Violinist Danny Koo / Courtesy of ANR Collective

Violinist Danny Koo breaks every stereotype about classical musicians. The 32-year-old Korean American artist, sometimes referred to as an "idol of classical music," has ventured out of the high tower of classical music to bring it closer to the public.

To make classical music more enjoyable for everyone, Koo defies stereotypes within the genre. In addition to performing concerts alongside a diverse range of artists, he appeared in music competition shows JTBC's "SuperBand 2" and MBC's "King of Mask Singer" in 2021 and shared his private life through MBC's reality show "Home Alone" in February. He is a host for the Pinkfong YouTube channel, famous for the global phenomenon "Baby Shark," and "Pinkfong Classic" concert series for children.

The New England Conservatory alum enjoys a fandom similar to K-pop idols, thanks to active engagement with fans through social media. Fans share every little detail of his life — Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) type, favorite musicians, tattoos and chronicles of events he has participated in since he started his music career in Korea in 2016 — and his classical concerts often make rare scenes with large audiences of young people.

"Thanks to the ‘Home Alone' show, I think I'm meeting more and more people from all walks of life. That's really cool," he said during a recent interview with The Korea Times last week, ahead of the release of his new album "Moonlight."

During the reality show, Koo has been so full of energy with a positive attitude, always pushing himself to move forward and lead a diligent life and make every second of his day count. Through the program he earned the nicknames "routine man" and "icon of positivity" from the public.

Koo says appearing on a popular reality show is one of his many activities to break barriers separating classical music from the public.

"There is a stereotype that classical music is conservative and difficult. I'm constantly trying to break that stereotype. I've always wanted to be a bridge between the classical world and the public."

The violinist says classical musicians should emulate K-pop's success story, adding that constant communication with its fans can be the key.

"Up until now, musicians regard themselves as ones who speak with their final products — performances at concerts. They have been hesitant and even afraid of showing practice sessions. But think of K-pop stars. I think the reason they're so famous is because of livestreaming services like Naver V Live. They share videos of their training with fans," he said.

"So I thought that if we, classical artists, just learn a little bit from that, things would be different. I think we're living in a multi-platform world where communication is key."

Violinist Danny Koo / Courtesy of ANR Collective

Unlike many musicians who ride on stardom after winning international competitions, Koo made up his mind to become a violinist and started taking professional lessons at the age of 16, after realizing the power of music while attending an art camp.

Looking at his Korean and Chinese classmates who started playing violin earlier, Koo at times regretted not having started at a younger age.

"When I first went to music school, I was so shocked. Especially students from Korea and China, they were on a different level because they had received so much training. I was so scared at first, but looking back, it actually helped boost my ‘hungry mentality,'" he said.

Before the school's practice rooms opened, he arrived at 6:30 a.m. every morning and started practice an hour earlier thanks to the help of a security guard he befriended.

"My mindset at the time was that no matter who I was with — whether with my professor, my junior, my senior or my friend — I should be the one who can proudly say that I lived the day to the fullest. This mindset helped me overcome the fear and made me take music as a profession."

Koo says he admires comedian Yoo Jae-suk and soprano Sumi Jo.

"I'm a ‘routine man' and so is Yoo. He has been so for such a long time and remains at the top in the Korean entertainment industry. He shows that keeping up a routine and hard work pay off in the end," he said.

He added that Sumi Jo, a legendary soprano who continues to expand her musical boundaries, is the one he likes the best as a musician for her kind advice and guidance, telling of the episode when she motivated him to take on a project that he was hesitant about. "She said we are not just musicians, but entertainers, so we need to be versatile," he said. "She also told me that this is something that only I could do and I was so overwhelmed and grateful."

New album

Koo says his newest digital single "Moonlight," which hit shelves on April 10, is a musical reimagining of the magical feeling of a moonlit night.

In collaboration with jazz pianist Cho Yoon-seung, Koo composed or wrote lyrics for three out of four classically influenced pieces on the album. "Moonlight" and "Twilight Waltz" are concertos for violin and piano, while "Love Letter" and "Just You" are songs in which fans can enjoy his romantic voice.

"All four are sweet and warm. There are two songs and two instrumental pieces. The two instrumentals are my first attempts at the new age genre. In ‘Love Letter,' I just sang and there is no violin for the first time," he said. "It's so diverse and jazzy, I would say. After all, Cho is a jazz master and working with him, the chord progressions tend to go more towards jazz."

As for the idea of a violinist singing, he felt some pressure and self-doubt at first.

"There are so many people who sing better than me and I wondered if I was doing the right thing. But people around me told me that singing is not just about technique and that I should sing because I have this special tone. When I started singing, I realized instantly the power of lyrics in the songs. I thought, why not do it if I can do it and have the opportunity? It's so much fun."