Singer Han Dong-geun wants to be next Eric Clapton
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Singer Han Dong-geun sings his new song “Crazy” at a press conference for his first full-length album “Your Diary” at Olympus Hall in Samseong-dong, Seoul, last Thursday. / Yonhap
By Kim Jae-heun
Popular ballad singer Han Dong-geun topped the five local online charts with his new song “Crazy,” Monday.
The song “Crazy” ranked No.1 on major charts such as Olleh, Monkey 3 Music and Soribada _ three days after he released his first studio album “Your Diary.” It is his first album since he debuted three years ago.
Producer XEPY wrote the title track, attempting a new style of ballad by adding a synth-pop style tune of the 90s.
Han tried to express his longing for loving someone in “Crazy” as well as his attachment to the music that he has long been sticking to.
“‘Crazy’ was one of the songs that XEPY showed along with my last digital single ‘Amazing You’,” said Han during the press showcase at Olympus Hall in Samseong-dong, Seoul, last Thursday. “I told him to keep the song for me, that I will sing it for my next album. Although it is a tough song to sing, I am very happy to have it as my new title,” said Han.
Han wrote six of 10 tracks in “Your Diary” including the jazz number “Anniversary.”
The singer says he has been hiding them because he was embarrassed to show them to professional producers.
“I don’t remember when I started to write songs, but it was definitely before I first appeared on the audition program on TV. Then, when I sang ‘Anniversary’ at Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook, many people liked it. I guess I gained the confidence to reveal my own music from then,” Han said.
Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook is a popular TV music show on KBS, hosted by singer-songwriter Yoo.
Han first appeared on the K-pop scene through the TV audition series “Star Audition: The Great Birth 3” on MBC in 2012. Although he became the winner of season three and released two extended plays (EPs), he was forced into a one year hiatus when his digital singles failed to become hits.
He almost gave up on his musical career until he auditioned for the musical “Gone with the Wind” and changed his mind to continue.
“I met a lot of musicians there who were not in a very different situation from where I was back then. I had to do something. And it was then that I received a request from the popular TV show King of Masked Singer,” said Han.
Han instantly rose to stardom with his appealing vocals on the show and his song “Making a New Ending for This Story” was brought back into the spotlight after two years. His old song topped the major music charts for a long time and brought him the Rising Star Award and Best Newcomer Award at Asia Artist Awards and MBC Entertainment Awards, respectively, in 2016.
Han’s next digital single “Amazing You” also received big love, garnering him the EPK Discovery Award and Discovery of the Year at the Seoul Music Awards and Gaon Chart Music Awards, respectively, this year.
“I hope my album does well on the chart but I think I’ve already made my dream come true by releasing my first studio album and I believe my company is satisfied with it.
“In the long term, I want to become a singer like Eric Clapton. He played rock when he was young, but now he sings folk songs and plays jazz. I want to write various songs and try many different music genres that appeal to me at a certain age,” Han said.