South Korean composer and singer, Dailog, explores a composer’s love story in “Cantabile.” The new EP is his most personal work yet. It is a love story told in six songs. He wrote it. He lived it. Now he is sharing it.
This is not just another EP release. “Cantabile” is the kind of album that makes you feel something real. The songs will make you fall in love all over again. They will sit with you on a quiet afternoon and turn an ordinary moment into something worth remembering. “Cantabile” is warm, honest, and made entirely for the listener.
“Cantabile” releases today, May 15, at 6:00 PM KST. It is the rom-com soundtrack your life has been waiting for. Dailog wrote every word, every note, and every beat of it himself.
Want to know the story behind the music? Read our exclusive interview with Dailog below, where he shares the story behind “Cantabile,” his creative process, and more in his own words.
Dailog Turns Everyday Love Story Into a Rom-Com Soundtrack With “Cantabile”
Have you ever heard a song that felt like it was written for exactly what you were feeling? Maybe it came from a K-drama you loved. Maybe it played at just the right moment. That kind of music is rare. And it almost always comes from someone who knows how to listen to life before writing it down.
Jihoon Park, known as Dailog, is that kind of composer. He has spent years crafting soundtracks for some of Korea’s most beloved dramas and films. His music has moved audiences through some of the most emotional scenes on Korean television. Now he is stepping forward with something even more personal.
Today, May 15, 2026, Dailog releases his new EP, “Cantabile.” It is his story this time. And he wrote every single note of it himself.
Dailog
Dailog is a composer and singer-songwriter based in Seoul, South Korea. He has spent eight years writing, producing, and crafting music that feels deeply personal. That kind of experience does not come quickly. It is built one song at a time.
He is also one of the key voices behind some of Korea’s most beloved K-drama soundtracks. His work includes “Hospital Playlist,” “Be Melodramatic,” “Yumi’s Cells,” and “Tale of the Nine Tailed.” Most recently, he contributed to Wonstein’s “Promise” for “Can This Love Be Translated?” These are not small credits. They are proof that his music connects with people in real, meaningful ways.
The name “Dailog” carries a simple but honest idea. It comes from the words “daily” and “log,” the practice of recording everyday emotions and moments through music. That is exactly what his music does. It takes the small, fleeting feelings that most people overlook and turns them into something worth hearing.
His sound blends cinematic depth with intimate storytelling. Every song unfolds like a scene from a film. Not dramatic for the sake of drama, but quietly immersive in the way only honest music can be. Dailog does not chase big moments. He finds the meaning inside the ordinary ones.
Dailog’s New EP “Cantabile”
“Cantabile” is a love story told by a composer who writes and sings every single day. The title says it all. “Cantabile” is a musical term meaning “in a singing style.” For Dailog, it means something deeper: living and loving the way music moves, freely, warmly, and from the heart.
It is personal. It is honest. And it started with one simple, playful question.
“What if the music I release became the soundtrack to a romance film or drama?”
That question became the heart of this album. He held onto it and let that single feeling shape every song. Each track captures something different: the warmth of love, the softness of melody, and the light, breezy feeling of spring slowly turning into early summer.
1. First Phrase
2. The Bell
3. Rom-com
4. Melody
5. Come closer
6. 정오의 햇살 (Perfect Day)
All tracks were written, composed, arranged, mixed, and mastered by Dailog.
“Cantabile” releases today, Friday, May 15, 2026, at 6:00 PM KST.
Dailog in His Own Words
The composer-artist talks about “Cantabile,” creative freedom, love, and building music on his own terms.
The Meaning Behind the Name Dailog
What does the name “Dailog” mean to you, and how does it reflect the kind of stories you want to tell through your music?
“Dailog” is a combination of the words “Daily” and “Log.” It literally means a record of everyday life. I chose the name because I wanted to capture the emotions and thoughts that come from ordinary moments through music. Music is very meaningful to me because it makes everyday life feel richer. I hope my listeners’ daily lives can also become a little more meaningful and full through my music.
The Artists Who Shaped Dailog’s Sound
Who first inspired you to create music, and which artists still influence your sound today?
When I first started making music, I was deeply inspired by Black music beatmakers like J.Dilla and The Neptunes. Recently, though, I’ve been getting a lot of inspiration from pop and indie-pop artists like Bruno Major, Men I Trust, and FINNEAS. I’m influenced not only by their musical quality, but also by the way they naturally deliver atmosphere and emotion.
The Moment Dailog Chose to Tell His Own Story
After years of composing songs for other artists and K-drama soundtracks, what made you feel it was time to release music under your own name as Dailog?
Before being a composer, I wanted to live as a creator who could make and release music in a freer environment. Through that process, I discovered more about myself, and it positively affected not only my life as a musician but also my personal life.
Releasing music as Dailog feels close to returning to music as a form of play within a free creative environment. At the same time, it’s also a journey of getting to know myself better.
Inside Dailog’s Creative Process
You’ve worked as a composer, producer, and songwriter on well-known K-drama soundtracks. How has that experience shaped your own music as Dailog? When you create a song, what usually comes first: a melody, a feeling, a line that stays in your mind, or a small moment from everyday life?
Working on well-known OST projects taught me a lot about musical forms that people naturally connect with. I think I learned how to approach strangers in a kind and accessible way through music. So even when I make my own music freely, I still try not to make it feel too unfriendly or difficult for listeners.
The first thing that usually comes to mind when I write a song is the atmosphere of a space. I believe good music changes the air of the moment in which it’s being played. Because of that, I always think first about what kind of atmosphere a song should have. Sometimes it begins with a melody, sometimes with the tone of a specific instrument, and sometimes with lyrics.
From “basecamp” to “Cantabile”
Your first EP, “basecamp,” had an indie rock, Britpop, and dreamy sound. What changed creatively between “basecamp” and “Cantabile,” and why did “Cantabile” feel like the right title for this new chapter?
When I worked on “basecamp,” I had a strong desire to make bolder creative attempts. Through those experiments, I was able to gain a greater sense of musical freedom, and it became a very enjoyable project for me personally.
On the other hand, “Cantabile” is an album that focuses more on my own characteristics and personal narrative through the freedom I gained from those experiences. It carries the theme of “a composer’s love story,” and I wanted to express my own experiences and perspective that not only music, but love itself, can also be lived like singing — cantabile.
Balancing Freedom and Production
You wrote and produced all six tracks on your upcoming EP, “Cantabile,” entirely on your own. What was the hardest part of doing both? And did you discover something new about yourself as a producer along the way?
The hardest part was trying to look at the roles of creator and producer independently from one another. If I focused too much on production during the creative process, I often ended up creating within a very limited space. On the other hand, during the production process, there were times when I polished away too much of the freedom and experimentation that originally came from creativity.
The biggest challenge was finding a balance between the freedom of being a creator and the completeness of being a producer. Through this project, I realized that as a producer, I can now embrace and finish freer and more open music than before, and that became another form of growth for me.
The Love Behind “Rom-com”
You’ve described “Cantabile” as ‘a love story told by a composer,’ the soundtrack to a romance you’re actually living. Which track on the album captures that feeling most honestly, and what makes it so personal to you?
I think the song “Rom-com” most honestly expresses the kind of love I pursue. Rather than something overly romantic, I want to build relationships that can sometimes be lovely, sometimes cute, and sometimes even a little silly. I think those thoughts and emotions are reflected most naturally in both the lyrics and the music of that song.
A Rom-Com Soundtrack for Listeners
When listeners hear “Cantabile” from beginning to end, what kind of emotional journey do you hope they experience? Is there a lyric, sound, or moment you hope stays with them?
I hope listeners feel like they’re listening to the soundtrack of a romantic comedy film from beginning to end while hearing “Cantabile.”
Rather than leaving behind overwhelmingly dramatic emotions, I hope the album gently reminds listeners of the small but precious feelings they’ve shared with the people they love through my music.
Working Without a Label
You’re doing all of this without a label, one release at a time, on your own terms. What has been the hardest part of that path? And what would you say to other K-indie artists thinking about taking the same path?
I think the hardest part is ultimately self-confidence. When you make music alone, it becomes very easy to lose confidence in what you’re doing. Because of that, you sometimes start wanting to choose a different path or hesitate to go deeper into your own musical world.
If you have a label or close collaborators, you can spend time deeply discussing and developing an artist’s unique identity and direction together. But when you work alone, there are naturally many limitations. Not only in music, but also in visual and video content, it’s easy to become unstable in terms of direction, quality, and consistency when everything depends on yourself.
Still, for K-indie musicians who continue releasing music independently like I do, I want to say: trust yourself a little more, and go deeper into your own world. I believe that for artists who choose to work under the name “Indie,” most of the important answers come from within, not from the outside.
What Comes Next After “Cantabile”
What are your goals for “Cantabile” as a release, and what is the next step for Dailog after May 15? More EPs, live performances, or new OST projects?
Through “Cantabile,” I want to show the identity of Dailog more clearly to listeners. At the same time, I also want to gain stronger confidence in the music I’m making for myself.
Along with the album release, I plan to continue sharing different kinds of content, such as music videos and live videos. I want people to experience the atmosphere and story of “Cantabile” in different ways beyond just the music itself. Separate from Dailog’s EP activities, I’m also continuing to work steadily as an OST composer and music producer. In June, a new single by a singer-songwriter I’ve been working with will also be released. I hope to carry the musical experiences and growth I’ve gained through my personal artist activities into my OST and production work as well, and continue releasing good collaborative music in the future.
Some artists release music and wait to see what happens. Dailog is not that kind of artist. Cantabile is out today, and he is already looking ahead. There is more music to write, more stories to tell, and more collaborations in the works. This EP is one chapter in a much bigger story, and Dailog is just getting started.
Listen to “Cantabile” and follow Dailog’s journey on Instagram 1 | Instagram 2 | YouTube | Spotify
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