Brian Joo, who debuted over 12 years ago as a member of the phenomenal Korean pop duo Fly to the Sky, has been a favorite still today as a solo artist, with his incredible performing talent enhanced by his sense of humor, cool style, and fun-loving, outgoing personality.

His participation in the musical also sparked a buzz in the international media – not only in South Korea, but also such places as Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, The Philippines, and Panama, as well as among internet-based Korean pop news sites such as AllKpop.

Interviewing castmate Flo Ankah and music director Doug Katsaros

Upon arriving to Los Angeles from Seoul, South Korea for the show, Brian showed his own excitement by documenting the whole process with the production on his social media sites, tweeting to his fans photos of his arrival, his first day of rehearsals and moments backstage, etc. He said, “I just love working. Who can actually go to work and be like, ‘Ah, I enjoyed work.’ No one actually gets to say that all the time. I’m literally going to work like, ‘Let’s go to work, let’s do it!’ Because it’s so much fun.”

Brian, who is also an experienced TV and radio host, definitely had some fun between rehearsals when he also took the mic and conducted lively interviews with fellow castmate, French singer Flo Ankah, and musical director, the Emmy Award-winning Doug Katsaros!

Brian Joo, as an ordinary kid growing up in New Jersey, USA, had a meteoric rise to stardom. A friend who knew of his passion for music signed him up for an audition without informing him. When called seemingly out of the blue to audition on the spot, 17-year-old Brian was surprised, then ecstatic when he was flown almost overnight to South Korea to sign with the major record label, SM Entertainment.

Brian Joo thus debuted as a member of the phenomenal Korean pop/R&B duo, Fly to the Sky, with Korean singer Hwanhee in November 1999. For over the next decade, the complementary duo’s immense success only grew with many more awards and multiple #1 hit singles. More recently focusing on his solo career, Brian once again achieved great heights from the start, with the first single, “Kajima (Don’t Go),” reaching #1 on the charts and his album Unveiled landing on the iTunes R&B charts in the US, Canada, and Japan.

Brian Joo as member of acclaimed duo Fly To The Sky with Hwanhee

Brian said, “To me it still feels like a dream. I guess that’s what really humbles me in the business, to wake up in the morning and realize I’m doing what I’ve always dreamt of doing. And on top of that, it went well.”

Over the years, he won the hearts of fans from all over the globe. “Now that the internet is so advanced,” the artist said, “I get emails from fans in Russia, Peru, Japan, Iceland, places I never thought I would reach. My music would reach like Turkey. ‘Really? You know of me in Turkey?’ I'm like, wow! Romania and Germany...”

Enthusiastic media coverage of the star’s new musical role

As an actor, in 2011 Brian was a sought-after star in the Korean production of the musical Rent. For the pop star, it was another dream come true ever since he watched the original Broadway production and fell in love with musical theatre as a teen. It was “the same thing with this musical,” he said. “I was like, Jon Secada! Jody Watley! Oh my gosh, Michael Jackson and Madonna's choreographer. I got on board right away. I was like, wow, a higher power has finally answered some of my prayers.”

With his mother on the red carpet

Brian’s schedule during his trip was filled with media interviews, including with major television stations, MBC, SBS, and TVK24; Hollywood media outlets Hollywood Weekly and PopStop TV; radio stations such as Radio Korea, Radio K 1230, and Radio Seoul; and print publications like Korea Daily, The Korea Times, Korea Sunday News, Lady Joongang, KoreAm Journal, and Audrey Magazine, as well as Japan’s KEJ Magazine.

As Korea Daily reported, “Fly to the Sky singer Brian and Korean American singer Heather Park are turning heads as they’ve joined a US-produced musical with a star company of Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Emmy winners.”

When Radio Korea asked what specific aspects to look forward to in the show, Brian said that the audience should pay close attention to the special song lyrics, which were based on Supreme Master Ching Hai’s poetry. (Another very important aspect, he jokingly added, is the scene in which he and Heather would be appearing, of course.)

Rehearsing with castmate Heather Park (vegan) and music director Doug Katsaros

On the event day, some of Brian’s fans traveled long distances, including from northern California, Japan, and South Korea, to show their support, calling out his name as he walked the red carpet. He brought with him a special guest, his mother, who flew in from New Jersey, USA to see him in the musical.

	from “Singing Praise” The Master is more than just Kind. O friends, I could never have enough time To tell you of His boundless Grace. Only in the remote corner of my heart I humbly shed tears! —Excerpt from Silent Tears poetry collection By Supreme Master Ching Hai Formosa - 1980s

Brian Joo and Heather Park’s featured duet in Loving the Silent Tears was “Singing Praise,” with lyrics based on Supreme Master Ching Hai’s poetry from Silent Tears and music by Oscar and 2-time Grammy winner David Shire.

October 29, 2012 Brian Joo Shows His Tender Side at "Loving the Silent Tears" Event Brian Joo has always been the picture of cool and humorous. On a bright California day, he chose to show other more tender and warm sides to himself. The role he plays in the musical is that of a Korean, seemingly from an ages-old era, with a similar need as those from the modern day – that of finding inner peace and happiness. He sings a duet with Heather Park, wherein he takes on the more subdued vocals, being the second, supplementary voice in Hangul to Heather's English. In their song, they sound as one soul saying their sincerest prayer and praise from a remote corner of their hearts. Their song is an adaptation of a poem from the collection of poems penned by Supreme Master Ching Hai, for whom the musical pays tribute. With the performance of such a song, Brian reveals his more spiritual self. On the red carpet preceding the event, Brian walked gallantly, looking dapper in his black suit and confident, especially with a special person on his arm – his mother. For such a big milestone, starring alongside global entertainment stars, it was fitting to have someone who cares for him and loves him most as his 'date', and with that Brian didn't disappoint by bringing his mother with him to the red carpet. … When sharing his thoughts about the event, he did say, ‘I am honestly more humbled than ever before. I cannot wait to see where this night will go.’ This is a testament to his still relatively wide-eyed and optimistic outlook for his career. With humility as his foundation and with a tender and compassionate heart at his core, Brian's journey is indeed just beginning. Published on www.KpopStarz.com

In an interview with Asia Pacific Arts magazine, Brian described the performance: “The music that we sing are actually the poems from Master Ching Hai, and it’s basically songs that there's still hope and faith and peace out there. I’ll be singing in Korean, and Heather will be singing in English the same song. It’s like a delayed effect. If Heather sings something, literally right after she's done singing her vocals, I come in and sing the Korean vocals to make it seem like we’re one person, still praising God together.”

A devoted Christian, Brian Joo highlighted the importance of being spiritually focused in his own life, saying, “A lot of people try to find peace and comfort in wrong places. When I was younger I was the same way, like, I thought peace was in the right education, the right school. Or a lot of people think peace is in money. For me, I realize it’s not about popularity, the lights, and the glamour. It’s about yourself; you have to find yourself. It’s actually right here (inside) if you think about it.”

After the show, the star returned to his home in South Korea and happily shared about his experience on his popular radio show, The Drive-In at TBS English FM:

“…I was just very honored to be able to work in this musical. I got to work with amazing people, even artists that I grew up listening to. It was just a fun-filled night for me. I was on a natural high where I got to see all these people, just seeing all these famous people, becoming friends with these people, and it was just amazing. Actually, it was celebrating the 19th year anniversary of Supreme Master Ching Hai who wrote this book of poetry, beautiful poems. Check out the song that I sang in the musical, this is ‘Singing Praise’ by Heather Park. [plays CD track, sings along in Korean] Yes! For those of you who missed out on the musical, I added a little bit of live Korean lyrics, that’s exactly how we sang it, too. … And for those of you who came out to the show, thank you so much. It was a great musical and a great experience.”

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