The reason singer Choi Woo-jin is often described as “wild” is because of his unadorned and honest charm. Valuing raw sincerity over a polished image, he aimed to show his true self without pretense during his time on Unnamed Legend. By making choices he could be proud of on every stage, he proved his authenticity in the most “Choi Woo-jin” way possible.
After recently wrapping up his journey on MBN’s Unnamed Legend, Choi Woo-jin sat down for an exclusive interview to share honest stories about his challenges, behind-the-scenes moments, and his future plans.
Unnamed Legend is a competition program divided into “unnamed singer” and “famous singer” positions. In the early rounds, while the unnamed singers performed, the famous singers hid their identities behind masks and watched from the audience.
Choi Woo-jin also participated while wearing a mask to keep his identity a secret. When he was finally revealed, the reaction was unexpected, leaving both the audience and staff in total shock.
“Since I was wearing a mask, nobody knew who I was at first. Many people only realized it was me the moment I took it off, asking, ‘Was that Choi Woo-jin?’ Some recognized my silhouette, but since it hadn’t been long since I appeared on Active Singer 2, I don’t think they even imagined I would be on this show.”
“Even after I took off the mask, there were reactions like, ‘Are you at the level to be appearing here?’ But when I heard that, my main thought was, ‘Who am I to say otherwise?’ I’ve never felt like I’ve achieved everything, and I still feel that I’m lacking. That’s why I keep challenging myself with the mindset that I need to work even harder on every stage and job I’m given.”
Choi Woo-jin has already proven his skill and popularity through numerous trot competitions, including Morning Yard – Challenge Dream Stage, Trot God 2 – Last Chance, Hello Trot, Mr. Trot 2, and Active Singer 2. He approached Unnamed Legend with total honesty, seeing it as a new stage to prove himself once again and grow further.
“The SBS production team has often told me that I seem ‘wild’ or ‘raw.’ I’ve even heard expressions like ‘you’re the real deal.’ I wasn’t really aware of it myself, but I guess that’s just my nature. I’m not good at pretending or sugarcoating things. I tend to convey exactly what I feel and think. That’s why in Unnamed Legend, I tried to show the real Choi Woo-jin as much as possible without any embellishment.”
This pure and truthful side is naturally connected to the emotions of his upbringing. Born in Busan but raised in a village in Bonghwa, Gyeongbuk, he recalled growing up surrounded by the warm sensibility and human touch unique to the countryside, which differs from the city.
This environment played a huge role in why he values sincerity and a genuine heart over a flashy or decorated appearance. He stated that this purity and honesty eventually became the important foundation for creating his own unique music and performances.
However, as he gained experience through repeated competitions, he learned how to control when to reveal himself and when to concentrate his energy. While he may project a strong charisma and a heavy atmosphere at first glance, he sometimes intentionally keeps quiet to save his condition and energy before an important performance.
Off-stage, however, he is actually quite the opposite, with big reactions and a playful personality, often throwing out free-spirited ad-libs to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, because his intense image was imprinted first, he is often seen as a serious and weighty character, but the real Choi Woo-jin possesses a surprising, human, and mischievous charm.
“My actual personality is quite high-tension and I’m very mischievous. But on broadcast, I’m mostly shown as an intense and gentle image. In reality, I dance a lot behind the scenes, do plenty of ad-libs, and talk a lot to lift the mood. People close to me even ask, ‘Why do you show such a different image?’ or ‘Are you pretending?’ (laughs). I think I tried my best to show my bright side in my own way.”
“I used to be a quiet person who spent a lot of time thinking alone, but through various competitions, I’ve met so many different people. I think my personality has become much more active and bright because of that. In Unnamed Legend, I reacted a lot and talked a lot, so it’s a bit disappointing that those sides weren’t captured much on air.”
Choi Woo-jin is well aware that the texture of his voice naturally suits traditional trot. This is why he naturally gravitated toward the genre, and since many of the composers he has worked with are veteran musicians, he was significantly influenced by their musical attitudes and mindsets.
His cautious, calm, and serious demeanor on stage is also linked to this process. Rather than a character created for an external image, it is an attitude naturally formed through his respect for traditional trot and his sense of responsibility toward the music. Because he believes music should contain depth and sincerity rather than lightness, he strives to be more careful and serious every time he stands on stage.
“I feel that the color of my voice itself goes well with traditional trot. Because of that, I naturally became close to the music, and since many of the composer teachers I worked with were veterans, I think I was heavily influenced by their attitudes and values toward music. Perhaps that’s why I approach the stage with a more cautious, calm, and heavy attitude. I felt strongly that I needed to maintain that center musically.”
“But these days, trot singers show a lot of different charms through variety shows, radio, and various content. I also want to naturally show my bright and comfortable side off-stage in the future. I’ll slowly show you not just my serious side, but also my human charm and unexpected twists, so please keep an eye on me.”
