[Grace Kao] Andrew Choi as Jinu in 'KPop Demon Hunters'

Korea Herald

15 hours ago

BTS, Stray Kids, Ateez and now Saja Boys. These are the only K-pop boy bands that have made it to the US Billboard Hot 100. However, Saja Boys is a fictional K-pop boy band composed of Korean demons ("joseung saja" or Korean grim reapers) from the animated Netflix film, 'KPop Demon Hunters.'
It is currently No. 1 on Netflix in the US, and has been in the Top 10 Netflix films in 93 countries. In addition, seven of its songs are on the July 12 US Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The fictional girl group in the film is called Huntrix. These songs are: 'Golden' by Huntrix (at No. 23), 'Your Idol' by Saja Boys (No. 31), 'How It's Done' by Huntrix (No. 42), 'Soda Pop' by Saja Boys (No. 49), 'What it Sounds Like' by Huntrix (No. 55), 'Free' by Rumi (Ejae) and Jinu (Andrew Choi) (No. 58), and 'Takedown' by Huntrix (No. 64).
The fictional boy group Saja Boys has already had more songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart than any other K-pop boy group except BTS. Of course, there are real singers behind these animated characters. For Jinu, that singer is Andrew Choi.
Choi has been a songwriter, producer and vocal coach associated with many K-pop entertainment companies, but has worked most closely with SM Entertainment. He also competed and placed third in Season 2 of "K-pop Star." To me, his voice suits city pop songs. It has an ethereal quality and depth that fits the deceptively youthful but ancient demon Jinu (who looks like an animated version of Cha Eunwoo).
I got to chat with Andrew Choi. He is stunned by the success of the film and soundtrack. He is incredibly modest about his contributions, but he is the primary singer on three tracks on the US Billboard Hot 100.
So, how did all this happen?
Andrew is Korean American. Born in Busan, he and his family moved to New Jersey when he was five. He always loved music. 'I was an avid listener of K-pop until H.O.T.'s second album … I especially loved solo artists like Shin Seunghun and Kim Gun Mo.' He loved 1990s R&B singers like Musiq Soulchild, Usher, and Justin Timberlake. While in college at Rutgers University, he studied Computer Science and Psychology. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band 'The Ides.' The group was active for more than four years, but eventually disbanded.
When he was about 30, he decided to move to Korea to teach English, but music kept beckoning. 'I entered the industry just as a songwriter, and that happened randomly.' He met a track maker and they began writing songs. They rented a music studio and one day, as songwriter Kim Tae-seong came to retrieve a bag he left behind in the shared space, he heard Andrew singing one of their songs.
'He told me he had a couple of tracks and asked if I would write songs over it. He sent me two tracks and that night I went back to the studio and recorded a very rough demo of one of the songs.' That song became SHINee's 'Beautiful.'
Andrew later learned that the tracks were by Teddy Riley, who produced Michael Jackson's 'Remember the Time' and Bobby Brown's 'My Prerogative,' amongst hundreds of other songs.
This led to Choi's time on "K-pop Star." While it was a fun experience for Andrew, he felt more suited to being a songwriter and singing behind the scenes.
So, how did his life as a songwriter lead to singing as Jinu? Ejae, the voice behind Rumi (the leader of Huntrix in the film), first met Choi at a church function, and the two became friends. She is a well-known songwriter who has worked on songs such as Red Velvet's 'Psycho' and aespa's 'Drama.' She played a key role in the soundtrack of the film.
Andrew provided the vocals in the vocal guide for 'Soda Pop.' But late in the film's production, he was asked to 'come in to record.' He thought this meant that he would record 'Soda Pop.' However, when he arrived, they asked him to sing parts of the songs 'My Idol' and 'Free' and told him, 'By the way, you're doing Jinu.' He had to record the songs in front of a crowd of people, but added, 'They were so warm and so encouraging.'
Andrew also recently released his own single, 'Under Your Skin,' a soulful R&B jazzy ballad that may remind 90s music lovers of Usher's Ballads. Since I am older, I thought of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' 'If You Don't Know Me by Now,' Champagne's 'How 'Bout Us' and 'Always and Forever' by Heatwave. In Korea, one might think of The Black Skirts' 'Everything.' More singles are on their way.
I love that the film offers a universal message of love and redemption, with many inside jokes for Koreans and K-pop fans. While it is in English, the film retains its Koreaness. They are Korean idols (or Korean demons) and the concerts are in a Korean city. There is no pretense that they are in LA or New York.
The songs are catchy — 'K-pop esque' without the overly complicated structure. To me, great pop songs often sound simple, but simple is hard to achieve. Andrew put it best: 'The songs are sophisticated in their simplicity.'