The boy who ran away from home with only 500 won, the creator of 'Amor Fati'

Producer Shin Chul, who changed the flow of the Korean music industry, reveals his turbulent musical journey. In the upcoming episode of KBS 1TV's 'Songumentary Back to the Music Season 2,' airing on the 28th at 11:10 PM, the program will cover everything from Shin Chul's story of running away from home in his second year of high school with only 500 won to the behind-the-scenes story of the nation's hit song 'Amor Fati.'

Starting as a DJ with just 500 won and the hardships of the early days

Shin Chul reached a turning point in his musical life when he visited a nightclub with college students he met while volunteering at Songgwangsa Temple during his high school years. Fascinated by the image of DJs at the time, he decided, "I must become a DJ!" and ran away from home with only 500 won. While wandering through various places for nightclub auditions, he endured difficult times, even washing his own socks at the boarding houses where DJs stayed. He later entered the professional DJ path by starting as an assistant to the famous DJ Kkan-dol.

A hitmaker who led from 'Like an Indian Doll' to 'Chul-i and Mi-ae'

Growing into a main DJ within just one year of his debut, Shin Chul formed the dance duo 'Boom Boom' with DJ Lee Jung-hyo. The song 'Like an Indian Doll,' released by Nami and Boom Boom in 1989, was the decisive moment that imprinted his name on the public. Shin Chul's sense in reinterpreting the original synth-pop trot-style song into a dance track and proposing a remix led to Korea's first remix album, creating a new music trend that combined rap, remixes, and the 'Rabbit Dance.'

Later, in step with the emergence of Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992, he discovered Mi-ae, an MBC dancer, while searching for a female singer who could handle both singing and dancing. The meeting with Mi-ae, which was finalized after seven rejections, led to the mixed-gender group 'Chul-i and Mi-ae,' who caused a sensation in the music industry with 'Why Are You' and their signature 'scrubbing dance.'

Success as a producer and the sudden halt of his steps

After his activities as an artist, Shin Chul transformed into a producer and proved his capabilities by discovering numerous singers such as DJ DOC, Goofy, Jay, and Yoo Seung-jun. While riding a wave of brilliant success, he suddenly felt a deep sense of loss at the production site and even suspended his activities. Afterward, he continued his musical journey by focusing more on life as a radio DJ and producer rather than a producer.

The birth of 'Amor Fati,' containing Nietzsche's philosophy

The song that shook the music industry once again after he had distanced himself from production for a while is Kim Yon-ja's 'Amor Fati.' Released in 2013, this song was written by Shin Chul and Lee Kun-woo and composed by Yoon Il-sang. The song title 'Amor Fati' is derived from Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy of 'love of fate.' It contains the human energy of laughing amidst destruction and dancing again even after falling, loving life. In this broadcast, the philosophical meaning and the specific production process of this song, in which Shin Chul directly participated in the lyrics, will be revealed.