Singer Go Jung-woo shared his thoughts on his first challenge with a musical.
Go recently met with OSEN at a cafe in the Hapjeong-dong area of Mapo, Seoul, where he talked about his newly released song 'Palja'.
Go has appeared in various programs such as SBS 'Moments of the World' and KBS2 'Human Theater', gaining recognition as the youngest haenyeo while diving alongside his grandmother, who was a diver. After proving his skills as a five-time winner on the KBS1 'Morning Yard' segment 'Dream Stage Challenge', he appeared on TV Chosun 'Mr. Trot 2', earning the nickname 'Seafood Ttukbaegi Voice' for his deep emotions and vocal ability, making a mark as a next-generation traditional trot singer.
Amid such attention, Go Jung-woo attempted a special challenge last year: taking on a musical. Go played the title role of 'Siddhartha' in the musical. 'Siddhartha' is a musical that captures the struggles and enlightenment of Buddha before his renunciation, and since its premiere in 2019, it has received great love as a pure original K-musical that encompasses universal and global beauty through its splendid stage, performance, and high-quality direction.
Go's character 'Siddhartha' is the prince of the Kapila kingdom, born with two destinies: to become the King of Kings known as the Wheel-turning Monarch or to attain enlightenment through practice. However, after witnessing the lives of people outside the palace, he resolves to renounce the throne and undergoes various struggles and ascetic practices to attain enlightenment. Attempting his first musical, Go successfully concluded his challenge by bringing forth a new Siddhartha with his unique charm.
Given Go's strong dialect, his participation in the musical was indeed a challenge. Go said, "I have a mindset of 'I can absolutely do this,' so I made the decision to participate after receiving the offer. However, my dialect is my biggest complex. While it's appealing in broadcasts or events, I couldn't use it in the musical. Especially since my role was Siddhartha, I absolutely couldn't use my dialect. The director told me I couldn't use it, so I tried to suppress it."
The challenges did not stop with just the dialect. The difference between staging and musicals was immense. There was so much to do, from singing to acting and coordinating movements—all of it felt overwhelming. Go reflected, "There was so much to do that I thought, 'Should I say I can't do it even now?' Moreover, when I practiced and went home, it really felt like my head was heating up."
But Go was not someone to give up. He noted, "I have faced many hardships since I was young, and the positive aspect is that I can overcome any difficult situation without giving up. While diving, I earned money, so I wondered why I couldn't do a musical. So, I bit the bullet and worked on my dialect correction, and I was able to raise the curtain through my efforts."
The efforts paid off, and audiences warmly watched as Go successfully completed his first musical challenge. Go said, "I feel a thrill in performing as a singer, but the excitement after finishing as an actor was immense. It was particularly thrilling since I received applause and compliments for the first time in acting. While doing the musical, I learned a lot about how I could improve my performance as a singer."
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[OSEN]