Cho Yong-pil comes back with his 20th album for the first time in 11 years

Singer Cho Yong-pil poses at a press conference to celebrate the release of his 20th album at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan, Seoul, on October 22. Senior Reporter Seo Sung-il

“I think this will probably be my last (full-length) album.”

Veteran singer Cho Yong-pil returned with his 20th full-length album “<20>” for the first time in 11 years. “It was very difficult for me to release new songs when I'm already over 70 years old, but I tried my best,” he said at a press conference at Blue Square in Yongsan, Seoul, on October 22, adding, ”I feel shy and honored.”

Cho is an indispensable singer in the history of Korean popular music. He debuted in 1968 as a member of the rock group Atkins before going solo and becoming famous with the hit “Come Back to Busan Port” in 1975. His first full-length album, which includes "Woman Outside the Window," is the first album in Korea to sell more than 1 million copies. He has so many hit songs loved by people that he could have a concert only with them, such as “Bobbed Hair,” “Leopard of Kilimanjaro,” “Mona Lisa,” and “Red Dragonfly.”

In 2013, the singer surprised the world again with “Bounce,” a track from his 19th regular album, which was released for the first time in 10 years. It is a modern rock song with an addictive melody and innocent lyrics, which took the top spot on the chart of TV music shows in Korea for the first time in 23 years.

After the success of his 19th album, Cho did not release a regular album for a long time and immersed himself in a long work for making new songs again. He is a perfectionist. It took him 11 years to release this album. He recorded it over and over again until earlier this month. It is said that the mixing work conducted with a studio in the U.S. was repeated 16 to 18 times, and later officials of the studio came to Korea. “I don't think a record can be made that easily,” said Choi. “I have to like it, but if I make it and look at the score again the next day, I don't like it. I think there are probably hundreds of songs like that.” While making the new album, he worked on one song until the end, but eventually dropped it because he thought it did not “go well with the album.”

The title track of the 20th album is 'It’’ Be Okay.” As the title suggests, it is a message of support for everyone living in this era. He conceived of the song while watching a sports match last spring, thinking about how the loser's heart feels when the winner and loser are decided and all the cameras are only on the winner's side. He met with the lyricist and asked for “straightforward, comforting lyrics that don't go around.” The lyrics of the song, "Trust now, trust yourself, trust now, and if you're tired, you can rest here." came out like this. The music video starring actors Byun Yo-han and Park Geun-hyung and actresses Esom and Jeon Mi-do was produced by Dolphiners Films.

Of the seven songs, three are new, including the title track, “Timing,” and “Why.” As a perfectionist, he complained about "It’ll Be Okay," saying, "I regret that I should have raised my voice by half a key." The chorus part in the middle of the electronic pop rock song "Timing" is all his voice. Since the 1980s, he has sung 99.9 percent of his songs himself, including the chorus. The ballad “Why” was the most practiced song he has ever sung. “I practiced for months with different lyrics, phrasing, and falsetto,” he explained. “Moment,” “Like Serengeti,” “Feeling of You,” and “La” were songs from his mini album "Road to Twenty (20) - Prelude 1 and 2," which was released in 2022 and 2023.

There are many songs in “<20>” that support and comfort people rather than love songs. "I actually sang too many love songs. I wrote 'Dream' after reading a newspaper editorial about ‘young men to cities from rural areas’ on a plane. I want to talk about society with that feeling. When I listen to old songs, there are some old songs that comfort us, and I feel that I should make such songs because I received such comfort while listening to them."

Although he has been a musician for 56 years, he still studies music at home and in his studio. Still when he hears a new song, he has a voice that he wants to create, and he immediately starts experimenting and practicing. He said he “has no specific future plans.” “I just want my voice to be a little bit more singable. I hope that my voice will become a little bit stronger through practice,” he added.

Cho said the album he released on that day would be his last one as a regular album. “I don't know what songs will come out next, but I think this will probably be my last as an album, but I want to keep singing, actually. If I feel like I can't do it, I'll stop then. Until then, please keep supporting me.”

Cho will hold a concert celebrating the release of his 20th album at the KSPO Dome in Seoul’s Olympic Park on November 23, 24, and 30 and December 1.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.