Chan-on, Beginning a Quiet Revolution

In the spring of 2025, a video quietly took over social media. It was a song with the simple title 'Bae-go-pa (Hungry)', but listeners stopped in their tracks. The explanation that it was a song improvised while waiting in line at a restaurant because he was hungry was even more surprising. At the center of it all was Chan-on, a singer-songwriter born in 1999.

Chan-on's Story

Chan-on (real name: Park Hee-chan) took his first steps into the music industry in 2019 based on the philosophy of 'steadily and completely.' From his first single 'Goodbye, My Today' to his recent work 'Room 202', his musical journey reads like a coming-of-age novel.

"Last summer, watching 10CM's performance, I promised myself 'I too should someday make people happy with my songs like 10CM does.'"

His music crosses the boundaries between folk and indie. Sometimes sophisticated electronic beats are added, and sometimes pure acoustic melodies soothe the heart. Rather than categorizing genres, Chan-on's unique approach is to capture the emotions of the moment as honestly as possible.

In 2025, he successfully held his first solo concert 'Steadily, Completely' and established his firm position as an artist. Through his mini album 'Room 202', he also showed a more mature musical side.

Recently, Chan-on has been actively performing on various stages. He met audiences with live performances at the Sokcho Busking Festival and was selected for Kit Bearer's 'Weekly Kit Album Spotlight', receiving recognition for his musical capabilities.

At Midtempo Cafe in Dongdaemun, he continues to communicate with fans through regular live performances. The November 2025 Midtempo live show ended successfully, demonstrating how much comfort his music brings to many people.

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Chan-on's Music

Meet Chan-on at Nonol

Meet their music live at the Singing Playground.

🎵 "Bae-go-pa (Hungry)"

The moment the first chord rings out, we witness the magic of everyday moments becoming music. This song, born while waiting in line at a restaurant, elevates simple hunger into the flutter of unrequited love. Chan-on's vocals freely navigate a range from C4 to G5, with the delicate trembling moment when transitioning to falsetto in the chorus being the song's essence.

What stands out in the arrangement is the harmony between minimal piano accompaniment and subtle string pads. A song that could have been conceived with full band sound was intentionally expressed with restrained sound, further highlighting the intimacy of the lyrics.

Over 14,000 people stopped before this humble confession. International listeners' reactions are also notable in the comments section.

🎵 "Shh"

"The piano melody is so beautiful😍" — This is the most empathized comment. 16,000 people fell into the delicate emotions of this song. How can a confession about "times when I wanted to do so many things but couldn't do anything" be so painful yet sweet?

In this song, Chan-on's vocal technique shows the aesthetics of restraint. The melody line flowing straight without excessive vibration perfectly matches the lyrics that whisper like talking to oneself. The spatial feeling created when the piano intro's parallel thirds expand to fifths in the bridge is particularly impressive.

🎵 "Shh🤫 Chan-on's Forest🌲"

This version, like whispers heard from the forest, exudes a different charm from the studio recording. The vocals with natural reverb sound like wind flowing between trees. While 700 views might seem small in numbers, it would have been a special moment for those who found this video.

🎵 "Finale"

Let's start with analyzing this song's structure. It follows the typical pop structure of intro-verse-chorus-bridge, but the transitions between each section are very natural. Particularly, the tension created by the bass line's chromatic ascension from verse to chorus effectively foreshadows the song's climax.

As the song introduction states, "the most ideal finale with someone you like," this song contains the brightest energy among Chan-on's original compositions. In the vocal lines, he freely transitions between chest and head voice, with the high note treatment when shouting "finale" being particularly impressive. This reminds us of 10CM's Kwon Jung-yeol or Jukjae's high note style while not losing Chan-on's unique color.

Over 17,000 people were inspired by this bright energy. Interest in the session musician playing piano is also hot.

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🎵 "Seorap (Drawer) (Original: 10CM)"

If 10CM's original sang of youth with the richness of band sound, Chan-on's version contains all those emotions with just piano and vocals. He boldly removed the original's driving rhythm and instead slowed the tempo to focus more on each lyric.

In contrast to Kwon Jung-yeol's unique vocalization, Chan-on chose a more lyrical and introspective approach. The difference between the two versions is starkly revealed especially in how they deliver the core lyric "Youth is beautiful." If the original was a shout, Chan-on's version is deep reflection.

His comment, "Listening quietly to this song somehow brings up a scene from youth. I wonder where my youth is now," perfectly explains this cover's identity.

Over 15,000 people empathized with this new interpretation.

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🎵 "Chan-on Full ver | Bae-go-pa, Seorap (Original: 10CM), Shh, Finale"

"Thank you Nonol! :)🌲🍀" — Chan-on's own comment says it all. Over 11,000 people experienced Chan-on's complete musical world through this full version. This setlist of four songs shows completeness like watching a small concert.

As Nonol described it as "lunchtime when grains of sand entrust their bodies to the sun and sparkle," Chan-on's music has warm, sunlight-like energy. Through natural connections between songs and song introductions, you can hear both his musical philosophy and personal stories simultaneously.

The breathing with session musicians is also noteworthy. Especially pianist Yu-rim's performance creates perfect ensemble with Chan-on's vocals.

🎵 "Actors Who Were Former Aspiring Singers"

While this video isn't directly related to Chan-on's music, it's meaningful in that it deals with stories of those who dream of being singers. Through stories like Won Bin failing H.O.T auditions and Park Bo-gum's transition from singer to actor, it shows various paths toward dreams.

What Fans Say About Chan-on

Learn More About Chan-on

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Chan-on's music doesn't carry grand narratives. Instead, he carefully polishes small moments of daily life, quietly settling in a corner of the listener's heart. Like 'Bae-go-pa' born while waiting in restaurant lines, his songs come to us at unexpected moments.

The young man who promised "I too should someday make people happy with my songs like 10CM does" is now offering comfort to many with his own unique voice. He wanted to resemble 10CM, but ultimately found his own distinctive color.

If you're curious about his next story, meet him first at Singing Playground. Just watching his journey of walking steadily and completely together would be meaningful enough.