Shin Dong-yup shared a heartwarming story about artist Han Young-ae.
The May 16th episode of KBS2’s ‘Immortal Songs’ featured a special celebration for Han Young-ae’s 50th anniversary.
Han Young-ae kicked things off with a performance of ‘Snow Rain’, her first release in about four years. During the show, Shin Dong-yup confessed that he feels he owes her a great deal. He recalled, “In 1987, I was in the broadcasting club at Kyungbok High School. When I went to recruit Jeon In-kwon for our festival, Han Young-ae was right there. She told me, ‘I’ll go too,’ without asking for any performance fee. I’ve never forgotten her kindness in performing at a high school festival,” expressing his deep gratitude.
When Han Young-ae joked, “Actually, I still want to go to high school festivals and sing. Maybe it’s because of my age, but I don’t get any calls,” Shin Dong-yup playfully added that even the principals might find her too intimidating.
Han Young-ae also shared a story about her 1988 song ‘Nugu Eopso’. After finishing the recording, she decided to do it again. She explained, “I had to mix it immediately to meet the release date. I went down to the basement studio for mixing, but I just couldn’t bring myself to like the way I sang.” She added, “So I asked for just one more chance, just 10 minutes. I decided to sing it with a lush feeling, like a trot song, and that’s the version that was released on the album.”
There was also a surprise event from colleagues during the recording of her second album. Han Young-ae recalled, “I heard rumors when recording ‘Barabonda’. Many people, including Jeon In-kwon and the late Kim Hyun-sik, came as chorus members. Kim Hyun-sik’s house was close to the studio. He brought a camera, saying this scene absolutely had to be captured in a photo. That’s how the photo in the album came to be.”
Meanwhile, Jung In took the stage with ‘Baram’ from Han Young-ae’s 6th album ‘Shakipo’. Han Young-ae confessed that she spent a lot of time avoiding staff before recording ‘Baram’. She admitted, “I was afraid of whether I could express this song. I didn’t have confidence in my own emotions. I went into the practice room and slowly went through the lyrics. I felt a sudden surge of emotion,” sharing that she fell in love with the song after reflecting on her pure youth.
While discussing how to address Han Young-ae, Jung In mentioned, “Not long ago, she told me there’s a title she prefers. She asked to be called ‘Namu’ (Tree).” Han Young-ae explained, “One day I was on stage and kept hearing the word ‘Teacher.’ That word felt too heavy, so I created a nickname.” Shin Dong-yup empathized, saying, “Since I’ve been active for a long time, when young staff members say, ‘Teacher, let me put on your mic,’ I think to myself, ‘I haven’t taught you anything, so why am I a teacher?'” Ultimately, Jung In took home the win.
