Expect different sides of me, says Jeong Sewoon

Jeong Sewoon, who will be here for HallyuPopFest, talks performing solo

Sep 03, 2018 06:00 am

He was just a step away from being part of wildly popular K-pop boy band Wanna One.

But South Korean singer-songwriter Jeong Sewoon, 21, was cut from the 11-man line-up after placing 12th on the survival TV series Produce 101 Season 2 last year, which led to the formation of the group.

Nonetheless, he is finding success as a solo artist, even bagging the Rising Star Award at last year's Asia Artist Awards.

He told The New Paper in an e-mail interview: "The fact that it is just me seems to be both an advantage and a disadvantage.

"I get worried as I need to fill up the stage by myself, but at the same time, I feel like I have also grown a lot (in terms of musicality and maturity)."

Later this week, he will be performing at HallyuPopFest 2018, the largest K-pop festival in South-east Asia.

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The three-day event features 100 artists including Wanna One, NCT 127, Taeyeon, Soyou and BtoB.

As it is Jeong's first time performing in Singapore, he is looking forward to seeing the island's night scene as well as watching his peers' performances.

In fact, he may be able to catch up with the members of Wanna One, who are headlining the festival.

For his round eyes and chubby cheeks, Jeong was nicknamed after the titular goldfish of the 2008 Japanese animated movie Ponyo while participating in Produce 101.

On whether that moniker has worked in his favour or not , he said: "I have never thought of it as a hindrance. I am thankful to be given a nickname with such a distinctive character, and I think it can benefit me when I showcase a different side of me if I were to experiment with a different concept."

In July, Jeong released his six-track album Another, which peaked at No. 5 on the Gaon Music Chart.

Adding that Another is more personal than his previous two-part offering Ever and After, he said: "The direction is a little different. This time round, it is more concentrated on me.

"Various producers have also helped me again. That is why it seems to be a more diversified album, with different colours."

One of his favourite tracks on Another is Eye 2 Eye, written by South Korean singer-songwriter siblings Brother Su and Lovey (whose real names are Kim Hyung Soo and Hye Soo respectively). He said the song can give one strength.

"I personally like the lyrics. It has a clear story to tell and the expressions used are not cliched but witty," he added.

"I would like to deepen my music direction while trying different kinds of concepts. You can expect different sides of me through various performances, broadcasts and festivals.

"I will be preparing hard to convey the performances and songs that I have shown in Korea to the Singapore fans."