▲ Singer Yoon Hang-ki speaks at a press conference for his 65th-anniversary tribute concert.
Veteran singer-songwriter Yoon Hang-ki's 65th-anniversary tribute concert, titled "I Am Happy Thanks to You," will be held on the 24th of next month at the Mapo Art Center.
During a press conference held today (the 30th) to announce the concert, Yoon explained that although junior singers such as Choi Baek-ho, Cho Hang-jo, and Yu Hyeon-sang first proposed a commemorative concert in 2024 to mark his 65th debut anniversary, health conditions and other factors delayed the event until now, two years later.
Yoon, who debuted in 1959 through the Eighth U.S. Army's A-One Show, reflected, "I started music not because I loved it, but to make a living, but looking back, music has become Yoon Hang-ki's life."
He shared that after his debut, he volunteered to join the Marine Corps military band after hearing that he could learn the basics of music. He revealed a memorable anecdote from when he formed Key Boys, South Korea's first group sound: lacking the money to buy a drum set, he bought a banjo and a shaman's gong (bara) from a second-hand market in Cheonggyecheon, welded them together, and built and played his own drums.
Yoon recalled with a smile, "Just as we formed, The Beatles went to the United States in 1964 and sparked a band boom, allowing us to ride that wave together. Given the environment back then, we enjoyed an even greater popularity than BTS."
Yoon is also the older brother of musical actress and singer Yoon Bok-hee.
Through his activities in the 1970s with Yoon Hang-ki and the Key Brothers and as a solo artist, Yoon released numerous hit songs including "Rose-Colored Scarf," "Starry Night," "What Should I Do," "I Am Happy," and "You."
After releasing "Welcome to Korea" in 1986, he temporarily halted his music career to study theology, walking the path of a pastor for about 30 years. Following his retirement from ministry in 2014, he resumed his singing career that same year by releasing a 55th-anniversary golden album featuring his new song "Don't Worry."
Yoon emphasized, "There are many sad and regrettable memories, but looking back now, they have instead turned into an overwhelming source of happiness. People might think a tribute concert is a retirement concert, but as long as I can sing and have my voice, there is no retirement for me."
The tribute concert, scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on the 24th of next month at Art Hall Mac in the Mapo Art Center, Seoul, will feature a star-studded lineup of junior artists from the music industry, including "romantic troubadour" Choi Baek-ho, Jang Mi-hwa, Kim Soo-hee, Cho Hang-jo, Yu Hyeon-sang, Jeon Young-rok, Insoon, Choi Hee-sun, and So Chan-whee.
Choi Baek-ho specially composed and gifted a tribute song titled "At This Age" for the concert.
During the press conference, Yoon repeatedly mentioned "I Am Happy," which is both the title of his signature hit and the concert's title.
Cho Hang-jo, who attended the press conference alongside him, said, "Yoon Hang-ki is a senior who opened an era of popular music. Just participating in this tribute concert is meaningful and deeply grateful."
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