Do you know the person who is called the “Musical Gemstone of 2020”? He is Hwang Gun-ha who appeared on the program ‘Phantom Singer 3.’ It is the first crossover vocal audition program in Korea which aired from April 10^th to July 3^rd. Hwang Gun-ha received high praise from the judges and participants in that program for his handsome face and outstanding skill. Music director Kim Moon-jung described him as ‘amazing’ and said that she was impressed by his own interpretation of the song that she directed. Also, singer Ock Joo-hyun mentioned that she was impressed not only by his excellent singing skill, but also his expressiveness. Even composer Yoon Sang praised him by saying that there wasn’t anything deficient about his performance. It can be known that he has a splendid singing ability and his own remarkable strengths. With CAH, let’s talk with Hwang Gun-ha who majors in Theatre in Chung-Ang University.

Q1-1. Hello! Thank you so much for having an interview with us. Can you introduce yourself to the people reading this article?

It is an honor to have an interview with you. Hello, my name is Hwang Gun-ha and I am 24 years old. I recently was on the program ‘Phantom Singer 3.’ I entered Chung-Ang University in 2016 and major in Theatre.

Q1-2. Do you have any works or people who influenced your musical life?

I have listened to a lot of songs by actor Hong Kwang-ho since I majored in Musicals in high school. After watching the musical The Count of Monte Cristo, I gained confidence in my dream. I decided on the dream to do musicals by thinking that I would be really happy if I could have a chance to stand on that stage.

Q2. Obviously we must talk about your performance on ‘Phantom Singer 3.’ This year, ‘RabidAnce’ team in which you were one of the members, won second place. Congratulations! What do you think was the key for winning second place?

It is kind of embarrassing to say that it is a key, so I will call it a tip about ‘Phantom Singer.’ I thought that it was a program where everything from the beginning is very important. There is no stage that is not important. Starting from solo stage to quartet stage, everything is very important. I think that it is important to show one’s own strength in the beginning so that others can think I have sufficient merits to go to the next round. ‘Phantom Singer’ was a program that needed a strategy and I thought about it a lot. On the final round, I thought that the team’s strength should be clearly shown so I tried hard to make a song that suited our team’s strength.

Q3. What was the motive for you to apply for ‘Phantom Singer 3?'

I always thought that it would be fun to be a participant in ‘Phantom Singer’ as a big fan of ‘Phantom Singer’ seasons 1 and 2. I have always wanted to make performances with other people related to Canzone, or other styles of song, not only musical performances. Also, I realized that many musical actors appeared on that program. So I got courage and after hearing the news about ‘Phantom Singer 3,’ I positively talked about it with the head of my entertainment company. After that, I applied for the program.

Q4. How did you prepare for passing the ‘Phantom Singer 3’ preliminaries? We are curious about the secret to passing the preliminary round even though there were so many talented applicants.

It is so embarrassing to call it a secret. I selected a song that I was somewhat skilled. I had to choose a song where I could express myself, a song that could show all my strengths in just 3 minutes. So, I focused on that point before selecting a song. Song selection in ‘Phantom Singer’ is very important.

Q5. After you sang one of the numbers in the musical ‘Hero,’ music director Kim Moon-jung said that she was impressed by your interpretation of the song. Is there a way to develop your own song expressiveness?

I do not deeply think about the expressiveness itself. I think that if one tries to express a song, the acting becomes very fake. There can be things like vocalization, or other skills, to liven up some specific sections but I do not think about the expression itself of a specific song. I try to be faithful to emotions based on my stable voice. Then the expression can come out naturally. I think expressions that come out naturally are really important.

Q6. What is the most meaningful song to you among the songs you sang on Phantom Singer?

‘Heung Taryeong’, the first stage of the final round, is the most memorable for me. I think I put all of the things that I learned from ‘Phantom Singer 3’ in that song. I had to show diverse aspects vocally, and had to have deep concentration and interaction with team members to prepare for that song. It was also meaningful to try something in the Pansori genre. It was the first genre that came out on ‘Phantom Singer’ so I felt pride about that song as being a big fan of the program.

Q7. Before selecting the song ‘Canto per amore’, you chose the Canzone card from the 16 genre cards. Is there a reason you wanted to do that genre?

I think that the genre that showed great merit in ‘Phantom Singer’ season 1 and 2 was Italian Canzone. I was enchanted with its charm after watching the previous season's stages. I thought about when I could have a chance to sing on stage in an unfamiliar language other than English. Also, I thought about what kind of things I can learn by singing with people who major in Vocal Music. Those were the reasons why I wanted to choose the Canzone card when selecting among the 16 genre cards.

Q8. We heard that after the ‘Millim Yaffot Me’Eleh’ performance, the song’s composer Idan Raichel contacted ‘RabidAnce’ saying that he wants to do a project with the team. How did you feel after receiving contact from him?

I worried a lot about singing a song in a language that I have never heard and never sang in. Also, I worried because I thought that it would be hard to liven up the song’s original feeling. But I was so excited when the composer of the song contacted us after the performance was over. I also felt relieved. Our team chose a challenging song but after his positive response, I was very happy.

Q9. Among the stages that you prepared for ‘Phantom Singer 3’, what was the stage which was the most difficult while preparing?

It wasn’t really a difficult stage but there was time when I had trouble doing things for the first time when preparing for the performance. It was the quartet first round stage, ‘Early Morning Air’ team’s ‘Flashlight’ performance. I remember that it was hard for the four members of that team to come together with one emotion and find an interchanging point in the beginning. We practiced step by step and on the day of the contest, I sang the song while exchanging emotions with the other team members. I went through a hard time but it was also a happy memory for me.

Q10. You said that you have learned different kinds of vocalization techniques during ‘Phantom Singer 3.’ By that, what kind of various figures could you show the general public?

During the ‘Phantom Singer’ contest, I thought that one’s voice fitting in the song well is the most important thing. In that process, I tried to make pop, vocal music, and pansori like sounds. It was interesting and joyful. Since it wasn’t a solo song, I had to match the voices of the other 2, 3, or 4 team members. So I think it was important to show a good collaboration with other people and show one’s own charm in that team, rather than thinking like ‘I have to be more prominent than others to have an outstanding result.’

Q11. You graduated Musical Department in Hanlim Arts School. Were you interested in musical since childhood? We are curious about what made you decide to major in Musical.

I think I was influenced a lot by my mother. My mother liked classical and musical performances, so one day I started to get interested in those things that I had encountered since I was a child. When I was thinking about choosing a high school, with the recommendation of my mother, I prepared for the Department of Musical in Hanlim Arts School. I think that is when I started to have a dream of becoming a musical actor.

Q12. You have won many awards at university musical contests or musical star festivals. Is there a performance that you remember the most?

The musical contest in Hansei University is the most memorable. It was a chance to let the judge, the head of the entertainment company I am involved in now, hear my singing. That chance became a big turning point for me in my life. I often talk about that time with the head. She listened to my singing for the first time at that time and after that, I signed a contract with her before going to the army.

Q13. Currently, you’re signed to PL Entertainment, along with actors like Hong Kwang-ho and Jo Seung-woo. Are there any performance actors who you would like to work with? And what is the reason for it?

I want to work with actor Hong Kwang-ho. He has been my favorite actor since I first became interested in the Musical genre. I have a dream of standing on the same stage with him one day. He is famous for his vocals, but I think his stable acting makes people on the same stage feel comfortable. I think that part is really important and someday I would really like to perform with him on stage.

Q14. The head of the PL Entertainment said there was a feeling of fate when she first saw you. Did you sign a contract with the company right after you met her? How did you feel at that time?

The first time I sang in front of her was when I participated in a competition that was held at Hansei University. And about a year later, I got to meet her again at the musical Aida concert hall. I had to go to army about 2 weeks after, and during the conversation with her, I told her that I had a dream of being a musical actor. When I revealed my dream, she told me to sign a contract with her before going to the army. So, the next day, I went to the office and got the contract form. I didn’t feel like it really happened even though I signed the contract. I was so grateful to her for trusting me enough to sign me.

Q15. Among the important elements of a musical actor, there are vocal and acting skills. How do you practice acting?

I tend to focus on a given situation. I don’t make a plan on how to move and express myself. I pursue natural acting that comes out when analyzing the character and focusing on the situation. It is difficult but I think that the most natural and unforced acting comes out when practicing acting like that. Before I start practicing, I usually do things that can increase my concentration like doing meditation or analyzing.

Q16. Do you have any memorable class or class you were most interested in while studying Theatre at Chung-Ang University? Or do you have any memorable professor?

Classes in my major have been always fun but unexpectedly, professor Jung Woo-young’s ‘Da Vinci Sports’ class which is the liberal arts class was so fun and meaningful to me. I remember that there was no boredom during the class and the content was very interesting.

Q17. You haven’t made a formal debut yet. When do you want to debut?

First of all, I have a gift which is ‘RabidAance’ besides me so I want to continue my activities as a member of that team. I am not sure when I will stand on stage as a musical actor. But I want to show people my best self as an actor not far from now.

Q18. What is the ‘RabidAnce’ team’s activity plan from now? We want to know about the course of action like what kind of musical direction the team will go in the future.

I want to pioneer a new ground in crossover. It seems the reality is that the crossover genre is still unfamiliar to the general public. It is the future path of ‘RabidAnce’ to break down that wall, take a new challenge, and create a good song that can be easily approached by finding popularity in it.

Q19. We are also looking forward to your solo activity. What do you want to do?

As a member of the ‘RabidAnce’ team, I want to make a good song. But I am also preparing for my personal dream, not forgetting about it. I want to show people ‘musical actor Hwang Gun-ha’ someday. I'm going to go ahead slowly, not urgently, since I have only now started to take my first step.

Q20. Finally, would you like to say something to the juniors of Chung-Ang University who are reading this article?

I think it's a very precious and happy thing to have a job that gets other people’s attention. I will always continue my music with gratitude. Thank you for reading the long article. I hope someday there will be an opportunity to comfort you with music. Thank you.

After the interview with Hwang Gun-ha, CAH could know the deep stories about him. He was highly praised as a participant in ‘Phantom Singer 3.’ And he was worthy of those praises because he really tried hard to make all the performances to the best of his ability. Moreover, to achieve his dream, he applied for all kinds of music contests in the past. And the fruit to his effort was meeting the head of the PL Entertainment where he later signed. He pointed out that his life changed because of that incident. It can be known that he grabbed the chance to get close to his dream thanks to all the efforts he put in to accomplish his goal. Not only does he try hard like this but he also has an excellent singing skill. So that’s why he is called the “Musical Gemstone.” CAH hopes that Hwang Gun-ha keeps on going ahead to reach his music goals and do many musical activities to touch the hearts of the people.