Jon Park returns after 1 year 9 months with self-composed summer track '여름은 돌아와'

Jon Park is back. The 38-year-old singer released his self-composed track 여름은 돌아와 on July 23 across music platforms, ending a 1-year-9-month gap since his last release.

He wrote it in winter. "I thought of a brilliant time that everyone has as 'summer' and wrote it," he said. "I recalled my university vacation. This song is about longing, hoping that such a time will come once more." The approach was deliberately low-key: "This time I tried it lightly, just like that."

The production wasn't casual. Mastering typically wraps in one or two passes for him. This time he went back 7 to 8 times.

Jon Park is in his 17th year as a recording artist. In 2010, he entered Superstar K2 as an American exchange student and finished runner-up. He released two full-length albums and two mini-albums after that, with hits including 네 생각, 폴링, and 이게 아닌데.

Two years ago he launched the YouTube channel 존이냐박이냐. The experience reshaped how he hears himself. "Because of YouTube, I arranged various songs and realized that my voice, which is weak in high notes, has various aspects."

Marriage and parenthood have left him "living so happily that I cannot write ballads" — which explains the summer nostalgia pivot.

Fans get a live set next. A three-night solo concert runs September 11 to 13 at Blue Square Woori WON Banking Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Asked what kind of singer he hopes to be remembered as, he cited Tony Bennett's consistency. Then he laughed and added, "Actually, I just hope people remember who I am."