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| From left, Kim Yong-joon, Kim Jin-ho and Lee Seok-hoon of vocal group SG Wannabe appearing on MBC's popular reality show, "Hangout with Yoo," April 17. Courtesy of MBC |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Vocal group SG Wannabe's debut single, "Timeless," is dominating major music streaming charts, nearly 17 years after its release, thanks to the group's recent appearance on MBC's reality show, "Hangout with Yoo."
As of Friday morning, the medium-tempo ballad has reigned at the top of the real-time charts on Bugs and Genie, while grabbing the No. 6 spot on Melon's "24 Hits" chart, which is updated on a 24-hour basis. There are high hopes that the song will also conquer the Melon chart, which has the largest market share (34.14 percent) in Korea as of last November.
Other SG Wannabe tracks, such as, "As I Live" (2005) and "Lalala" (2008), are also going strong ― the latter, in particular, has ranked No. 4 and No. 7 on Genie and Melon, respectively.
The mega-hits of the mid-2000s have been brought to the spotlight again after SG Wannabe's members ― Kim Yong-joon, Kim Jin-ho and Lee Seok-hoon ― crooned them on the popular TV show on April 17, evoking a sense of nostalgia among many fans.
"I want to see the members singing their songs on other programs, too," one person wrote online.
Another commented, "I really loved SG Wannabe's songs … I still listen to them frequently."
The members expressed appreciation to the people for their warm responses.
"It is not SG Wannabe that won the first place ― it is your memories," Jin-ho said on his Instagram.
Yong-joon said he would be glad if their songs could bring comfort to people amid these tough times.
"We will always be there to sing, so please come and look for us sometimes," Seok-hoon wrote.
SG Wannabe, known for its members' vocal prowess, debuted in 2004 and has dropped a string of hits, including, "Partner for Life" (2006) and "Arirang" (2007). It took home multiple prestigious awards in the 2000s, winning the grand prizes at the Golden Disc Awards three times, in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Although the group has not been active in recent years, it has not stopped releasing albums, the latest one being "Let's Meet Up" (2018).
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