Soran's Ko Young-bae says even sunbae Sung Si-kyung turned down his high notes

First mini-album 'Layer' marks solo debut for one-man band

'I had a noraebang strategy — but the pitch control went wrong'

"My singing has improved a lot recently. Part of it is that I debuted without nearly enough preparation, but I've grown so much this year that people are actually telling me I can sing. Someone recently told me I'd reached 'deugeum' — that I'd truly mastered my voice — and it felt great." (Laughs)

The voice of the vocalist standing alone on stage had grown noticeably stronger and deeper. Ko Young-bae of band Soran wrapped up a long run with his former members in January and reorganized the group as a one-man operation. He returned eight months later with the band's first EP, "Layer."

Ko spoke at a press showcase held at the MPMG office in Changjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, to mark the release. "I thought fans might feel a sense of loss with fewer members," he said. "I didn't want to leave them feeling empty. I believed the way to fill that void was to keep releasing music steadily. I didn't want to become complacent — I wanted to work harder." He recounted the drive behind his relentless pace in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

Ko kept his characteristic wit when talking about the changes that came with going solo. One of the most notable: the strict rules around what to call him are gone. "Back in the band days, at events and on broadcasts, people would often say, 'We have Soran with us today,'" he said. "Every time, I'd have to say, 'Soran is the band's name — I'm Ko Young-bae of Soran. Calling me Mr. Soran is a bit rude.' Now I don't care what anyone calls me." He even joked that people could refer to him as "Soran Ko Young-bae," using the name like a pen name in the style of independence activist Dosan Ahn Chang-ho. He also laughed that, unlike during the band era, he can now perform at events with a pre-recorded backing track.

The lighthearted banter continued, but the transition to a one-man band has brought Ko some weighty concerns. "We had been running as a team from the very beginning, so the absence of the members was my biggest worry," he said. "I've worked hard musically with the new musicians helping me out, trying to make sure nothing feels lacking — but I know fans will feel every guitar solo, every bass line."

"When we were a full team, we could do things spontaneously, like deciding on a whim to go busking the following week," he added. "Now everything has to be planned well in advance and schedules have to be coordinated. That's the biggest difference since going solo."

The album title "Layer" symbolizes the weight of the time Ko has spent building himself up alone. "Once I decided to keep carrying the name Soran, I always had in mind everything we had built up until now, and everything I would have to build on my own going forward," he said. "I chose 'Layer' to capture what has been accumulated, what is being added right now, and what will continue to be layered on." The album contains five tracks: the title track "Ibyeol Jikjeon" ("Just Before the Breakup"), "Sagwa Hanareul Geuryeo" ("Draw an Apple"), "Ceremony" featuring (G)I-DLE's Miyeon, "Delivery," and "Insa" ("Greeting"), a self-composed song that had long gone unreleased.

The title track is a rock ballad that radiates both lyrical tenderness and fierce energy. Ko reunited with producer Park Woo-sang, known as LOGOS, who drove last year's short-form challenge craze with "Saranghan Maeumen Joega Eopda" ("There Is No Sin in a Heart That Loved").

"I was eager to add a new layer, and since this album is coming out in autumn, I wanted to try a new kind of ballad," Ko said. "It ended up sounding a bit more rocking than I expected, but it was a new challenge. Honestly, I've been in a long relationship and then got married, so I don't have much personal experience with heartbreak. I had to really wring it out of myself." On the song's title, he revealed: "I have an older song called 'Gobaek Jikjeon' ('Just Before the Confession'). It ends with the line, 'Trembling me, and you standing before me.' This time, it's the scene of two people facing each other about to break up — so I connected the titles directly."

His candid admission about the song's vocal difficulty also drew attention. "My strategy was that songs that feel like a challenge are still loved at noraebang," Ko said. "But I think the calibration went a bit wrong. After performing it live, I realized 'Saranghan Maeumen Joega Eopda' actually sits higher, and this new 'Ibyeol Jikjeon' is harder to sing. The odds of it becoming a noraebang favorite aren't great." He burst out laughing.

Ko also shared a surprise story involving his sunbae, singer Sung Si-kyung. "I went on Sung Si-kyung's broadcast, and he was the one sunbae I most wanted to ask a favor of in person — but I got turned down to my face," Ko said with a laugh. "He told me, 'Songs that high, you sing them yourself.'"

Having raced through what he called an "idol-level schedule," Ko shows no sign of letting his creative drive burn out. "The company has started telling me to slow down a little — that's how fast I've been going," he said. "I'm working hard on a winter concert in November. And next year, I really want to try the rhythmic, funky band sound that Soran has always had but hasn't fully shown yet — music that brings Maroon 5 to mind."

shee@heraldcorp.com