Singer and actor Lee Seung Gi will be releasing his 20th anniversary debut album, ‘With’.

According to his agency Big Planet Made Entertainment on the 4th, ‘With’, which will be released on this day, contains reinterpretations of Lee Seung Gi‘s representative hits, ‘Turn Back’, ‘Because You’re My Woman’, ‘Delete’, ‘Words That Are Hard to Say’, ‘Story Untold Yet’. Through this, he is determined to show off Lee Seung Gi‘s vocals that have matured over the past 20 years.

In addition, singer Lyn, who is much loved for her unique voice, singer and actor Cha Eun-woo, one of the best vocalists in Korea, Lee Soo, who has a unique tone, and the composer team Captain Planet, who have worked with Lee Seung-gi on various music projects, participated and added new charm.

Lee Seung-gi said, “I am deeply moved and have become more humble. After doing one thing for 20 years, I have become more thoughtful and serious,” while releasing his 20th anniversary album, “With.”

He also said about releasing a remake album, “Before releasing a new album, I wanted to reintroduce myself to the public to see what kind of singer Lee Seung-gi was.”

Lee Seung-gi’s 20th anniversary album, “With,” and the music video for the title song, “Rewind (With Lyn),” will be released at 6 p.m. today.

Here is the full Q&A with Lee Seung Gi about the release of his album ‘With’

Q. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of your debut, you have returned as singer Lee Seung Gi and are releasing an album. How do you feel?

- I am deeply moved and have become more humble. Doing one thing for 20 years makes me think more and become more serious.

Q. This album is a remake album comprised of songs that have consistently received love from the public among singer Lee Seung Gi’s many representative songs. Is there a reason you decided on this album format?

- I thought deeply about how I should greet you in celebration of my 20th anniversary, and I also had a new connection with the company, and I thought it would be nice for me to take some time to look back on my path. Before releasing an album with new songs, I thought it was necessary to reintroduce Lee Seung Gi to the public as a singer, so I chose the remake format.

Q. The lineup of fellow musicians who participated in this album is impressive. Is there a reason why you worked with each musician for each song?

- I contacted people I know, and I was so grateful that they readily participated. I thought that more people would like ‘Because She‘s My Woman’ if I worked with Cha Eun-woo. For ‘Return’ and ‘Delete’, I strongly wanted to work with a vocalist after hearing the arrangement. ‘Untold Story’ is a song that I personally really like, so I requested it because I thought it would have a different feeling when combined with Lee Moo-jin’s voice. For ‘Hard to Say’, since I started out in band music, I wanted to work with musicians to bring out the band sound a bit more, so we ended up working together.

Q. It seems more meaningful to have worked with fellow musicians who have been with me until I became the Lee Seung-gi that I am today. Were there any episodes that happened during the working or casting process?

- This was my first time working with Cha Eun-woo, and I happened to see his directing. Since he absorbs quickly, I was able to magnetize him right away and record it, and that part is the very first introduction. I‘m so satisfied. In the case of Lyn, I’ve always wanted to work with him, so I‘m glad it worked out this time. Working with Lee Soo was memorable, and he asked me to raise the key in the latter half, so I did so boldly. Karaoke ‘high note challengers’, definitely try this out at least once!

Q. The title song is ‘Return’, released in 2012. Is there a reason you decided on this song as the title?

- When all the arrangements for the songs came out, the arrangement of ‘Rewind’ was the most thrilling and felt like the title. And since ‘Rewind’ is one of my most popular songs, I chose it as the title without hesitation.

Q. Was there a part that you paid the most attention to while working on the album?

- I focused the most on the arrangement. I really wanted it to be a fun, listenable, new remake.

Q. I think you reinterpreted past representative songs with your fellow musicians. Is there a song you would like to introduce in particular? I’m curious about the points of appreciation.

- ‘Stories Yet to Be Told’ is a song that I cherish, and it became much more colorful with the addition of Lee Moo-jin‘s voice. In particular, this song is the one that I sang when I first appeared on the program ‘2 Days & 1 Night’, and it earned me the nickname ‘Hongbo Seunggi’. Personally, I think I interpreted and sang it much better than back then, so I hope you listen to it at least once.

Q. It’s been 20 years since you first debuted with ‘Because She‘s My Woman’. During that time, you’ve been active in various fields and have grown deeper as an artist. There must have been moments when you realized how much time has passed. What were those moments?

- When I meet my seniors at weddings and such, it‘s usually because they’re people I‘ve worked with on broadcasts before. Even when I meet my seniors who have been in the industry for 50 years, I feel like it’s been a long time since I‘ve been there.

Q. I think there must be stories that singer Lee Seung Gi hasn’t told yet. Do you have any plans to release any more albums? If so, what genre of songs do you plan to release?

- First of all, my goal is to make music that the public will like. I think it‘s because I like what the public likes.

Q. This album, ‘With’, is said to contain Lee Seung Gi’s past and his future. Do you have any goals as a singer, actor, and entertainer in the future?

- As always, rather than having a specific goal, I want to do it consistently for a long time and enjoyably, and I think it‘s enough if there’s a place where I can be used.



Reporter Yoo Ji Hye yjh0304@donga.com