Rock musician and TV personality Yoon Do-hyun has returned to the stage with his first solo album in nearly five years.

Best known as the lead singer of rock band YB, Yoon unveiled the tracks from his new solo EP, “Singing Yoon Do-hyun,” for the first time at a media showcase at the YES24 Muv Hall in the Hongdae area of Seoul on Tuesday.

“I have been very anxious about this release this time around, especially because of the fact that this is a solo album,” said the rocker, visibly nervous during the showcase. “For this album I have returned to my folk music roots, which is what I first started out playing as a musician.” 

Putting down his electric guitar and going acoustic, Yoon has taken a more ballad approach to his newly released five-track EP, featuring the two lead singles “The Sound of Rain” and “Much As The Time (We Loved Each Other).”

“It’s now autumn and I just thought that people would probably prefer to listen to more emotional tunes than to chaotic music,” he explained, adding that the inspiration for these tracks did not stem from his personal life.

“These songs are not about one girl, or relationships that I have had in my past,” he stated, after being asked repeatedly about whom the songs were about. “I get a lot of inspiration from stories I hear from my friends, by watching movies and reading books ... I promise these are not my past personal stories.”

The album also includes a remake of the track “Post Office in Autumn” from Yoon’s 1994 debut solo album of the same title, as well as the single “Lately My Demeanor,” which was online prior to the album on Aug. 28 featuring popular K-pop artist K.Will and rapper Tablo of Epik High.

During the showcase, the rocker also revealed that on top of his new solo album promotions and his role in the upcoming musical “Once,” starting in December, he will soon be heading to the States to hopefully expand his music career outside Korea.

“I have been in Korea for most of my career and now I’m wanting to look for other opportunities elsewhere,” said Yoon. “Next year, I will be heading overseas to release a full album, my debut English album, sometime around the end of February with Doug Goldstein.”

Earlier this year YB made its debut in the U.K. and the U.S. with the single “Cigarette Girl.” The song was originally a 1986 hit track by local folk singer Song Chang-sik before being covered by YB in 1999.

The English version of “Cigarette Girl” was released internationally on Feb. 18, after the band signed with Goldstein, the former manager of American hard rock group Guns N’ Roses. The single marked the band’s first international release under a foreign agency.

Before leaving for the States, Yoon is scheduled to hold a total of 12 concerts throughout October at the Hakjeon Blue Theater in Seoul, with the first show slated for Oct. 2. The tickets are listed at 77,000 won.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)