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| Veteran singer Cho Yong-pil speaks at a press conference held Wednesday to mark his 50 years in the music industry. / Korea Times file |
By Kim Ji-soo
Way back in the early 1980s, when Korean popular music tilted heavily toward an old-style genre known as trot, singer Cho Yong-pil offered the closest thing to pop or K-pop. Having started out in 1968 with the group Atkins at clubs near U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, it may well be natural that he infused pop with the Korean sound of trot. He didn't stop there, continuing to experiment and delve into music, the object of his love.
"To be honest, I don't think about being at the top or holding some record (in music history). I never did music for some reason. I love music, I love listening to music and I am moved when other musicians produce excellent music and agonize over when other musicians produce excellent albums and ponder how I can do likewise," Cho said in the first press conference following one five years ago to announce his 19th album "Hello."
The 68-year-old singer has so many feats and prefixes to his name. Most recently noticeable may well be how he crossed over generations and genres to the new K-pop landscape heavily dominated by talent agency-engineered "idol" bands, with surprising big hits from that album such as "Hello," and "Bounce." He said he was grateful younger fans got to know him.
"As I age, I thought on ways to do music for the long term, and doing music that young people would listen to was the way. If a 15-year-old listens to my music, they will remember my music when they turn 60, 70," Cho said.
On top of his game for five decades, Cho, was also part of the South Korean troupe that performed in Pyongyang.
"Since I performed there in 2005, it was a familiar place in a way. One of my two North Korean guides was the same man who guided us in 2005. I was really glad to meet him again," Cho said in a rare press conference held Wednesday at Blue Square in Hannam-dong, Seoul.
Cho said he was not in peak condition while in Pyongyang, and his performance fell short of his expectations. Invariably, it is hard to find satisfaction when one has been at the top for decades.
He rose to fame with his first single "Come Back to Busan Port" in 1975. His first official album, "The Woman Outside the Window," which also included the hit song "Come Back to Busan Port," hit a record-breaking 1 million sales in 1980, setting a milestone in the Korean music world. Cho possesses numerous other records including holding the first album with 10 million accumulated sales, and selling 1 million albums in Japan as a Korean singer. He was also the first Korean singer to perform at Radio City Hall in New York.
The rare press conference was conducted in a talk format between Cho and music critic Im Jin-mo, with reporters asking questions in between. Befitting his moniker the "national singer," the singer's speaking voice was clear and booming, prompting one to wonder whether he needed the microphone.
The singer initially didn't have plans to fete his fifth decade in music, but was persuaded to. He will hold a concert titled "Thanks to You" on May 12 at Jamsil Main Stadium in Seoul, then in Daegu on May 19 at Daegu Stadium, then in Gwangju on June 2 and then on June 9 in Uijeongbu.
"I am the type who cannot do several things simultaneously. If I prepare for an album, I have to only prepare for an album. If I prepare for concerts, then that's what I do," Cho said.
The sound of a harmonica played by a farmer when he was around five to six years old got him hooked on music. Cho is a native of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. His physical contact with music was when he started playing a Korean children's song on a harmonica later. There were stints as guitarists and with rock bands before he turned solo in the 1970s.
The singer said he continues to listen to music every day through YouTube among others, and brushes up on weak points.
"I find that as I age, my middle and lower vocals fall short. When I notice that, I would pick a range of songs in that vocal range and continue to practice them," Cho said. To keep his voice healthy, the singer has cut down on drinking and eats in small amounts.
Of the reigning K-pop, Cho said he is fortunate to have been born earlier before visually and choreographically strong K-pop groups surged to popularity. "When people are at the center of popularity, it means there is something to them. We have to acknowledge that."
Cho said he listens to everyone's music through YouTube including BTS, EXO and BigBang, as well as foreign singers like the Irish band Script.
He has put off releasing his 20th album because of preparation for the concert. So far, he's worked on six to seven songs in medium to fast tempos.
"I am grateful to have been born in Korea, and to do music this long," he said.
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