This is part of a series featuring new hallyu stars. ― Ed.


The 22-year-old up-and-coming singer and musician Kim Bo-kyung never planned to audition for the idol singing competition program “Superstar K2.” As a matter of fact, it was all very spur of the moment.

“I was just a regular college student and one day while watching TV, I saw a very glamorous Superstar K commercial,” said Kim. The commercial that day announced the news that Kelly Clarkson, the first winner of “American Idol,” was going to participate as a special guest judge for Superstar K2.

“Kelly Clarkson was always my role model,“ she said. “The fact that someone whom I’ve always wanted to meet was coming to Korea, all of a sudden I wanted to sing one of her songs in front of her. So as soon as I saw the ad, I grabbed the phone and called.”

Kim was in high school when she first heard Clarkson’s hit single “Because of You,” and despite not being able to fully grasp the meaning of the words of the song, it still ended up having a profound effect on her life.

“Honestly, when I heard the English lyrics, I didn’t really understand it. But the melody, her voice, it made my heart race,” she said passionately. “So I went and searched for the translation of the lyrics and ended up loving it even more.”

Learning of the news of Clarkson’s arrival, she was immediately determined to get on the show. Unfortunately, her dreams fell short. After making it into the wild card round with the final 13 contestants, she was dropped and unable to proceed to the top ten.

Kim confessed that after she was eliminated from the show, she felt very apologetic toward her family that she couldn’t even go home to face them.

“I thought to myself, ‘Is this really as far as I could have gone?’ So I couldn’t go home; instead I went to my friend’s vacated house and for three days straight I just cried. I have never cried so much.”

She explained that it wasn’t just leaving the show that caused her despair; she was more disappointed about losing the opportunity to reach her full potential.

“I cried while riding the bus and everyone stared at me. The tears just wouldn’t stop. People kept looking at me as if I had just lost a loved one,” she said. “I cried at the convenience store while buying snacks, I cried when taking a shower, I cried when looking at the mirror.”

“I decided that I couldn’t go home until I was all cried out. And after three days, when I thought that I was finished crying, I came home and as soon as I saw my mother’s face, I began to weep again.”

Despite the slump Kim suffered after her elimination from the show, she said that her experiences there gave her more confidence and pride in her music. It was an invaluable learning experience for a young woman wishing to break into the music industry, she said.

“In the end, I wasn’t able to meet Kelly Clarkson, but I had the opportunity to meet so many other great musicians,” she said.

Though she did not win the competition, Kim’s strong, passionate vocals landed her a record deal and she recently released her debut album titled “Rockin,’” which shows off a wide range of music styles including rock, ballad and acoustic tracks.

“There’s not one genre; I wanted to show off my diversity,” said the musician.

Kim’s musical inspiration changes on a day-to-day basis and she admits that the weather and nature influences her creativity.

“I especially come alive when there’s a full moon. I get in such a good mood, I walk down the streets just singing. I don’t know why,” she said. “Like the ‘Dragon Ball Z’ comics. When there’s a full moon, the character turns into a wolf and gains strength. That’s how I feel.”

With dance and hip-hop trance music flooding the mainstream K-pop scene, Kim claims that many K-pop stars concentrate a lot on choreography, stage presence and their image.

“What makes me different is that I sing from the heart.” She suggests listeners turn to her music when “your soul needs a breather or when you just need some relief.”

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)