Hwanhee's 1st solo album due Friday

By Lee Hyo-won

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Hwanhee of duo Fly to the Sky will release his first solo album Friday.

The 29-year-old made his debut in 1999 along with Brian Joo in Fly to the Sky, to become one of K-pop's foremost R&B artists for more than a decade. The self-titled album"Hwanhee is the singer's first recording since he began performing solo two years ago. It features sad R&B tune "Jugeul geotman gata" (I Feel Like I'm Going to Die) as the title track.

"Hwanhee has so far showcased songs featuring fast rhythms. But as this is his first studio album he has returned to his original roots that have been much loved by the public", his agency said.

The album's release was not without its trials and errors. The first batch of 20,000 orders had to be destroyed because the songs needed to be re-mastered and remixed.

"There was a lot of financial risk involved but we made the decision in order to provide fans the best-quality album possible", said the agency.

Hwanhee's fans have given him plenty of support.

One financed advertisements for the vocalist's album to be plastered on the side of 40 buses on 30 different routes. The incident was much talked about among netizens.

"The advertisement was possible through the avid support of one fan, and we were very surprised and grateful with the gift, worth 50 million won", said the agency.