Hwang Ga-ram of 'Miss Trot 4U': chart-topper 'Firefly' hit 100M streams, but she still took part-time jobs during promotions

The song everyone knows, the singer fewer do

Hwang Ga-ram's episode of TV CHOSUN's Miss Trot 4U aired on September 3. The 42-year-old laid out a career arc that most listeners who know her biggest hit probably never heard.

Co-star Yun Yun-seo framed it plainly before their duet: "When a song's presence is too strong, the singer cannot shine. Many people know the song but don't seem to know Hwang Ga-ram well."

From Masan busking to homelessness to 300-to-1 odds

Hwang Ga-ram grew up wanting to be a taekwondo athlete. A leg injury in middle school redirected her toward music. She saved 2 million won through part-time work, moved from Masan to Seoul, and started busking in Hongdae. Then she ran out of money entirely and experienced homelessness.

She eventually beat a 300-to-1 competition rate to become the vocalist of band Pinocchio. COVID-19 knocked her back again.

In 2023, she entered an audition program with what she described as a final-attempt mindset. That's where she met Jung Jung-sik, the original artist of Naneun Banditbul ("I Am a Firefly"). The two swapped and remade each other's songs. Hwang Ga-ram's version caught on, climbed to No. 1 on multiple music charts, and crossed 100 million cumulative streams.

Still clocking part-time shifts mid-promotion

Even while Naneun Banditbul was charting, Hwang Ga-ram was taking side work. She told the panel she did snap photography for Sarang-ui Colsenta at the same studio, fitting it in after her scheduled events ended.

She also disclosed that the program's music director was a former employer. "A representative I've known for 20 years," she said. The reunion happened on the same stage where she performed Kang San-e's ...Raguyo ahead of her duet with Yun Yun-seo.

Yun Yun-seo closed her introduction with a direct ask to viewers: "Please save Hwang Ga-ram through this program."