[Official Interview] K (KEI) to hold live tour to commemorate his 20th anniversary ”K 20th Anniversary He talks about his thoughts on ”LIVE” and says, ”I want this to be a year of giving back.”

Singer-songwriter K, who will celebrate his 20th debut anniversary in March 2025, will be touring all over Japan over the course of a year with the LIV E tour "K 20th
On March 2nd, they will release their first single of the 20th anniversary year, "SPRING
OUT!!!" and the second single is scheduled to be released on July 5th.
This time, an interview has arrived in which K talks about his feelings about his 20th anniversary and his thoughts on the "K 20th Anniversary LIVE" tour.
Q. Please tell us how you feel now that it's been 20 years since your debut.
When I made my debut, I never thought I would be able to continue my music career for 20 years in Japan.
I never imagined it would happen. I've been able to continue like this thanks to all of you who have supported me. The power of those who have pushed me forward has been packed into these past 20 years.
So I'm once again filled with gratitude. Q. I never imagined that we'd reach our 20th anniversary in Japan. When I first passed the audition in Japan,
I thought I would return to Korea immediately after the tour and interviews. However, when I got there, I found out that there were various promotions and I was able to go to places other than Tokyo.
It was a completely different life from what I had imagined. At the time, I was confused and didn't have the confidence to do everything in Japanese, not Korean, so I was very anxious.
Q. When did you decide to make a living in Japan? At first I was staying in hotels. Then I moved to weekly apartments, and then I started to live in hotels.
Finally, I rented an apartment (laughs). After I rented the apartment and started living there, I started to think that maybe I would live here forever. It was around that time that I started working on my third single.
When I was able to release the group and started touring around the country for promotion, I had the opportunity to meet people other than the staff, and I made more friends, not just the staff in Tokyo.
I had a lot of fun talking to the staff at various places. I was also very attracted to the places outside of music, and I think I started to feel like I wanted to stay there forever.
Q. Currently, you are active as a singer-songwriter, but you also appear in musicals, are a TV MC, and a radio DJ.
What is your position as a songwriter? There is a foundation of music, and K, who is involved in that music, is interested in doing various things.
I feel like they are all connected. So I don't think about changing my character depending on the job. In the past, I felt like this was all separate.
But in the end, the experiences I have in other jobs are connected to my music, and conversely, doing music has a positive impact on my other work.
The "20th Anniversary LIVE" tour started in March. This tour will run for a whole year.
For example, if you saw a certain artist live a year ago, the performance will be different a year later.
I think you'll see something different. As performers, we use all the little things in our daily lives as material, so there are a lot of changes over the course of a year. The way we sing, the songs, the lyrics,
It will change, and since I play the piano, the way I play the piano will also change. I want everyone to feel those changes over the course of this tour, which will last for a year.
Sometimes, unexpected things happen, how do they deal with them, and what emerges from them? The things they accumulate in this way grow and become their strength, so I want the children to see and feel the changes that occur throughout the year.
I think that this tour is also a way to give back to the people who have supported me for the past 20 years. I can only give back through live performances and recordings.
So I want to make it a concert where everyone can feel that way. Q. This tour includes the songs "Spring Out!", "Summer Breeze!", and "Fall
in Love!' and the upcoming winter tour, which is divided into seasons. What was the thought behind this?
Previously, I have toured all 47 prefectures over the course of a year or two, but this spring I will be starting a tour.
This time, the tour starts in the spring, so the timing is good, and it's an event that can only be held for the 20th anniversary, so I think we can hold it in the same way as in the summer, and in the winter.
"It was so cold in the summer that we had to dress warmly for the concert. There was a lot of snow." We hope to create a memorable year with stories from each season.
Q: So does that change the content of your live shows? Yes, it does. In addition to your own songs, sometimes cover songs are included.
So, we are thinking of putting in some summer songs so that people can enjoy the summer. Q. The first single of the 20th anniversary year, "SPRING," was released in March.
Please tell us about "OUT!!!". When I write a song, the title is usually decided while I write the lyrics and music and arrange it.
The band is starting off by holding live performances with four distinct themes. The first single is "SPRING
When I heard the word "OUT," the melody and arrangement that immediately came to mind
It was my first attempt to concentrate on composing a song. I started by searching for spring-like sounds and melodies, and words to create a heart-warming melody.
QK, what kind of image do you have of spring? Hay fever... I'm just kidding (lol), but February is the season of farewells in Korea. Graduation ceremonies are in February, so it's a bit more prosperous than in Japan.
It's a little early. So, when I spent my first spring in Japan, I learned from the atmosphere of the people and the spring scenes shown on TV series that in Japan, spring is a season of partings and new beginnings.
I think that in Japan, there are many people who feel something special in spring. I also made my debut in spring and my life changed a lot, so spring is the season for me to feel the excitement of something new beginning.
QC/W's "Snooze" is the first song by K to use Korean. It's not that I hadn't consciously included it before, but when you use Hangul,
But it feels like I'm being stripped naked, and it's a bit embarrassing (laughs). Especially when I'm working, it's much easier to speak in Japanese. The same goes for lyrics, it's easier to write them in Japanese,
This time I wanted to express my true self, so I decided to use it for the first time. I didn't use many words this time, but maybe I'll start using Hangul little by little from now on.
Q: Maybe it's easier to speak in Japanese because there's a gap between the two. That's right. If I say it in a very pretentious way, it might be like being an actor.
I don't feel embarrassed if I'm speaking in Japanese, but I feel very embarrassed when I'm being myself. Even when I'm speaking in Japanese, I'm still myself, but I think there's a moment when a switch is flipped on inside me.
Q.Your second single is scheduled to be released in July. It's still in production, but it's a completely different album from "SPRING OUT!!!" and will have a summer breeze feel to it.
Q. Please tell us your enthusiasm for the tour and a message to your fans. I think that everything you've accumulated over the past 20 years is packed into this tour.
I want to make this year a year of giving back to everyone who has listened to my music and supported me.
I'm sure there are some of you who haven't been able to come to our live shows for a while, but I hope you'll come and see how much we've grown.
I hope it will be a tour where I can meet everyone. <Tour Details> K 20th Anniversary LIVE "Spring Out!" [Date and Time] June 14th (Sat)
Doors open: 17:00 Show starts: 18:00 [Venue] Okayama CRAZYMAMA KINGDAM [Date and time] 6/15 (Sun) Doors open: 16:00 Show starts: 17:00
[Venue] Kobe CASH BOX "Summer Breeze!" [Date and time] July 5th (Sat) Doors open/17:00 Start/18:00
[Venue] Nagano JUNKBOX [Date and time] 7/6 (Sun) Doors open/16:00 Show starts/17:00 [Venue] Kanazawa GOLD CREEK
[Date and time] 7/13 (Sun) Doors open/16:00 Start/17:00 [Venue] Kyoto FAN-J [Date and time] 8/2 (Sat) Doors open/17:00 Start/18:00
[Venue] Iwaki SONIC [Date and Time] 8/3 (Sun) Doors open/16:00 Performance starts/17:00 [Venue] Sendai RETRO Back Page [Date and Time] 8/9 (Sat)
Doors open: 17:00 Show starts: 18:00 [Venue] Hiroshima Live JUKE "Fall in Love!" [Date and time] 9/20 (Sat) Doors open: 17:00
Start time: 18:00 [Venue] Nagoya SPADE BOX [Date and time] 9/21 (Sun) Doors open: 16:00 Start time: 17:00 [Venue] Osaka Shangri-La
[Date and time] 9/27 (Sat) and 28 (Sun) Doors open/17:00 Performance starts/18:00 [Venue] Sapporo Music Hall Cafe coming
Soon... [Inquiries] STUDIO PURSUIT info@studiopursuit.com K
Official website: https://k-official.jp Promotion: Kyodo Medias