WOODZ: Closer Than You Think
At first glance, you may think you’re not familiar with indie artist WOODZ, but if you’re a fan of the Produce 101 series, X1, or even the inactive boy group UNIQ, then you already know WOODZ. This soloist is none other than Cho Seungyoun, fifth rank on Produce X 101 and main rapper of UNIQ. The group has been inactive since 2015, and in that time Seungyoun has been on a journey of musical self discovery, flourishing in his role as an indie artist.
The Journey to WOODZ
From early childhood, music didn’t seem to be the direction Seungyoun was headed. In fact, he was a prominent soccer player for an academy in Brazil in his early teens before he was inspired by a release from Lee Seunggi that had him choosing to return home to Korea to start a career in music.
Ask long-time K-Pop fans about UNIQ and the response will be hit or miss: either an unawareness of the group altogether or a vehement exclamation of how good “EOEO” was and what wasted potential the group had. This was the first taste we got of Seungyoun as an artist. The boy group debuted in 2014 under Yuehua Entertainment in both Korea and China. Seungyoun had an influence on the musical direction of the group from the beginning, writing his own rap verses and other lyrics for the group for the Korean releases. Ultimately, the lack of promotions from the group can be blamed on the heightening tensions between China and Korea during late 2015, causing most of the members to split into solo pursuits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96THVBRqJvY
Beginning his solo career, Seungyoun maintained an interest in pursuing a purely musical career, and applied to be a part of the Show Me The Money series. He had applied for the fourth season, but the filming schedule clashed with “EOEO” promotions, thus he had to delay until the fifth season. Though he didn’t make it very far in the competition, he gained enough positive reception to debut as a solo rapper under his first stage name, Luizy. His first track, “Recipe,” was a heavily rap-influenced beat co-written with rapper Flowsik. He later released his first solo-produced track “Baby Ride,” featuring BTOB member Hyunsik. Unlike his first release, more focused on hardcore hip-hop and general intensity, “Baby Ride” showed a softer, more mellow side to the rapper as an artist.
2017 marked the first time Seungyoun had a track produced for another artist, when he co-produced the song “Always” for the survival show The Unit. With his first penned produced song under his belt, Seungyoun shifted his stage name from Luizy to WOODZ, his current moniker.
Artistic Shift
Changing his name to WOODZ also marked a shift in his musical career, from idol rapper to music producer. 2018 marked a year of heavy production for other artists, including the debut evaluation song for Chinese survival show Idol Producer, YouTuber-turned-artist Jun’s debut single, Super Junior D&E’s third EP, and Babylon’s album Caelo.
His first release as WOODZ came in the form of the track “POOL,” a classic R&B chill track that was co-produced by AOMG’s famed producer Cha Cha Malone that also features SONAMOO’s SUMIN, who often works on K-R&B songs with other artists. “POOL” is drastically different from the songs Seungyoun had previously worked on, marking his shift in focus toward an indie R&B artist. He also proved he additionally has vocal prowess, with no rap to be heard in the track at all. Concluding 2018, he released the track “meaningless” to close out the year.
2019 marks a significant year for the soloist. So far this year, he has worked on music for notable artists such as Groovy Room, Suran, ONF, and even co-produced the Pepsi collaboration track between VIXX’s Ravi and GFRIEND’s Eunha earlier this year. He is currently wrapped up in promotions with X1, but shows no signs of giving up his work as indie artist WOODZ going forward.
With his journey as a musician plainly presented to the public since his debut, many have felt that they have been able to relate and grow with him as he’s found himself. Though he is currently active as a rapper in X1, Seungyoun has said before that he’s felt the shift in his stage names has given him the ability to grow from a somewhat immature sound (as he describes it himself) as Luizy to a more deep, mature focus as WOODZ.
Seungyoun also opened up about his own mental health struggles in an interview with Status Magazine, where he candidly discussed the pressures faced by members of South Korean society and his own struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts. He even openly stated that lyrics from his last solo release, “meaningless,” were taken from various suicide notes that he had penned when considering taking his own life. You can read his full interview here.
It’s not often that we see an artist in the K-Pop—or even K-Indie—industry that transforms before our very eyes like we have with WOODZ. From a sudden drive to study music to a turbulent start in traditional K-Pop to a present day as an artist with multiple musical identities, there’s no denying WOODZ’s talent deserves more recognition, and that he has only begun his road to success.