Kim Ui-young hits real-time search #1 after variety show appearance

Real-time #1, again

Kim Ui-young topped portal site real-time search trends after a recent variety show appearance. On October 9, she posted a screenshot showing "김의영 가수" at the number-one spot.

"It's been a while since I ranked #1 in real-time searches," she wrote. "I ranked #1 when I appeared on a variety show recently."

The timing matters. At the end of September and into early October, she took the top spot in the "Best Trot (Female)" category on a global K-pop voting site two weeks running. A brand value report from the same period placed her in the overall top 10 among singers.

Where she's been building

Kim Ui-young changed her name from Kim Bit-na. She trained in Korean traditional music and performance arts from elementary school through Daejeon Arts High School, then majored in Performance Art at Chung-Ang University's Department of Traditional Arts. Her nickname is "Capsule Voice" for her sharp, intense tone. (She reportedly can't handle spicy food.)

Her discography has been building steadily since her first album 내게 오세요 dropped on December 20, 2022. The album had four tracks: 내게 오세요 (title track), 내가 찜했어, 딱 백년만, and 도찐개찐.

딱 백년만 deserves a note. It had been performed live for roughly eight years before it was officially released as a music source on that album.

She followed up with 혼자 걷지 마세요 on February 2, 2024, then 대전의 에너지는 YOYO on March 22, 2024. STARTrot PART 1 came out May 20, 2025, and STARTrot PART.2 introduced the ballad trot track 나쁜놈, which she performed on SBS LIFE's 더트롯쇼.

On the competition side, she placed 5th in the comeback division of 여왕의 전쟁 : 라스트 싱어. Her official fan cafe, 빛나라의영이, has been her main channel for fan interaction. Her signature color is red.