Trot singer Jang Yoon-jung releases first new song in 3 years, opens up about hardship

Trot singer Jang Yoon-jung has released her first new song in three years, quietly sharing the emotions behind it — even as her biological mother faces criminal charges. Jang's mother, identified by her family name Yuk, was indicted and detained on July 29 on fraud charges involving tens of millions of won.

A video titled "A Gift from Jang Factory to Jang Yoon-jung" was posted Thursday on the YouTube channel "Janggongjang Jang Yoon-jung." In it, Jang shared behind-the-scenes stories about her new song "Haneule" ("To the Sky"), her first release in three years.

"At some point, I kept losing the sense of meaning in putting out new music," Jang said. "If I'm making excuses, I suppose I got lazy — and then there was the pressure of having to actually come up with something, and the worry of 'what if it doesn't go well.' All of that piled up, and before I knew it, a long time had passed without a new release."

She then explained what prompted her to get back to writing. "I write the lyrics and compose myself. Usually you think of words that come to mind for a singer and build a song from there — and I thought, I know myself better than anyone, so how does it make sense that I can't write even one song about myself?"

Jang also opened up about the personal struggles that shaped the song. "Everyone goes through hard moments in life. For me, the hardest times were when I felt lonely — when I felt like I was the only one who knew my pain, that I had to go through it alone and endure it alone. That's when the loneliness hit."

She also revealed that there were moments when she resented the sky itself.

"Still, I felt like the sky was watching over us — and even though it couldn't show me something right in front of my eyes, it felt like it was by my side through the cool breeze I love," she said. "And I love the moon, so when a bright full moon shone down on me, I felt like it was comforting me. That's how I came to write those lyrics."

On the message at the end of the music video — "When you feel like collapsing and crying, I hope this song can at least give you an excuse to cry" — Jang said: "That was the feeling I had when I wrote it, and I was the first one to cry using that song as my excuse. I made this song hoping that anyone going through a hard time might listen to it and find the strength to carry on."

She closed by saying, "I hope people can just listen without overthinking it, and let their hearts lead the way. If it comes across as simply, 'Oh, this is how Jang Yoon-jung is feeling these days' — that's more than enough for me."

Jang made her debut in 1999 after winning the grand prize at the 20th Gangbyeon Song Festival. Her 2004 hit "Eomona" became a massive success, cementing her status as the queen of trot music.

Ahead of her 2013 marriage to Do Kyung-wan, a broadcaster and former announcer, she had a falling-out with her mother over financial disputes and ultimately cut ties with her.

Yuk was indicted and detained on July 29 on fraud charges involving tens of millions of won. She is accused of using her estranged daughter's name to solicit tens of millions of won from acquaintances under the guise of investment, then failing to return the proceeds.