The last time Cha Eun Woo graced our shores, he had yet to debut as a solo artist. In fact, he had been in the thick of promoting his recent acting ventures: starring opposite veteran entertainers Kim Na Gil and Lee Da Hee in fantasy-action series, Island; the lead role in webtoon-based drama, A Good Day to Be a Dog; as well as Wonderful World, a revenge-thriller that has since garnered widespread acclaim. Still, that’s not to say he put his musical aspirations on the backburner.
“On a normal day when I’m on a plane or resting, I jot down notes whenever I feel something. I don’t finish the lyrics or the song in one go,” he says with a laugh. “Those memos help me complete a song eventually.” This creative process dates back to when Cha Eun Woo first emerged in the entertainment circuit as a member of Astro. The South-Korean boy band quickly catapulted to fame thanks to a diverse discography that was propelled along by Eun Woo’s aptitude for penning heartfelt chart-toppers such as ‘After Midnight’, ‘Don’t Worry’, and ‘First Love.’
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It comes as no surprise that Cha Eun Woo has continued this streak for his solo EP, ‘Entity’—the venture topped the charts for the worldwide iTunes albums category in 21 regions around the world, including Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, as well as Singapore. This led to the conception of Eun Woo’s first-ever fan concert presented by Viu, of which was held at several of the aforementioned countries; a two-hour long extravaganza that comprised performances alongside fan-led activities. We sat down with the singer and actor when he stopped by for his Singapore leg to find out what inspires him, the genres he hopes to explore, and more.
First things first: Welcome to Singapore. How do you feel about bringing your music to all your fans here?
I’m really looking forward to tonight’s show, and I’m so happy to meet my fans in Singapore. When I was in Korea, I did a fansign, and I found that there were a lot of Singaporean fans. I remember telling some of them that we would meet in Singapore one day, so I’m really happy to be keeping that promise.
You have written songs for Astro’s past albums, and also for your first EP, ‘Entity’ that explores various themes and messaging. How do you normally get inspired?
My thought process is always different for each song. At any given moment, I’m just writing down my sincere feelings. And then after a few months or a year I look at them again, combine them all together, and make them into music.
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Are there any musical styles or genres that you’re thinking of exploring for your future works, or for your upcoming music videos?
Not specifically, I think it is highly dependent on the moment and situation. I just go in with the mindset of wanting to convey and tell you my true feelings. My honest and sincere feelings through my music, which I felt I did through my album.
What do you hope your fans will take away from listening to these tracks?
I know that all my fans—my Arohas—experience different feelings and hurtful memories. With that kind of pain… I hope that my music can embrace them, and make them feel healed. I worked really hard to convey my feelings with this album, so I truly hope you guys can feel them.
You’ve conquered so many arenas such as music, acting, variety shows, and so forth. We have to ask: what comes next?
Probably to find the next good project, and then come up with the next best album. [Laughs] Also, today is when the last episode of Wonderful World airs, so I hope the viewers will enjoy my work in it before today’s fan concert. I just really want everyone to have a fun time with me tonight.
