On November 1, 2007, Kim Hyuk Gun (김혁건), the vocalist of THE CROSS (더크로스), released his first album under his own name: the solo debut "Warrior" (나만의 그대). Four years later, in October 2011, his second album, "When You Need", followed.
This article follows the two solo albums in turn — their tracks, the musicians who played on them, and their title songs.
01.From Rock Band to Solo
Kim Hyuk Gun won the Grand Prize in the Rock Solo category at the Mnet Music Festival in 2001 and debuted in 2003 with THE CROSS's first album, "Melody Quus". In 2005 he formed Rockband Cross (락밴드 크로스) and released its main title song, "It's Raining" (비가와). Written, composed and arranged by Kim Hyuk Gun, the song was also the title song of the 2006 studio album "Rebirth" and of "Legend".
Introducing the first album, the label wrote that Kim Hyuk Gun had studied singing with Professor Oh Byung-hyu (오병휴) of the Department of Vocal Music at Yonsei University to broaden his range as a vocalist. His record from his debut onward is in Kim Hyuk Gun: Official Profile and Name Guide.
02.2007: "Warrior" (나만의 그대)
The first album, "Warrior" (나만의 그대), is a full-length rock/metal album released on November 1, 2007, through the management company MJ Culture (엠제이컬쳐). It holds eight songs — "Fighter", "Tonight", "Between Love and Friendship" (사랑과 우정사이), "Warrior" (나만의 그대), "Monologue" (독백), "You Can Do It" (넌 할수있어), "Jeeny" and "Save Us" (구원하소서) — plus the MR (backing track) of "Warrior".
According to the label, the title song "Warrior" (나만의 그대) is a ballad, with Kim Ji-hoon (김지훈) on guitar, BIG J.K on bass and Lee Sang-hwa (이상화) on drums. The label described the album as "a love song that vocalist Kim Hyuk Gun dedicates to the 50,000 members of his fan cafe."
"You Can Do It", from the first album, later grew into a single, a book and talks of the same title. That story is in "You Can Do It": The Song, the Book, and the Talk.
03.2011: "When You Need"
The second album, "When You Need", was released digitally on October 21, 2011, and on CD on October 25. It was released by J&M Entertainment, with MJ Entertainment as the management company. The label introduced it as a full-length album made after he completed his military service in the airborne forces, and as "a rock ballad that stirs autumn feelings."
Eight songs, plus an Original Ver. of the title song and seven instrumentals (inst.), make 16 tracks. Yoo Chan-young (유찬영) composed and arranged every track, and Kim Hyuk Gun shares the lyric credit with Yoo on "Love, the Thing That Drives People Mad" (사랑, 사람 미치게 하는 것), "When You Need" and "In a World Where I Have Been Left Alone" (혼자가 되어버린 세상에서). He also sang chorus on the title song "When You Need".
The musicians were Ko Won-ki (고원기) and Cho Dae-yeon (조대연) on guitar, Kim Do-yoon (김도윤) and Lim Tae-young (임태영) on bass, Kim Du-ri (김두리) and Lee Hee-jun (이희준) on drums, and Son Yun-kyung (손윤경) and Jang Jun-ho (장준호) on piano.
At the time of release, Kim Hyuk Gun said: "While working on this album I wanted to show a new style, and I think 'When You Need' has let me show another musical color."
04.The Two Albums Side by Side
| Item | 1st album | 2nd album |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Warrior (나만의 그대) | When You Need |
| Release | 2007.11.01 | 2011.10.21 (CD 2011.10.25) |
| Genre | Rock/metal | Rock/metal |
| Title song | Warrior (나만의 그대) | When You Need |
| Tracks | 9 (including MR) | 16 (including 7 inst.) |
| Label · management | Management: MJ Culture | Label: J&M Entertainment · Management: MJ Entertainment |
| Music video | Warrior (나만의 그대) | When You Need |
05.Listen Again
Both albums are on music streaming services, and the title-song music videos are on THE CROSS's official YouTube channel, THE CROSS OFFICIAL. Subscribing to the official channel is the quickest way to hear about new music. Signature songs from each period are gathered in A First Guide to Kim Hyuk Gun's Music and on the Music page.
The vocalist who became known for his high notes with THE CROSS left two albums under his own name — they hold Kim Hyuk Gun as he was in 2007 and in 2011.