Korean R&B trio SG Wannabe has returned after a four-year hiatus with brand new EP “The Voice.” The two title tracks “Love You” and “Good Memory” have been topping major online music charts since their release on Wednesday.

“Love You” exemplifies the distinctive SG Wannabe style, said member Kim Yong-jun at a showcase for the new album’s release in Hongdae, Seoul, on Thursday. The song is the brainchild of composer Cho Young-soo, who has previously written a number of the trio’s previous hits such as “Partner for Life” and “La La La.”

The group, which rose to stardom in 2004 with its debut track “Timeless,” is considered by many to epitomize Korea’s localized breed of rhythm and blues music -- characterized by catchy and often sorrowful melodic lines, amplified emotions and elaborate vocal improvisation.

The new album continues in the group’s established style, but takes it one level further, said lead singer Kim Jin-ho. 


“We had all been through so much when we got back together to prepare this album,” said Jin-ho, who released three solo albums during the group’s hiatus. “We could tell by each other’s voices how much we had grown and experienced.”

Regarding rumors of disbandment, Yong-jun said, “We’ve never considered it.”

“SG Wannabe was always something that we knew we’d return to.”

All three members participated in the creation of the new album, the group said.

Member Lee Seok-hoon, who wrote the lyrics to the track “Those Days,” said he “tried to capture the longing and regret that we all feel in our lives” in the song.

Jin-ho, who composed and wrote the lyrics of “You are Mine,” said he wanted to address the loneliness that can come from “our blind pursuit of material success.”

Yong-jun wanted to look back on “the dreams and hopes I used to have in my early twenties” in “Twenty,” which he composed with Brian U.

SG Wannabe will be holding a concert at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 9-10, and plans to follow up with a countrywide tour. 

By Rumy Doo (bigbird@heraldcorp.com)