INTERVIEW: Wonho Talks Debut Album, Exploring Genres, and His Immense Love for Fans

It’s been five years since we were introduced to South Korean artist Wonho, but he’s finally ready to step out into the world as the phenomenal solo artist he was meant to be. The 27-year-old singer, songwriter has had his fair share of experience in those five years, but his ability to effortlessly transition into an independent musician has proven that Wonho is an artist driven by his passion for music. 

With his first official EP Love Synonym Pt. 1: Right for Me, Wonho puts his heart and soul into the collection of songs that details his love for his fans, as well as the depth of emotions that fuel his creativity. What makes this particular body of work feel even more important is the seamless progression between softer, engaging tracks to the admirable dance-worthy hits he’s capable of delivering. The album feels like Wonho is introducing himself to the world with a clearer understanding of who is he as an artist. With this mini-album, the singer creates an artistic space where he can display a diverse journey of musicality and stay true to how he represents himself. It isn’t every day that an artist is able to convey the intentions behind the music, but the multi-talented performer has fine-tuned what it means to debut with authenticity and genuine artistry. That has played a crucial role in the development of a passionate and dedicated fanbase that the singer dubbed “Wenee.”

The admirable debut EP of Wonho achieved numerous number one spots on multiple iTunes charts, with a peak at six on the highly respected world albums charts. His stream count has skyrocketed to the millions on Spotify, and his first official music video is quickly approaching a monumental 10 million views, so there’s plenty of evidence to prove that Wonho is just beginning.

When speaking to Wonho about his new album, the singer expressed excitement to reveal himself as a soloist, telling us, “First of all, I am very grateful for the support and love I have received from WENEE. Although I had a little bit of pressure when I first started to release my album as a solo artist, I was also excited at the same time because ‘Open Mind’ was a special song to me that I was able to share my energy and communicate with both domestic and overseas fans.”

The tracklist starts off on a very fun and playful concept, but transitions to a heavier journey by the end, and that element of artistry requires a hands-on approach that Wonho is very familiar with, explaining, “I tried to put all different kinds of genres and styles in the album, since I wasn’t sure what my fans would like. Although the process of selecting the final 8 songs wasn’t easy the first time, I tried to focus on what WENEE would like to listen to and expect from me as an artist.” The singer added, “I’m very thankful to them for loving and listening to all of the songs from my first mini album.”

With that being said, many artists develop a special attachment to one aspect of the project, and when asked what song has a special place in his heart he shares, “It’s hard to select only one song because each track definitely has its own charm and all the songs are meaningful to me. However, I’d say I love the title track ‘Open Mind‘ because it’s a song that I put a lot of effort into and it shows masculine, yet soft charms of me.”

The idea of artists blending genres has become more normalized within the last decade, where singers can be a little more fearless with their ideas. This fearlessness comes in spades on the album, and the singer tells us, “Yes, I definitely wanted to experience and show a variety of musical genres and colors through this mini-album. The most important part I wanted to focus on while working on this album was to show my own uniqueness, which can be expressed through my own music and performances. I want to keep working on creating songs that could express the real ‘WONHO.’”

Another fascinating choice by Wonho’s reinvention comes from his choice to make music in both Korean and English. To make music for his fans which he understands has a global reach, is another component of his deep-rooted love for his support system. Regarding the creative choice, Wonho explains, “It was a great experience to create songs in both Korean and English with the domestic and overseas producers. Since English is a universal language, I wanted to share what I’ve been mostly thinking of and feeling to my WENEE all around the world. I also wanted my international fans to feel the same feelings and emotions through the message that I tried to convey from the tracks.” He adds, “Therefore, I always hope that the message of love and gratitude could be delivered and communicated well through each track.”

That relationship with Wonho and his fans is something he obviously holds very close to his heart and conveys through words and through song. The bond is strong on both parts between the artists and audience, which also adds to his utterly charming persona — with Wonho going as far as outright stepping up to provide messages of hope and equality for fans on multiple occasions.

Wonho’s tendency to use his platform to promote kindhearted ideology is something that makes him not only hardworking but someone deserving of their praise. The K-Pop star discussed the natural evolution of that bond, sharing, “It seems that more trust and love between each other has accumulated over time. Even if we are far away and can’t see each other in person, we always feel love and sincerity for each other. Thanks to WENEE’s trust and support, I was able to be on stage again.” The singer concluded his thought by adding, “I hope we can have a relationship that we can encourage and bring joy to each other in the future. I love you WENEE.”

Wonho recently performed his first official online concert due to the changes to live-performances, and because this is such a new concept, this creates yet another first for the singer on a different level. The performer was extremely excited to bring his new music to fans, in any form possible, which he expresses to us saying, “I always thought about how I could share my feelings to WENEE in a special way. Having an online concert was one of the ways that I could express my love and gratitude. I also wanted to show my fans some cover songs and other tracks that were not aired or revealed through this online concert.”

He admits that he too experienced pre-show jitters, explaining, “At first, I was worried about holding the online concert because it was the first concert that I had to do it all by myself. I then realized that I wanted to try new things and challenge myself with WENEE beside me. Thank you so much to those who were with me for the online concert. I hope my WENEE fully enjoyed it too.”

Regardless of your preference in genres, Wonho is the type of artist who defines what it is to be an entertainer. If it’s in an emotional track highlighting love or an up-tempo trance, he’s able to commit. From just a taste of his music through this EP or his unforgettable visuals in his music video, we can confidently say that Wonho is here to dominate. If you aren’t on board, you need to do yourself a favor and get there quickly because you won’t want to miss out on this artist’s raw talent.

Make sure to check out Love Synonym Pt. 1: Right for Me available now!