You Chaehoon - Gift Album [Il Mondo]

* Yoo Chae-hoon ‘Il Mondo’ Review A New Beginning from the Past Yoo Chae-hoon's Gift Song ‘Il Mondo’ When a musician who has been active in a group releases a solo work, the first thing they worry about is differentiation. If there is no "novelty" in the solo output, the musician's solo activities inevitably end up as nothing more than a one-time event. I imagine that Yoo Chae-hoon of LA POEM began his journey as a soloist with the same concern: "How should I announce this new beginning?" Paradoxically, Yoo Chae-hoon summoned that "novelty" from the past. The first piece he prepared for his solo debut was ‘Il Mondo,’ the song that first etched his image into the minds of fans with the title of the "legendary tenor." Although its release was delayed compared to his mini-album due to unexpected issues, this song was completed three months ago. In terms of recording order, this song is Yoo Chae-hoon's first solo work. ‘Il Mondo’ is a canzone released in 1965 by the Italian composer and actor Jimmy Fontana, and it has since enjoyed popularity through many arranged versions. Although it is an old song, it is not unfamiliar to Korean fans. It gained attention when it was featured in the wedding scene of the movie *About Time*, and it received even greater attention when sung by Yoo Chae-hoon on *Phantom Singer 3*. Yoo Chae-hoon's ‘Il Mondo,’ broadcast in the first episode of the program, made him a standout contestant from the start and soon became the stepping stone that led him to victory. Yoo Chae-hoon sang this song again as a ‘Gift Song’ to repay the love he has received from his fans. The emotion of the past has been added to by a period of growth, and the song's completeness has been enhanced by refining it for an album rather than for a competition. In a sense, he returned to the past where he first made himself known, polished that glory, and returned to the present. In the wedding scene of the movie *About Time*, rain and wind pour down, umbrellas and tents are torn, and guests are drenched in water, yet the scene is full of laughter and happiness. This song, ‘Il Mondo,’ is inserted into that very scene. "The world has never stopped for a single moment. When day goes, night always follows. And then another day dawns." The story of a protagonist who constantly headed toward the past, only to continue the value of the present and reality after finding true love... it is meaningful. It suggests that Yoo Chae-hoon's solo journey will be a long walk to prove his own value, rather than just an event. It is not easy for a classical vocalist to succeed alone in popular music. This is why crossover specialists have emerged and been loved. Yoo Chae-hoon boasts a vocal style optimized for crossover, thanks to his characteristic emotional softness. He possesses the power to gently draw popular music into the dignity of classical singing, while concentrating his strong power as a tenor into the climax to double the magnitude of the emotion. There is plenty of reason to expect Yoo Chae-hoon's continued success as a crossover tenor, and ‘Il Mondo’ proves that value both in the past and now. The past that the protagonist of *About Time* arrived at countless times always created a new present. I applaud the challenge of solo artist Yoo Chae-hoon, who returned to the past to begin a new present.