If asked, “Who are some of the best Korean singers with a romantic voice?”, many Koreans are surely to name this ballad singer. As an experienced singer who has cling to ballad and vocalistic strategies for over a decade, Sung Si Kyung performed in LA this past Saturday as he was invited as a special guest for DirecTV & tvN’s launch event at the Hollywood Palladium Theatre on Saturday, June 7. During our interview with him, Sung shared his honest thoughts about his career and K-pop industries.
Kpop Buddy: How do you feel as an artist invited as a representative of Korean singers?
Sung Si Kyung: This trip to LA is a meaningful one for me since it’s been a long time. I’m excited to see Korean fans living here in LA, and I’ll try my best to spend good time with them by sharing a lot of fun stuff and preparing a great performance.
KB: These days K-pop stars are taking a role as Korean cultural diplomats all over the world. Do you have any pride as one of those stars?
SSK: As a Korean citizen, I’m very glad to hear the news that our immigrants here in LA are being more successful and reaching mainstream. I can tell that perception of Korea got better through World Cup and K-pop. However, I don’t really have pride as a Korean singer, as advertising Korea is not the main purpose of my career.
KB: Please share your plans about your musical activities in the U.S.
SSK: If I’m given a chance to have musical activities in U.S., I’ll be willing to begin since the market is big and I’m able to speak in English. However, I know that it will be tough and the connections are very important. Still, if someone really likes my voice and suggests me about musical activities, I won’t reject.
KB: People are showing interest in what you said on the talk show, Witch Hunt. Do you have any worries about your image shown in the show?
SSK: I don’t really have pressure to share myself on the show as it doesn’t force me to throw explicit jokes, which would happen in other talk shows. It’s just sharing about my everyday life honestly, which I have done a lot on some radio programs, and I feel comfortable sharing those stuff.
KB: These days idol groups are dominating K-pop industries. Do you have any concern when you look at them?
SSK: I don’t want to be one of those who criticize K-pop artists by their style or monetary success. They just look amazing and cool, especially because they can perform in a way that I can never try. Some might criticize the idols that they just focus on extravagant performances, but I do recognize that performance is another area of focus for singers. Ballad vocalists like me have their own charm, while performers have different kind of charm. That’s why K-pop idols amaze me and make me feel like they have totally different career than me.
KB: It seems like foreign K-pop fans are enthralled by fantastic performance of K-pop artists. As a ballad singer who doesn’t often focus on performance, how will you appeal such fans?
SSK: I’m not sure if the songs that are appealing many foreign fans were actually produced to target those fans. When I see Psy having perform in Italy, it looks really exciting but I have this thought that the song was not just meant for Italian fans. If my song will be famous all of a sudden by any chance, I will love to see it but I don’t have any plan to force myself to appeal foreign fans. I think the genre and style of my songs are not meant for that kind of appeal.
Joseph Shin
K-pop Buddy
* Photo Credits to Yuna Hwang (Kpop Buddy)
