The K-Pop Revolution festival in Mainz, Germany, on February 21 and 22, 2026, was more than just a concert; it was a vibrant collision of the industry's future and its most respected voices. As the crowd roared for powerhouse groups like TRENDZ, nouerA, and XLOV, and solo stars like Kisu and Lim Young Min lit up the stage, one performer stood out for bridging the gap between reality and the gold screen: Andrew Choi.
To many, he is the legendary songwriter behind hits for EXO and SHINee. To millions of Netflix viewers, he is the soaring singing voice of Jinu, the charismatic leader of the Saja Boys in the global blockbuster K-Pop: Demon Hunters. Between the high-energy sets of Top Piyawat and SUPER THAI, we caught up with Andrew behind the scenes of the festival.
What is your inspiration?
Because I'm first and foremost a songwriter, a K-pop artist, most of my inspiration comes from other songwriters that I look up to. So the first person I should mention is Kenzie. She's a veteran in the music industry, and she is an in-house producer for SM. She's been there with them since the very beginning, and she's been my mentor, not just as a songwriter, but just in life. That's why I have so much respect for her, because ever since I met her, she's not only been there as a teacher, but also as a source of support. She's been there through some of the most difficult times of my life. She's encouraged me. She's given me great advice. She's definitely one of my biggest inspirations.
Why did you decide to join SM?
It just happened by chance. At a young age, as a little kid, I was a big fan of SM artists like H.O.T. and like Shinhwa and S.E.S. It's serendipitous that I ended up working so closely with SM. It's a long story, but to keep it short, I was just at the right time at the right place. I gave up on the idea of doing music professionally, but I was still writing for fun for myself. A friend of mine, we wrote a couple of songs together, and we decided to record these songs using proper equipment because we didn't have the best equipment. We rented out a studio, and that studio just happened to be owned by a producer who worked closely with SM. He forgot his bag, came back in and heard our song. He asked me if I would like to write over one of the tracks that he had, and I said, yes, of course. I went back home that night, wrote the song, did a very rough recording of it and sent it back. A few weeks later, he contacted me and told me that the song was a cut for a group called SHINee.
What does K-Pop Demon Hunters mean to you?
K-Pop Demon Hunters to me, I think is equivalent to just how big it's become. So, I think it's a film that has made history. It has brought K-Pop culture into the mainstream all over the world, right? So, it's a great honor. We never expected it to get this big, and the fact that we get to be a part of that - to say that we were a part of this film is such a great honor. And, for me, I'm just trying to steward it well, just be thankful.
How did it start? Somebody just called you like, "Hey, do you want to join this project?" or "I have this project, so do you want to make the song for it?"
Oh, so it's a very interesting story. EJ is a good friend of mine, she's my dongsaeng, right? And she used to be a songwriter signed to my publishing company, my music publishing company. And this was right after she left as a trainee. So it was a pretty difficult time in her life, I know during that time, she was not in a good way.
Yeah, so she wasn't in a good way, but I could tell that she was still so passionate about music. And I heard a couple of her recordings and I loved her voice. So when I started the publishing company, I asked if she might be willing to sign with me and she did. And she helped get one of our biggest songs cut, it was called "Psycho" by Red Velvet.
A couple of years later she went out to New York and started working on that film, K-Pop Demon Hunters. And they needed a demo for "Soda Pop". So she referred Sony to me. They contacted me and it was supposed to be just like a one-time gig; they only needed the guide, so I sang it, sent it back, forgot about it, and then a few months later Sony contacted me again and asked me if I might actually be interested in being one of the voices for Sajeboys. And so that's how it all kind of started.
That's really cool. Do you have any favorite song?
It changes depending on my mood, but it's switched... I love "Free," right? Such a beautifully written song! It's extremely moving and it hits you in the heart. But I really like "Your Idol" because I think it's the closest to a quintessential K-Pop song.
What is your goal?
My goal? I think we get lost in our goals. And I think for the majority of my life, that's what I've always been concerned about my goals, my goals. I feel like I've fulfilled so much of what I wanted to do when I was younger. And I've been so fortunate to have accomplished things that I wanted to accomplish when I was younger. I feel so lucky now that my goal right now is to just do my best with what I have. I get to be a songwriter in the K-Pop industry; I just want to keep doing that to the best of my ability. And then we have K-Pop Demon Hunters, and I just want to be thankful for that. I just want to continue stewarding that to the best of my ability as well. That's it.
Andrew Choi’s presence at K-Pop Revolution in Mainz reminded everyone that behind the spectacle of K-Pop’s global expansion stand creators whose work quietly shapes the industry. From writing songs for some of SM Entertainment’s most iconic artists to lending his voice to a project that brought K-Pop culture to a worldwide Netflix audience, his story reflects both dedication and humility. Our sincere thanks go to Andrew Choi for taking the time to share his experiences and reflections with us during the festival, and to label UNDFND for making this interview possible. Their openness and support allowed us to capture a moment that highlights not only the energy of the event but also the people whose creativity continues to move K-Pop forward.
How about this article?
- Like0
- Support0
- Amazing1
- Sad0
- Curious0
- Insightful0
