Poster for singer Lim Young-woong’s concert ‘IM HERO-THE STADIUM 2’. Fish Music
Another staggering milestone came just five months later.
Even years after its release, singer Lim Young-woong’s first full-length album continues an unbroken run of records.
As of July 7, Lim Young-woong’s first studio album ‘IM HERO’ has achieved a major milestone by surpassing 4.6 billion cumulative streams on Melon, the nation’s largest music platform. After topping 4.5 billion in February, it added another 100 million in about five months, proving its undimmed mainstream popularity.
Released in May 2022, ‘IM HERO’ became the first album by a solo singer to surpass 1.1 million first-week sales, delivering a fresh shock to the music scene. Unlike the usual pattern in which streams concentrate early after release, his debut album, now in its fourth year, is still played millions of times a day, securing its place as a ‘mega steady seller’.
Behind this record-setting run lies a tracklist packed with genre-crossing gems, led by the title track ‘Will We Meet Again’, along with ‘Our Blues’, ‘Rainbow’, and ‘Now Just Trust Me’. The so-called ‘chart-squatting’ phenomenon, with every track remaining fixed in the upper ranks of the charts, is an unprecedented sight only Lim Young-woong can present in the music industry.
In particular, this crossing of 4.6 billion plays forms the largest share of his total cumulative streams on Melon (over 14 billion), clearly showing why he ranks all-time No. 1 in cumulative streams among artists in South Korea. It is viewed as the result of synergy between the unwavering love of the fan club ‘Hero Era’ and popularity that spans all age groups.
Meanwhile, Lim Young-woong is appearing on the SBS variety show ‘Island Bachelor Hero’, season 2, ‘Mountain Village Bachelor Hero’. He is set to meet fans this September with ‘2026 IM HERO CONCERT : THE STADIUM 2’.
