Prince of Ballads Sung Si-kyung to release a dance song for the first time at age 43

Prince of Ballads Sung Si-kyung to release a dance song for the first time at age 43: K-POP / 연합뉴스 / 2021-05-20 13:49:58

New full-length album released after 10 years

▲ This photo provided by SK Jaewon shows singer Sung Si-kyung. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- "It's a dance song made by a 43-year-old singer. I can't become a dancer overnight, but through this song I wished to show people that I worked hard on something at this age."

Singer Sung Si-kyung, who will release his eighth full-length album 'ㅅ' (pronounced as shi-ot in Korean) on the 21st, introduced the title track "I Love U" at an online press conference on the 20th.

Sung Si-kyung, who has made numerous ballad hits with his 'honey-like' voice over the past 20 years, will be returning with a fast tempo dance song.

Sung said, "Both the music video and the dancing video will be released tomorrow, but I think the viewers will be able to laugh and say, "There is a limit to Sung Si-kyung as we all expected."

"While being on the variety show 'On & Off,' I felt that a lot of people are trying a lot of new things. I think it's important to do something. This song was like that for me. I asked myself 'Wouldn't I be able to pull off a dance song if I practiced?' So, that's what I did."

The music video released at the press conference first shows Sung Si-kyung dressed in a pink suit dancing with dancers.

Sung Si-kung laughed at his own dance moves, saying it was more of a 'waddle,' but the feeling of awkwardness quickly disappears as the cheerful melody and lyrics filled with excitement blend in with the dance.

The story of being attracted to a god-like woman who came to live on Earth as well as the colorful music video seemed to fit in with "the current generation" trend.

Sung Si-kyung's fresh attempt seems to be a fan service for fans who have been waiting for a long time to hear the singer's new album.

After Sung released his seventh album "The First" in 2011, the singer's period of inactivity grew longer, delaying his promise to release another album soon.

On top of that, the release schedule was postponed due to the outbreak of the corona virus last year, and ultimately totaled up to 10 years of waiting.

"These days, the concept of releasing CDs seems to have changed," said Sung Si-kyung. "In that sense, I've become less and less inclined to release an album," he said.

However, he admitted that he did not spend much time on music, which was his main job, as he was busy appearing in entertainment programs.

"It's because I'm lazy. There were times when I didn't have the courage, and I think I took a long time trying to do something else. I regret it very much. I'm not going to feel sorry or embarrassed about releasing more albums."

Although it took Sung a long time to produce an album, the ballad singer stressed that he was finally able to work leisurely without feeling chased for the first time in 20 years.

Sung Si-kyung worked and improved songs that were made by his soulmate, Sim Hyun-bo, as well as other artists such as Kim Eana, Na Won-joo, Kwon Soon-kwan, and Lee Kyu-ho.

A total of 14 songs were included such as Sung Si-kyung's "What We Once Loved," a ballad about farewells. Other tracks include, "Time We Loved You," "With Your Heart," which is a fan song, and "WHAT A FEELING" with a retro twist.

In particular, in this album, Sung will include a song written and composed by Jo Kyu-chan for the first time since his debut. The song is listed as the second track, "Wanderer".

It was originally written by Jo Kyu-chan himself, but he gave it to Sung Si-kyung after composer Shim Hyun-bo persuaded Jo.

Sung Si-kyung said, "When I look at Jo Kyu-chan, I wonder how happy it would be to be in the ranks of people who can freely express their thoughts with music."

"If Jo Kyu-chan gives me permission, I'd like to play his demo version of the song to the audience. I like that version better than mine. I was honored to sing it, but I thought that my version couldn't meet the level of sophistication the demo song had."

Just like Sung Si-kyung's album so far, there is no big message through this album. The music is about words that start with the Korean alphabet, 'shiot,' such as love (사랑·[sa-rang]), sadness (슬픔·[seul-peum]), time (시간·[si-gan]), hurt (상처·[sang-cheo]), person (사람·[sa-ram]), touch (손길·[son-gil]), and hardship (시련·[sil-yeon]).

Sung Si-kyung described himself as a artist who doesn't deliver messages but, "If there is a good song, I'm a singer who will sing in my style." "Some fans only ask me to sing other people's songs," Sung added laughing.

"I just want to talk about love until I quit being a singer. You can sing a love song when you're mature, or you can sing about your youthful 20s when you're in your 40s. There are many things I want to express in love songs."

Sung Si-kyung, who debuted with his single "The Road to Me" in 2000, has grown into a middle-aged singer.

Just like how singer Lee Seung-hwan told singer-songwriter You Hee-yeol back when Sung released his first single, "The ballad world is now Sung Si-kyung's era," Sung was able to remain as the "Prince of Ballads" in Korea for 20 years after his debut.

The singer was loved by releasing many hit songs such as "On the street," "You Made Me Impressed," "Two people," "It would be good," "You Are My Spring" and "We make a good pair."

Sung Si-kyung mentioned junior ballad singers such as Jung Seung-hwan, Paul Kim, and AKMU's Lee Su-hyun and said he hoped the entire ballad genre would be loved for a long time.

"For example, if we compare ballads to a restaurant business, you can't just have one original jokbal (a Korean dish) restaurant. A Jokbal town needs to be formed. I hope the ballad genre will expand too."

However, Sung also stressed that this album was made with a humble mindset like a rookie singer.

"Everything's new. Doing dance songs, promoting albums on entertainment shows, and easily losing my stamina. (Laughs) I want to do everything I can. I want the public to know that there is a 43-year-old singer who has returned to dancing music after 10 years, and cheer me on."

(END)