Cloud koh On How Beautiful it is to Say “I Love You”

Photo: @cloudkoh.official/Instagram

When, back in 2021, Cloud koh (also known as Gooreum 구름) dropped his album With a lot of exaggeration, he stated that he “didn’t even like singing,” but here we are, enjoying his singer-songwriter persona in his latest single “Let’s Say ‘I Love You’,” which was released on June 4.

Cloud koh, whose real name is Koh Hyungseok (고형석), has a substantial career in the indie scene under his belt. He started at the keyboard in rock band Bye Bye Badman in 2011, then formed the indie band Cheeze with singer Dalchong, but they parted ways when CLOUD (another name he sometimes goes by) decided to work on his own. After that, he mostly worked as a producer with singer Baek Yerin, and subsequently formed the band The Volunteers with her, Johnny Kwak and Kimchiheon in 2018. It was only in 2021, with the record With a lot of exaggeration, that he went completely solo.

A couple of albums later (naporitan nightmare walks and sky, hands, balloons, both out in 2024, then airplane mode in 2025), he’s now back with the single “Let’s Say ‘I Love You’.”

On the day of the release, he posted the cover picture of the single, along with the caption: “Saying 'I love you' isn't something to be ashamed of” (which is the Korean title of the song, 사랑한다는 말은 부끄러운 게 아냐), and then he added: “Everyone... everyone... keep saying it for as long as you live.”

Built around bright keyboards and an uplifting melody, “Let's Say ‘I Love You’” opens with an irresistible momentum. Beneath its breezy sound, however, lies a familiar vulnerability—the belief that saying “I love you” should be simple, rather than filled with hesitation. Cloud koh captures that tension with a gentle, heartfelt delivery. It’s quite impossible to listen to this song without a smile blooming across your face.

More Music Worth Mentioning

There was another strong contender for this week’s Surprise Of The Week, and it turns out this music, too, carries Cloud koh’s signature, this time only as a producer. It’s the beautiful ballad “Day dream” by Sung Si Kyung (original title “나의 하루처럼,” “Just Like My Day”).

On his Instagram, Cloud koh spoke of the release saying: “Back in 2011, there was a time when I was practically living in a 2.5m x 3m basement rehearsal room. Back then, my dream was to become a pop songwriter. I used to wonder, ‘Will I ever get the chance to work with people like them?’—and now I’ve actually had the opportunity to collaborate on a track with two of those very people. I hope you enjoy listening to it.” 

To cap this week off, Cloud koh publicized another interesting release that he worked on—it’s Kim Minseok of MeloMance’s latest single album, Summer.zip (1), released on June 5, whose three songs have all been produced by Cloud!

We can only imagine how emotional these last few days must have been for Cloud koh with all this good music coming out.