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The past couple of years have been huge for singer-songwriter and producer WOODZ. After completing his military service in South Korea in July of last year, he got straight to work on on his first full length studio album Archive. 1.<\/em> The musician, who hails from Seoul is a musical polymath. Originally the main rapper of boy band UNIQ, he has shifted his focus in more recent years through various genres, moving through RnB, alternative and landing on rock music. For his first album, he has played around with a lot of sub-genres of rock,\u00a0 including experimenting with a smoother sound towards the back-end of the record. His singing voice is as strong as his rap skills, with a voice that\u2019s able to scale the demands of the rock genre.\u00a0 <\/p>\nArchive. 1<\/em> saw WOODZ, who took the lead on both song-writing and production, work with a tight team including NATHAN and HOHO, to produce some stellar rock tracks including \u2018Human Extinction\u2019 and \u2018GLASS\u2019 that traverse the sub-genres of emo, grunge, punk rock, electric, pop-punk, alternative and even heavy metal. There are plenty of musical markers on the record that are surely inspired by the kaleidoscope of British and American rock legends such as Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Nirvana and The Strokes. It\u2019s apt, therefore, that on the 10th June, WOODZ is heading to London to perform at the Troxy, in East London, before completing European leg of the 2026 WOODZ WORLD TOUR \u2018Archive. 1\u2019 in Germany and France. From Europe, he will be heading out to New South Wales, Australia, before completing several dates across the U.S.<\/p>\n\nRead next<\/h4>\n<\/aside>\n The years 2024 to 2026 were huge for WOODZ for another reason. His sleeper-hit song \u2018Drowning\u2019 became a viral success when he performed it during his military service in Korea. Originally released in 2023, the track, opens with the grungy Nirvana-esque punk rock twang of guitars, before giving way to a rocky emo ballad. \u2018Drowning\u2019 went on to top the charts in Korea, years after its release and has shattered the record for longest top 10 song on the Melon Top100. It is currently sitting at over 70 weeks, surpassing New Jeans\u2019 \u2018Hype Boy\u2019 at 49 weeks and BTS\u2019 \u2018Dynamite\u2019 at 36 weeks. The song is not only popular with fans, but fellow idols alike. Plenty of K-pop big hitters have covered the song, which requires a really versatile vocal range and skill. Tomorrow X Together\u2019s Huening Kai, Kim Jae-Joong and ATEEZ\u2019 Jongho have all belted out the high notes and emotional fraught lyrics and\u00a0 BTS\u2019 maknae Jungkook has also showed a lot of love for the song as he covered it on one of his live streams. The song\u2019s success comes from the combination of gut-wrenchingly emotional lyrics about overindulging oneself in the overwhelming pain of lost love placed in emphatic rock ballad, full of huge high-notes, crashing drums and guitar riffs.<\/p>\n
With such a big year, WOODZ sat down with us to talk about the process of making his first full-length album, and returning to perform in London.\u00a0<\/p>\nPicture by EDAM Entertainment: exclusive to Rolling Stone UK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhat are<\/strong> some of the lyrical themes of \u2018Archive. 1?\u2019 What did you want to explore with this record?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nThis record captures both my life and the way I think about life on a philosophical level. It revolves around questions people are always searching for answers to like, \u201cWho am I?\u201d, \u201cWhat am I living for?\u201d, and \u201cWhat\u2019s the meaning of my existence?\u201d I kept asking myself those questions and tried to reflect the answers in this album as they changed over time.<\/p>\n
Was it daunting making your first full-length album? What were some of the challenges you had?<\/strong><\/p>\nThere was definitely pressure, just from it being my first full-length album. It also includes tracks drastically different from \u201cDrowning,\u201d which is how many people first got to know me, so that added to the pressure. But at the same time, I thought, \u201cIf I let that fear stop me now, how can I keep moving forward?\u201d So I just kept going.<\/p>\n
How would you say your music style has evolved over the years?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nThese days, I\u2019ve been thinking more about how to make my music feel convincing. That said, I still focus on what I love. I\u2019ve always enjoyed a wide range of genres and styles, and that hasn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n
You explore quite a few genres through this album, going from rock, to almost punk\/screamo at the beginning, before slowing it down with more chilled, retro and poppier tracks and finishing moving on to emo-music\u00a0 and rockier ballads. How do you keep the album so cohesive when being so creative with your sound? For example, are there songs you created that you have left out of this album because they don\u2019t fit as a collection of tracks?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nTo be honest, the album came together in a pretty messy, out-of-order way, so it wasn\u2019t easy to make everything feel cohesive toward the end. As I worked on it, I started to feel like certain kinds of songs were missing to connect everything, so I ended up creating a few more along the way.<\/p>\n
And like you mentioned, some songs didn\u2019t make the cut \u2014 about four or five in total. For instance, \u201cBright Light Flicker,\u201d which I performed at a concert before my enlistment, was originally meant to be included, but I decided not to include it in the end as it just didn\u2019t quite fit the album.<\/p>\nPicture by EDAM Entertainment: exclusive to Rolling Stone UK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDo you have a favourite genre to listen to when creating music?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nIt really depends on my mood. Right before this interview, I was sitting on a camping chair by the Han River with my headphones on, listening to instrumental music. The weather\u2019s great today. I\u2019d normally listen to something bright on a day like this, but when I want to focus on my thoughts, I tend to gravitate towards music without lyrics.<\/p>\n
E<\/strong>ven though you explore a lot of genres, the guitar stays very prominent throughout the album. Was this a conscious choice? Was it to tie the album together? Or are you just drawn to that instrument?<\/strong><\/p>\nPart of it is because HOHO, who I work closely with, is a guitarist. But I\u2019m also personally drawn to guitar sounds. I\u2019ve always loved band music, especially songs with strong guitar solos. Even when we\u2019re jamming, I love hearing HOHO improvise. I think that\u2019s naturally why guitar plays such a big role in my music.<\/p>\n
Do you have a favourite song on the album, why is it your favourite?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nMy favorite track on the album is \u201cHuman Extinction\u201d. When I perform it live, there\u2019s a moment during the guitar solo where fans shout my name and jump along to it. Experiencing that made me appreciate the song even more.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re looking for creative inspiration, where do you go and what do you do to get inspired? Was there anything in particular that sparked your creativity for \u2018Archive. 1\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\nI don\u2019t usually go anywhere specific or do anything intentionally to find inspiration. It tends to come naturally from whatever environment I\u2019m in. But when that\u2019s not enough, I like to travel.<\/p>\n
Being in unfamiliar places often gives me a lot to take in. As for \u2018Archive. 1<\/em>,\u2019 I think it started from the thoughts I had during my military service and after I was discharged.<\/p>\nPicture by EDAM Entertainment: exclusive to Rolling Stone UK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nYou are coming to the UK in June. Apart from seeing your fans, what are you looking forward to about visiting?<\/strong><\/p>\nI have great memories from my last gig in the UK, so I\u2019m really looking forward to going back. It feels meaningful to me to perform my music in a place where so many bands I admire come from.<\/p>\n
Do you have any British artists that you find inspiring?<\/strong><\/p>\nLately, I\u2019ve been drawing inspiration from Led Zeppelin. I recently watched a documentary about them and really enjoyed it.<\/p>\n
What is the difference with putting out solo music as opposed to when you put music out in a group?<\/strong><\/p>\nThe biggest difference is whether you\u2019re carrying a song on your own or together with others. Working solo can feel a bit one-dimensional at times, but it also lets you focus deeper on the music. When you\u2019re in a group, it can be harder for each individual to stand out depending on the parts they\u2019re given. But at the same time, the energy you create together is much bigger, and you can show a wider range of colors.<\/p>\n
What are your favourite and hardest parts of being a solo artist. Also the same question, but for when you were part of a group?<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat I love most about being a solo artist is being able to fully express my own thoughts and everything I want to put into my music. But that also means taking full responsibility and handling all the work that comes with it, which can be tough. When you\u2019re in a group, you can share both the responsibility and the workload, which helps ease that pressure.<\/p>\n
Going it alone can be tough. Do you have any idols who you keep in touch with when you\u2019re making your album or on the road touring?<\/strong><\/p>\nI\u2019m surrounded by a lot of artists, but I mostly talk to the people I work closely with. When I run into something I really don\u2019t have an answer for, I tend to reach out to senior artists for advice. When I had some concerns during my recent promotions, I spoke with IU and Lee Seung Chul.<\/p>\n
Y<\/strong>ou have a very busy schedule for 2026. What are you most looking forward to this year?<\/strong><\/p>\nRather than having one specific thing to look forward to, my biggest goal this year is to wrap up the tour safely. At the same time, I want to make sure I\u2019m in a good place to prepare for what\u2019s next and use my time more carefully and intentionally.<\/p>\n
WOODZ will be performing at the Troxy London on 10th June.<\/a><\/p>\nPicture by EDAM Entertainment: exclusive to Rolling Stone UK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rollingstone.co.uk \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The past couple of years have been huge for singer-songwriter and producer WOODZ. After completing his military service in South Korea in July of last year, he got straight to work on on his first full length studio album Archive. 1. The musician, who hails from Seoul is a musical polymath. Originally the main rapper […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2442529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[479515],"class_list":["post-2442528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-woodz"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WOODZ-shares-exclusive-behind-the-scenes-pictures-and-talks-about.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2442528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2442528"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2442528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2442530,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2442528\/revisions\/2442530"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2442529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2442528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2442528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2442528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}