Following the first part of the interview, Choi Jong-won of ‘Mumeong Jeonseol’ has proven his potential as a next-generation trot star, moving beyond his title as “JYP’s 1st Trot Trainee.” With his youthful passion, raw vocals, and stable performances, he revealed a diamond-in-the-rough charm, expanding his presence with every stage and drawing attention as a fresh face in the trot scene. Fans are now eagerly anticipating his future growth.
Choi Jong-won made a fresh impression on MBN’s ‘Mumeong Jeonseol’ as “JYP’s 1st Trot Trainee.” With his refreshing visuals, stage-dominating performance, and a heart-fluttering “I love you, Noona!” during his first appearance, he completely captured the hearts of trot fans.
After wrapping up the ‘Mumeong Jeonseol’ competition, Choi Jong-won sat down for an interview with MHN. He started by saying, “Rather than aiming for a specific rank from the start, I focused more on making my first stage in the ‘Mumeong Selection’ the best it could be.”
He recalled, “I was very nervous until the moment I stepped out, but MCs Jang Min-ho and Kim Dae-ho helped me relax through their interviews. The audience also gave me warm cheers before the stage started, so the atmosphere was truly wonderful.”
He shared the overwhelming moment, adding, “Many people were seeing me for the first time, but they responded to even my smallest hand gestures and showed so much love, which gave me great strength. Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy my first stage with confidence.”
The title “JYP’s 1st Trot Trainee” played a significant role in highlighting his presence on stage. The unusual yet fresh combination of a trot trainee emerging from JYP Entertainment, known as an “idol powerhouse,” was enough to grab viewers’ attention from the start of the broadcast.
Combined with Choi Jong-won’s handsome idol visuals and dynamic performances utilizing his Taekwondo major, the quality of his stages reached a new level. He firmly established himself as a promising next-gen trot star with both youthful energy and stable singing skills.
Regarding this, Choi Jong-won said, “I think the title ‘JYP’s 1st Trot Trainee’ is very meaningful and is a label I personally find quite desirable.” He added, “While some might feel it’s a burden, I don’t think I’m the type of person to feel heavily pressured by it.”
He expressed his determination, saying, “Instead, it made me feel that I need to learn and work harder to become someone worthy of that name, and I want to keep growing to meet those expectations.”
The title “JYP’s 1st Trot Trainee” became a decisive moment for the public to remember his name. Having been cautious enough to keep his trainee life a secret from everyone except his family, the broadcast served as a turning point by naturally revealing his challenge.
He confessed, “By appearing on ‘Mumeong Jeonseol,’ the title ‘JYP’s 1st Trot Trainee’ naturally followed me, and friends and people around me who didn’t know found out about my trainee life. Actually, I hadn’t told almost anyone besides my family, and since I’m the type who doesn’t like to reveal much about my private life, I really wanted to let people know once I could show a more completed version of myself.”
He smiled, adding, “At first, I was a bit cautious about it becoming public, but after it was revealed, my friends’ reactions weren’t so much about how strange it is to do trot at JYP, but rather they were shocked, asking, ‘Wait, you’re a JYP trainee?'”
While Choi Jong-won possesses the versatile charm of a “trot idol” with singing skills, performance, and visuals, he is more sincere about trot than anyone. He fell deeply in love with the genre during ‘Mr. Trot’ Season 1 and naturally began enjoying various trot songs, which led him to pursue the path of a trot singer.
He looked back, saying, “I was greatly influenced by ‘Mr. Trot’ Season 1. Usually, when I went to karaoke with friends, they would sing ballads, but I naturally sang trot. I loved how it could make people’s shoulders dance and create an exciting atmosphere, so I enjoyed it more and more. I gained a lot of confidence thinking that I could express the ‘kkokki’ (vocal twists) and the rich, traditional singing style that other friends don’t usually do in my own way.”
He also revealed, “I love all the seniors who appeared on ‘Mr. Trot’ Season 1, but the one who inspired me the most is Lee Chan-won. His singing ability, emotional expression, and even his entertainer skills as an MC were very impressive, and I started thinking that I want to grow into an artist like him.”
Choi Jong-won shared his bright energy for his future musical direction, stating he wants to create his own color centered around upbeat trot. He aims for a style that breathes with the audience through natural smiles and an exciting atmosphere, while also wanting to showcase the depth of traditional trot that allows for various emotional expressions.
He said, “The direction I want is to be like Lee Chan-won, singing bright, traditional-style songs with a smile, making the audience excited and giving them bright energy.” He added, “At the same time, I want to be able to handle emotional trot, like ‘Myeong-ja’ or ‘Mang-mo’ performed by Park Min-soo.”
He expressed his ambition, saying, “I believe performance is a weapon I must continue to maintain. Watching Seong-ri, I felt that if I consistently develop my performance skills, I can fully utilize them as my own strength. I want to continue making performance one of my key strengths.”
