Best known for being identified with the age-old trot genre of Korean pop music that is currently enjoying some kind of resurgence as exemplified by his 2020 monster hit “Jjiniya,” Young Tak was recently in town to regale Filipino fans with a series of shows and promo appearance arranged by Live Nation Philippines.
During his recent media conference attended by SoundStrip and other media, Young Tak (speaking through an interpreter) acknowledged that while trot music was initially popular with older music fans, it has in recent years, crossed over to a much younger fan base, thanks in large part to social media platforms like TikTok.
Young Tak believes that trot which is generally characterized by repetitive rhythm and vocal inflections is fast becoming “a universal music genre that everyone can enjoy.”
The K-Pop phenomenon and the global success of boy bands like BTS has certainly contributed to his own popularity and trot in general. Young Tak singles out Jin of BTS in particular as someone who was instrumental in getting his music to reach a wider audience.
Recalling the time when he was able to perform his song in an awarding ceremony that coincided with Jin’s birthday, “Jjiniya” got the attention of the celebrated boy band after hearing Young Tak sing, “Jjin, Jjin, Jjin.”
“That’s how my song went viral. That occasion became a gateway for my song to be more popular,” he noted.
Young Tak started his career in 2007 as a ballad singer with his first album Young Tak Disid. It wasn’t until 2016 when he first released his trot album Nuna You’re Perfect in 2016. By 2020, he became well-known by placing second in the TV Chosun and South Korean reality TV audition show for a singer who performed trot music out of 17,000 participants.
That same year, his monster hit, “Jjiniya” reached 4.5 million views on YouTube and as of this writing has cracked the 5 million mark.
In 2021, Young Tak placed 8th in Forbes’ annual list of Korea Power Celebrity 40 “where personalities from sports, music, arts, film and television are ranked according to their professional achievements, media exposure, social media popularity, TV appearances and earnings from the past year.”
His latest album MMM released only last year, was his first full record in over 17 years.
While this is only his first visit to the Philippines, Young Tak has already heard so much about the country and its people. “In Korea, the Philippines is one of the first places being considered for vacation, beautiful sites, beautiful beaches. I personally want to come here to enjoy such beautiful sites although my current schedule won’t allow it,” he noted.
As for the people, Young Tak is quick to acknowledge the musical talents of Filipinos while expressing his desire to collaborate with OPM artists in the near future.
But for now, all Young Tak wants is to be “relatable everywhere he goes.” “I hope to become an artist who does not limit himself but can create music that can be enjoyed by