[CELEB] Roy Kim packs his feelings into new album ‘,and’

Singer Roy Kim touches on consolation in his newest album “,and.”

On Tuesday, just an hour before the album’s release, Kim attended an online press event. Like the feeling evoked by the album’s title, Kim was cautious and hesitant — acknowledging himself that he was “indeed nervous” — though his will to continue making music was obvious.

It has been seven years since Kim dropped his third full-length album “The Great Dipper” (2015), though he released singles in between.

“I went to the army, worked on new music and now I’m preparing for my upcoming concert,” Kim said when asked what he did during his hiatus. “I’m having a concert on Nov. 19 and 20, and there’s just so much to do. It’s been four years since I last had a concert, and I’m worried about how even more nervous I’ll be during the actual concert, considering that I’m shaking right now!”

The album features nine tracks: two lead songs “It’ll Be Alright” and “Take Me Back in Time,” along with “The Black Between the Stars,” “Bedtime Prayers,” “I Should Have,” “Trust in Time,” “Hear Me Out,” “Well, Tonight” and “At Last.”

“It took a long time to come back with a new album, but it took just as much effort and contemplation,” Kim said. “It contains a wide variety of human emotions — joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure — from tracks one to eight, and the final track asks listeners what they would do after embracing such emotions. I wanted to send a message wishing people would be more thankful for their surroundings and value the moment.”

True to his singer-songwriter identity, Kim wrote and composed all nine tracks. The album is comprised solely of Kim’s voice, with no other artists featured, because he felt that he had “so much to say in each track, yet so little time to accommodate them all,” and he was “so focused on stuffing all the lyrics into the songs that there must have been no space to feature other artists as well.”

The lead track “It’ll Be Alright” is sung like a monologue, with Kim singing “’it’ll be alright’ probably about 30 times,” Kim joked.

“Whenever we ask each other how we are doing, I don’t think it’s often that we can confidently say that we are doing fine,” Kim explained. “With this song, I wish people would think that we are all actually doing better and are happier than we actually think, and that we should be satisfied and grateful for what we already have.”

“Take Me Back in Time” is the last in Kim’s “breakup trilogy” that follows his previous hit songs “Only Then” and “The Hardest Part,” both released in 2018.

“The Black Between the Stars” started from a melody Kim wrote 10 years ago and is one of the first melodies he has ever composed.

Kim rose to stardom after winning Mnet’s audition program “Superstar K4” in 2012. He debuted with the song “Bom Bom Bom” (2013), which he wrote and composed, and since then has released a string of ballad hits.

In 2019, Kim was investigated and later charged by the police as he was accused of sharing obscene material through a mobile messaging app, though the charges were later dropped.

“Kim shared a picture from an online blog in 2016 on KakaoTalk,” said Stone Music Entertainment, his agency at the time. “He is deeply sorry and regretful for being ignorant of the fact that sharing such material, regardless of intention, can validate the distribution of pornography.”

He has kept a low profile since then, and during the showcase event he said that he “realized how important music was to [him] during the hiatus.”

“My only thought was to make music,” he continued. “I blocked out every other thought and did my best for this album. It means a lot that there is someone out there who is waiting for my music.”

Roy Kim (Kim Sang-woo)

Date of Birth: July 3, 1993
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Gangnam District, southern Seoul
Debut: November 2012 through Mnet’s “Superstar K4” as the grand winner
Agency: Wakeone

Roy Kim released the single “Bom Bom Bom” in 2013 after winning season four of Mnet’s popular talent show franchise “Superstar K” (2009-16). Kim gained popularity with a string of hits, like “Love Love Love” (2013), “Home” (2014), “Only Then” (2018), and “The Hardest Part” (2018). In 2019, Kim was investigated by the police for allegations of sharing obscene material through a mobile messaging app, the charges for which were later dropped. He apologized for his behavior and took a break. After releasing a few singles over the years, he returned with his fourth full-length album “,and” this week.

Wakeone confirmed the information on Oct. 26, 2022.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]