Paul Kim drops first US English single 'Love Me Hard' on October 30

Paul Kim goes English for his first US single

Paul Kim (김태형, 38) releases Love Me Hard worldwide on October 30 — his first single aimed at the American market. The English-language pop track is about pursuing dreams, goals, and loved ones with full heart.

This wasn't a surprise drop. He played it at a Los Angeles festival and the crowd responded before anyone even knew a release date was coming. A teaser image from October 26 shows him standing at a coastal location, arms spread wide, looking to the side.

The chart record that got him here

Paul Kim debuted in 2014 with 커피 한 잔 할래요. The slow-burn 비 started reverse-charting after 2018, climbing every time it rained. 모든 날, 모든 순간 hit No. 3 on the Melon annual chart in 2018, then No. 6 in 2019, and No. 3 on the Gaon annual chart, eventually crossing 300 million streams and earning triple platinum certification.

너를 만나 (2018) reached No. 1 on Melon and No. 1 on terrestrial music broadcasts. His OST 안녕 from 호텔 델루나 sat at No. 1 on the Melon weekly chart for four consecutive weeks and topped the monthly chart in September 2019.

The awards keep piling up. 2018 M2 × Genie Music Awards — OST Music Award. 2018 Melon Music Awards — OST Music Style Award. 2019 Golden Disc — Best OST Award and Male Vocal Award. 2022 Brand of the Year — Male Vocal Award. 2022 Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation.

What comes after October 30

Next up: an Asia tour and a push onto the Japan Oricon chart. He hosts KBS CoolFM's 폴킴의 가요광장 and appeared as a guest on 가비의 슈퍼라디오. He married in 2024 after nine years of dating; his younger sister Kim Yu-min (김유민), a sculptural artist, has contributed to his album jacket work.

(A Korean singer-songwriter with a decade of domestic chart dominance recording his first English single at 38 — the timeline writes itself.)