GSoul is reintroducing himself to the world

ED: As a Korean R&B artist, were there any singers you looked to growing up?
G: There are many great singers and great musicians. I mean obviously, J.Y. Park was one of the first Korean artists I watched on TV. I thought he was fascinating. I got kind of obsessed with his stories and his styles. It was very fresh and new at the time for me. Isora, I sang one of her songs on The Voice Korea. She's an amazing singer-songwriter that I love.

ED:  What about American R&B? At the show, you did a cover of Luther Vandross.
G: Yeah, he’s one. Rest in peace. I always say Mariah Carey because she introduced me to R&B music, me and my generation. Boyz II Men. Mary J. Blige. Usher. Amy Winehouse. Sade. I'm still a part of this generation that remembers all the transitions from cassette tape to [CDs] and all that. So I feel very privileged to be part of the generation that remembers that era. R&B music was not just American music [back] then. Especially when I was growing up in Korea, it was a very dominant, global genre.

ED:  Why did you want to get into R&B? I think a lot of Asian artists want to do hip-hop and want to become rappers.
G: I would like to be a rapper if I could rap. Maybe I’ll practice.

I never really thought of it as getting into R&B music. I always loved singing, and I remember the reactions from family members I would get every time I sang. I knew singing was something that I could do to impress people. Even as a kid, I guess I thought that. There was this telephone signing competition, audition type of thing. I would try out for things like that. I auditioned for the JYP open audition when I was 13. That was a big one. So that's how I got into the business.

ED: One of your openers, Ethan Low, was recently on a podcast. He called you “humble,” “generous,” and “welcoming.” How did you discover him?
G: It was the touring agency’s idea. They sent me his [music] link and I thought he was cool. We linked up and got along. Just a very chill and cool dude. We had some fun moments.

ED: He said he was a fan of the Hate Everything era and the Blue Tape compilation. He also said you were so open to allowing him to pick your brain. What advice did you share with him?
G: I don't like giving advice. I just love to share ideas, if there's something that we both are interested in. I think we talked about singing by itself for a little while. I just told him about singing, how I get nervous, and the types of warming up.

ED: Do you think there's value in participating in singing competitions for artists? You won Amateur Night at the Apollo and The Voice Korea.
G: It depends. As long as you know exactly what you want to get out of those types of opportunities. Not to sound cliché, but as long as your heart is in the right place, I think do it. Do it with your genuine intentions.

For me, it was a little bit rebellious to join the audition singing competition program. But it came out to be one of the best times and one of the greatest lessons.

ED: So, “Window Pane,” I want to get into the single. One thing that stood out to me was when you were talking about the single, you were saying that you’re not in a creator position. Now you’re in a messenger position.
G: I’m back in it.

ED: Finally back to being a messenger?
G: No, no I’m back to being both. I started writing a lot more. I started feeling inspired to create more because I didn’t feel that for a long time. I didn’t have anything to say to the world, to myself, to anyone. I think that’s why I started answering that question by saying I think I consider myself to be more of the messenger than the creator. Because I had to use my voice in some type of way, I had to be something. So, if I couldn’t create I had to at least deliver different messages that I wanted to deliver the right way. The most beautiful way I can make it. But now I started writing again, I have some new songs that I’m excited about, finally.

ED: So, break it down for me. How does that work for you? “Window Pane” is a song about lust and longing. How long did it take you to finally come up with the lyrics and start writing “Window Pane”?
G: Well, “Window Pane” was written by a songwriter named P. Wright. It was written three years ago. My manager, Joseph Kelley, kept the song for the whole time. And when I got to the States it was one of the songs that was waiting for me. And it took me very long to finish that record. It usually doesn't take that long for me to just record a song. But for some reason something would always pop up, something would happen that I couldn't get the song done.

I finally got it done in New York. I think it was last year in wintertime. There are many episodes attached to this damn song, so that’s why I have a very interesting relationship with this song. But the tour made me fall in love with the song.

ED: Why did you choose to sign with EP Entertainment?
G: I’ve known them since before they were a label. I have a long history on my end. And I remember some of their first artists. It was a lot of memories, especially with both my managers, Joseph and Victoria Cannon, and this other writer, Greg Rooney, and we started writing together. And then we just clicked. We became this writing team. So we wrote a lot of songs that never came out. I’m going to get to some of them, I’ll make sure I release at least some of them! I wrote before, but getting into the studio with them helped me get into this writing thing.

ED: What’s the story behind meeting your management team?
G: Through my vocal coach, Ron Grant. I would always go to his open mic bar on Sunday nights. And my vocal coach, I guess called my manager, Joseph, to come out and check out whatever I was doing. He came out with Victoria and Greg, and the whole team. He always tells this story, but the only thing I remember is he was in the bathroom and he couldn't hear me sing or something like that. He would always make sure he got that out, not that I was great, but that's how we met for the first time.

And then a week later, if I remember correctly, we got together in the studio in Manhattan right by the Times Square Church. Went up there, nothing was set up, nothing was plugged in or anything. So, he looked pissed. I’m meeting with this producer or this person that my vocal coach introduced me to and all these great songwriters. And I’m like, “OK, I’m all warmed up to sing.’’ We had to just go home that night. Then we got together again and started writing at JYP Studio back then. So that’s how we met.

ED: How are Kim Ji-hyun, GSoul, and Golden different?
G: I would say those people are different. Not only that, even GSoul got a bunch of people [in his head] that I don’t even recognize sometimes. I’m just kidding. They’re three different people that I got to meet as I got older.

ED: When’s the last time you listened to Jill Scott’s “Golden”?
G: I think last week.

ED: What sparked you to listen to it again?
G: I was right here at the gym. It’s one of those things that makes you feel good! Like, golden.