Im Young-woong releases special album marking 10 years from obscurity to icon

Singer Im Young-woong is returning with an album that looks back on the past decade — a self-told story tracing his journey from an unknown artist to what fans call an icon of his generation.

His agency Mulgogimusic said Im will release the special digital album "IM HERO 10" across major streaming platforms Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Marking his 10th debut anniversary, the album brings together Im's broad musical range and his growth as a lyricist and composer.

The album contains 10 tracks, led by the title track "Ddoddo." Six of them — "Ddoddo," "Moisee," "Baila," "Please Be Happy," "To Us Who Have Lived" and "New York" — are new songs that Im co-wrote and composed, showcasing his credentials as a singer-songwriter.

The remaining four are reimagined versions of earlier works: his 2016 debut track "I Hate You," the long-running chart hit "Love Always Runs Away," the self-penned ballad "Grain of Sand," and "À bientôt," which originally paired his vocals with hip-hop beats.

The album carries special weight as a document of Im's decade in music. He made his debut in August 2016 with "I Hate You" and spent years busking and largely unknown. He began drawing attention late in 2017 with five consecutive wins on KBS1's morning program "Achim Madang — Challenge: Stage of Dreams," then broke through nationally in 2020 when he won the inaugural title on TV Chosun's "Mr. Trot" with more than 1.37 million votes. His voice — blending trot with the textures of ballad and folk rather than sticking to conventional trot technique — carved out what listeners now call the "Im Young-woong genre," drawing fans across generations.

His mass appeal upended a domestic album market long dominated by K-pop groups. His 2022 debut full-length album "IM HERO" sold 1,102,012 copies in its first week, according to the Hanteo Chart, and his second full-length "IM HERO 2" also topped one million copies, pushing his cumulative album sales past 2.5 million. On the streaming platform Melon, he became the first solo artist to surpass 10 billion cumulative streams, earning induction into the Billions Diamond Club; his running total now exceeds 14.4 billion plays.

The music video for the title track "Ddoddo," pre-released Monday, warmly captures the bond between Im's pet dog Siwol and child actor Kim Jun, who portrays the dog in human form.

Im had already unveiled the new songs to an audience of about 95,000 at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex during his 2026 "IM HERO" concert. Starting from the Goyang show, he is continuing a nationwide tour and has now drawn a cumulative audience of roughly one million.