An idea that turned a crisis into an opportunity: Singer-songwriter Jo Jun-ho

Since the pandemic began, I’ve felt disappointed more than once upon hearing news of performances being canceled one after another. I wonder how the artists preparing for those shows must have felt. Amid this ongoing situation, they likely felt not only the heartbreak of being unable to take the stage but may have also been losing the strength to continue their musical careers. 

However, even amid these challenging conditions, there is a maker who steadfastly forges his own path. This is the story of singer-songwriter Jo Jun-ho, a “maker,” who shared the travel-themed songs he’s released over the years with a limited audience in a meaningful way. From planning a new form of performance to preparing a full-length album through funding. Ideas that turned crisis into opportunity—discover the story of this maker who is quietly walking his own path.  

“Hello, I’m singer-songwriter Jo Jun-ho.” 

I’m Jo Jun-ho, a singer-songwriter who shares music about travel through a project called “Travelogues Written in Music.” After playing in bands such as Acoustic Brothers, Bard, Joaseohaneun Band, and Harim’s Africa Overland, I began my solo career three years ago.

True to the project’s name, I’ve released a total of nine travel-themed songs as digital singles so far, and I’m currently working on the final, tenth song. I’m preparing a full-length album in the form of a picture book, compiling all ten tracks, through a wadiz funding campaign. 

It wasn’t simply because I love traveling that I chose this as the theme for my full-length album. At first, I wrote songs that people could understand just by listening to the lyrics—hoping that more people would relate to my music.

Ever since I started my solo career, I’ve wanted to tell stories about travel, but I realized that travel writing would be more meaningful if I focused on my own emotions while visiting those places. After all, even when visiting the same place, everyone feels something different. So I started writing songs that focused on the emotions I felt while traveling.

Due to the nature of my job, I often travel to other regions or overseas for performances. In a way, for me, it was often more work than travel. Still, thanks to the diverse experiences I had in unfamiliar places and with new people, I was able to find inspiration. Although there were moments when I tried really hard to make it feel like a trip. (Laughs) 

“It became a turning point that turned a crisis into an opportunity.”

I hadn’t been able to perform for over a year after the pandemic began. As a result, I lost my sense of what it meant to perform, and I started feeling anxious about making a living—it all felt overwhelming. It was while I was wondering if there was any way to keep performing in that situationthat “5seats”was born. I invite five audience members to my studio for two hours to share the songs and stories from my “Travelogue Written in Music” series.

I held a total of 36 sessions from November 2020 to September 2021, and I actually recorded the vocals for the songs in this very studio. So, the audience members who came to hear my music and watch the performance got to hear those songs performed live right where they were created.

It might be a small ambition, but I wanted to conclude this travelogue series not with a special destination, but with a story about right here, where I am now.After all, it’salso a journey we take to return to where we started. SoI named the final song “Sofa Traveler,” and hoping that the audience members would become “Sofa Travelers” themselves, I showed them photos and videos of the place that served as the song’s backdrop.

They’d be setting off on a new journey right from the sofa where they were sitting with me. I also collected feedback on the concert and used it to write the lyrics for “Sofa Traveler.” In a sense, the song was created by all the “Sofa Travelers” who joined me for the 5seats concert. 

I didn’t mention from the start that I would be using the post-show reviews to complete the song. While the emotions from the performance were still fresh, I actually wanted to share the news that this show was part of a larger project. As expected, the moment I said that, the audience found it fun and intriguing. Perhaps because of that, they left far more reviews than they usually do for other performances. These reviews really helped me expand my imagination. I’m also curious to see how the audience will react once the song “Sofa Traveler” is released.

“I’ve built a portfolio that best illustrates my project.”

As I mentioned, “Travelogues Written in Music,” “5seats,” and “The Sofa Traveler” are my personal projects that I’ve been working on for the past three years since I started my solo career. That’s why the story inevitably ended up being quite long. That was actually the reason I struggled with writing the story while preparing the funding campaign. (Laughs)

I went through a revision process, constantly reviewing the text to see if there were any parts that felt clunky, and I also restructured the text several times based on feedback from those around me. In particular, my friends asked sharp questions like, “I get your Story, but why should I provide funding for this project?”—and that was a huge help in finalizing the Story as it is now.

Although there were difficult moments like this, in the end, the Story itself became a portfolio that most accurately and powerfully represents the project I’ve worked on.If I had simply released the album with my own money as I had done before, I wouldn’t have been able to create a portfolio page like this. Whenever I need to show someone what I’ve accomplished over the past three years, this single page is all I need. That was the moment I realized I’d made the right decision to produce the album through funding. 

Once the funding campaign successfully concludes, you’ll be able to experience the album in the form of an illustrated guidebook. I could have simply released my album as a CD, but performing with 5seats made me want to do more. I wanted to include both the songs and the stories in the album. So, I came up with the idea of creating it as a book rather than a CD, and I thought a guidebook format would be best for those who will listen to this travelogue series—as a guide to the travel stories. 

So, I planned a picture-book-style guidebook by adding illustrations by artist Bonghyun—with whom I’d previously collaborated—that complement the songs. I didn’t have this format in mind from the very beginning when I first conceived the album, but I think following my ideas step by step led to this great result.

In addition to the guidebook album, you can sign up for 5seats performances as we kick off the new season . You can also experience the “Unplugged Concert That Comes to You Anywhere in the Country,”a special event we’re offering through this funding campaign.Since we don’t use equipment like microphones oramplifiers ,these concerts are held for about half the usual performance fee I charge. I think this will be a great opportunity for those who need a performance, and since it’s one of the Rewards that helps me cover the album production costs, it’ll be a huge help to me as well. Since I started out as a busker, this reward really plays to my strengths, and I’m so proud that so many people are signing up for it. (Laughs)

“Start with confidence in your story” 

When I first launched the funding campaign, I thought it would succeed on its own without me having to do anything. But that wasn’t the case. I had to work hard to promote it to my friends and acquaintances, and I also had to pay close attention to the supporters’ reactions. To do that, I think you first need to have confidence and belief in your own project. 

Wadiz is definitely a wonderful platform that helps you share your story and bring together people who resonate with it. But it’s actually not easy for people who don’t know you at all to readily rally behind your funding campaign. So I’d like to encourage you to start with the people around you—think about whether your project can resonate with them—and then take the plunge into funding. If your project can inspire the people around you first, I believe it will generate even more synergy on wadiz.

Wadiz is also a place where I can keep my supporters updated on my news. In fact, I used Wadiz as a supporter before launching my own project, and I still receive emails from a maker whose funding campaign I supported two years ago. Seeing that made me realize that after this funding, if I have news about a new album or a solo concert, I’ll be able to easily share it with my supporters. It feels like I’ve built a strong network with the people who’vealready cheeredme on and supported meduring the funding period, so I think this will be a great help even after the funding period ends. 

“An idea I’d only ever imagined—it became possible because we’re in this together.” 

After the funding campaign ends, I’ll discuss with artist Bonghyun which parts of the songs to illustrate, and we’ll begin arranging the text and original artwork. We’ll also decide on the paper stock and size that will best showcase the text and illustrations. 

As I’m writing this, it’s truly exhilarating to realize that an idea I could have only imagined on my own is now becoming a reality thanks to funding.I plan to work hard until the very end to create the most beautiful picture book albumin the world. 

Through this project, I’ve received so much interest and support from so many people that I feel a greater sense of responsibility than ever before. It makes me so happy to know that there are so many people cheering on my dream. 

To be honest, this is an album that I myself want more than anyone else. (laughs) So I’m going to create an album that I won’t be ashamed to show to myself or to those who receive it. I want to repay you by creating an album that will truly resonate with all of you supporters . Once I’ve successfully wrapped up this album and the performance, if another great idea comes to mind that’s good enough to convince all of you who cheer for me, I’ll be back with another funding campaign! 

▶ This content was first featured on the wadiz blog. If you’re curious about more stories on the blog, check itout here!

▶ Curious about singer-songwriter Jo Jun-ho’s funding campaign as a maker?