Singer Kim Jong-seo, 61, cut off personal relationships for the sake of his music: "I fast after 7 p.m. and have become a loner" [Ask the Bodhisattva] [★Night TView]

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Singer Kim Jong-seo opened up about his struggles with maintaining his original vocal key as he approaches the 40th anniversary of his debut.

On the episode of KBS Joy's variety show "Ask the Bodhisattva" aired on the 2nd, Kim Jong-seo appeared and revealed that he is troubled by the issue of maintaining the original key of songs during his live performances.

During the broadcast, Kim Jong-seo said, "Next year marks the 40th anniversary of my debut. However, I have always insisted on singing in the original key," adding, "At some point, it seems to be holding me back."

He continued, "It is not easy to sing even one or two songs, but during concerts, I perform more than 20 tracks," and shared, "I have been on a nationwide tour this year, and as I kept going, I started to think, 'Is this too hard?'"

Kim Jong-seo stated, "Because I have talked so much about insisting on the original key in the past, I am now worried about whether I should compromise."

When Seo Jang-hoon asked if his high notes were not reaching the required pitch, Kim Jong-seo replied, "Given my age, I am making constant efforts. Even now, I practice vocalization every day and continue to exercise."

In particular, he confessed, "I do not eat or meet people after 7 p.m. in the evening. It is for the sake of singing," adding, "My personal relationships have been cut off, and I have become a loner." Kim Jong-seo said, "Even with that, I feel it is becoming too much of a strain. I know I will eventually have to give up on insisting on the original key, but it is a difficult decision."

Seo Jang-hoon asked, "Would the audience notice if you lowered the key by just half a step?" However, Kim Jong-seo explained, "Unless one has perfect pitch, they might not know, but if concert videos are uploaded online, people will notice that it is not the original key."

He added, "As far as I know, there is no rocker in the entire world who sings in the original key at my age. That is my only competitive advantage and my sole weapon," and lamented, "It is not easy to let go of this. Life is supposed to be fun, yet I am living by giving up everything."

Hearing this, Seo Jang-hoon advised, "I am a fan of you, hyung (older brother), but if I had to choose between a slightly unstable original key and a perfect song in a half-step lower key, I would choose the latter." However, Kim Jong-seo expressed regret, saying, "There is a brightness that comes from the original key. Even lowering it by just half a step makes it dull. I cannot give up on that taste."

On the other hand, Lee Soo-geun surprised everyone by saying, "As a fan of Kim Jong-seo, if I were Kim Jong-seo and could not sing in the original key, I would retire." Seo Jang-hoon reacted with disbelief, asking, "Why would you retire?"

Meanwhile, Kim Jong-seo also revealed what led him to overcome a long slump and return to performing.

He said, "Until four years ago, nothing I did yielded results, so I was in a state of giving up," and revealed, "At that time, I happened to meet Kim Jang-hoon."

Kim Jong-seo recalled, "Kim Jang-hoon told me, 'Who else would perform if not Kim Jong-seo? I will direct it, so just do it,'" and shared, "I started with a 200-seat venue assuming no one would come, but I saw the faces of my former female fans. It was touching, and I also felt self-blame."

He continued, "From that point on, I returned to my original mindset and gradually expanded my activities," and shared that he is currently preparing for concerts ahead of his 40th debut anniversary.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original