Jeong Chan-min, Lim Soo-hyun "Bruno Mars cover that cost 1 million won, income is 0 won"

YouTubers Jung Chan-min and Lim Soo-hyun revealed that they have set the content of cover songs not to generate revenue.

Recently, I met comedian Jung Chan-min, who is active as a YouTuber, and theater actor Lim Soo-hyun, at the Ten Asia office building in Junglim-dong, Seoul. The two, who got married in April of last year, are running a YouTube channel called 'My Story' with the theme of couple short comedy. Launched on April 15 last year, the channel currently has over 170,000 subscribers.

The subject of the content of the two is marriage. The video made in a conte style by catching the small moments of everyday life that pass by is arousing sympathy from many people. The two, who mainly made sketch comedy videos, recently started cover song content as well. Contents with the theme of marriage, such as 'Event Horizon', 'All For You', and 'Ditto', are gaining popularity because of their high synchro rate with real marriage life as well as lyrics.

Jeong Chan-min said, “While I was thinking about new content, I asked Suhyeon, ‘What should I do?’ and he said, ‘How about trying a song?’ I like making music, and Suhyeon also likes music. What's interesting? Comedians 20 years ago changed their lyrics and didn't do year-end stage performances.' I didn't think it would happen," he said.

The first opening video was 'All For You', and it was 'Seol For You', which contains the New Year's Day episode. Jeong Chan-min said, "I uploaded it and received a lot of contact from people around me. I also received a lot of DMs. It was circulated a lot in other places, and the number of views went up significantly compared to other sketch comedy videos. Friends also contacted me and said it was funny. The number of subscribers increased a lot." said.

Lim Soo-hyun's excellent singing ability, clear voice, and beautiful visuals are receiving compliments from subscribers. Lim Soo-hyun was shy, saying, "I like to sing. My original dream was to be a musical actor, but I don't have that much singing ability." Jeong Chan-min was jealous, saying, "I feel embarrassed while doing this channel. I am a comedian and I direct more, but Su-hyeon is popular. Everyone praises me for being pretty and good at singing." Lim Soo-hyun laughed, saying, "My brother is looking for vocal lessons. I also received counseling."

Jeong Chan-min revealed his competitive spirit to his wife, saying, "I will also receive skin care. Before marriage, my rival was myself, but after marriage, my rival has become Soo-hyeon." Then, he added laughter by mentioning a couple of fellow comedians, saying, "It will be the same for Yoon Hyung-bin and Jung Kyung-mi."

Because of Lim Soo-hyun's skillful and realistic acting, many people misunderstand him as a comedian. Lim Soo-hyun laughed, saying, “I get misunderstood a lot for being a comedian. Jeong Chan-min praised Im Soo-hyun's sense of humor, saying, "Su-hyeon has many comedian friends, and she surpasses comedians in terms of inclination, agility, and sense. He added, “In the comedy world, I have a better eye than JYP in the music industry. Lim Soo-hyun laughed, saying, "I value comedians highly. I don't have that level of ability, but I'm embarrassed to say this. It seems like they're impersonating themselves for nothing."

Who is in charge of directing, editing, and lyrics? Jeong Chan-min said, "In the case of a sketch comedy, there is someone who edits it, but I direct, shoot, and edit the cover song video. The two of us write the lyrics together. The ratio is about 6:4. It's similar to making a gag. I keep revising it and I finish it so that the words stand out. That way, one song comes out as 'illegally changed'."

When asked if there was a copyright problem, Jung Chan-min replied, "I stopped generating profits just in case." At the same time, he confessed, "As I started covering song content, my profit actually decreased," causing laughter. Lim Soo-hyun also added laughter by saying, "It costs a lot to create cover song content. The money earned through sketch comedy is invested there and spent there. The structure that makes it impossible to become rich continues," adding laughter.

It is said that 1 million won was spent on video content that rewrote Bruno Mars' 'Leave the door open'. Jung Chan-min laughed, saying, “People around me say that they do sketch comedy to make cover song contents. They say that they make sketch comedy videos for their hobby.” Still, he was proud, saying, "I think I've gained more than 1 million won in value. People praised the quality a lot." Then, "I think the video uploaded to the channel is also filmography. Even if it doesn't appear on the market now for some reason, I think it will be recognized later," he said, "I keep checking the number of views like a stock," bringing laughter.

The video covering New Jeans' 'Dito' is said to be particularly popular with female subscribers. Jeong Chan-min said, "I was walking on the road a while ago and a mother and daughter were looking at it. They didn't even know I was in front of them. The daughter said to her mother, 'Couple Dito,' and the mother and daughter laughed and laughed with pride." He added, "I'm sorry to New Jeans. It's a wonderful group, but I don't know if I caused trouble. People hear 'Ditto' and they keep thinking of us changing the lyrics."

Jeong Chan-min said, “I get excited from the time I prepare for music content. At one point, I thought, ‘I’m like a crazy person. I thought, 'I want to go home and do it quickly'. Isn't it thrilling when the work is completed?" Lim Soo-hyun shook his head as if he couldn't stop laughing.

Reporter Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia bella@tenasia.co.kr