Powerhouse Son Seung-yeon headlines 'SIX: The Musical'

Rising diva Son Seung-yeon, 29, also known as Sonnet, finally becomes a true queen on stage with the ongoing "SIX: The Musical." “It feels incredibly empowering not only to be on stage as Catherine of Aragon but to also be surrounded by five...

Son Seung-yeon, also known as Sonnet, as Catherine of Aragon in ongoing run of "SIX: The Musical" at COEX Shinhan Card Artium in Gangnam District, southern Seoul [IAMCULTURE]

Rising diva Son Seung-yeon, 29, also known as Sonnet, finally becomes a true queen on stage with the ongoing "SIX: The Musical."

“It feels incredibly empowering not only to be on stage as Catherine of Aragon but to also be surrounded by five other queens practically night after night,” Son told the Korea JoongAng Daily in an interview at COEX Shinhan Card Artium in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, in April.

The cast of "SIX: The Musical" perform at COEX Shinhan Card Artium in Gangnam District, southern Seoul [IAMCULTURE]

“SIX: The Musical” is an 80-minute British pop musical that revolves around the six wives of the former king of England, Henry VIII (1491-1547). They attempt to compete over who has suffered the most from marrying Henry by telling their sob stories in a series of mini pop concerts. The songs are inspired by the musical styles of modern-day pop icons such as Beyoncé, Adele, Rihanna, Avril Lavigne, Ariana Grande and Alicia Keys.

"There aren't many shows that are headlined by six women, so there was a certain level of pressure going in," said Son, also remarking that all the actors rehearsed so much they barely had the energy to talk after practice.

"Although the women are competing on who had it the worst, those who have seen the show will know it is a hilarious and uplifting musical. The last thing we wanted was to seem angry or jealous of each other."

The book, music and lyrics in "SIX" are by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, and premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, performed by students from Cambridge University. It then went to West End in 2019, followed by Broadway in March 2020. The show is the winner of two Tony Awards - Best Original Score and Best Costume Design.

The current production of “SIX” is the first time that the show is being staged in Korea, and during the performance, the COEX Shinhan Card Artium turns into nothing short of a party house with dancing, confetti and cheering that fills the better half of the theater. This rave response from the audience is proving to be more than what anyone could have expected, according to Son.

“We are so glad to seat such a great group of people each night who are ready to get up and dance with us,” she said. “We were initially worried the Korean audience wouldn’t be as enthusiastic about the show due to unfamiliarity with some very distinct English humor and British history.”

Son Seung-yeon, also known as Sonnet Son, as Catherine of Aragon in the ongoing run of "SIX: The Musical" at COEX Shinhan Card Artium in Gangnam District, southern Seoul [IAMCULTURE]

Performing the first solo of the show in a dazzling gold power suit is Son’s Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536), Henry VIII’s first wife, whose marriage was annulled after she failed to give birth to a male heir and the king went on to marry his second wife, Anne Boleyn (c.1501–1536). Son alternates Catherine of Aragon with Lee Arum-soul.

"Aragon is a very proud and confident woman with a strong sense of responsibility," described Son, “someone that I relate to and also strive to become.”

But Son revealed she had initially auditioned for Catherine Parr (1512-1548), the last wife.

"I really liked Catherine Parr’s song, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that Aragon was a better fit for me personality-wise and she was also a character I felt could help me grow more as an actor, which is why I switched."

Son Seung-yeon, also known as Sonnet Son [THE GIVERS]

Son is relatively new to musical theater, "SIX" only being her third show to star following Rachel Marron in "The Bodyguard” in 2019 and Elphaba in "Wicked" in 2021.

She debuted as a balladeer in 2012 and made her mark in the public eye when she won first place with outstanding vocals at the singing competition television program "Voice Korea" in 2012, then again through her eight consecutive winning streak during “Masked Singer” in 2018.

Her foray into theater was welcomed by many local musical fans as Son had already proved her talents through various covers of musical numbers on her Twitter and YouTube channels. Her 2014 cover of Frozen's "Let It Go" (2013) has 5.6 million views as of May 2. At the time of the release, it gained traction for sounding very similar to the song's original singer and musical star Idina Menzel.

"I've even had a conductor from the orchestra pit tell me I look like Idina Menzel from that angle!" she said, laughing. "It's flattering to be compared to such a huge star."

Son Seung-yeon as Catherine of Aragon in the poster of the ongoing local run of "SIX: The Musical" [IAMCUTLURE]

Son was determined to be a singer ever since she sang "I Have Nothing" (1992) by her ultimate role model, Whitney Houston (1963-2012), at her school singing competition when she was 14 years old.

After "Voice Korea," Son was accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston, but did not graduate after leaving the program to participate in "Masked Singer." She later got a degree from Howon University's College of Music.

"When I was younger, I was very goal-oriented toward becoming a singer," she said. "But now, 10 years into my professional singing career, there have been times when singing that I love so much feels like an obligation instead of something that I want to do. I think about giving it up but even at these low points, I find myself listening to music. This is why I think I will end up doing music for the rest of my life."

Son has plans to debut in the United States as well.

In 2019, she signed with ICM Partners, a talent agency headquartered in Los Angeles that represents artists including Beyoncé and Khalid, after releasing her first single “I’m Not a Warrior” in collaboration with Walter Afanasieff, a celebrated songwriter who won a Grammy in 1999 for producing Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” (1997).

Afanasieff at the time described her as “a sort of vocalist that he hasn’t seen since Mariah Carey,” and ICM Partners’ Vice President John Flitter described her as “an artist who isn't one to come across easily in Asia,” according to the press release and local reports released upon Son’s contract with the agency.

Her U.S. debut was delayed due to Covid-19.

“Now that Covid is ending, I do want to resume those plans,” she said.

Next for Son, she hopes, is her album release. She hinted it will be “experimental.”

“The songs on the album will be diverse and probably quite different from what the public expects me to sing, but nonetheless they will all be music I have really wanted to sing,” she said. “I plan to sing as many of my own songs that I wrote as possible.”

Two songs - “Get up” and “Ready” - have been released ahead of the full album in 2020.

Son Seung-yeon, also known as Sonnet Son [THE GIVERS]

“I hope to get the album out this year, but plans have a way of changing,” she said, adding that the album’s release was pushed because of her decision to star in "SIX." “However, I’m not the one to miss out on opportunities that suddenly come by.”

For now, she wants as many people as possible to see “SIX.”

“There aren’t many shows like ‘SIX’ that can deliver a real message with such humor and impact. As I was practicing, I thought many times about how I wanted to be like these characters. These ladies truly know what self-love is, so I hope lots of people come see the show and receive this extraordinary, positive energy.”

“SIX: The Musical” runs through June 25. Shows begin at 8 p.m. on weekdays and at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekends and public holidays. There are no shows on Mondays. Tickets range from 60,000 won ($45) to 120,000 won. English subtitles are not available.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]