After long years of obscurity and deep worry, Hwang Yun-seong has finally hit the jackpot as a trot singer through ‘Unknown Legend’!
Former Romeo member Hwang Yun-seong appeared in the final episode of MBN’s ‘Unknown Legend – Trot Men’s Hierarchy War’ (hereafter ‘Unknown Legend’) on May 13, competing in the ‘Life’s Masterpiece Mission’ finals. With a heartfelt and desperate performance, he moved the audience and successfully entered the TOP7, finishing in 4th place.
Despite being active for seven years, Hwang Yun-seong felt he hadn’t achieved anything as a singer. He had even considered ending all activities and moving back to his hometown, Cheongju, where his parents live. However, this challenge, which he thought was his last, led him to his first-ever audition final. Shin Yu cheered him on, saying, “It would have been a disaster if you had gone back down.”
“There were times I wanted to give up on being a singer,” Hwang Yun-seong shared. “Every time, there were friends who gave me the courage to try one more time. Those friends are the members of Romeo, and I think I was able to make it this far thanks to them,” he said, expressing his love for his former groupmates.
The Romeo members, who gathered for the first time in a while before the finals, reminisced about their past. “We went through so many ups and downs during our activities,” and “I thought I’d win a Daesang as soon as I debuted, but reality was so different,” they recalled. They also opened up about the hardships, saying, “I wondered what to do the next day. I was getting older, hadn’t gone to the military, and it was so hard. I even survived by working part-time at a kids’ cafe.”
Hwang Yun-seong also recalled the difficulties of his first attempt: “When I first prepared for the trot audition, people looked at me strangely because an idol was doing trot. I was scared.” He revealed that the members’ support was the driving force for his new start, noting, “A member told me, ‘Hyung, just try it.'”
Notably, since he used the team name ‘Romeo’ as his nickname during the ‘Famous Selection’ preliminary round of ‘Unknown Legend,’ he confessed, “I didn’t want to be eliminated early. Since I went in with the team name, I wanted to protect it.” He added, “I didn’t want people to say, ‘That’s why they failed.'” In response, the members cheered him on, saying, “Yun-seong was the main vocal of Romeo. He was the voice that represented us.” Hwang Yun-seong showed his sincerity toward the team, stating, “I will sing with only the word ‘Romeo’ in my head.”
For the finals, Hwang Yun-seong chose ‘Empty Hands’ by Hyun Jin-woo. He dominated the stage with his signature powerful vocals, heartbreaking emotion, and exciting rhythm. Immediately after the performance, Nam Jin praised him, saying, “The ‘Empty Hands’ that Hwang Yun-seong sang feels like his own life. He rides the rhythm so well, and it’s powerful and rhythmical.” He added, “It felt alive. It was a full stage despite the title ‘Empty Hands’.”
Following a 3rd place finish in the first round, Hwang Yun-seong received strong support in the second round, real-time text voting, online voting, video views, and music streaming scores. He recorded a final score of 3278.07 points, securing 4th place. Having run tirelessly from idol group activities and disbandment to his trot re-challenge, Hwang Yun-seong has reached a new turning point in his life through this final.
Meanwhile, as part of the ‘Unknown Legend’ TOP7, Hwang Yun-seong is preparing for upcoming activities, including a dinner show on May 20 and a national tour concert in June.
