the press conference held at Seoul’s NuriDream Square on Tuesday.
All seven singers, including Son Tae-jin who is racing as the first, Shin Sung as the second, and Min Soo-hyun who is chasing after them as the third, as well as Kim Joong-yeon (4th), Park Min-soo (5th), Gong Hoon (6th), and Enoch (7th) attended Tuesday’s event.
Son, who won the title of the very first Trot Man, is known to have kicked off his music career as a bass who also took home the winning trophy at JTBC’s singing competition show “Phantom Singer” (2016).
He has been winning the hearts of South Korean fans with his uncommon singing style where he makes the best use of trot techniques and blends them with his deep resonant voice that the singer has honed as a bass.
The 34-year-old said, “I felt like my music career has become stagnant while performing in a crossover male vocal quartet, which is the reason why I put myself to this new challenge to break my own bubble.”
“I always wished to have my voice heard by more people, so I pondered over every possible way to have it heard by the public as a singer. Even after this show comes to an end, I will not stop. I think this is just the beginning,” the multi-faceted singer said.
Son made headlines when it was revealed that he was actually the maternal nephew of well-renowned singer Shim Soo-bong. In contrast to other music genres, the singer emphasized “broader consensus” as the trot’s number one charm.
“Trot is attractive because its lyrics tell a very honest story. There is a song to sing when we are happy, and there is another song to sing when we wish to be comforted by tears. There is a song that suits each situation. I think there is always more to learn as a singer,” the singer explained.
Fellow singers also showed special affection and pride for the genre that they are mastering.
Kim Joong-yeon cited the readiness to communicate with the audience without any barrier as the genre’s biggest charm while Min Soo-hyun mentioned that the trot’s catchy melodies that are easy to follow make the genre very engaging.
In the meantime, Shin Sung, who has been singing trot for more than 11 years, expressed his ambition, saying, “I wish to become one of the pioneers of a new era for trot by us seven representing different charms of the genre. I hope trot gets all the love and interest it deserves.”
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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