[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] "Thanks to Lisenne, I’m having the amazing experience of a comeback."

In a phone interview with E-Daily on the 1st, singer Park Sang-cheol shared his thoughts on the renewed attention his song “Bang Bang,” released 16 years ago, is receiving as it climbs back up the music charts.
The catalyst for “Bang Bang’s” resurgence was the video “[Chuseok Special] Jenna’s Trot Medley,” which the girl group Lisenne released on their YouTube channel on the 18th of last month ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
The video features Jena singing Park Sang-cheol’s “Bang Bang,” as well as Go Bong-san’s “Yongdusan Elegy,” Oh Seung-geun’s “What’s Wrong with My Age?,” Park Ji-hyun’s “I’m Melting Away,” and Jang Yoon-jung’s “Oh My!” Jena delivered the trot songs with flair, showcasing her rich vocal style, while the other Lisenne members provided backing vocals.
The trot medley video has garnered an enthusiastic response, surpassing 14 million views. A comment left by Jang Yoon-jung, the original singer of “Oh My,” has also become a hot topic. She praised Jena’s vocals, saying, “You’re like a tonic! Are you thinking of singing trot?”
Amid all this, Park Sang-cheol, the original singer of “Bang Bang,” has reaped the benefits. Since the Lisenne video went viral, Park Sang-cheol’s past performance videos have also garnered attention one after another, causing his view counts to skyrocket.
Park Sang-cheol said, “People around me reached out, so I looked up the video of Jena singing it, and I was really surprised,” adding, “Seeing so many people enjoy ‘Bang Bang’ made me think, ‘So things like this really do happen.’”
He continued, “I heard that even teenagers have started listening to and singing ‘Bang Bang’ a lot. Yesterday, an acquaintance told me they heard ‘Bang Bang’ playing in the busy streets of Itaewon,” adding, “It’s amazing and feels really special that the younger generation is listening to and enjoying my song.”
In line with this trend, TJB, the production company behind the “National Top 10 Music Show,” has re-posted footage of Park Sang-cheol’s past performances. The video, which features a photo of Jena as its thumbnail, is nearing 1 million views. A compilation video of comments related to “Bang Bang” has also surpassed 600,000 views and is garnering significant attention.

◇“Even teens are listening?”… Park Sang-cheol Surprised by the Revival
The song’s popularity also extended to music charts. “Bang Bang” once climbed as high as No. 3 on Melon’s Adult Music (Pop/Trot) chart and continues to ride the resurgence wave, currently holding a spot in the Top 10. It’s particularly noteworthy that, despite being a trot song, 30% of its listeners are in their 20s—the highest proportion among all age groups—highlighting a significant influx of younger fans.
Park Sang-cheol explained, “‘Bang Bang’ reached No. 1 on trot ranking shows when it was first released, but it was a song that didn’t really resonate with younger listeners,” adding, “This is the first time it’s experienced a resurgence like this, with the younger generation showing interest.” He continued, “It’s all thanks to the fans. I’m truly grateful.”
He also spoke highly of Jenna’s trot singing skills. Park Sang-cheol remarked, “It seemed like she’d sung a lot of trot before. I got the impression she sang it properly,” adding, “It even made me think she could have been a trot singer herself.”
“Bang Bang” is an upbeat trot song composed by Park Sang-cheol himself. Park explained, “I conceived and created it as a modern ‘semi-trot’ rather than traditional trot,” adding, “It’s a song I intended to sing with minimal vibrato, keeping it simple and clean.”
The lyrics of “Bang Bang” include lines such as “Mount Halla in the south, Mount Baekdu in the north” and “Bang bang bang bang, ringing the miracle.” Park Sang-cheol said, “Some people have asked why I used ‘miracle’ instead of ‘horn.’ It expresses my hope that, as inter-Korean relations improve, the miracle of reunification will occur.” Regarding “country bus,” a key keyword in the song, he explained, “It’s a symbolic representation of ordinary citizens and the general public.”
Park Sang-cheol and Lisenne first met at the “12th E-Daily Culture Awards” held last December. At the time, Park Sang-cheol, who attended the event in his capacity as president of the Korea Singers Association, exchanged greetings with the Lisenne members who took the stage as performers. Park Sang-cheol smiled and said, “I recently dug out the photos I took with the members after their song became a retro-hit.”
He also revealed plans to cover a Lisenne song as a gesture of reciprocity. “I’m listening to ‘Love Attack’ because I want to try singing a Lisenne song myself,” Park Sang-cheol said. “Trot songs tend to have a very precise rhythm, but idol songs have a different way of flowing through the melody, so it’s not easy.” He continued, “Still, since Jena sang one of my songs, I’d like to cover ‘Love Attack’ as a way to return the favor,” adding, “I plan to practice more so I can sing it properly.”
Meanwhile, Lisenne is set to release her new mini-album, “Pulse,” on the 3rd of next month. This marks her first album-length release since gaining widespread recognition through the retroactive popularity of “Love Attack.” As she continues to generate buzz with her original content consistently surpassing 10 million views, all eyes are on the performance her new album will achieve.