As Wheesung has passed away, a time has been arranged to reflect on his musical achievements.
On the 19th, a video titled "Giant Tree, Wheesung" was uploaded to the YouTube channel "AMPLIFIED Podcast." Rapper and host UMC and music critic Kim Young-dae took time to look back on the career and musical life of the late Wheesung, who recently passed away.
Kim Young-dae noted, "There are occasionally singers among them, but Wheesung created his own voice. He made the voice he wanted to have through intense practice and effort. That in itself is remarkable. I think the music and art worlds are battles of geniuses when viewed in the short term. However, in the long term, those who survive are not the geniuses, but those who are passionate, hardworking, consistent, and endure for a long time."
After listening to the track "With Me" from his second album, UMC said, "The biggest role in injecting hip hop and R&B into our country was played by YG Entertainment and its affiliated singers. Beyond that, it's correct to think of Wheesung first."
Kim Young-dae remarked, "Wheesung was from the agency (MBT) that had a partnership with YG, and it was one of those moments in my personal music history and K-pop history where I was shocked the first time I heard him." He added, "There are cases where even greater songs do not shock you when you first hear them, but 'With Me' left me in awe. I thought, 'This is possible!' While R&B existed in the previous generation, Wheesung did not bring R&B into the country. Many have attempted, including Yoo Young-jin and Solid."
He continued, "Knowing the start of the singer Wheesung, there were two major figures celebrated by SNP (the hip R&B club during the NowNuri period), Real Slow (Wheesung's nickname) and Tae-wan. There was a younger sibling I knew who seemed to have thrown down a song that fundamentally changed the history of the music industry. That feeling was very unique," recalling, "It wasn't a longing or reverence for my seniors, but rather a thrill of shock that my younger siblings were accomplishing what we and our seniors could not."
In particular, UMC said, "Wheesung is like Kim Yuna in the music industry. It makes you wonder, 'From what soil did such a thing bloom?' You think that such results are unfounded," and Kim Young-dae concurred, saying, "That's right. We didn't see that process one by one."
UMC evaluated, "Before Wheesung started his professional career, he had no one's help. This product was created completely on his own. Because there were no seniors in the domestic scene to guide him. Ultimately, it was self-taught." He continued, "He learned the patterns of the R&B stars who dominated the market before his debut through self-study. It is similar to someone who becomes a player by watching UFC on TV."
In response, Kim Young-dae strongly agreed, saying, "In fact, thinking about the current K-pop system, it's an absurd situation. A singer, someone who wasn't born with a genius talent, admires those R&B vocalists and practices using them as sources to reach a certain level. I believe it's a miracle that we can evaluate someone as a 'vocalist who cannot emerge from the soil of our country.'"
UMC noted that Wheesung was likely most influenced by the album of the group Dru Hill and its member Cisco, saying, "At that time, he became a vocalist well acquainted with the global trends of R&B. He studied alone for 1 to 2 years and then became that way," expressing amazement.
Kim Young-dae reflected, "Looking back now, I feel regret. If Wheesung had started making music in the early 90s, I think the pressure would not have been that intense. Had he simply liked the styles of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, he might have made some compromises. By the time Wheesung was nurturing his dreams, it was after a flood of monster vocalists over-exerting their vocal cords. I believe he must have felt that enormous wall then."
UMC stated, "A friend who developed this alone in his late teens to early twenties was able to sing this much live and had such a sense of fashion. The premise that an R&B singer could emerge with a top hit that year in South Korea is not incorrect. If Wheesung had not come out then, it's likely that there would not have been a singer of that caliber for a while, and the ceiling that SM or YG could aim for would have been much lower." Kim Young-dae also noted, "There were definitely limitations. We're not surprised by our astonishment over Wheesung for no reason."
However, Kim Young-dae acknowledged, "Wheesung also had clear limitations in his own way. Being Korean, he obviously had limits, and he originally did not have a naturally gifted voice. He clearly should have targeted only our market. Because of the inherent limitations of that voice, he must have overexerted himself. Even then, I thought that was Wheesung's unfortunate limit. Here, the flexibility that natural vocalists possess is somewhat lacking. But later on, he also creates that flexibility. That is truly remarkable and touching."
On this day, various hit songs of Wheesung such as "With Me," "Incomplete," and "7 Days" were introduced. Kim Young-dae remarked, "There are many ballads in R&B in the music genre. However, I didn't select any of those. The reason for avoiding those is that excluding such songs makes it clearer what Wheesung has left behind. It's not that ballads are bad, but the image of the person recalled as a ballad singer is only that of a 'popular singer.' It is a shame to explain Wheesung with the term 'popular singer.'"
UMC said, "You can tell from listening to his music that this person considers hard work to be part of his daily life. You can see that even in his later career," referencing the 2018 EP "In the Universe."
He continued, "After 12-13 years since Wheesung, who turned to vocals at the level of Cisco, it is clear that he has moved back to the R&B style being sung by K-pop. He continued to develop his technique, but this was in order to address issues such as frequent vocal cord surgeries."
Kim Young-dae expressed, "I think it was an unfortunate situation that Wheesung was born into. He had to be like Cisco. He poured everything beyond my physical limits... It's similar to a revolution in baseball speed. Throwing at 160 km/h for years and having to undergo ligament surgery because of it. Singing R&B is like that. It's not different in America. It makes no sense. We are thankful that Wheesung remained a competitive vocalist after going through that time."
UMC recalled a personal anecdote, saying, "When I first met Wheesung, it was at a bar in Itaewon. It was 2004, just before his album activities. I asked him, 'How do you manage?' He said, 'Hyung, I'm a complete pig.' He lifted his shirt, and there was nothing but bones. I thought, 'What a strange kid.' (laughs) Later, when I went to do album featuring work, I encountered his work mindset. He was always suffering from an obsession that I couldn't do it. Wheesung was like that to me," adding, "The confidence he showed seemed like he would eat the whole world, but when night fell, he could turn into the most scared being in the world. He was constantly fighting that. Showing a wonderful performance and then going home to face the ugliest mirror waiting for him. I now realize how much this struggle has become a huge misfortune for the human being that is Choi Wheesung. So, many acquaintances now regret not being able to support him. I felt that he left this world feeling agonized by the perfect work he produced."
Kim Young-dae remarked, "The Wheesung I heard, the Wheesung I knew, and the Wheesung my acquaintances knew were exactly like that. I felt the same thing. People said Wheesung was great, but he constantly felt ashamed of himself, felt something lacking, pursued perfection, and felt like he was always an inadequate being. It seems he tried to do something for music until the very end. Of course, he has left this world, but ultimately, those who continually feel themselves to be inadequate and strive to endure are the ones who uniquely survive in each field."
UMC said, "At least for the people who lived through their 30s and 40s in Korea, the name Wheesung is certainly familiar. However, for those who have not heard this person's entire playlist, digging into it from now on will be a great blessing. He really lived hard and burned bright before he left us," mourning for the deceased.
Meanwhile, Wheesung was found in cardiac arrest at his home in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, around 6:29 p.m. on the 10th. He was 43 years old.
The deceased's funeral and burial were held on the 16th at the Seoul Samsung Hospital funeral hall, watched by colleagues and fans, with the burial site being the Gwangneung Memorial Park.
Wheesung, who officially debuted with his first regular album 'Like A Movie' in 2002, rose to stardom with 'Is It Not Possible?' He gained immense popularity with numerous hit songs such as 'A Story I Can't Tell,' 'In The Sky,' 'With Me,' 'The Day We Met Again,' 'Beauty,' 'Good-Bye Luv,' 'If It's a Year,' 'I'm Missing You,' 'I Thought About Marriage,' 'Heartbreaking Story,' 'Masterpiece You,' 'Terminal Illness,' 'Droplets,' 'Love Is Delicious,' 'Insomnia,' and 'Love.. That Terrible Disease.' Even now, his hit songs receive tremendous love.
[Photo] OSEN DB, screenshot from 'AMPLIFIED Podcast' channel, TAJOYENT
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