By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
After returning to the music scene with his 12th album, ``Soul Groove,'' the father of K-pop, Kim Gun-mo, will go on a concert tour and appear in ten major cities, starting in Seoul on April 8, his first concert since 2006. He hopes that it will be an occasion to prove himself as a 43-year-old dancing sensation.
``People seem to be skeptical about my dancing abilities because of my age. But really, I've been working on my moves every night,'' the singer jokingly said at a press conference at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Feb 17.
Kim added that he has been enhancing his vocal, dancing and piano skills with daily practices and has been working out to maintain his physical strength and give consistently astounding performances throughout the tour.
Producer and composer Kim Chang-hwan and Clon band members Koo Jun-yup and Kang Won-rae will join the singer and assist with production and choreography.
Producer Kim said the concert will be a combination of the new and old, as the singer will sing his hit songs such as ``Excuse'' and ``Wrong Encounter,'' as well as his latest, ``Kiss.''
``16 years ago, Kim had less than 10 hit songs, but now he has over 30. The audience will meet the 'new' Kim Gun-mo but the concert will also be nostalgic,'' said the producer.
With the help of Clon members, the singer hopes to present his fans with extravagant visual elements and entertaining performances he believes previous concerts lacked.
The show promises various entertaining spectacles and Koo plans to contribute with an ``electronic performance and laser beam show.''
``Kim must distinguish himself from other singers in their forties, such as Shin Seung-hun and Lee Seung-chul. With this concert, we'll forget about the age difference and deliver a lively and passionate performance fans would expect from idol group Big Bang,'' said the producer.
Kim, whose third album, ``Wrong Encounter,'' broke sales records, debuted in 1992 and released 12 albums throughout his 17-year music career.
The singer is set to tour Gimhae, Incheon, Jeju, Daegu, Ilsan, Daejeon, Cheongju, Jeonju, Bundang, and Ulsan. Tickets cost 120,000 won, 100,000 won, 80,000 won, and 30,000 won. For more information, call (02) 720-8500.
Korea Times intern Hwang Sung-hee contributed to this article.