Big Mama alumnus Shin Yeon-a appeared on television for the first time in a while and revealed the enormous revenue she earned while working as a chorus singer in the past.
On KBS' Happy Together - I like that I'm not alone, Big Mama's Shin Yeon-a said, "In the 1990s, as a chorus singer I earned an amount each month equal to five times college tuition," drawing attention.
The new KBS variety program Happy Together - I like that I'm not alone (produced by Park Min-jung / directed by Kwon Jae-o / writer Rhee Minjung, hereafter "Happy Together") will premiere Friday, July 10 at 8:30 p.m. It is a storytelling music audition in which Yu Jae-seok, who reads people; Jang Hang-jun, who captures stories; and Yoon Jongshin, who listens to music, lend an ear to the narratives and harmonies of various "life teammates." It is a comeback project for "Happy Together," which had been regarded as the foundation of KBS variety from 2001 to 2020 while accompanying viewers for 20 years, returning after six years. In particular, Lee Hyori will appear as the first female special MC of "Happy Together," the program's first woman MC and known as the "house madam," drawing interest.
Meanwhile, interest grows as the legendary chorus session of the music industry, "Blank Filling," is set to appear on "Happy Together." "Blank Filling" is a chorus session formed by national treasure-level chorus singer Kim Hyo-soo, who worked with hit composers such as Lee Hyun-jung, Cho Yong-pil, and Lee Seung-hwan, and provided backing for hits like Big Mama's Shin Yeon-a, Wheesung's "Can't It Be," and Gummy's "If You Return." Yoon Jongshin said, "They are responsible for 70 to 80 percent of 1990s songs," and applauded and welcomed the appearance of the unsung heroes behind hits of the era such as "A Single Candle," "Coming of Age Ceremony," "Wow," "Change," and "A Summer Story."
Shin Yeon-a testified to the standout activities of the chorus session "Blank Filling," saying, "My nickname was ten million won a month. At the time, college tuition was 1.8 million won, and I earned ten million won a month, which is five times that. I had no time to go to the bank, so I would stack envelopes of money." She even revealed that because of the overwhelming chorus revenue, Lee Juck tried to dissuade her from debuting with Big Mama, surprising listeners. Shin Yeon-a said, "When Mr. Lee Juck heard about Big Mama's debut, he told me to rethink it. He advised that it could be harder because you might do better than singers," drawing attention.
Also that day, "Blank Filling" revealed behind-the-scenes stories of the hit songs that swept the 1990s, attracting attention. Kim Hyo-soo said, "The harmony parts on Echo's 'Happy Me' were not sung by the singers but were actually sung by us," surprising everyone. "Blank Filling," which said it participated in chorus work for Fin.K.L, performed an impromptu duet of "Blue Rain" with Lee Hyori, and Lee Hyori confessed, "I just got nervous," at the trio's outstanding live harmonies, turning the set into a sea of laughter. When their performance ended, Jang Hang-jun said, "From the start it was award-worthy," expressing admiration.
Meanwhile, Big Mama is a four-member female vocal group that debuted in 2003 with its first album Like The Bible. They presented many hit songs such as "Break Away," "Reject," "Woman," "Betrayal," "Going Crazy Waiting," and "Just One More Day," and in 2023 they held a concert to commemorate their 20th anniversary.
[Photo] KBS2 'Happy Together - I like that I'm not alone'
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