Peder Elias on working with Cha Eun-woo, creating ‘positive’ music

Peder Elias. Image: Courtesy of Sony Music

Peder Elias knows that it takes effort to maintain a positive attitude and be aware of how dark the world has become. However, he believes that accepting pain and choosing to move forward is a leap of courage, which he hopes to show through his music.

The Norwegian singer-songwriter is familiar among K-pop fans, as his 2021 single “Loving You Girl” entered the South Korean charts and the playlists of many artists. He also worked with (G)I-DLE’s Yuqi, Suran, Seventeen’s BSS and, recently, Astro’s Cha Eun-woo in the single “Hey Hello.”

“What’s great about Korea is the work ethic. It’s inspiring to be in an environment where it’s touch and go, and the drive of everyone working together in the industry is crazy,” Elias told INQUIRER.net in a sit-down interview. As someone aware of K-pop’s massive influence, he is amazed that many of its biggest stars remain humble and nice. “They’re nice, outgoing, and smiley like me,” he noted.

On ‘Hey Hello,’ Cha Eun-woo

Such humility was also seen in the case of the Astro member. Before “Hey Hello,” Elias and Cha did a cover performance of the Norwegian singer-songwriter’s track “Bonfire” in November 2022. This sparked a friendship behind the scenes, which eventually led to the release of “Hey Hello” two years later.

With its acoustic beat and the combination of Elias and Cha’s vocals, the single is a wholesome nod to “love at first sight” and romantic relationships. “The idea of the song was already playful,” said Elias. “The song shows that it doesn’t matter what you do in the world, as long as you’re with that person you enjoy being. And it’s what matters.”

The playful tone of the song shows the combination of the singers’ positive demeanors as well. “It was a perfect match because of our past working relationship from the day we met and did the ‘Bonfire’ cover, we became really good friends and he’s just a lovely guy,” Elias said of Cha.

It’s normal for global stars to get caught up in their popularity. But according to Elias, Cha’s talents and star power are just the latter’s many qualities, since he’s the type of friend who takes the time to know you.

“He’s talented in many ways: acting, music, modeling, and everything. Being such a global star can be challenging, knowing that he has crazy schedules all the time. So I admire that he’s still so humble and takes the time to see you as a person,” Elias said.

“A lot of fans were bringing up the shy side of Eun-woo. I didn’t know that’s how he was because I already met him before. I think that it’s fun that [I came across his shy side] that way, knowing he has such a huge following. It was super fun,” he continued.

Music as an outlet to seek joy

One of the factors that make Elias endearing is his openness to work with artists from different parts of the world. He also enjoys traveling to perform and reach out to new listeners. “I think it’s because I like people. I’m always intrigued by cultures. I think I was already put in a position where it came naturally,” he said, noting that his openness to reach out to people started at an early age.

“My parents sent me to an international school in Norway when I was 6 to 13. My primary school was an international school with many nationalities,” he recalled. “I learned early on to relate with different people, which was really nice. Doing it through music is what makes it special. I want to create memories with people through our love for music.

Peder Elias while performing in Norway. Image: Instagram/@pedereliaas

Creating a positive community is one of the driving forces for Elias as an artist. When he creates songs, he often imagines himself in a concert where the “crowd singing the melodies and lyrics back” to him, which ultimately helps him in developing his lyrics.

“I want to be remembered as someone with a good influence and their lives mainly through music. I want to make people feel that they have a friend in me,” he said. “I feel that my listeners know me and my music. I want my music to live on as long as possible and for people to remember me as a good person with good intentions.”

With this in mind, Elias hopes listeners will see his songs as a driving force to keep seeking joy. It’s inevitable to go through hardships, but he noted that allowing themselves to “accept and deal with pain” is a way to move forward — which he hopes to convey through his music.

Peder Elias. Image: Instagram/@pedereliaas

“Music is therapy… when I get real with my feelings, I say to myself – which is very important – that it’s fine to feel like that. It sucks but it’s human, and it’s natural. Maybe there’s nothing I can do about it, but accept and deal with it. I try to focus on what makes me happy and not push it down,” he said.

Elias, who was in the Philippines in October, is set to embark on his Asia tour with legs in South Korea, Taiwan and China in November.