On the March 22 episode of TV Chosun's 'Huh Young Man's Food Travel', singer and actor Im Chang Jung met with host Huh Young Man in Seoul to share the surprising story behind his music career.
When asked how he manages to balance both acting and singing, Im explained that he has a naturally restless and curious personality. He shared that his lifelong dream was simply to be an entertainer in any form, whether as a comedian, stage actor, or musical star. Huh praised his relentless energy, noting that lazy people only think about their curiosities without ever taking action.
Huh then asked how Im transitioned into singing after originally debuting as an actor. Im revealed that his acting gigs had dried up, and he was making a living through part-time jobs like delivering gas. During this difficult time, he received a life-changing phone call from actor Lee Byung Hun. Lee introduced him to producer Eom Ki Baek, who directed Im to a musical rehearsal room. After singing a song by Kim Jong Seo on the spot, Im was immediately handed a script and cast in the musical.
Fortunately, an album producer attended that musical and spotted him, which directly led to his debut as a singer in 1995. Im confessed that his singing debut was initially completely ignored by the public. However, one day he heard his own song playing from a street cart in Daehangno. Overjoyed, he listened to the whole track, only to hear it playing from another street cart right next to it. Within a week, his debut song "Already to Me" reached the top 10 on the unofficial "street charts" and eventually climbed to number 6 on official music broadcast shows.
Wrapping up the story, Im introduced the lead track from his newly released 18th studio album, titled "Crazy Fool". He explained that the song is about deep regret and self-blame, summarizing the emotional lyrics as, "You should have treated her better when you had her, you crazy fool".
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