Cho Yong-pil Attributes Chart Success to Change of Style

Published on 2013/05/17 | Source

Cho Yong-pil talks at a press event for his new album in Seoul on Wednesday.

Veteran crooner Cho Yong-pil on Wednesday attributed the massive success of his latest album to his change in musical direction.

The album, his 19th, effortlessly swept the music charts here by selling 180,000 copies in 20 days of its release.

Cho departed from his usual power ballads by adding elements of hip hop, rock and house, which are more likely to appeal to young people.

After his last album a decade ago, Cho said he felt a strong need to change his style.

He also had advice for the young singers who are leading the popularity of K-Pop throughout Asia. "K-Pop has a rosy future with so many talented singers in the genre", he said. "But they should beware of relying too much on extraneous things like elaborate dance moves rather than singing, because that can diminish the value of their music".

Cho was a forerunner of the Korean Wave in the 1980s-1990s and is finally attracting interest beyond Asia. Universal Music said headquarters in the U.S. is highly interested in the singer.

Universal is also in talks with a Japanese label about releasing Cho's latest album in Japanese.