Generally speaking, 18 months might not seem like a long time, but in K-pop, that relatively short period can make a world of difference. Woodz knows it well.
By virtue or by force, patience has been a key factor in Woodz's entire career. Born Cho Seungyoun, the now 29-year-old first debuted in Yuehua Entertainment’s boy group UNIQ in 2014, after auditioning for various companies more than 50 times. He later debuted as a solo artist in 2016 under the name Luizy, before changing his stage name to his current moniker in 2018. In 2019, the star signed on to compete in Produce X 101, securing a spot in the temporary group X1 until their buzzy disbandment in 2020.
Change has always followed Woodz, and he has always embraced it. However, his patience was tested like never before this past May, when his song "Drowning" not only reentered the Korean charts but also reached number one on Melon and others, over two years after its original release, while Woodz was serving his military conscription. (The star enlisted in January of 2024 and finished his service in late July of 2025.)
As soon as he was discharged, he returned with full force, releasing a song merely a week after and locking in festival appearances left and right. Within the span of a week in August alone, he performed at the CassCool Festival in Seoul and Summer Sonic in both Tokyo and Osaka, where he took Teen Vogue for the ride in an exclusive photo diary included below.
As much as it might seem like Woodz is trying to make up for lost time, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Perhaps for the first time in his career, Woodz is learning to take back his time. Speaking to us from the passenger seat of his car between schedules, he reveals why he decided to scrap his entire album project and why focusing on the present has become his top priority. (And don't worry, the project might be restarting, but he's still planning on releasing new music in the fall!)
Woodz: At first, I was a bit relieved, to be honest, because up until three days before I started the military service, I was doing concerts. My schedule was just packed. However, as soon as the training camp began, it became very challenging. After the training camp and after I was actually placed into my unit, the situation became much more stable.
I know that there are a lot of other people who had a lot more challenging experiences than I did in the military, so I can't really say that my experience was really the hardest, but I guess the biggest challenge that I had while I was in the military was that the time went by so slowly. And secondly, that I couldn't really enjoy the freedom. I was constantly under someone else's control. So, after I was discharged, one of the things that I appreciate the most now is the freedom to enjoy my own life and time.
Woodz: Yeah. Really, really slow. Mostly because when I was serving in the military, my song went viral, and it was hard to sit by and do nothing about that situation.
Woodz: I guess the best part was that I got to spend a lot of time reflecting upon myself, like you said. Whenever I'm working on an album, I usually spend a lot of time thinking about myself, looking back upon myself, so the fact that I could already do that there was great. Of course, there is a routine that I had to follow. I had to wake up and go to bed at certain times. But even within that routine and the rules that I had to follow, there was free time given to me. So, within that confined space, I used that free time a lot to think about myself.
I guess the second positive thing was that I became a lot calmer than before. I think I was a little more anxious in the past about many different situations, but I've grown a lot more patient over that period of time. I got to meet a lot of different people in the military, and everyone was so nice to me — truly, there was not one person who was mean to me — that also gave me an opportunity to become more understanding about different types of people. And lastly, I also got to work out and practice instruments a lot. So I got to know the joy of, you know, understanding your body better and becoming healthier while improving my instrumental skills.
Woodz: That was the most significant contributor to my growing more patient over my military service. [Laughs.] Because really, I couldn't do much at that time. I just had to constantly think about what I would do when I got out. I kept just imagining what I would do after I'd be done with the service. That's how I got through that time.
Woodz: When I got this schedule, I actually wanted to sing “Journey,” which is the title song of OO-LI, the album that also has “Drowning.” I chose that, but the producers of this broadcast asked me, “Please, please, sing ‘Drowning.’” I disagreed with their opinion, but then twice, my staff also begged me to sing “Drowning” for that schedule. So that's why I sang “Drowning.” [Laughs.]
I originally didn't want to sing “Drowning” because it's so high. It's so hard to sing. Plus, then I was also in the military, so I thought I needed more training to pull it off, because I was not singing as often, so I couldn't do as much as before, so I was so afraid of it. But I did it. I don't know why, but all of my staff wanted me to sing “Drowning” that day.
Woodz: That's a very difficult question. It's like asking you who your favorite child is. [Laughs.] Among all the songs that I have released, I really like all the songs, and if I had to choose one, I guess I would have to choose “Amnesia,” which was released right after the OO-LI album.
I have very fond memories of when I was making that song, so every time I think about it, it just brings back very pleasant memories. So I guess that would be the song I'd hope would get more attention from everyone. But, despite having gone through that miraculous experience, I really can't say that that's the reason why I make music. The driver behind why I make music and do what I do is because I genuinely enjoy the process of making the music, performing it, and also getting responses from the public, too. I don't do it to go viral.
Woodz: I guess because I'm always talking to the people around me, and the people who I work with, there aren't a lot of times where I need a lot of advice because I'm always just constantly having conversations with people. But I would say that I always have self-doubt. I personally believe that if you think you are always right, that's the point at which you are actually not right. And that's the point where you start to go down.
I always think that it's essential to share ideas with people around me, people who work with me, the producers, including Nathan. There are rarely times when I make important decisions just on my own. If I am confident about what I want to do, then I make sure to explain it to the people around me and have a great sense of responsibility for the decisions I make on my own.
Woodz: When I signed with this company, I wanted to be the male version of IU. [Laughs.] So that's why I signed the contract initially, and now I love my company even more than before. I can feel they respect artists 100%. They support what I wanna do. They support what I need, so that's why I [think it's the right fit].
Woodz: You know, there are times when you are stuck in a slump. I think you run into a dry spell every now and then. It's like the stairs that you have to climb up, and you want to really break through. And some people would tell you, “Why do you have to try so hard? Why do you have to break through? Why can't you just stay where you are?” But I feel like I have to always challenge myself and sort of smash that gray wall of challenges in front of me. Otherwise, you can't really grow beyond that. That's the feeling I wanted to convey in the song.
I guess I was thinking a lot about my own limitations, and that's where I started. I also wanted to talk about stress. In the video, you will see many people facing and going through various kinds of stressful situations. I wanted to send a message that you just can't help but go through that. Sometimes you will be under stress, but the only way out is through. That's the second message I wanted to carry through this song.
In terms of how I made that song, it really didn't take long. It was only about a day. My producer friends, Nathan and Hoho, worked on this song with me. We made the instrumental first, and then I put the top line on that. It happened so quickly. At the time I was making a song, I thought that this would be a great starting point for the new album that I would be making in the future. Because going forward, I want to be more honest. I want to carry more honest and down-to-earth messages in my songs.
Woodz: Right. As you said, many of my songs, especially “Drowning,” had a good mixture of rock, ballad, and a bit of pop as well. Every time I try a different genre, what I think about is how I can approach the real fans of that genre in a, I guess, more amicable way. I think about whether I am capable of creating the sounds that the fans really enjoy. Of course, I have always been a massive fan of rock music and rock bands. And so when I tried rock music, I didn't want to just play pretend. I wanted to go all the way and do strong rock music. I also had a clear vision of what kind of visual image I wanted to present with the music as well, and it all came together great in “Smashing Concrete.” I also thought that this would make a great opening song for concerts and festivals, too.
Woodz: Man, I love a lot of bands. Muse, Queen, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC… More recently, Måneskin. He is solo, but I'd say he has a “band sound”, so I really like Dominic Fike too. And also Beabadobee. A lot of artists. I love a lot of artists.
Woodz: It's funny you mentioned that because yesterday I decided to scrap the whole project of my new album and start from scratch. And that's because I wanted to really go back to the roots and really find the proper foundation that I can make this album based on.
I started to have self-doubts because, you know, “Drowning” was so well received. So I started thinking: Am I subconsciously just trying to make something that is not too far from that song? What's the direction that I want to take? Am I looking for something similar to that? I've started to have those kinds of questions.
Of course, within an album, there are a lot of different types of songs to be included. There will be easy-listening songs, as well as songs that carry a more sensitive and stronger message, although with a softer sound. However, I feel that at least it should have a core message, a message that permeates the album. And it has to be really genuine and honest.
When I was explaining the reason why I wanted to scrap the project to the producers, I told them that if we were to think about this album as an art exhibition, I was trying to find the pieces that work together. All those pieces themselves are great, but they're not just they're not coming together as one great exhibition.
So I wanted to be more honest about my true feelings. Not that I'm never not honest whenever I'm making music, but that overarching message of the album is something that was still lacking, which is why I wanted to start over. I wanted to be an artist that people can be proud to be a fan of, someone who is worthy of my support and love, and also someone who I am confident will make it all the way with the music that he makes. That's the kind of artist I want to become going forward. And, so yeah, that's where we are right now in terms of the new album.
Woodz: Well, I guess I don't really have a lot of fear or insecurity about the way ahead. I don't think I would be depressed, or I would be so worried about the next album not making as big as “Drowning.” I'm just genuinely thrilled and grateful about its success. And ever since I started music, I have always tried very hard not to be so conscious about the responses that I get about my music. I suppose what I'm more focused on and concerned about is the human aspect of how, sometimes, what I think is right might be wrong. And this is a point in life where I have to grow more mature. And so that “how do I get there” is the thing that I am more focused on.
Woodz: First of all, our studio always has very bright lighting, and we always have a constant conversation going. And that's the mood and vibe that I try to maintain when I work on my music. Secondly, it's like turning on a switch inside me. And when I start working on music, I turn on a switch within myself, allowing me to absorb and draw on all different kinds of motivations and inspirations.
But as soon as I'm done with the process, I try very hard to turn that switch off and be less sensitive about everything, because I've realized in the past that I didn't really know I was such a sensitive person. As I work on different music, I've learned that I tend to become a little sensitive to various stimulations and responses. These days, I'm more aware and conscious about turning that switch on and off.
Woodz: I don't really exactly remember what was going through my mind as I wrote that post. But I always think about how there are things that I can't control, and I don't want to be swayed so much about those things. I'm just grateful for the experiences that I've grown through, even though sometimes they lead to success, sometimes they lead to failure. Though, who really gets to define success and failure? I believe that all experiences make me a better person, and they're all valuable. In that sense, I suppose I just wanted to convey a positive message to readers of my post.
Woodz: The biggest lesson is I need to be humble every day, every second. Because there have been times when I thought I was the best, but then I saw other people doing a performance, and they were always better than I was. So I need to be humble every day, every second, every moment. I think this is the message of my 10 years.
Woodz: My 2025 was a great year because I got a lot of people's love, and then I got a lot of my fans' love too, so I feel so happy. I want to spend the rest of my time in 2025 focusing on preparing a new album and then planning a new concert. And then, my 2026 plan is to release my new album. And I think it will be maybe my first full album… And then I also want to do a tour. Yeah, that's the 2026 plan. Just two things. [Laughs.]
Woodz: Yeah. [Laughs.]
Woodz: I just want to say thank you to everyone. I am living my life [receiving] a lot of love, so I'm just so happy right now. I want to give you my love, too, so please always be healthy.
Woodz spoke mostly via an interpreter for this interview, which has been condensed and edited for clarity.
