Roy Kim Reflects on Early Career Arrogance After 'Superstar K4' Win: 'It Was Hard Not to Be Cocky'

Korean singer Roy Kim (로이킴) recently shared candid reflections on his early career, admitting that after winning the audition program “Superstar K4” at age 20, he unexpectedly entered the music industry with immense self-confidence, bordering on arrogance. He recalled believing that “the world would go the way I wanted.”

On May 28, a YouTube channel released a video titled “First-Ever Reveal of Superstar K Behind-the-Scenes 14 Years Ago,” featuring Roy Kim reminiscing about his “Superstar K4” experience. He stated that he was just 20 years old at the time and had never imagined becoming a singer. “Back then, I was just thinking about how to spend my summer vacation. I joined with a competitive spirit, and suddenly I won and became a singer,” he recalled.

However, this unexpected victory led to a shift in his mindset. Roy Kim confessed, “Because of that, I think I became a bit arrogant. I started to believe that the world might unfold exactly as I imagined.”

He further recalled that during each live broadcast mission, he would mentally set a scenario: “If I sing this song, then this will happen next.” To his surprise, the outcome consistently matched his predictions, eventually leading him to win the championship. “Achieving such a huge accomplishment at 20 is actually very difficult. But at the time, I just thought, ‘I really did exactly what I wanted to do,’” Roy Kim admitted. Looking back now, he acknowledged his arrogance, feeling that “the world didn’t seem that hard.”

Discussing his debut process after winning, he self-deprecatingly remarked that he “had no idea what I was talking about” back then. Roy Kim revealed that he didn't sign with a major agency at the time, usually just singing songs he liked and composing with a few chords he knew. Yet, after his win, he directly told his company, “I don’t want to sing songs given to me by others; I want to debut with songs I wrote and composed myself.”

Reflecting on it now, he considers that mindset quite arrogant. “I was really arrogant back then; I had no idea what I was saying,” he stated.

What made it even harder for him to shed his pride was the massive success of his debut song, “Bom Bom Bom.” Roy Kim confessed, “‘Bom Bom Bom’ became a super hit song. Honestly, it was really hard not to be arrogant.” However, years later, he now has a different perspective on his younger self. “Looking back now, I’ve changed a lot. I’m grateful for everything.”

Park Jae-jung (박재정), the winner of “Superstar K5,” who was also present, shared his own experience, admitting, “I didn’t become arrogant after ‘Superstar K5,’ but after ‘Hangout with Yoo?’ (놀면 뭐하니?)”

Roy Kim laughed and retorted, “You definitely became arrogant after ‘Say Goodbye’!” drawing laughter from the set. However, Roy Kim then seriously discussed his realization: “I think everyone needs to go through that period.” He believes that once a person starts to become arrogant, the real world often delivers harsh lessons. “When the world harshly knocks you down and tells you to ‘wake up,’ whether you can pick yourself up seems to determine what the last few years of your life will look like, and where you’ll go in the future.”

From winning a talent show at 20 and achieving instant fame with his debut song, to now re-examining his younger self, Roy Kim admits he has changed significantly and has a deeper appreciation for everything he has gained along the way.