By CNBLUE frontman Jung Yonghwa has opened up about the decade it took him to accept his fading popularity, revealing that a stranger once asked if he was “from BTS” during a road trip in California. The candid confession came during a new YouTube video, where the singer reflected on how far he has come since the band’s peak.
Jung Yonghwa (Credits: Koreaboo)
The BTS Mix-Up
In a video titled “Music Festival is Just an Excuse,” Yonghwa recalled driving nearly 20 hours to a music festival in California, staying completely off social media for about ten days. When a local struck up conversation and asked, “What kind of person are you?” he simply answered, “an artist” — prompting the follow-up: “Are you from BTS?”
For a star who once toured the world nonstop with CNBLUE, the moment could have stung. Yonghwa admitted that not long ago, standing before audiences who had no idea who he was felt like a shock. But he now sees it as a new kind of stimulus — a chance to prove himself all over again.
“Sincerity Really Resonates”
Yonghwa revealed that two years ago, he performed at a festival “with the heart of a rookie,” facing a crowd that was small to begin with. Before stepping on stage, he told himself to give everything he had and simply have fun, no matter how few people showed up.
The gamble paid off in spectacular fashion. As he sang with full effort, the audience kept growing — until organizers eventually had to stop more people from coming in, with fans enjoying the show from outside too. “Sincerity really resonates,” he said, describing the moment as a turning point in how he views his career.
A Decade of Letting Go
The singer was equally honest about the harder years. After CNBLUE received immense love, the decline in popularity left him “extremely frustrated,” feeling like he was stuck in “a very long stretch” despite working harder than ever. He kept asking himself why success wasn’t matching his effort, and clung to his ambitions for far too long.
Fellow host Yoo Jae Suk empathized, telling him that everyone goes through a phase where hard work no longer brings the same response. Yonghwa revealed it took him nearly ten years to truly let go of those worries — and that only after releasing them did he find himself genuinely thankful.
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Source: Koreaboo — read the full story there.
