I’ve spent enough time interviewing artists to spot a canned PR line from a mile away. Usually, when someone signs up for a major national selection like Korea’s Next Wave, which will choose Korea’s representative for the Eurovision Song Contest Asia, you get the standard rehearsed answers about “building bridges” or “discovering new horizons.”
JUNHEE did none of that.
When we sat down to talk about why he’s taking on this stage, he looked me straight in the eye and said something so blunt it threw me off: “I wanted to make my name known to the world.” No filter. No attempt to sound overly humble. His answer was direct and reflected the ambition behind his decision to take on the competition.
For a solo artist out of Seoul, playing it safe is easy. The standard playbook is right there: bright pop hooks, clean choreography, polite stage presence. But JUNHEE didn’t follow that path. His track DEEP DIVE leans into a darker, more atmospheric energy — something closer to a late-night mood than a typical TV-friendly pop song. The theme draws on the siren myth, exploring the feeling of being pulled toward someone so intensely that you lose yourself. It’s bold, unexpected, and definitely not what casual listeners might anticipate from a Korean solo act.
“I spent weeks thinking about what people expect when they see a Korean artist step onto a global stage,” he told me. Instead of avoiding those expectations, he wanted to play with them — to bring his own interpretation of pop performance into a space known for theatricality and big statements.
The creation of DEEP DIVE wasn’t simple. After finishing his last mini-album, JUNHEE went back into the studio with his producers to explore new directions. They experimented with structure, atmosphere, and pacing, revising the track repeatedly until it felt right. One of the biggest challenges was the mid-song shift: a sudden drop into a slower, more emotional section. Making that transition feel natural required patience, instinct, and a lot of careful adjustment.
Even now, with rehearsals underway, JUNHEE admits the scale of Korea’s Next Wave feels surreal. Going from quiet studio sessions to preparing for a televised national selection with an international audience isn’t something you adapt to overnight. But he’s approaching it with curiosity — observing the process, learning from the environment, and focusing on delivering the best version of himself on stage.
When news first broke that he was joining the Korea’s Next Wave lineup, some fans were surprised. But once teaser clips began circulating, support came quickly. The reaction online gave him confidence and made the project feel even more meaningful.
His schedule is intense — balancing preparations for Korea’s Next Wave with activities surrounding his second mini-album LOVE METHOD, released in August — but he stays grounded. And when asked for a final message to Korea Global News readers, he kept it simple. No grand speeches, no dramatic promises.
He just wants people to watch the performance and judge the music for what it is.
JUNHEE isn’t entering Korea’s Eurovision Asia selection to fit into a mold. He’s going to show who he is — and invite a wider audience to see him clearly.