Veteran Musician Bae Chul-soo Aims to Be a 'Cute Old Man'

Veteran musician Bae Chul-soo has revealed his goal of becoming a 'cute old man.'

On the 29th, Bae Chul-soo appeared on JTBC's 'Newsroom.'

Debuting in 1979, Bae has spent nearly half a century captivating the Korean music scene with rock music and has been a beloved figure in the industry. His band, Songgolmae, is set to hold their 2024 concert tour 'Neul-Bom.' This upcoming tour follows their 2022 tour 'Yeolmang,' which attracted 40,000 attendees, and their January 2023 'KBS Seol Special Songgolmae Concert: First Flight in 40 Years.'

Songgolmae has produced numerous hits such as 'Eojjeoda Majuchin Geudae,' 'Modu Da Saranghari,' 'Bitmul,' and 'Moyeora.' Bae humorously remarked, 'Every song is precious, but at my age, the ones that made the most money are the most precious. For me, it's 'Moyeora.''

Two years ago, Songgolmae reunited for a concert after 40 years. Bae recalled, 'I wasn't sure if it would work because we hadn't performed in so long. But just before going on stage, I saw the audience filling the seats, and I thought, 'Wow, this is happening,' and I almost cried.'

Previously, Bae had stated he wouldn't perform again. He explained, 'I planned to stop after the encore performance. I was in my 60s then, but now I'm in my 70s. When the production company suggested another concert, I thought, 'How grateful should I be to be invited at this age?' So I decided to do it while I still can.'

Bae has also been a radio DJ for 35 years. He admitted, 'Even during my band days, I wasn't very diligent.' He added, 'The biggest change is my hair color. Some people think my hair was always this color, but I used to have black hair. People think my voice hasn't changed, but it has. What hasn't changed is my desire to share good music with listeners. Of course, the definition of good music is subjective, but it's the music I think is good.'

Bae shared, 'I love making jokes. It feels good when people laugh at my jokes. My goal is for young people to think, 'That old man is cute.''

When asked if he has any other aspirations outside of radio, Bae replied, 'No.' He emphasized, 'My goal is to do my best in what I'm currently doing. I hope tomorrow is like today, and next year is like this year. That's my honest feeling.'

Asked how he wants to be remembered, Bae said, 'To my generation, I want to be remembered as a cool oppa, hyung, or friend. To young people, being a cute old man is enough.'

Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr