WOO Talk About His Music, Struggles, Inspiration and More! [Exclusive Interview]

I’ve conducted a fantastic interview with solo K-pop artist WOO for the readers of Minihanok.

For over five years, Minihanok has been connecting with its readers through numerous captivating articles on K-drama reviews, K-pop and Hallyu news, and various aspects of Korean culture. To bring K-pop and K-drama enthusiasts from all around the world together, Minihanok recently began publishing in English as well, and took its content to the next level with an exciting new series!

After hundreds of intriguing articles, an amazing series is about to unfold: Minihanok Exclusive Interviews!

The first guest of Minihanok Exclusive Interviews is the rising K-pop artist WOO!

Making a comeback with his first mini-album titled BE:LOVED in the past months, WOO continues his solo career with tremendous dedication and sincerity.

Writing lyrics for nearly all of his songs, WOO ensures that each track presents a striking and profound narrative, no matter which one you choose to listen to.

We discussed various topics with WOO, including his career, his songs, the things he values as an artist, his determination to never give up, and what he does during his leisure time. The artist responded to each question with his unique style, answering with a poetic and sincere voice.

Be ready to get a new favorite artist!

Hello Woo. Thank you for accepting Minihanok’s interview offer. You made a fantastic comeback with an amazing album in the past months. What does this album mean to you?

Nice to meet you, readers of Minihanok!!

All four songs on this album are my own compositions, and they reflect the things I experienced during the preparation process of the album.

Although the general atmosphere of the songs is dark,

When I look back after releasing this album,

I believe it reflects an impressive aspect of my resilience and determination to continue making music during tough times.

You are a versatile artist. You work on both the writing and production stages of your songs. In your opinion, how does writing your own lyrics play a role in expressing yourself through your music?

I think writing lyrics is like keeping a diary.

I write about my experiences honestly, and I believe it serves as a source of solace for others.

The world of art is highly competitive and challenging to sustain, unlike 9-to-5 jobs. It also isn’t always recognized as a “real job” by others, as you mention in your song “Precipice“. How did your journey into music career begin? How did your family and friends react?

At the age of 17, I came to Seoul alone and started my trainee days while staying in a room.

It’s been already 11 years since that days.

It’s true that enduring to hardships are tough.

But I felt that if I gave up, everything would become even harder.

My family and the people around me were supporting my dream.

“Precipice” is one of your most beautiful songs, in my opinion. The lyrics of the song reflect not only your struggles but also the challenges many people face while striving for their dreams. How do you deal with moments when you want to give up? What keeps you going?

When I feel like giving up, I clear my mind in that moment,

Read books, or travel.

I often write song lyrics while traveling.

The reason I keep moving forward constantly is,

Of course, my fans.

It’s because of them that I find inner peace.

When we look at your songs, we always encounter emotional music and very profound lyrics. Are you generally of an emotional and melancholic person?

Actually, my personality used to be different.

However, being in the entertainment industry,

I faced many difficulties.

During this process, I realized that my heart got hurt a lot,

So, I naturally became more emotional.

But in the future, I plan to show a brighter side of myself.

I believe one of the greatest achievements for an artist is to find satisfaction in the art they create. What does success mean to you? When do you feel that your work is successful?

For me, the moment that makes me feel successful is when I’m on stage.

While performing, I always enjoy feeling my music along with the audience and connecting with them, and I think, “Ah, I should do this profession for a lifetime.”

“I think music signifies sincerity.”

Through your songs, you open your heart to your fans. I think this takes great courage because it means the whole world gets to learn about your inner world. How does this make you feel? Are there times when you worry or edit lyrics to remove certain things?

I think music means sincerity.

If my sincerity isn’t evident and my songs are composed of mere words,

Of course, it will be difficult to empathize with them.

This will also likely be the case during interviews.

I believe that what enables me to conduct interviews in such a sincere manner is that the lyrics in my songs reflect my sincerity and faithfully express my emotions and life.

I feel that this allows me to express myself even more.

You recently had a very enjoyable interview with White Entertainment, a Turkish entertainment company. How does it feel to know you have fans in completely different countries? Why do you think K-pop is loved by people from different languages and cultures?

The interview with White Entertainment was a lot of fun.

It’s very exciting to have fans in different countries. Knowing that my music resonates all over the world really makes me feel grateful.

I also want to meet my fans from other countries in the future.

I think the reason K-pop is so popular is actually due to the performance aspect.

Because of this, I’m currently considering making music that emphasizes performance.

I remember from my past performances that combining various performances using the music I released during that time made it more exciting for the audience.

WOO also shares his thoughts on INFINITE, one of the most successful K-pop groups of all time.

Among those who congratulated you on your newly released album was Woohyun from INFINITE. INFINITE is a group that I also love and have been following for many years. They celebrated their 13th anniversary in the past weeks. In an industry where everything changes so rapidly, what do you think is the secret to staying relevant and thriving for many years?

I’m passionate when observing from the sidelines.

However, even though it’s been 13 years since their debut,

Sometimes I see that INFINITE sunbaenim (seniors) are even more serious and passionate than me.

I’m always learning something from them.

Who are the senior musicians you follow with admiration? In the music industry, why do you think the senior-junior relationship between artists is important?

I admire Justin Bieber.

I think the senior-junior relationship in the music industry holds a significant place in generating both vibrant music and lively performances in the future.

Minihanok primarily focuses on K-pop and K-dramas. I am publishing a lot of K-drama reviews in here. Korean dramas have a vast fan base in Turkey. Do you watch Korean dramas? Have you watched any recently?

Yes, I enjoy watching dramas.

Recently, I watched and was impressed by the drama ‘Twenty Five Twenty One’.

It was very enjoyable as they blended a pursuit of a dream story with sweet romance.

What’s your favorite TV show? How do you spend your free time as an artist?

Actually, I usually chill on Netflix watch a lot of things. ^^

I enjoy spending my free time reading books.

Thank you so much for accepting my interview offer and for your warm answers. It was an honor to introduce you to Minihanok readers!

Hello, Minihanok readers!!

I am WOO, a singer from Korea.

I was part of Produce 101 Season 2,

And I was in an idol group for a while,

And now, I’m working diligently as a solo artist!

Lastly, what would you like to say to Minihanok readers?

I’m truly so happy to have had this chance to meet with Minihanok readers.

I hope the content of my interview was interesting for you.

Let’s meet one day with a big smiles on our faces!

Until then, I support your dreams and your life endeavors!

We’ve come to the end of the WOO Interview!

The first guest of Minihanok Exclusive interviews was Seong Hyunwoo. It was a great pleasure interviewing WOO, and it was pleasure to introduce this amazing artist to you!

It looks like WOO will be one of our favorite artists with his dedication, sincerity and amazing songs! To follow the artist closely, you can follow his instagram address!

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Don’t forget to follow WOO’s Youtube channel: Seong Hyunwoo youtube

What’s your thoughts on the interview? What would you like to say to WOO?

Leave a comment!:)