HAN Byul, the South Korean singer who etched his name in the Malaysian pop music scene after winning a singing competition, is back with his latest song, 'Jodoh'.
The romantic song with a K-Pop touch is the soundtrack of the drama series 'Helo Jodoh', which was recently screened in the Lestary slot of TV3.
'Helo Jodoh', which stars Riena Diana, Syarul Ezani and Fendy Bakry, tells the story of Rita, an aspiring radio announcer who works in an online application company called Helo Jodoh.
Here she meets Iskandar, who becomes her closest friend and mentor, and together they help users of the application to resolve "issues" with their spouses or partners.
Rita soon meets Zack, a social media influencer who becomes the application's ambassador.
Zack soon falls in love with Rita, but Iskandar falls for her too.
'Jodoh' is Han Byul's seventh single in Malaysia to date.
In a recent statement, he said that unlike his previous songs, which were rather heavy, Jodoh was easy listening, despite its romantic message.
Han Byul added that its catchy melody was combined with memorable lyrics that were perfect for young and old listeners.
"When I first heard this song, it immediately captured my heart and I just wanted to sing it," he said.
Han Byul was pleasantly surprised to learn that 'Jodoh' was the work of three of his close friends among Malaysian composers and lyricists — Omar K, Hazama Azmi and Firdaus Rahmat.
Han Byul said: "The most difficult challenge in 'Jodoh' was singing in a relatively high pitch.
"I adapted a typically K-Pop tone of voice, which was softer and sweeter than usual.
"This made me sound relaxed and enabled listeners to imagine sweet lovers in a passionate relationship in the heart of Malaysia."
Han Byul dedicated 'Jodoh' to romantics of all ages, regardless of whether they were married or still in a relationship.
"I hope everyone will sing this song with their loved ones," he said.
Omar said it was his idea to come up with 'Jodoh'.
"I received a voice message from Hazama who sang a few verses while playing the guitar.
"I invited him and Firdaus to put our heads together and expand the song."
Omar added that he developed the song's chorus but Firdaus played a major role in completing it.
"I'm always happy to work with Han Byul. He is an amazing person, very committed, professional and dedicated to his work.
"He pushes himself hard to finish recording a song with gusto.
"Whenever he steps into my studio he is fully prepared and knows what he wants," said Omar.
"Han Byul faithfully listens and is open to criticisms and ideas from producers and composers.
"He likes to share ideas and is very friendly."
Omar said Firdaus, Hazama, Han Byul and himself spent less than two hours to record 'Jodoh' about a month ago.
"We hope that 'Jodoh' finds a place in the hearts of every listener," he said.
"It would be fantastic for music lovers to embrace the message conveyed. A soulmate is not necessarily sought, sometimes that soulmate comes like a pleasant surprise."
Han Byul, or Jang Han-Byul, 34, was born in Australia and began his singing and acting career by hosting the South Korean entertainment programme 'After School Club' with Eric Nam in 2013.
He is the former lead vocalist of Led Apple and made his official debut with the mini-album CODA in November 2011.
His solo soundtrack 'Winter Wind' for the South Korean drama 'Remember', reached the Top 10 of the QQ Music Charts in China in 2016.
In 2019, he participated in the second season of Malaysian reality television series 'Big Stage' and became its first and only champion from a foreign country.
Han Byul was a contestant in 'The Masked Singer Malaysia' Season 3 where he finished third.
'Jodoh' is now on the iTunes platform as well as all major online streaming applications.
Watch the drama series 'Helo Jodoh' on the Tonton website or via the streaming application.