WOODZ, First Leading Film 'Slide Strum Mute' to Premiere on 26th... "Expanding the Universe of the First Regular Album"

Singer WOODZ (Jo Seung-yeon), who topped the annual music chart last year after a chart resurgence with 'Drowning', is challenging acting with a movie based on a story he personally conceived ahead of the release of his first regular album.

At the press conference for the movie 〈Slide Strum Mute〉 held on the 20th in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, WOODZ expressed his ambition, saying, "I want to be an artist who cannot be described in any specific form," adding, "I hope to become an intriguing artist that raises unpredictable questions." He explained, "I aim to be an artist whose works are interesting yet of high quality, and who makes you want to follow the flow or form of their work."

WOODZ debuted in 2014 as part of the group UNIQ and later participated in the group X1 formed through the Mnet audition program 〈Produce X 101〉 in 2019.

After transitioning to a solo artist following group activities, during his military service in October 2024, his performance of 'Drowning' on KBS 2TV's 〈Immortal Songs〉 for the Armed Forces Day special gained attention, leading to consecutive number one spots on major music charts and topping the Circle Chart's annual music summary chart.

Continuing this momentum, he recorded sold-out shows for his solo concert and the upcoming world tour performance in Incheon next month. His first regular album 'Archive. 1' is also scheduled for release on March 4.

The movie 〈Slide Strum Mute〉 was produced with the intention of expanding the universe of the new album. Based on the original story written by WOODZ during his military service, director Park Se-young took charge of the script, filming, and editing. It depicts the mystery that unfolds for the protagonist Woo-jin, who plays a broken 'cursed guitar' entrusted by a mysterious man, with WOODZ himself portraying the lead role of Woo-jin.

Regarding the background of the film's creation, WOODZ shared, "I started thinking about making a movie around the time I was promoted to corporal in the military," adding, "While I was in the military, I wrote a story that contained my autobiographical elements in less than 10 pages, and the director took it on. (It’s hard to believe that the movie is actually coming out) I feel like I’m in a very unbelievable situation right now."

The protagonist Woo-jin in the work projects his desires onto the cursed guitar. The real WOODZ confessed that he has lived his life suppressing desires, yet he honestly acknowledged his ambition for success.

He stated, "I too have lived with the desire for success, and it seems I have chosen the element of rebellion as my winning card," adding, "When someone says, 'Is this the right way to do it?' I tend to question, 'Is that necessarily correct?' The keyword that runs through the next album is also rebellion."

On the connection between the movie and the regular album, he explained, "As I started making a regular album with 17 songs, I felt it was a shame to consume the universe with just one music video. I thought it would be nice to expand the universe in various ways," adding, "I hope you enjoy the movie as a movie and the regular album as a regular album. (If you are a fan) it will be a time to watch the movie and rush to the concert afterward."

In his first acting challenge and leading role, WOODZ rated his acting a 5 out of 10. He mentioned that he is not in a position to clearly judge the quality of his acting yet, but he feels proud of having challenged himself.

He said, "I am a person with a strong competitive spirit," and added, "After acting, I found areas where I want to improve. As a result, fans have told me that my acting has improved a bit in the music video filmed after the movie. Seeing that I have developed a desire, it seems there is plenty of room for future acting activities."

The movie 〈Slide Strum Mute〉 will be released on the 26th.