"It felt like revisiting an old memory" — Music director, Nam Hye-seung, shares the story behind Kim Soo-hyun singing an OST for Queen Of Tears

On April 29, 2024, the Music Director, Nam Hye-seung, shared the behind-the-scenes story of Kim Soo-hyun singing an OST for Queen of Tears through his social media account on Instagram (@hyeseung_nam_music_director). He narrated how the ending of episode 16 of the drama needed a new Original Sound Track, and subsequently, he began discussing with Director Kim.

Soon, Nam Hye-seung and Director Kim Hee-won completed a sketch of the first verse of the OST after much deliberation and shared their experience:

"It felt like revisiting an old memory, and the composition of the lyrics, up to the second verse, was a bit more detailed. It was nice to work on it when the footage came together."

They later approached Kim Soo-hyun to sing the OST, which would play at the end of episode 16, and the actor agreed. Way Home was released on April 29, 2024, on all audio streaming platforms.

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Music Director Nam Hye-seung felt Way Home OST would be incomplete without Kim Soo-hyun's voice

Music Director Nam Hye-seung and Kim Hee-won reflected on the content of the ending scene of Queen of Tears' episode 16. The directors realized that they needed a new song to conclude the drama with a unique approach. After a lengthy discussion, sharing of thoughts, and deliberation, the duo completed a sketch of the first verse.

The completion of the first verse made them revisit an old memory. The music director stated it was nice to work on the composition of lyrics when the footage was pieced together and the second verse had minute details. He confessed that the Way Home's direction of lyrics and sketching and recording them to synchronize it with the footage was a thrilling moment for him.

Subsequently, the production team contemplated which singer's voice would complete the song for the ending scene of episode 16. The music director realized that Way Home needed solely Kim Soo-hyun's voice and stated:

"This song seemed like it would be incomplete without Kim Soohyun's voice. However, it wasn't easy to ask Kim Soohyun to sing as well considering his busy schedule. We discussed this with Director Jang Youngwoo. For these reasons, it would be great if Kim Soohyun could sing it himself. From then on, without delay, like a scene from a movie, the drama needed the voice of Baek Hyunwoo together with Kim Soohyun!"

However, they soon convinced Kim Soo-hyun to sing Way Home OST for the ending scene of Queen of Tears, and the actor showed up at the recording studio, requesting the music director to teach him. Nam Hye-seung described that the actor sang beautifully as his voice was good.

He further elaborated on how Kim Soo-hyun had a good understanding of music, and his passion for the track was indescribable. He stated:

"Kim Soohyun showed up in the recording studio. Please teach me well." He sang beautifully! His voice was so good, and his understanding of music was different, and the passion was well indescribable. (It's a fact known to everyone that he has a good voice, so no further explanation needed, right?)"

Nam Hye-seung provided in-depth insights about how Way Home OST included the final words Baek Hyun-woo wanted to convey to Hong Hae-in. The track radiated a sense of comfort amid hardships and struggles in a relationship. He stated:

"This song is more than just a performance. It's like the final words Hyunwoo wanted to say to Haein, spoken softly, but with a depth of emotion that lingers behind, a song of comfort amidst hardship, perfectly expressed, and the recording was truly moving. In the end, the words Hyunwoo wanted to say to Haein were... "Let's go home," a line from the climax of the drama that started all the lyrics. Way Home contains that story."

The music director concluded his story of Kim Soo-hyun singing, expressing his gratitude to Kim Hee-won and writers Lee Kun-ho and Kwon Nam-woo.

Queen of Tears delved into the love story of the CEO of the Queens Department, Hong Hae-in, and the legal director of Queens Group, Baek Hyun-woo. After three years of marriage, the duo distanced themselves from each other due to unsolved issues.

As a result, Baek Hyun-woo decided to divorce Hong Hae-in, and he discovered that his wife had three months to live. The drama narrated the miraculous tale of a couple who survived against the odds and remained together. It featured Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won.

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The sixteen-episode drama Queen of Tears is available to stream on Netflix and TVING.