‘Superstar K2‘ runner-up John Park revealed the story behind his debut album, ‘Knock,’ which was released on February 22nd.
The title is a reference to John Park knocking on the door to Korea’s music world as a rookie singer, and it was revealed that he wrote and produced the title song himself. Unlike his fellow ‘Superstar K2′ contestants Huh Gak and Jang Jae In who have already release multiple albums, John Park, who signed a contract with Music Farm last April, has finally released his debut album after a year of hard work.
He revealed, “I was always in love with music from the beginning so I would sing and go to auditions, but after I appeared on TV I encountered so many obstacles. All of a sudden I became a hot topic, I had to watch myself around other people, and deal with different interpretations of success. As I started thinking about all these things, I would sometimes lose sight of the reason why I started doing music in the first place, but I was able to realize with certainty that I would only be happy if I did music thanks to the help of Kim Dong Ryul sunbae.”
John Park also explained why his debut album was released later than expected. He stated that before he started working on his album, he had some time to think about what kind of mindset he needed to be a singer, his musical philosophy, and to genuinely think over whether he wanted to also participate in acting and appearing on variety shows. Because he had some time to soul-search, he said that he was satisfied with his album.
He explained, “I hope that through this album, people can see me as a rookie musician. It’s just the beginning, and the songs, rather than being flashy, are soft and full of feeling. The vocals are tender, resulting in a clear sound, and since it’s spring I tried to convey the cautious, anticipating feeling of the season.”
Perhaps it was because of his seriousness towards music and the effort he put into making his album, but his title song “Falling,” along with “Why,” “This Isn’t It,” “Good Day,” and “That Song” all placed within the Top 10 songs on portal sites and real-time music charts. “Falling” was composed by Andy Platts of UK soul-funk band Mamas Gun, and John Park wrote the lyrics and produced the song himself. “Good Day” was composed by Kim Hyung Seok; “Why,” “This Isn’t It,” and “That Song” were all composed by Kim Dong Ryul.
John Park stated that his title song, “Falling,” was titled so to imply falling in love, and contains a straightforward love story. He mused, “When we love, sometimes we’re happy and sometimes it hurts, but we end up falling in love again. However, this song isn’t just about love; I also thought a lot about loneliness. Loneliness was good for me, and I needed it to plunge deeper into my music.”
John Park also confided that “That Song” was the song he cherishes the most, as he laughed, “I like ‘That Song’ the best. It’s a very Kim Dong Ryul-like ballad. Kim Dong Ryul sunbae complimented me and said that I sang it well, but he also joked around and said that he regretted giving the song to me.”
He also stated that his next album will contain more of his own songs, and that while he likes both composing and writing lyrics, the essence of a song is what is delivered, so he is more interested in being a lyricist.
When asked if he had any talent for appearing on variety shows, he confessed, “I am really shy so I don’t know if I would be any fun on variety shows, but I do possess a random, whimsical character. I think I could do really well if I appeared on ’1N2D’ because I don’t need a lot of sleep, but I think that would take up too much of my time.”
John Park also commented that he wants to be a musician that moves people and comforts them. He stated, “I would like it if people could listen to my music and feel their minds at ease if only for those 3 minutes. I want to be the kind of good person that improves society by continuously working on my music and volunteering.” Additionally, he revealed that he admires artists like Kim Jang Hoon, Lee Juk, Lady Gaga, and John Legend.