Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| From left, JJ Lin, Jung Yong-hwa and RE3hab, who collaborated for the remix version of "CHECKMATE," which will come out on April 16. Courtesy of Warner Music Taiwan |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Jung Yong-hwa of pop rock band CNBLUE is gearing up to release a solo Chinese EP on his birthday, June 22.
According to his agency, FNC Entertainment, on Wednesday, Jung's upcoming EP, "和.唱 STAY IN TOUCH," will offer four tracks, including the remix version of "CHECKMATE," a 2015 collaboration song between Jung and the prominent Singaporean singer JJ Lin, whose hits include, "Practice Love" (2013). "CHECKMATE" was initially part of Jung's first solo album, "One Fine Day." The pair performed it together during Lin's concert in 2015.
Dutch/Moroccan producer and DJ, R3hab ― who previously worked with big-name pop stars such as Taylor Swift and Coldplay ― has remixed "CHECKMATE" as a blend of rock and electronica.
"I have always been fond of R3hab's music, so I was really glad to have teamed up with him this time," Jung said through FNC. "In the future, I also want to try EDM."
Re3hab said, "I love collaborating with various people around the world ― it was a cool experience joining forces with the artists hailing from Korea and Singapore. For me, the process of blending different music felt like combining foods from different countries."
To offer a glimpse of "和.唱 STAY IN TOUCH," Jung will unveil the remix version of "CHECKMATE" on April 16, prior to the release of the EP in June.
FNC hinted that he has partnered with several other top artists, but it did not reveal their names.
Before making his debut as a member of CNBLUE in 2010, Jung became known to the public on the drama, "You're Beautiful" (2009), which also starred actors Park Shin-hye and Jang Keun-suk. Since then, he has appeared on a number of works including, "Heartstrings" (2011). He will be featured in the upcoming TV series, "Daebak Real Estate," too.
He also basked in popularity as part of CNBLUE, which put out a string of hits, such as "Loner" (2010) and "Intuition" (2011). He began his solo career in 2015.
