On June 25, 2011, G.O stepped on the Immortal Song 2 stage for the first time as a competitor in the KBS singing competition show. And much like he would do when he first stepped onto a musical theater stage, he initiated and invited a whole new audience to come drink in the potent elixir of his song, his voice and his soul.
It was 1992 Pop Music Top 10 night. G.O decided to recycle Yang Soo Kyung’s 사랑은차가운유혹 [Love Is A Cold Temptation] from an upbeat pop dance track to his special brand of soulful ballad. And….it was every bit as exquisite as you would expect.
For the first one minute and ten seconds into the song, however, G.O would not look up. He would not look at the audience.
True, this was not his typical and familiar group of adoring A+. And he was taking a well-loved song (a top 10 hit) and completely rearranging its sound. It was certainly innovative but at the same time it was also risky, especially in a singing competition scenario, with the original artist watching and listening to him. Music purists would probably not want to see a great song tampered with. Music adventurists, on the other hand, thrive on innovation! I think G.O even convinced the purists with his interpretation.
When he finally looked up, it was if the circuit board of his soul ignited. The connection was instantaneous. All he needed was to see the audience, their eyes so fixed upon him, so engaged and so ready to take the journey with him in the song. From that moment, his strength in the song grew. From that moment, the connect with the audience deepened. From that moment the stage, the audience and the song were his.
G.O is a brilliant artist, my friends. A truly special and amazing artist.
~♥~
I love it when a singer does this. When they take a song and turn it into an outpouring of their spirit. Or maybe it’s merely setting the spirit of the song free. Either way… when they do… it’s magic.