Lim Young-woong

Lim Young-woong (born June 16, 1991) is a South Korean ballad, pop and trot singer, entertainer and YouTuber.

He signed with Mulgogi Music in 2016 and debuted as a singer with his first single "Hate You".

Four years later, he rose to stardom after competing on the reality television show Mr. Trot, where he won first place out of 17,000 applicants.

In 2021, Lim achieved his first number-one song on the Gaon Digital Chart with the single "My Starry Love".

Since his debut in 2016, Lim has released one studio album and one collaborative medley album, scoring four Gaon Digital Chart number-ones.

He is also the first trot artist ever to receive the Gold Play Button for achieving one million subscribers on his official YouTube channel.

Lim initially dreamed of being a ballad singer, but later discovered his talent as a trot singer after winning an Excellence Prize at a singing contest.

At the contest held in his native city of Pocheon, he performed 's song "What's Wrong with My Age?"

, considering the age groups of audiences.

In 2016, Lim then appeared on KBS1's singing competition show Korea Sings, winning an Excellence Prize there after performing 's song "If You Smile, You'll Get Younger, If You Get Angry, You'll Only Get Older".

This experience made him dream of his career as a trot singer in earnest.

He also appeared as a contestant in the first season of SBS' music reality show Fantastic Duo that year.

Shortly after, he signed with his current label Mulgogi Music.

On August 8, 2016, the singer made his debut through the release of digital single "Hate You".

He then released another single entitled "What's So Important?"

on January 2, 2017.

However, these two singles did not do well commercially.

Lim slowly gained popularity through his appearance in KBS1's morning show , where he became the final winner of its televised audition "Challenge! Dream Stage".

On March 28, 2018, he released his third single "Elevator".

The song was re-arranged and released under the title "Not by Stairs, but by Elevator" almost five months later.

On December 21 that year, Lim released a collaborative medley album with fellow trot singer, titled Newness of Trot.

The album's popularity at expressway rest areas made him called the "Expressway Idol Star".

Lim was appointed as the ambassador for the city of Pocheon on July 23, 2019.

Lim entered TV Chosun's music competition show Mr. Trot, which aired from January 2 to March 14, 2020.

During the final episode of the show, he was eventually crowned the winner out of 17,000 applicants.

He said, "I'm so thankful for my mother and grandmother. The live finals were held on the anniversary of my father's passing. I'll think he gave us a gift because he felt sorry for leaving my mother alone. I really thank my father as well."

After the show ended, he additionally signed a one-and-a-half-year management contract with New Era Project.

He also joined the main cast of Romantic Call Centre and , the follow-up variety shows of Mr. Trot.

On April 3, 2020, Lim released a single titled "Trust in Me".

Written by lyricist Kim Eana and composer, the track was produced as a special song for Lim as the Mr. Trot winner.

"Trust in Me" attained commercial success, becoming Lim's first top-20 single in his native country.

The song debuted at number 20 on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, later peaking at number 11.

At the end of the year, it earned him a Melon Music Award for Best Trot and a Genie Music Award for Best Trot Track.

In August 2020, the, one of the major weekly news magazines in South Korea, announced the results of "2020, Who Makes Korea Move" survey.

Lim was ranked 5th (5.8%, tied with singer Lee Hyori) for leading the Mr. Trot craze and occupying the advertising world.

Later that year, the magazine named him one of the "100 Leaders for the Next Generation".

In addition to his singing career, Lim made his cameo appearance on TV Chosun's historical fantasy series Kingmaker: The Change of Destiny.

On October 1, 2020, he made his debut as an emcee, co-hosting the first annual Trot Awards with television presenter Kim Sung-joo and actress Jo Bo-ah.

He also made his big screen debut through Mr. Trot: The Movie, a musical documentary film starring the top six finalists of Mr. Trot.

The film was a commercial success, selling more than 150,000 tickets after release.