Kim Yoon Yi, a former SM Entertainment trainee, revealed that her training period overlapped with aespa and Hearts2Hearts.
On the October 7th KST broadcast of SBS’s ‘Our Ballad’, the first round of the main competition under the theme “The First Ballad of My Life” took place.
The 22-year-old contestant introduced herself by saying, “I’m Kim Yoon Yi, once an idol trainee, now rising again through ballads.” She shared that she had once trained under SM Entertainment, though she is no longer affiliated with the company. “I used to upload ballad covers on YouTube, and that’s how I was contacted. I moved up to Seoul from Daejeon in my second year of high school.”
When Mimi asked if any of the friends she trained with had debuted, Kim replied, “Yes, the members of Hearts2Hearts, who debuted this year, and the aespa members—I trained with them. I was a trainee for about five years.” She continued, “Watching their debut performances live from home was such a strange feeling. These were the friends I used to see every day, and suddenly they were on stage, all dressed up. It felt both surreal and bittersweet.”
For her performance, Kim selected Yoon Sang’s debut song “Shade of Parting.” She explained, “I happened to hear this song on the train ride back to Daejeon after leaving the dorms. It resonated with my feelings at the time—letting go of my dream of becoming an idol. That emotional connection made me choose this song. Since this performance marks a new beginning for me, I felt it would carry special meaning.”
Kim earned 103 votes, narrowly passing to advance to the second round. Cha Tae Hyun praised her by saying, “It was impressive how you put so much care into every single note.” Jung Jae Hyung added, “Was that high note at the end your secret weapon? It felt like a game-changer.”
Park Kyung Lim asked if Kim had been the main vocalist during her trainee days and remarked, “You seemed to carry the vocal line tradition well. More than just your clean tone, I felt the emotion of someone listening to that song on the train ride home after giving up on a dream. That sincerity came through, and I think that’s why everyone pressed their buttons.”
Mimi added, “I think it’s amazing that, after five years of idol training—which requires different kinds of vocal prep—you chose to take on ballads. You sang with such emotion, and it touched me deeply.”
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