Kim Yeon-ja, Returning to South Korea Penniless After Japanese Activities... The Life Narrative Leading to the Chart Reversal of 'Amor Fati'

Singer Kim Yeon-ja, celebrating her 52nd anniversary since debut, revealed the economic situation at the time she returned to South Korea after finishing her activities in Japan and the process of how 'Amor Fati' achieved a chart reversal.

The Story of Returning Penniless After Finishing Activities in Japan

Kim Yeon-ja revealed behind-the-scenes stories from her past activities in Japan through her recent appearance on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block'. Having moved to Japan in August 1977 to begin her career, Kim Yeon-ja has continued to perform on stages worldwide, including Japan, Brazil, Cuba, and Russia. According to Kim Yeon-ja's remarks in the video, most of the overseas performances conducted at that time were of a charitable nature where she did not receive performance fees. While she did earn significant profits in Japan, she also mentioned an anecdote where she conducted a charity performance because she did not have the money to pay for equipment repair costs during a performance in Hanoi.

In particular, she confessed that she was in a very difficult economic situation when she finished her activities in Japan and returned to South Korea in 2012. Kim Yeon-ja explained that at that time, her former husband, who was also the president of her agency at the time, was in charge of managing the activity funds and profits in Japan. Kim Yeon-ja stated that she returned to South Korea with the goal of making a comeback without being able to confirm or take care of the scale of profits at the time, conveying the situation by saying, "Since they said there is no one else and I am empty-handed, I had no choice but to return penniless."

The Topic of University Festival 'Sing-alongs' and the Chart Reversal Process of 'Amor Fati'

Recently, Kim Yeon-ja has been enjoying high popularity among the younger generation, to the extent that she is called a 'fairy' of university festivals. When she stood on the stage of the Pusan National University festival in 2018, there was great concern to the extent that there was criticism within the student council regarding the appearance of a trot singer, but on the actual stage, it became a big topic as enthusiastic 'sing-alongs' from students continued. In 2019, she also decorated the stage with about 110 students who rented a bus from Busan to participate in the broadcast program 'Sing-along Battle'. Kim Yeon-ja added that she gave a deep bow because she felt grateful for the students' reaction at the time.

Specific circumstances were also mentioned regarding the reason why her representative song 'Amor Fati' achieved a chart reversal. At the time of its release in 2013, there were reactions such as "the song is difficult" or "it is breathless for adults to sing," but it began to attract the interest of the younger generation as a video of her performing with EXO on KBS 'Open Concert' spread through SNS. Kim Yeon-ja explained that the song gained public popularity as it was shared through short videos on SNS.

52 Years of Singing Life and the Philosophy Contained in 'Amor Fati'

Kim Yeon-ja, who went to Seoul at the age of 15 dreaming of becoming a singer, spent a hard period of obscurity, working in a factory during the day and appearing on stage at night by lying about her age. Later, she met her heyday through her expansion into Japan, but the process of returning to South Korea and meeting her second heyday with 'Amor Fati' resembles her life trajectory. Kim Yeon-ja is currently handling a busy schedule traveling to festivals and university events across the country, and she continues active activities to the extent that she spends about 600,000 won in gasoline per day using two vehicles.

Kim Yeon-ja encouraged herself by saying "You did well" and expressed her will to live as her heart beats in the future. In relation to the song title and theme 'Amor Fati (Love your fate)', she left a message that "as long as it is something better than today," projecting her life that has passed through wandering and worries.