Artist of the week - Shin Hye Sung

PROFILE:

Real name : Jeong Pil-kyo
Date of birth : November 27th, 1979
Education : Department of English, Cheonan University
Physique : 179cm, 61kg
Nickname : Sonic
Blood type : A
Religion : Christianity
Hobbies : Listening to music, driving
Talent : Taekwondo(officially approved 3 dan)
Motto : I can do it!
Favorite food : Flavorful food with sesame seeds and oil
Favorite colors : Black, white

BIOGRAPHY:

Our featured artiste this week is Shin Hye Sung. He moved to the U.S. when he was in his third year of junior high school in Korea and spent his high school years there. In junior high school, he liked playing sports such as soccer but he especially enjoyed basketball. Although he has enjoyed singing since he was a child, he never dreamt of becoming a singer. But, when he was in the U.S., he entered a singing contest at a Korean festival in L.A. and he really enjoyed it.

Now it’s been nine years since Shin Hye Sung first created waves with his groundbreaking debut as a member of Shinhwa. Since then, going from the main vocalist of Shinhwa, to a member of the trio singing group called S (with good friends Kangta and Lee Ji Hoon), Shin Hye-sung’s career has been marked with both brilliance and success. But his passion for music doesn’t just stop there. He released his solo album in 2005 and took on a different kind of music by becoming a ballad singer.

Hye Sung’s first solo album titled "The Love of May" was very successful. It produced a No. 1 song "Same Thought", and another 2 top 20 hits "Don’t Leave", and "Mirror". Also, his duet with veteran female singer Susie Kang, "Buen Camino", also received good reviews. These songs were all ballads which were very different from Shinhwa’s music, but were able to better showcase Hye Sung’s vocal.

Despite his many experiences with being onstage and in front of the camera, Hye Sung still gets nervous and tense as if it is his first time. He wrote five of the 14 songs on the 1st album. These songs are about love and heartbreak. He has had his fair share of loving someone and breaking up with them. He thinks those experiences are the source of his inspiration. Also, he has a habit of writing down good lyrics on his cell phone and saving them whenever he thinks of something.

In 2006, Hye Sung re-united with his Shinhwa members and released Shinhwa’s 8th album, which featured the No. 1 song "Once In A Lifetime", one of the songs dedicated to Korea’s 2006 World Cup soccer team.

In 2007, Hye Sung re-started his solo works. First, he released a duet "After…Love" with Lyn from a music drama of the same name. The song became a top 10 hit. Then he participated in songwriter Cho Young Soo’s project album "All Stars" with many other famous artistes. Finally in August 2007, Hye Sung released his 2nd solo album. Again, he worked with Cho Young Soo and the first single titled "첫사람" (First Person) which is a gentle ballad, went to No. 2 in our music chart. His album also spent 2 weeks on top of the sales chart. Overall, Hye Sung has outdone Shinhwa teammates Kim Dong Wan and Lee Min Woo this time, as all three has released their solo albums in the same period.

Over the years, Hye Sung has undergone a lot of transformations in his music: from Shinhwa’s pop dance hits in the early days, to his wonderful solo ballads now. Hye Sung has grown up a lot in front of all the fans. He’s not afraid to try out new things, and fans will continue to travel along with him in his musical journey.

DISCOGRAPHY:

The Love of May (1st album, 2005) : Same Thought, Don’t Leave, Mirror, Buen Camino

The Beginning, New Days (2nd album, 2007) : First Person

credits: KBS World, edward1849