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Celebrity Travel: Go away with Woosung

Jae-Ha Kim, Tribune Content Agency on

While Woo-sung Kim’s bandmates in South Korea are serving their mandatory military duty, the Korean American guitarist/vocalist/songwriter for the pop-rock group The Rose is back in Los Angeles – not far from where he grew up. For our Zoom interview, the musician wore a simple black T-shirt and could easily pass as a college student, rather than someone who recently celebrated his 29th birthday. His aesthetics reflect his global travels. One of his favorite purchases for his L.A. home is a limited-edition sofa designed by France’s Mojow Yomi NEP, which is visible in the background. (His is the 34th out of 35 pieces.) Known professionally simply as Woosung, the artist currently is on a North American tour with the hip-hop trio Epik High and said he’s looking forward to performing songs from his solo album “GENRE.” (For tour dates, check out https://www.epikhigh.com/.) Woosung stays in touch with fans on Twitter (https://twitter.com/woosungofficial) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/iwoosung/).

Q: Many children dream about becoming a rock star. Was that your dream as well?

A: No, when I was younger, my dream was to do something with sports. But when I was really young – five or six – I wanted to be a Pokemon Master. I believed that Pokemon was going to be real in the near future and that I could travel around the world and have a little Pikachu with me and catch Pokemon. I am still doing half of it. I get to travel around the world.

Q: But now it’s fans who are trying to catch you.

A: (Laughs) I am the Pokemon now.

Q: What was it like growing up as a visible minority in California?

 

A: I grew up in Thousand Oaks where I didn't see a lot of Asians. I didn't have friends who were Asian until later in high school. Honestly, I never thought it was possible for Asians to be in (pop and rock) music in America until I heard the Far East Movement. Wow. I didn't even know they were Asian American until later.

Q: I know that you split your time between homes in Seoul and L.A. Where else have you lived?

A: When I was younger, I traveled a lot because I moved a lot. So I lived in Canada, the Philippines, South Korea, America. I went back and forth a lot. But other than that, I didn't really travel travel until The Rose started touring.

Q: Where were some of those places?

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