When technology meets emotion: the hybrid world of Wonhoso. Wonhoso is a real-life K-pop artist who also creates and performs through a virtual twin modeled on his own appearance. He is part of those musical projects born in a space where digital creation meets human sensitivity. His universe, built with an almost handcrafted delicacy, advances like a confidence: melodies that seem designed to accompany personal moments, atmospheres that envelop rather than impose themselves. Nothing spectacular, nothing forced. Just a very singular way of translating emotions into sounds, with a softness that makes an impression from the very first notes.
The exchange took place by email, a format that fits his artistic identity perfectly. The responses arrive like carefully placed fragments, with a precision that recalls his composition work. Every phrase seems weighed, reflected, as if it directly prolonged the texture of his music. We discover an attentive project, built with intention, where nuance always takes precedence over emphasis.
This portrait is part of a series dedicated to new forms of Korean creation, whether physical, hybrid, or entirely digital. Wonhoso occupies a special place in this ensemble: a hybrid artist — a real person who expresses himself with a surprisingly human sensitivity, capable of touching without artifices. His aesthetics rely on subtle arrangements, introspective writing, and a constant search for balance between technology and emotion.
The interview allows us to better understand his approach, his inspirations, his hesitations, and this very personal way of building tracks like interior spaces. He also discusses his perspective on the contemporary Korean scene, his desires for the future, and this will to remain faithful to an artistic line that resembles only him.
A written conversation, calm, precise — mirroring his universe.
1. To begin with, could you introduce yourself to our foreign readers?
Wonhoso: "Hello, I am Wonhoso. I am 21 years old and I am a hybrid artist who creates music and performs on stage. What is a hybrid artist? Simply put, I am an artist who can evolve both in the real world and in the digital world. If there is a virtual stage, I can be there; if there is a physical stage, I can step onto it too. The appearance may change, but the artist remains the same. What I love most is this freedom: I don't have to choose between technology and human emotion. I explore how far an artist's identity can extend thanks to the tools we have today — without ever losing the feeling that pushed me to create in the first place. Put like that, I sound very serious... but I reassure you, I am also an ordinary person. Really."
2. What drove you to make music and make it your profession?
Wonhoso: "I was never very good at expressing my emotions with words. I sometimes spend hours thinking without managing to say what I feel — but when I transform it into music, suddenly everything makes sense. That is probably where it all started. At first, creating was easier than showing myself. I was shy, and the stage seemed very far away. Then, one day, I started wanting that stage too. Music can say in my place what I do not yet have the courage to say. That is when I decided to take it really seriously."
3. Your sound is very emotional and atmospheric. How would you describe your musical identity?
Wonhoso: "I hope never to have a perfect answer to this question. If someone told me: 'Here is your style, you must do this forever', I would probably want to do the exact opposite. Some tracks must be powerful, others uncomfortable, others still must make the body move or touch the heart. I consider emotion far more important than genre. Not all my songs literally tell my story, but none contain anything that is not a part of me. If, after listening, something remains in the heart, even without being able to explain it, then the song has fulfilled its role."
4. What message or emotion do you wish to convey through your latest works?
Wonhoso: "My songs are often born from an idea that refuses to leave my mind — a question, a situation, an emotion, or something I observed in others. WITHIN was born from a reflection on addiction, notably gambling. What struck me is how it destroys not only an individual, but an entire family. In many Asian societies, debts, shame, or failure are subjects we hide. We do not want to disappoint our family, nor be a burden. So we keep silent, until we believe there is no way out. The question that haunted me was: 'How can someone believe that disappearing is the only solution, when they are surrounded by people?' I did not want to make addiction 'cool' nor embellish pain. I wanted to show what silence can do to a person. If someone going through a similar situation feels less alone listening to this song, I would be happy. But more than that, I would like everyone to understand that hiding a problem is not solving it. Shame grows in silence — people do not need to disappear."
5. Was there a particular moment that changed your artistic direction?
Wonhoso: "When people stayed. Viral success is exhilarating, of course. But it does not last long. What truly transformed me is that some stayed after everything settled down. They were waiting for the next song, the next story, they wanted to see how I would evolve. That is when I understood that 'being seen' and 'being heard' are two very different things. When people truly start listening, you have to choose what you do with that attention. I do not want to be simply an influential person. If someone gives me their time, I want to give them something back in return."
6. Which artists or styles have influenced you the most?
Wonhoso: "I am drawn to artists who left something greater than a song. Michael Jackson is undoubtedly one of my biggest influences — not only for his performances, but for the way he used his influence to speak about unity, children, injustice, the world. Justin Bieber inspires me differently: some of his songs tell of growth, love, mistakes, the search for self. These are musics where you feel the person before analyzing the lyrics. And BTS accomplished something essential for an entire generation: they put words into pressure, anxiety, youth, identity — emotions that many felt without knowing how to express them. From RM and Zico, I learned sincerity: before trying to be perfect, you must know what you truly want to say. All these artists are different, but they share one common point: They did not just have influence, they did something with it. And if one day people give me this attention, I would like it to serve something true."
7. How does your creative process unfold?
Wonhoso: "It is chaotic. That is a technical term. Sometimes everything starts with a phrase, an emotion, an image, or a melody. And sometimes an idea pops up at two in the morning and becomes the whole team's problem the next day. Then I build it little by little. My process is also hybrid: I use composition, music production, and creative direction with the help of artificial intelligence and other technologies. These tools allow me to quickly experiment with different textures and arrangements. But the more choices there are, the more taste and judgment become essential. Technology can show me ten possible directions — but it is up to me to know which one resembles me. If a result is impressive but makes me feel nothing, I do not keep it. I do not think technology destroys human creation. Everything depends on how you use it. Tools can evolve fast. Emotions, on the other hand, must always come from a true place."
Credits: © EtherialAgency
8. Is there a song that has a particular significance for you?
Wonhoso: "WITHIN, without hesitation. It was a difficult song to create, hence precious. It tells the story of a family destroyed by debts and gambling addiction. The brother sinks, hides the truth, lets himself be overwhelmed by shame, and ends up taking his own life. When the family understands the scale of the tragedy, it is already too late. It is an extreme story, but the path leading there often starts very softly: A bet. A debt one believes can be repaid. A lie not to worry one's family. Then another lie to hide the first. What terrifies me in addiction is that it shrinks the world until one forgets there are still people around. In a culture where shame and fear of disappointing are strong, asking for help can seem impossible. But those who love you prefer to hear an uncomfortable truth than to lose you in silence. That is the core of WITHIN: 'Speak while there is still someone to answer you.'"
9. How do you perceive your place in the current Korean music scene?
Wonhoso: "I do not think one must absolutely fit into a box. I am a singer, performer, and hybrid artist. I can exist in the real, in the digital, or somewhere in between. But that does not mean I become a different person each time. I can step onto a physical stage or a virtual stage — and one does not diminish the value of the other. I am not here to replace existing artists, nor digital artists. In entertainment, everything constantly evolves. And each evolution opens new doors. The future may not be a battle between art forms, but simply more open doors."
10. Can you tell us about projects, new releases, or collaborations you can already reveal?
Wonhoso: "There are still many things I am not allowed to say. It is a personal tragedy for me. The most recent music video I released is Together, and I think this song somehow prolongs the question that WITHIN was asking. If WITHIN observed what isolation can do to a person, Together asks what becomes possible when we choose the opposite. I believe almost all great things created by humanity exist because people worked together: music, medicine, cities, science, technology, art. And yet, paradoxically, we live in the most connected era in history, while many people feel deeply lonely. This contradiction interests me. Together speaks of harmony — but not harmony where everyone becomes identical. True harmony is learning to let different things coexist. This idea is linked to my way of seeing technology. AI already exists, and technology will continue to progress. You can spend all your energy hoping the world does not change, or you can take responsibility for creating something with the tools we have today. I choose the second option. And for me, the next step is the stage. I am currently preparing my first concerts, which will begin next year. I have always dreamed of standing in front of a real audience, looking at them, feeling the moment directly rather than imagining it through a screen. As I am a hybrid artist, I am also exploring how my real self and my digital self can coexist in the same performance. I do not mean that one is 'the real one' and the other a mere addition. Both are ways of expressing myself. I am very impatient to see how these two worlds will meet."
11. A final word for international readers discovering you today thanks to Korea.net?
Wonhoso: "I think we are living in a truly fascinating era. Technology is advancing very fast — sometimes faster than the time people have to understand what they think about it. I therefore understand the doubts or discomfort that new technologies can provoke. Really. I do not believe a technology is automatically good simply because it is new. But I do not believe it is automatically bad either. Technology has no conscience. We do. The responsibility belongs to us. It is we who decide whether these tools bring people closer or push them apart. It is we who choose to use them without thinking or with intention. It is we who determine what the future surrounding them will look like. For me, being a hybrid artist means exploring how far an artist's identity can evolve thanks to the technologies of our era — without losing the human emotions that give value to art. The world changes. Artists must be able to change with it. But evolving does not mean abandoning empathy, connection, intention, or what makes us human. On the contrary: the more technology advances, the more essential these things become. I want to continue to explore these questions through my work. And I want to sincerely thank my Lumens, who have followed this whole journey with me. For those discovering me today thanks to Korea.net…"
Discover Wonhoso Online
With over 520,000 followers on Instagram, Wonhoso proves that his universe finds an echo far beyond the borders of the digital realm. His project, born in a hybrid space between virtual creation and human sensitivity, attracts a community that recognizes the emotional strength of his music and the singular aesthetics that accompany it. Access his official account here: https://www.instagram.com/wonhoso_7/