Hello and welcome back to HallyuTones – always focused on sound, stage and substance.
Long-time readers of HallyuTones may remember our interview from last year with singer-songwriter and producer Dailog. He has worked on soundtracks for many of Korea’s biggest dramas, providing an emotional backdrop to many memorable scenes and stories. When he announced his solo artist debut with the EP ‘basecamp’, I was immediately drawn in by the high-quality production that complimented the deeply personal feelings of the album.
As soon as I found out that Dailog was releasing a second EP, I knew I had to interview him again. His music always speaks to me on a personal level, and this EP came to me at a perfect time. As the weather gets warmer and romances continue to blossom, let’s dive into ‘Cantabile’, the perfect musical companion to this season.
Interview
Q1. Hello and welcome back to HallyuTones! Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello, I’m Dailog, a singer-songwriter and music producer based in Korea. I’ve mainly worked on K-drama OSTs and artist albums, and recently I’ve been creating and releasing music that reflects my own personal stories and emotions.
It’s actually my second interview with HallyuTones since my album basecamp last year. Thank you again for having me back — it’s really nice to be here.
Q2. It has been around 8 months since the release of your debut EP, ‘basecamp’. How did you feel in the lead up to releasing this album, and how do you feel now that this music is out in the world?
Before the release, I felt both excited and scared at the same time. I had been working as a composer for a long time, so sharing my own voice and personal stories directly with listeners felt unfamiliar to me. I kept wondering, “Will people actually listen to this?”
But at the same time, I remember genuinely enjoying the process of making the album itself. Now, I feel grateful and amazed that my music has reached listeners from so many different countries. I’m also really happy that some people started recognizing me as “Dailog” through this album.
Q3. ‘basecamp’ had a vintage charm, with its unique selling point being that the album follows through the course of an entire day. Looking back on it now, which song from this EP did you resonate with the most and why?
I think it would be the final track, “campfire.” The song talks about how the warmth of love can remain even after a relationship ends, and it contains a lot of my personal experiences.
Sometimes, the happier a moment feels, the more afraid you become that it might disappear someday. I think this track expresses that feeling in the most honest way.
Q4. You have recently made your first comeback with the EP ‘Cantabile‘. Could you explain to our readers the meaning of this word, and how this reflects the style of the album?
“Cantabile” is a musical term that means “in a singing style” or “song-like.” This EP tells the story of a composer falling in love, almost as if he’s singing naturally through his emotions.
While making this album, I kept thinking about how love and music are deeply connected — creating music, singing, listening to music, and loving someone all felt closely related to me. Honestly, I can’t really explain my life without those two things.
Because of that, this album focuses more on melody and the feeling of singing itself.
Q5. This new 6-track EP is a love story, drawing upon your own personal experiences with romance. If you had to visualise the concept of ‘love’, what would that look like for you?
For me, love is less about dramatic moments and more about ordinary everyday scenes. A room filled with sunlight, an evening walk together, or quietly listening to music without saying anything — those kinds of moments feel like love to me.
Rather than some huge romantic event, I think I’m more drawn to something simple, like suddenly getting caught in the rain together and laughing about it.
Q6. The opening track of the EP is ‘First Phrase‘, which instantly draws the reader in with its nostalgic instrumentation. Could you tell us some more about how this track came together?
“First Phrase” was very important to me because it creates the first impression of the entire album. While thinking about the idea of “beginnings” and the feeling of falling in love at first sight, I naturally came up with the concept of a “first melody” or “first phrase.”
Great songs often capture you from the very first phrase, right? In the same way, I wanted this track to express the feeling of instantly falling for someone the moment you see them.
Q7. The second track, ‘The Bell’, proclaims the arrival of the season of spring. What do you enjoy the most about the spring season?
I think spring is a season that comforts both the body and the heart after a long cold winter. It opens up emotions that had been curled up for a while. Suddenly, the whole world becomes filled with flowers and green leaves again.
No matter how cold or empty things once felt, spring somehow makes everything feel new again. I really love that about it.
Q8. The third track, ‘Rom-com‘ is wonderfully romantic and absurd in all of the best ways. The lyrics explore how romance is about enjoying a relationship without seeking perfection. What do you feel the most important factors are for a successful relationship?
It’s actually difficult to define what a “successful relationship” really is, haha. For me, if two people can feel happy together in their everyday lives, and if that happiness can continue over time, then that’s already a successful relationship.
I want to feel happiness on sunny days, cloudy days, rainy days, and snowy days alike. To do that, I think a relationship has to be built on comfort and small shared joys, where you can enjoy each other’s presence even on completely ordinary days.
Q9. The fourth track, ‘Melody‘ is a slower, more instrumental heavy track. On a personal level, shared music tastes are what initially connected my wife and I. What do you think makes music bring people together?
Music is invisible, but sometimes it communicates more quickly and more accurately than things we can actually see. There are moments when music is difficult to explain with words, right? I think that’s because music exists as its own language.
Sharing the same sounds, tastes, and emotions means people are able to empathize with each other. In the end, music feels almost like a miracle that connects all of us together, even if it’s only for a short moment.
Q10. The fifth track, ‘come closer‘ is a very intimate song, with the lyrics about falling deeply in love. The vocal layering, instrumentation and mixing all add to this effect. Could you tell us some more about the mixing and composition for this track?
With this song, I wanted to create the feeling of whispering very closely to someone. That’s why I used a lot of vocal layering, while also keeping the spatial effects relatively small and intimate.
For the vocals, I used a double-tracking technique inspired by the rough and retro textures of 1960s recordings. The vocal tone itself isn’t perfectly clean or precise, but I felt that approach added more warmth, space, and natural emotion to the song.
Rather than making the instruments flashy, I focused on letting them gently surround the vocals. In terms of mixing, I paid a lot of attention to creating a soft and warm texture overall. Instead of emphasizing dramatic processing or strong dynamics, I intentionally tried to reduce excessive processing so the music could feel more familiar and human.
Q11. The final track of the EP is ‘정오의 햇살 (Perfect Day)’. The warm feeling immediately draws the listener in and gives the vibes of a sweet summer evening with a loved one. Could you talk more about the message of this song and why it was selected as the album closer?
This song is about a very ordinary yet perfect day spent with someone you love. I wanted to express the idea that simply being together can already be enough to make a day feel meaningful and happy, even without anything dramatic happening.
I think this track represents the image of love that I personally pursue the most. I chose it as the closing track because I wanted the album to leave listeners with its warmest emotion at the very end.
In a way, it also forms a musical symmetry with “campfire,” the final track from my previous EP basecamp.
Q12. Your music works to bridge everyday feelings into atmospheric soundscapes, drawing upon emotions to craft intricate stories. What would you say is your distinctive style, and what advice would you give to a singer-songwriter looking to find their own unique sound?
I think the distinctive quality of my music is that it focuses on delicate everyday emotions rather than grand or dramatic stories. I try to capture very personal moments and feelings from daily life, and because of that, I naturally pursue sounds that feel familiar and organic.
These days, there’s already so much perfectly polished music in the world, so I actually think there’s something persuasive and meaningful about music that feels a little more natural and human.
For singer-songwriters who are trying to find their own sound, I would say honesty is more important than perfection. I truly believe that the most personal emotions can often become the most universal. To reach that point, it’s important to really understand yourself — what kind of person you are, what you love, and when you feel the most like yourself.
Q13. With romance being so central to this project, if you had to choose a Korean romance song to recommend, which song would you choose and why?
I would recommend “Romeo N Juliet” by Clazziquai. The melody placed over its simple rhythm is incredibly beautiful, and the harmony between the male and female vocals in the chorus leaves a really lasting impression. It’s one of those songs that quietly stays with you for a long time.
Q14. You have worked on OSTS for numerous K-Dramas over the years, including the acclaimed series: ‘Hospital Playlist’, ‘Be Melodramatic’, ‘Yumi’s Cells’ and ‘Tale of the Nine Tailed’. Your most recent release was the song ‘Promise‘ by Wonstein, for the Drama ‘Can This Love Be Translated?‘. What are some of your favourite memories from working on this song?
When I first started writing this song, I was actually imagining an artist with a unique tone like Wonstein’s. So when he ended up singing the song for real, it felt really special to me.
During the recording session, I was impressed by how carefully he checked even the smallest details of his expression and delivery. Watching that process reminded me why I had always admired Wonstein as a musician. As both a composer and an artist myself, I received a lot of inspiration and positive energy from working with him.
Q15. Your first two EPs have focused on feelings throughout the day, and around the topic of romance. What topics would you like to explore in future releases?
In future releases, I’d like to explore a wider range of emotions and stories beyond romance. For example, I want to talk about darker emotions too, such as anxiety or anger.
I’m also interested in exploring more cinematic sounds, almost like film scores or game music. I think those kinds of emotional and atmospheric approaches are something I want to keep developing further in my music.
Q16. Lastly, do you have anything to say to your fans or any new listeners?
Thank you so much to everyone who listens to my music. If my songs can become a small moment of rest or comfort in someone’s day, that alone would make me really happy.
Even if it’s just two or three minutes during the day, if listening to my music made that small part of life feel a little richer, then I think that’s already enough for me. I hope we can continue sharing good music together for a long time. Thank you.
Thank you again to Dailog for this incredibly insightful and heartfelt interview. It was a pleasure to welcome him back to HallyuTones to promote this new release. I hope that this album can also resonate with you all during this spring-summer transition, and helps you to reflect on the positive feelings associated with romance.
To support Dailog, please check out the links below:
Dailog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailog/?hl=en-gb
Dailog YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxHu89m-YItfLM34lcdv6NQ
Dailog Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dailog/1168933220
Dailog Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/61NOuvWbdbCndC4Z8XvypF
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