“It‘s okay, because I’m dazzling.”

The calm monologue of a firefly that thought it was a shining star is touching the public‘s heartstrings. This is the story of the song ‘I am a firefly’ sung by singer Hwang Ga-ram. The song, which features a firefly as the main character and contains a message to believe in yourself and get back up from despair, is creating a ‘reverse craze’ solely through the power of empathy and comfort.

‘I am a firefly’, released in October of last year, is a remake by Hwang Ga-ram of the song of the same name released by Jungsik Band in April 2020. The lyrics, which contain the process of a firefly mistaking itself for a star and rediscovering its meaning after realizing its true form, combine with Hwang Ga-ram’s deep voice to add deep emotion.

In particular, the content of the song, which is intertwined with the reality that it is not easy to maintain self-esteem in the midst of the recent turmoil, showed its power to embrace everyone from middle-aged to young generations. It also steadily rose in the rankings of Melon‘s ‘Top 100’, and on the 2nd, it ranked 4th, following G-Dragon, Rosé, and Espa. It also topped the karaoke chart (Geumyoung Karaoke), which provides a glimpse into its popularity among the general public, for 3 consecutive weeks.

Its popularity has also spread to YouTube stages. Hwang Ga-ram’s recent appearance on the MBC entertainment program ‘What Do You Do When You Play?’ included a message of condolence for the victims of the Jeju Air disaster and their bereaved families in the ‘I am a Firefly’ stage video released on the 31st of last month, receiving applause from viewers. The video garnered 200,000 views in just two days after its release, and rose to third place in YouTube‘s “Most Popular Videos” on the 2nd.

Thanks to the popularity of “I Am a Firefly,” Hwang Ga-ram has been receiving the most attention since her debut in 2010. Although she appeared on the MBN audition program “Oppa Era” in 2023 and caught the attention of viewers, this is her first time making her name widely known. She is also a “talented singer” who was selected as the 8th vocalist for the 32-year-old rock band Pinocchio, succeeding Kim Sung-myeon and Kang Joo-won.

Thanks to this, she has appeared on the MBC radio program “This is Kim Shin-young’s Hope Song at Noon” in succession. On the 2nd, Hwang Ga-ram‘s side said, “We are receiving casting offers from various programs. He explained, “With a grateful heart, we will also prepare future albums with great care.”


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com