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Singer Joo Hyun-mi Embraces Trend to Reconnect with Fans

Veteran singer Joo Hyun-mi opened a YouTube channel recently. Joo, who enjoyed popularity in the mid-1980s until the early 1990s, is one of the most successful singers in the field of Korea's old-style elegiac songs.

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The channel encourages its subscribers to request particular songs and she responds to her fans by singing them.

In an interview with the Chosun Ilbo on Monday, she explained her motivation for opening the channel. "Interest is fading in Korea's oldest pop songs, including elegiac songs, so I decided to communicate with fans directly through the channel, giving them a chance to appreciate Korea's old pop songs, loved throughout generations", she said.

"It is also hard to find shows or TV programs for singers like me to perform live in front of fans, as most of them are heavily focused on featuring trendy and popular songs targeting young viewers", Joo sighed. "All I can do would be something like dinner shows or concerts, but the cost of staging such events is an obstacle", she added.

Despite facing such difficulties in an age of modern music, she was delighted by the fact that the channel now allowed her to promote her new songs more easily. Whenever she released a new song, it was rare to see it on major online music-streaming charts, because her songs mostly appeal to the older generation, who are not active users of such sites.

"I realized that people often browse YouTube, and that's why I opened the channel and it seems to work out", she said.

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