Singer Hwang Ga Ram reveals 147 days of homelessness and health struggles

Singer Hwang Ga Ram, who gained instant public attention with "I Am a Firefly," has opened up about the hardships he faced before his success. He moved to Hongdae, Seoul, to pursue his dream of becoming a musician with only 2 million won saved from part-time jobs, but after running out of money, he had to sleep on benches. His period of homelessness lasted for a total of 147 days. Given his current popularity, it is a dramatic reversal, but the time he endured was so harsh that it is difficult to describe with the term "unknown singer" alone.

Hwang reminisces about the time he moved to Seoul for music on the 44th episode of MBN's "Kim Joo Ha's Day and Night," which airs on the 26th. The only money he had was the 2 million won he had painstakingly earned through part-time work. Arriving in Seoul alone without support from family or an entertainment agency, he tried to prove his existence through music by moving between Hongdae clubs and busking sites.

At the time, Hwang admits he held a vague expectation, much like in a drama, that someone would suddenly appear and suggest, "Why don't you try making music?" However, reality was cold. Making music did not immediately grant him a stage, nor did having talent guarantee a livelihood. Once his funds ran out, he had few options left.

Ultimately, he began living as a homeless person with the thought, "Should I try sleeping on a bench once?" It was not a one-time occurrence but a lifestyle that continued for 147 days. The greater pain was the issues of hygiene and health. Hwang confessed that while living on the bench, he contracted scabies and even had to shave off his eyebrows. He shared memories of how there were many pigeons in the trees around the benches and that he felt he had been hit by pigeon droppings, making the harshness of his living conditions feel real.

However, Hwang's hardships did not begin only after moving to Seoul. He revealed that during his third year of high school, he actually could not sing properly. While he is scheduled to release a recording of his songs from that time, he also shared an anecdote where he was essentially told to give up after going to receive lessons. This signifies that he did not become a singer through innate talent alone.

The method he chose was ultimately repetitive practice. Rather than waiting for someone's help, he sang alone and repeatedly went through the process of finding and fixing his shortcomings. Behind the voice of Hwang that the public hears now lies a long period of self-discipline and an unknown period that was close to mere survival. This is why the popularity he gained with the song "I Am a Firefly" is seen not as a simple story of a star's birth, but as the result of not giving up on his potential for a long time.

In this broadcast, the story of Kim Ki Tae, the winner of "Sing Again 2," will also be revealed alongside Hwang. Kim is also a singer who made a name for himself after a long period of being unknown. In particular, there was a personal family history behind his desire to become famous. He stated that after his parents divorced when he was 17, he held a hope that his mother, who had not come to find him, would find him again.

Kim reveals that he waited for his mother's contact even after winning "Sing Again 2." On one broadcast stage, he created a scene that seemed to effectively notify his mother of his existence by revealing a photo of himself alongside a mosaic-processed photo of his mother. However, the contact he waited for never came, and it is reported that the news he later learned about his mother led to another shock. The family story he learned late will be revealed on the program.

Kim also connected personal memories to the stories of others through music. His new song "Wooden Bag" contains the impressions he received from the life of Chinese chef Lee Yeon Bok. Having encountered the life and story of Lee, Kim, who completed it into a song, intends to express that it is an honor in itself to be able to express the life of a respected senior through music.

This broadcast, featuring the stories of Hwang and Kim together, is meaningful in that it illuminates the time before "success," rather than the "after success" that is familiar to the public. The process of making a name in the music industry can be compressed into a few minutes of performance on stage, but to reach that stage, many must endure years of practice, failure, economic instability, and psychological frustration. Especially for those who choose music without a stable support base, the period of being unknown is practically no different from a time of survival.

Hwang's 147 days of homelessness is not simply an episode of a poor past. It is closer to a symbol of a period when he staked his entire life to not give up on music. Conversely, for Kim, being unknown was intertwined with the wait for a family member to recognize his existence.

Hwang, who gained fame with "I Am a Firefly," now reveals his darkest period. Behind the shining stage, his 147 days of homelessness, the time he was not recognized for his skills, and the persistent effort to hold onto music are finally being shared with the world. The story of what a person endured before becoming a star is expected to provide another clue to understanding their music.