Balladeer Shin Returns With New Style, Album

The ``king of ballads'' singer/songwriter Shin Seung-hun is back with a new album, fresh look and stylish songs. At the singer's album showcase and press conference Monday, Shin seemed nervous yet excited to greet local reporters for the first time in two years.

``It's been a while, so I think I'll be doing a lot of talking (instead of singing) today,'' he said as he started the conference held at a jazz club, Perrier-Jouet, in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul.

Shin will release three project albums under the same title ``Three Waves of Unexpected Twists.''

``This project will be the turning point in my career. I thought marriage would be the turning point, but I guess this will have to do,'' he said laughing.

The first album of the three, dubbed ``Radio Wave'' is a tribute to the radio, he said, which allowed the singer to appreciate his fans when he first started out as a singer 18 years ago.

``I wanted to do music people can listen to, not watch. I tried not to lose the true meaning of music,'' said Shin.

Famous for his delicate and sad ballads, the singer had been going through a time of decision-making: whether he wanted to come back with his trademark teary songs, or offer something new. Although it may have been hard for him to break out of his shell, the singer chose a genre ― modern rock ― that eventually brought out the best of his tender voice with a slight twist.

``My first album to my tenth were about Shin Seung-hun's trademark color. But I had to ask myself, does this mean I'm only good at teary sad songs, or does it mean I am afraid of change? I wanted to break out from my image and therefore become a better singer,'' he said.

Shin added that he wanted to be thought of more as a ``subjective'' singer, than an objective one.

``I don't want to be one of the many possible answers to the question `Who is the best ballad singer in Korea?' I want to be the only one: ask the question and my name pops up,'' he said.

The album ``Radio Wave'' portrays Shin's original soft and simple side, but still shows that he is willing to take risks, found in the modern rock numbers ``Listen to the Radio'' and ``Hey.''

``It doesn't mean that Shin Seung-hun is changing his style completely, I'm just slipping out of the box for a while,'' Shin said.

He added that instead of his original style of pleading and asking, he will sing as if he is in a monologue, dry and simple.

``One day I found myself playing the piano when making songs. I have been playing the guitar my whole life and wanted to return to that period of time. Most of my songs in this album can be sung only with the simple strings of the guitar, just like the old days,'' he said.

Shin made his debut in 1990, soon becoming one of Korea's most famous singer/songwriters with 15 million copies sold. When it seemed he had it all as a singer, he flew to Japan and started performing there, soon becoming the first artist to perform at the Yokohama Arena filled with 13,000 fans after only appearing a couple of time on television. His other two albums will be released next year.