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Korean ballad singer, Sung SiKyung, also often referred to as “Prince of Ballads,” has returned with his 8th full-length album “ㅅ (Siot)” after 10 years and to celebrate his comeback, he held an online showcase a day before his official comeback on May 20th(KST).
With his 20 years of career in the industry and his uniquely calming voice, Sung SiKyung hosted the online showcase himself and introduced his album to the press for the first time.
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The album consists of a total of 14 tracks including, ‘And we go,’ ‘방랑자(Wanderer),’ a collaboration track with IU called, ‘첫 겨울이니까(First winter)’ and the title track, ‘I Love U.’ Moreover, Sung SiKyung composed some of the songs from the album including, ‘우리 한 때 사랑한건(What we once loved),’ ‘이음새(Joints),’ and ‘마음을 담아(With our heart),’ enhancing perfection to the album.
The story behind how the album title, “ㅅ(Siot),” got its title, Sung SiKyung said, “It doesn’t really have a deep meaning to it. The word ‘Love,’ ‘Wound,’ ‘Ordeal,’ ‘Time,’ Purity,’ ‘Sadness,’ all starts with the Korean consonant, ‘ㅅ(Siot)’ [in Korean] and it also looks like a number ‘8’ in Chinese letter which also connects to my 8th album and I thought it went quite well with the songs that are in this album.”
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According to the singer, this album was first scheduled to be released back in the spring of 2020. However, due to the global pandemic, the schedule was forced to be postponed.
“It was a shock at first, but I was able to give more time and thoughts to each song in the album until I was satisfied with them.”
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The title track "I Love U" is a song with a rhythmical and cheerful melody, giving you that butterfly-in-your-stomach feeling and a clumsy excitement that suddenly came one day out of nowhere. As the title track announced a drastic change in music and visuals, it is expected to be a new album that will allow Sung SiKyung's colorful charm more than ever.
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“I chose a fast-tempo with an organized choreography as my title track for a reason. Viewers might see it and feel a bit cringy or awkward and that is fine! I want people to smile about it. As a host in a variety show, I see people challenging themselves and trying new things all the time and it inspired me to challenge myself at this age(42) as a Ballad singer and inspire others as well. On the side note, there will be a choreography.”
As the singer briefly introduced his songs in the album, it was evident that all 14 tracks in the album had different sounds and messages. The tracks have their own stories that you can relate to.
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When asked how his voice changed from his debut, 20 years ago, he replied, “It certainly changed but I cannot feel it. Rather, I think I became more focused on what I am singing in the verse and the song itself became more tasteful. But I think it’s not up to me to judge and I will leave it for the listeners.
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Kpopmap had also asked a question to the singer.
There is a rising number of ballad fans globally who have encountered ballads through K-drama OSTs. What do you think is the reason that the global listeners are moved by the ballad songs?
He answered, “The interesting thing is, because of the global popularity of K-pop idols I think, have led them to have interests in K-dramas which later led them to enjoy ballads. The impact that K-pop idols brought to the Korean music industry is massive. Last year, J-Hope mentioned my song ‘And We Go’ and I was stunned by the number of international listeners, listening to my song.”
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In the end, Sung SiKyung wrapped his showcase by commenting, “Everything seems very new to me. It feels like I’m debuting. The whole online showcase is new to me. Noticing the lack of my stamina is new to me but, I want to do as much as I can, to show my music to others.
Sung SiKyung’s 8th full-length album, “ㅅ(Siot)” will be available on May 21st, 2021 6 PM
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