He probably would disagree, but I think G.O singing a song entitled ‘Superstar’ was telling of his own artistic trajectory in Korean popular music. It had to have been an amazing moment back in October 2009 for the young vocalist to be singing the Luther Vandross version of The Carpenters’ hit at Rain’s Legend of Rainism show. This was basically a debut solo stage for G.O as MBLAQ’s main vocal. A solo stage in front of Rain’s fans singing a Western song in English no less. Mind-blowing! G.O singing Superstar has Vocal Virtuosity written all over it; but instead of sharing the cam from the actual stage performance, I am opting for the rehearsal clip because it is 1:12 minutes of sweet vocal magic.
When you wake one morning and realize all you want to do is sing, you hear music in everything. I have a feeling this is exactly what G.O felt when that realization hit. From that point on, he most likely became an ardent student of music. And although it was no doubt he was hearing his own compositions in his head and perhaps keeping a journal of poetry that would transform into lyrics, the first songs he sang were probably the songs of other artists. For G.O, I suspect the songs he sang in those early days were his guide and his lessons, and the artists themselves, his mentors and his teachers. It is no wonder then he would ultimately pay homage to them by covering those songs that guided him to become the incredible vocalist he is today. The beauty of his education, however, is that he did not limit himself to the songs of Korean artists. His deep respect for music (all music) and his choice to cover many songs that were sung in a language foreign to him (English) are valid and honorable reasons to continue to love this amazing man.
