Singer Jung Seung-hwan expressed his feelings about returning to the music scene after approximately two years since his discharge from military service.
Recently, Jung Seung-hwan held an interview to celebrate the release of his new digital single 'In Spring' at the Antenna building located in Gangnam, Seoul, and discussed his new song.
Jung Seung-hwan, who is making his first comeback after military service and returning with a new release after 1 year and 11 months, stated, “I finished my military service safely and have been contemplating and discussing the steps I need to take to return as a singer since the time I was concluding my service. Recently, I have done various things ahead of the new song release. I completed a performance not long ago, and I am also doing shoots to show my face here and there, while simultaneously living the life of a soccer player.”
Jung Seung-hwan's new release 'In Spring' is an album that portrays a love story resembling the scene of spring, where emotions start to bloom like everything else, including two ballads, the title track 'Just One More Day' and the included track 'Let’s Meet Again on the Cherry Blossom-Laden Spring Road.'
He explained about this single, “It may be one-dimensional, but it is an album that comes out in spring, and I have a lot of music related to winter, but I wanted to release music suitable for the season where the frozen winter melts, buds begin to sprout, and flowers bloom, and I thought about becoming a singer that people would think of when spring is mentioned.”
He added, “The two songs in this single begin acoustically and minimally, then build up dynamically. I think that matches the images we consider when we think of spring, so I decided to name it 'In Spring.' The season of spring evokes many emotions of new beginnings, excitement, freshness, and brightness, but I believe that the contrasting feelings can come painfully to the forefront. If we talk about the pain of love in a fresh spring, it could be even more painful.”
The title track 'Just One More Day' contains a story of heartbreaking love that anyone has likely experienced at least once, and it is a standard ballad that allows one to fully feel the emotions of Jung Seung-hwan from his early debut days.
He stated about the title track, “It is a song that is a signature ballad of Jung Seung-hwan. It is about a powerless unrequited love that anyone has likely experienced at least once. I have wanted to create and sing a song about such stories for a long time, and it fit perfectly for my comeback music, so I was happy to work on it.”
Jung Seung-hwan, who also participated in writing the lyrics for the title track, regrettably noted that it is not based on personal experiences, saying, “There is an animation I have really loved for a long time called '5 Centimeters per Second.' That movie is structured in an omnibus format with three parts, and the second episode tells the story of a girl who has a crush on the male protagonist. Ever since I first saw that movie, I was really captivated by that episode, and I have thought about wanting to deal with such stories someday.”
He continued, “While revisiting it after a long time, especially during the lyric writing process, I wanted to incorporate a little of that girl’s story. I gained a lot of inspiration while learning from many movies or contents related to unrequited love that I had watched, and the chorus lyrics say, 'Is it okay if I can’t hate you for just one more day?' I felt this line when I wrote it.”
Antenna's head Yoo Hee-yeol also confidently entrusted Jung Seung-hwan. He noted, “Originally, in all processes of work, I would be involved and take charge, but this time, whether in the music creation or concert preparations, he came by just once, and after judging that I would handle it well, he said, 'You’re doing well. You’ll manage fine,' and then left. He said that when he first heard the title track, the feeling was different the more he listened, and at first, he would just think, 'Seung-hwan sings well,' but at some point, he started singing along himself. It seems to have a peculiar power and strange addictiveness.”
Having many hit songs starting with 'If It Were You,' Jung Seung-hwan expressed his desire, saying, “I really hope this song becomes a big hit. If it only reaches people, I think it’s a song that I, as well as those around me, can afford to be a bit greedy about. In the past, when I released an album, I would say it would be great if it became a hit, but it wouldn’t be a goal; I just wanted it to be loved for a long time. However, for this song, I really want it to be a hit.”
He added, “When I played music for those around me, and they said, 'This is you. This is your voice,' it felt so good. I felt good when I received acknowledgment regarding the symbolism and identity of myself as a singer. I think it will feel so good when it’s released to the world and I receive such feedback. I want to hear those types of comments.”
[Photo] Antenna
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