South Korean singer launches "comic book tour"

The Korea Times announced a songwriter named Eldon (oddly spelled with a lowercase E) is launching a tour for a song project that appears to be inspired by his comics reading:

Korean singer-songwriter eldon kicked off his first-ever world tour Saturday, bringing his “Comic Book” series to Asia and the U.S.

The tour kicked off following the release of “Finalé,” a surprise single released Thursday that serves as the final installment in the R&B act’s music series of the same name. [...]

The “Comic Book” project, in the singer’s own words, is “a story about things that aren’t funny at all, told in a way that refuses to be serious.” The concept took shape after the artist realized how he usually turns to reading comic books whenever he wants to escape heavy, dark emotions.

“I always made the safe choice in the past, but I could see myself slowly sinking in that safe place, you know?” he remarked. And so he decided to walk the opposite way. “When I got there, there was another me over there, too.”

While he’s known for his romantic indie pop aesthetics, his latest offerings present an edgier, more seductive soundscape. The opening release in the “Comic Book” series called “Tango,” for instance, blends his signature R&B style with sultry Latin- and Western-inspired rhythms.

“I think my work is inspired by what I’ve been listening to lately, which is a lot of Bad Bunny, Travis Scott and Justin Bieber,” he said, adding that the music is also his way of celebrating touring in North America. These influences are also apparent in subsequent releases “RUN & GUN” and “Juliet.”

True to the project’s comic book motif, the tracks are accompanied by music videos featuring animated versions of eldon and characters based on people in his life. The dog featured in the animation, for instance, is modeled after his own dog, Meong, while Grabber, a demon character, takes its name from the stage name of an R&B artist friend.

“The animated world is actually connected to the real world we live in. So yeah, there’s a lot of my real life in there, if you look closely,” eldon noted.

That's pretty peculiar he says it's not about funny stuff, yet simultaneously isn't serious. But if he reads comics for escaping from the darkness, that's a good thing, and it's exactly why the western comics and animation industries have to stop forcing so much darkness down everyone's throats, and at the same time, stop using divisive politics as a precondition to developing anything bright. For now, good luck to Eldon with his new worldwide music career.