K-pop has now become one of the world’s popular music genres. Even without talking about the success stories of Psy, BTS, and Blackpink, numerous K-pop stars are currently active in various ways on the world stage with advanced skills.

Such a change is a huge feat that Korean pop musicians of decades ago could not even dream of. In Korea, even in the 1980s, popular musicians were called ‘Tantara’: Tantara was used as a demeaning term for popular musicians in Korea at the time. The Tantaras who dreamed of at the time are now becoming K-pop trainers and leading the Korean pop music scene. Prof. Choi Nam-Wook(최남욱), who was a famous producer and is currently nurturing younger students at the ‘Department of Practical Music’ of Dong Seoul University, is one of them.

In Korea, the Department of Practical Music was first opened in 1988 at Seoul Yejeon (currently Seoul Institute of the Arts), and related departments are currently running at about 60 universities across the country. Professor Choi said, “When I first started music, I was able to learn popular music at private academies. Now that colleges have opened various courses and there are many opportunities and a very good era has opened for the juniors who dream of becoming popular musicians.”
 ▲ Professor Choi Nam Wook of Dong Seoul University, Photo by Jason Yim

 

He worked as a producer for Yim Jae-Beum (임재범)’s 5th album, known as the King Singers in Korea, and was a famous composer of several hit songs, including ‘Goodbye My Friend’ by famous singer Kim Jung-min (김정민) and ‘Rebellion 2’ by famous actor and singer Heo Jun-ho (허준호). He debuted early. He formed the hard rock band ‘Hangaram’ in 1989 with his high school friend Jo Kyu-man, who later became a famous singer in Korea with ‘I’ll Give It All’ and released his debut album. He is, so to speak, Korea’s original ‘Tantara’.

“These days, Juniors are talented and freethinking. When it comes to projects, several people form a team and divide roles to complete them in a short amount of time. Sometimes, I see miracles in completing one work in a day.” And He said that now popular music should be understood as a field of industry. “Now, K-POP singers are active in the world. It has become an era where money and fame naturally follow when someone become a global composer.”

Where did the competitiveness of Korean pop come from? 

The Professor said, “Now, most of the representatives or decision makers of Korean entertainment companies are those who worked as musicians from the late 1980s to the 1990s. These are people who have sufficiently studied computer music that appeared in the 1990s. They are, so to speak, producers who have studied everything from composition to arrangement and recording and so on. They made K-pop competitive through various experiments. In addition, synergy increased as Koreans who studied abroad were active in Korea. After that Most of the musicians’ skills have been leveled up. Also, Koreans are good at concentrating on one thing to develop their abilities or gather strength. The ‘group dance’ shown by K-pop stars is a good example.” 

▲ Professor Choi Nam Wook of Dong Seoul University, Photo by Jason Yim Professor Choi Nam Wook of Dong Seoul University, Photo by Jason Yim

He also gave advice to his juniors preparing for practical music majors. “As in any field, it is not easy to succeed in pop music. Especially, I think becoming a star is a slim chance. However, they shouldn't give up. They need to organize their thoughts on why they want to do music. I think that if the values ​​of these thoughts are sorted out, even if they don't become a star, they can find a musical direction that suits you or can do better. If they're not happy, they can't continue anything. I think, those starting out in music need to think again about whether music makes them happy.” Professor Choi said that he had never thought of quitting music until now. And He said that the reason was because he was happy doing music itself. He said that all the titles he had earned as famous composers and professors were obtained incidentally while doing happy things.

“Before being a professor, I am a senior to those who study music. It is my role to guide them so that my juniors can enjoy what suits them without getting tired. Everyone has dreams and energy. I want to touch and find their hidden energy. I think that’s my role.” 

▲ Professor Choi Nam Wook of Dong Seoul University, Photo by Jason YimHe also gave advice to his juniors, “Even in an era where computer music is prevalent, becoming a musician, they need to master at least one instrument. Because computers can’t replace everything.”

He said that in the case of Dong Seoul University, more than anything, it encourages people to gain more stage experience. “Usually, the Practical Music Department of other universities only conducts graduation live performances. However, our university often holds large and small stage performances every semester. Many stage experiences can be a great help for students to be active as professional musicians in the future. I think if students get the experience of going up on stage and playing more often, they will be able to compose better songs because they can better understand the singers and performers’ point of view.”
▲ Professor Choi Nam Wook of Dong Seoul University, Photo by Jason YimHe suddenly left for Japan to study in the mid-1990s. At the time, he was a hit songwriter, but he wanted to study further. “At that time, Japanese pop music was more advanced than Korea in many ways. But now, in Korea, we can learn various musical techniques, theories, and practical skills that we could only learn in foreign countries in the past. In fact, there are many fields that are more advanced than other countries. Nowadays I don't think that those who study Korean doesn't have to study abroad anymore. However, since we have to interact with people around the world, studying foreign languages hard is a must.”

Professor Choi has been running along the same road for decades. When asked how he was during that time, he laughed and said, “I was happy and am happy."

His happy journey is expected to continue for decades to come.

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Jason Yim yimjongho1969@gmail.com