Kim Yong-jun
김용준- Name
- Kim Yong-jun
A founding member, credited as Whyme in the group's early years.
Their story
Wanting to be Simon & Garfunkel
SG Wannabe took its name from Simon & Garfunkel, a plain statement of what the singers wanted to become. The first line-up was Kim Yong-jun, Kim Jin-ho and Chae Dong-ha, and the debut album had 90,000 pre-sales before it reached the shops. Their first album, SG Wanna Be+, came out in January 2004, and "Timeless" made them known almost at once. By the end of the year they had the rookie prizes.
The sound of 2005
The second album, Saldaga, turned them into the best-selling act in the country. Led by "Sin and Punishment", it sold more than 400,000 copies, and no other album in Korea passed that number in 2005. They stayed on top with The 3rd Masterpiece and "Partner for Life", then with The Sentimental Chord and "Arirang". In 2008 Lee Seok-hoon took Chae Dong-ha's place.
Big voices, big ballads
Their songs are sad on purpose: sweeping melodies, dramatic lyrics and climaxes built for three voices at full stretch. On stage they like to go bigger still. At their 2023 concert "Arirang" came with traditional instrumentalists and a pansori singer, and the 2024 shows brought in strings and brass.
Where they are now
In 2015 the trio returned with the EP The Voice. The real second life began in April 2021, when an appearance on Hangout with Yoo pushed their old songs back onto the charts. Two years later they sold out their first group concert in seven years. The 20th anniversary tour in 2024 ended at KSPO Dome in Seoul. The three now work mostly as solo singers, and no new group release has been announced.
