Maps of Music

It's Real (2003)

Where the lyrics of It's Real take you, and where it was really made.

Released only about a year after his debut, this second album was meant as a musical change, yet it went on to become one of Wheesung's representative works.

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Album story

Overview

• It's Real: second full-length studio album by South Korean singer Wheesung
• Released 21 August 2003
• Came out about a year after his debut album
• Attempted a musical change while solidifying mass popularity

Background

• Shows the expansion of Wheesung's musical range
• Departs from the R&B ballad style of his previous work
• Combines pop, hip-hop, and funk elements
• R&B was gradually becoming mainstream in Korean popular music at the time, and the album is seen as a more popular approach within that trend
• Wheesung wrote lyrics for many tracks and took part in producing some songs, raising the musical completeness
• Refined arrangements and rhythm-centered track construction aimed to move beyond the ballad-focused image
• Title track 'With Me' is upbeat with a catchy melody, was promoted with an emphasis on performance, and presented a new musical direction
• Ballads and medium-tempo R&B tracks are balanced across the album

Sources: ko.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Choi Whee-sung, known as Wheesung, was born February 5, 1982 in Seoul.
• He began his career in 1997 as a member of backup dance team ING.
• In 1999 he joined the short-lived boy group A4 but left after its first album, citing musical differences.
• He then sang briefly as vocalist for rock band MAME and took part in the MBC College Music Festival in 2000.

Career

• In 2000 he signed with M Boat, a former sister company of YG Entertainment, and trained vocally for several years.
• His debut solo album Like A Movie (2002) won public popularity and critical acclaim, with praise from Seo Taiji and Shin Seung Hun.
• His debut song "Can't I" won several awards, including the Golden Disc Award for new artist of the year.
• His second album It's Real (2003) made him the best-selling artist in Korea that year and broadened his sound to pop and hip-hop.
• He left YG Entertainment in 2006 and signed with Orange Shock Agency, then moved to POP/UP Entertainment in 2009 and YMC Entertainment in 2011.
• He was discharged from military service in August 2013 after enlisting in November 2011.
• In 2017 he founded the independent label Realslow Company and began performing as Realslow, a name he had used as an underground singer.
• He was found dead at his Seoul home on March 10, 2025, at age 43; his death was not attributed to foul play.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Received generally positive reviews from critics and the public at release
• Praised for trying various genres beyond the R&B ballad style
• Praised for high-quality vocals
• Evaluated as securing both commercial appeal and musical merit

Reappraisal

• Mentioned as an important work in the later popularization of Korean R&B
• Named as one of Wheesung's representative works

Records

• Reported to have sold more than 400,000 copies in the Korean market
• Rose into the upper ranks of major music charts and stayed on them for a long period
• Title track 'With Me' and other tracks were consistently introduced on music programs and radio
• Won the Korean Popular Music Awards grand prize, Musician of the Year, with this album

Sources: ko.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album came out about a year after his debut album.
• The title track 'With Me' was promoted with an emphasis on performance.
• Wheesung took part in writing lyrics for many of the tracks.
• Ballads and R&B tracks were placed in balance across the album.
• The album won the Korean Popular Music Awards grand prize, Musician of the Year.

Sources: ko.wikipedia.org

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