by Singer Hey (real name Kim Hye-won), famous for the song ‘je t’aime’ released in 2001, became a professor at Kennesaw State University, Georgia. Hey, who met through a video interview on the 15th, said, “I was appointed as an assistant professor in the Department of English in August this year, and I am teaching world literature. From Moliere and Ibsen to ‘The Vegetarian’ by Han Kang, it covers a wide range of lyrics,” he said.
Hey, who debuted in 2001 while attending Yonsei University, worked as a singer and musical actor. After that, he obtained his doctorate from Yonsei University in 2018 and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan, a full-time lecturer at Duke University, and a research professor at Kyunghee University.
“When I was a musical actor, I started studying with the vague idea of learning the history of stage plays properly, and I have come to this point.”
When he was in college, he appeared as an English interpreter on KBS 2TV’s ‘Sora’s Proposal,’ but accidentally sang the theme song of the animation ‘The Little Mermaid’ and received love calls from various music agencies.
“It’s embarrassing, but at that time, Mr. Lee Soo-man came to me and said that he wanted to be cast as the fourth member of SES. I passed it for my studies, but looking back, I regret it a little. haha.”
For the past few years, Hay has taught in the United States everything from musical and theater history to Asian studies, Korean studies, and K-pop. If you tell them about your experiences as singers and actors in Korea, the students’ reaction is fantastic. Red Velvet’s Joy recently remade ‘je t’aime,’ so even young K-pop fans know Hai’s song. He also analyzes K-pop music videos from the perspective of students and gender studies. In March next year, he will also be in charge of the K-Pop lecture, which will be opened for the first time in the history of Kennesaw State University.
“We are trying to approach Korean cultures, such as BTS and the drama ‘Squid Game,’ from the perspectives of both Korea and the United States.”
For the past four years, Hay has focused solely on writing and teaching. The research results will see a lot of light next year. Oxford University Press in England published a study on Korean musicals. He co-authored an introductory book to K-Pop by Cambridge University Press and an introductory book to a musical by the famous British publishing house Routledge. A thesis analyzing the musical ‘Thrill Me’ will also be published in the ‘Art and Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI),’ a world-renowned humanities journal.
They also released a new song in the last five years. The title is ‘Sunset Ap’ero.’ ‘Ap’ero’ is an abbreviation of ‘aperitif in French, meaning an aperitif. Hay said that he wanted to continue working as a scholar and singer.
“I can’t forget the aperitif at sunset that I experienced in France a few years ago. When my face shined the most in the last sunlight of the day. I put my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported my life in the song. Now it is my turn to pass on the light to the next generation.”
