Singer Choi Yeon-hwa's new song "Ososeo," released recently, is drawing attention for reinterpretating the true story of scholar Dasan Jeong Yak-yong and his wife with a modern sensibility.
The first track on her fifth album, released last November, "Ososeo," was completed after being inspired by the true story that during Jeong Yak-yong's exile in Gangjin in the late Joseon period, his wife Mrs. Hong sent the hapi skirt she had worn when she married into the family to Gangjin.
The song, praised for rendering "a couple's love that even a thousand-ri road could not block" in a Korean lyrical style, features delicate melodies by composer Choi Kang-san, who produced the hit "At Andong Station," with lyricist Choi Sang-sik reviving the breath of the classics in modern language.
Choi Yeon-hwa focused on conveying restrained emotion and poignant yearning through a powerful, steady vocal. Reinterpreting the story contained in a faded skirt with a contemporary sensibility, the song reaches listeners' hearts like a letter that has crossed many years and is recognized as a work that combines the trot genre's tradition with a dramatic narrative.
The album's second track, "Cloud life," is also an authentic trot disco song in which composer Choi Kang-san's music features lyrics by Choi Ki-jong. With a clear tone, lively rhythm and a familiar melody that anyone can easily sing along to, it is completed as an upbeat trot.
The third track, "Love is the one," is an authentic trot song with lyrics by Park Jun and composition by Kim Kyeong-soo. It contains a resolute message of leaving behind wavering feelings and regrets to search for the one true love, and its fast tempo rhythm and candid lyrics leave a strong aftertaste.
The new album, which condenses "the lyricism and narrative quality of trot," has been loved by fans as a record that harmonizes Choi Yeon-hwa's vocals with artistically substantial songs, delivering deep narrative and emotion.
About the release of her fifth album, Choi Yeon-hwa said she hopes "this love story that has crossed many years will be warmly conveyed to many people."
After finishing in the top three on MBN's "Voice Queen" in 2019 and showing a powerful presence as the "trot Elsa," Choi Yeon-hwa has continued to grow musically through various stages and album activities. Recently, she has been carrying out a wide range of activities including domestic and overseas performances, activities in China, lecture and collaboration projects, and column contributions.
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