By Dong Sun-hwa
Kyuhyun of K-pop act Super Junior said he has never read a romance novel in his life, but he still titled his new mini-album, "Love Story," in order to sing about love and resonate with listeners.
"Love Story," which revolves around an ordinary couple that just broke up, only offers one new song ― the namesake lead single ― and five old tracks that Kyuhyun released over the last two years as part of his "4 Season Project." The 33-year-old, who dropped a string of hit ballads, such as "At Gwanghwamun" (2014), kicked off this project in the summer of 2020 with the tune, "Dreaming," and has since put out four more tracks ― "Coffee," "Together," "Daystar" and "Moving on" ― which fit the moods of four different seasons.
"Love Story," the lead track of his mini-album that hit shelves Tuesday afternoon, signals an end to his "4 Season Project," which Kyuhyun describes as his "valuable compilation of songs." All tracks included in the EP were written by Kenzie, the composer behind the success of Kyuhyun's 2015 hit, "A Million Pieces."
"I was initially planning to wrap up this project a few months later, but after listening to 'Love Story,' I changed my mind and decided to use it as the last piece for my project," he said during an online press conference, Tuesday morning. Singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin, the founder of music label Mystic Story, appeared as the MC.
"This ballad is about the feelings people have when they flip through a romance novel they read in the past, shortly after parting ways with their loved ones," he explained. "They may have different feelings compared to the past because they must have experienced a lot of things over the time. The song's poignant and poetic lyrics, which talk about these feelings, particularly touched my heart, so I thought it would be great to end my project with 'Love Story.'"
To live up to its title, his album has a preface and epilogues.
"Each track has an epilogue, like a novel," Kyuhyun said. "Those who love reading books will find my mini-album fascinating, as it has a storyline connecting all six tracks."
Kyuhyun added that at the beginning of the project, he hardly promoted his tunes, because he had "no big ambition."
"But then I realized that most people did not even know that my new songs came out," he said. "This made me so sad because I had poured a lot of effort into singing every track … The process of making and recording them was quite tough as well, as I and Kenzie had to prepare for something new every season. But when I saw this album, which is our final product, it felt so rewarding. Once the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end, I really want to perform these songs in concert."
Asked about the factors that have led him to become an acclaimed ballad singer, Kyuhyun revealed that he listens to ballads 364 days a year.
"I have a strong penchant for ballads," he said. "Christmas Eve is the only day I do not listen to them. I only have carols on my playlist on that day."
The singer closed the session by disclosing that his mindset has changed since his solo debut with "At Gwanghwamun" in 2014.
"After releasing 'At Gwanghwamun,' I was just so happy that I could release a solo album," he said. "But now, I am a bit different. I feel like I have to come up with the music that can satisfy listeners and deliver meaningful messages. I think this is a sign of my growth."
 |
| Kyuhyun of K-pop act Super Junior poses during an online media event, Tuesday. Courtesy of Label SJ |
"Love Story," which revolves around an ordinary couple that just broke up, only offers one new song ― the namesake lead single ― and five old tracks that Kyuhyun released over the last two years as part of his "4 Season Project." The 33-year-old, who dropped a string of hit ballads, such as "At Gwanghwamun" (2014), kicked off this project in the summer of 2020 with the tune, "Dreaming," and has since put out four more tracks ― "Coffee," "Together," "Daystar" and "Moving on" ― which fit the moods of four different seasons.
"Love Story," the lead track of his mini-album that hit shelves Tuesday afternoon, signals an end to his "4 Season Project," which Kyuhyun describes as his "valuable compilation of songs." All tracks included in the EP were written by Kenzie, the composer behind the success of Kyuhyun's 2015 hit, "A Million Pieces."
"I was initially planning to wrap up this project a few months later, but after listening to 'Love Story,' I changed my mind and decided to use it as the last piece for my project," he said during an online press conference, Tuesday morning. Singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin, the founder of music label Mystic Story, appeared as the MC.
"This ballad is about the feelings people have when they flip through a romance novel they read in the past, shortly after parting ways with their loved ones," he explained. "They may have different feelings compared to the past because they must have experienced a lot of things over the time. The song's poignant and poetic lyrics, which talk about these feelings, particularly touched my heart, so I thought it would be great to end my project with 'Love Story.'"
To live up to its title, his album has a preface and epilogues.
"Each track has an epilogue, like a novel," Kyuhyun said. "Those who love reading books will find my mini-album fascinating, as it has a storyline connecting all six tracks."
 |
| Kyuhyun, right, and singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin pose during an online press event, Tuesday. Courtesy of Label SJ |
Kyuhyun added that at the beginning of the project, he hardly promoted his tunes, because he had "no big ambition."
"But then I realized that most people did not even know that my new songs came out," he said. "This made me so sad because I had poured a lot of effort into singing every track … The process of making and recording them was quite tough as well, as I and Kenzie had to prepare for something new every season. But when I saw this album, which is our final product, it felt so rewarding. Once the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end, I really want to perform these songs in concert."
Asked about the factors that have led him to become an acclaimed ballad singer, Kyuhyun revealed that he listens to ballads 364 days a year.
"I have a strong penchant for ballads," he said. "Christmas Eve is the only day I do not listen to them. I only have carols on my playlist on that day."
The singer closed the session by disclosing that his mindset has changed since his solo debut with "At Gwanghwamun" in 2014.
"After releasing 'At Gwanghwamun,' I was just so happy that I could release a solo album," he said. "But now, I am a bit different. I feel like I have to come up with the music that can satisfy listeners and deliver meaningful messages. I think this is a sign of my growth."
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