Yoon Jong-shin recalls forgetting lyrics 6 times at debut stage — and Shin Hae-chul saving him

Yoon Jong-shin appeared on episode 319 of KBS2's 옥탑방의 문제아들, which aired on the 3rd, with director Jang Hang-jun. The stories that came out were genuinely something.

His debut stage was a disaster. "I forgot the lyrics 6 times," he said. "I felt so helpless that I turned my back." Rehearsal had gone fine—"it was a song I was singing normally, but I think I was too nervous"—but the moment the lights hit, everything fell apart. Shin Hae-chul saved him. "Shin Hae-chul patted my back and encouraged me not to turn my back and to do it confidently. Thanks to him, I finished the stage safely," Yoon recalled. (Shin Hae-chul, who passed away in 2014, clearly left a mark on a lot of people in that era.)

Chart success took decades. When his debut period rolled around, he was competing against Kim Geon-mo, Shin Seung-hun, Shim Shin, Seo Taiji and Boys, and Deux all at once. "Every time my song came out, the competition was too strong. I couldn't get 1st place," he said flatly.

First place arrived 27 years later with 좋니. The song caught fire after a group sing-along by male college students at a pojangmacha in Cheonan, 1-2 weeks after he performed it on Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook. Two months after that viral moment, the track climbed the charts and held #1 for two months while Wanna One and Sunmi were actively competing for the top spot. He never set foot on a music broadcast. "Suddenly a 49-year-old man came up out of nowhere and held 1st place for two months," he said. Running into Sunmi and Wanna One afterward left him feeling guilty for no real reason.