Hello

Hello is the nineteenth studio album by South Korean singer Cho Yong-pil. It was released on April 23, 2013, through his self-founded label Pil Records, and marked his first album release in ten years. Mostly recognized for his trot and folk-centered discography, the production of Hello was primarily handled by Western producers and explored a new style of music in comparison to his previous works. The album, along with its singles, were met with acclaim following its release. "Bounce" was named Song of the Year by various organizations while Hello won several album awards. The album experienced commercial success, topping the Gaon Albums Chart and sold more than 250,000 copies in 2013, making it the year's fifth best-selling album in South Korea. Background and release On March 21, 2013, the title of Cho Yong-pil's nineteenth studio Hello was announced, set for release on April 23, 2013. Five days later, the album's artwork was unveiled; the cover depicts a concert's hall stage lighting (representing his passion for music), with the written word "Hello" on the side–which conveys Cho's re-entering of the music scene and reunion with the public for the first time in a decade. Marking his first full album release since September 2003's Over The Rainbow, the record contains 10 tracks that were mixed and mastered in five different countries worldwide, including the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, and Thailand. Cho received more than 700 tracks from domestic and international composers for the record, and ultimately boiled down the selection to ten songs that he believed were the most trendy. Six out of the ten tracks were composed by foreign songwriters—the first time he had worked with international composers since his debut in 1968. Singles "Bounce" was released as the first single a week prior to the album. Upon the single's release, "Cho Yong-pil" and "Bounce" both became top-ten search terms on online portals Naver and Daum. A contemporary pop rock number, it possesses a rather light and bouncy character and contains various instrumentations, including that of keyboards and acoustic guitars. Primarily known as a traditional trot and folk singer in South Korea prior to Hello, Cho utilized English words in his lyrics for the first time in the track. It was recorded during the span of two years with its mixing and mastering handled in the United States and United Kingdom.