Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice will be making his fourth trip back to Seoul since 2012 and will be performing at the Grand Peace Hall of Kyung Hee University on November 22. He has also added a Busan concert this year, a first for the artist.
Talking to The Korea Times in a lengthy feature, Rice describes what keeps pulling him back to visit South Korea and the process of creating his most recent album My Favorite Faded Fantasy, tracks of which he will perform in his upcoming concert.
"Much like a friend who invites you to dinner, Korea has been very inviting and each time I go to Korea I enjoy it," Rice said. "It's starting to feel like a home in Asia. I have made some friends there and the different promoters I've worked with are all very friendly and so the experience is always interesting and enjoyable."
Like his previous concerts, Rice will not have a concrete set list which he finds makes the event more spontaneous and exciting, but this year's performances will be enhanced by the inclusion of songs from his new album.
"I find it more exciting to be in the moment in the concert, and be present with the audience, the room, my feelings and thoughts and just be spontaneous about whatever feels right in that moment. So, it's hard to predict exactly what will happen but I can say it will be very different from the last concerts because I have a new album with new songs and also I'm using new equipment on stage that I have never used before, so the sounds are different and a lot more dynamic than the last time," said Rice/
Of his latest album, Rice said his producer was invaluable in helping him finish his album.
"Producer Rick Ruben helped me to put away the sledge hammer that I had been using to smash up the unfinished songs.I became so self-critical that nothing was getting finished and Rick helped me to stop judging the material and just let it flow," said the singer.
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Mickey is a writer and digital content creator based in Manila. He is a co-founder of ZAVI App and editor of the small business blog IndieMickey. He has also been bitten by the K-Pop fashion bug - follow him on Instagram @mickjami.
