Koo Chang-mo returns with album after 37 years

Koo Chang-mo has returned with the special album 'Memory & Future,' 37 years after his 1989 fifth solo album. The singer said in a phone interview that the audience energy he felt during Songolmae's recent tour helped him take up the microphone again.

Songolmae combined Bae Cheol-soo's hard-rock approach with Koo's pop sound, and the band was known in the 1980s for appearing on stage in jeans rather than tuxedos. Bae's trip to Seoraksan Osaek Mineral Spring to find Koo during the winter of 1979 was later described by the word 'destiny.'

Koo said, 'The 'you' in the title refers both to a lover and to the fans who care for me. I cannot put into words how happy I am about releasing an album after 37 years.' He also said the emotion of the Songolmae stage and the heat from the audience became energy for the album.

Asked about his voice, Koo said, 'My tone has not changed, but my high notes do not go up a half step compared with the past. Still, I am very grateful that I can maintain this level.' He said he exercises regularly, especially by running.

For the new song whose title means 'Lovers of Planet Earth,' Koo said bassist Lee Tae-yoon of Cho Yong-pil and the Great Birth first played him the melody. Koo said he asked lyricist Lee Geon-woo for the theme, and described 'Planet Earth' as a theme carrying his sincerity toward fans.

Koo also discussed his earlier solo song 'Heenari,' saying it was popular not only in Korea but also in Southeast Asia. He said he had heard that it became a hit in Hong Kong and Vietnam, and called that a source of pride and honor.

Koo is scheduled to appear with Songolmae at the Busan International Rock Festival in October, though Bae Cheol-soo will not join that stage. Koo said large festivals of that kind were not available to him in Korea in the 1980s, and recalled visiting Japan's Summer Sonic in 2017 at Bae's suggestion.

Koo said he wanted to stand on a festival stage after hearing performances there, especially the bass, and that he is realizing the wish after about 10 years. He said, 'The stage makes me feel alive. As long as my stamina remains and as long as people seek me out, I will keep standing on stage.'