Hwang Ga-ram's remake '친구' hits YouTube Music trending chart top 10

Hwang Ga-ram dropped 친구 (Chingu) on July 9. Within days, the remake was climbing YouTube Music Korea's charts in ways that are hard to miss.

The track entered YouTube Music's Korean weekly popular songs chart at No. 29 for the July 10–16 period. By July 19 it had climbed to No. 10 on the platform's trending music chart and peaked at No. 7 on the daily popular music videos chart.

친구 carries weight. The original song is 붕우 (朋友) by Taiwanese singer Jou Hua-chien (주화건). Ahn Jae-wook released a Korean-language version in 2003 with lyrics by Shim Hyun-bo (심현보), marketed as a friendship anthem. Hwang Ga-ram's version reimagines that Korean rendition.

HNS HQ representative Kim Gyo-sik explained the goal: "the sincerity of conveying the emotion of the original song with today's sensibility to reach many people." The chart data suggests it worked. He added that the label will "continue to present high-quality music and content."

For Hwang Ga-ram, 친구 is one of several recent moves. She swept music streaming and karaoke charts with 나는 반딧불. Earlier this year she dropped an original track, 사랑했고 사랑했고 사랑했다. She's also been hitting festival stages across the country.