K-Pop isn't the only genre of Korean music topping charts around the world. Neo-classical pianist and composer, Yiruma has been on top of the Billboard Classical Albums Chart for 21 weeks. Our Han Seong-woo has more. The melody that started it all. Yiruma's "River Flows in You" is included as the second track on his signature compilation album, "The Best - Reminiscent 10th Anniversary". After debuting at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Classical Albums Chart in mid-January, the album snatched the top spot two weeks later and kept it for 17 weeks straight. A feat not even the great Andrea Bocelli nor John Williams can claim. Back on top after a short-lived dip, it's now been at number one for a total of 21 weeks. However, the 17-track collection is not a new release. In fact, it came out nearly a decade ago. Billboard attributes the album's rebirth to new chart rules allowing older, catalogue albums to compete while factoring in online streaming as a ranking criterion. The music video for "River Flows in You" has over a hundred million views on YouTube and admirers have also uploaded their own renditions. But the artist wonders if the chaos and stress caused by COVID-19 have turned more people toward his soothing sound. "Many tell me they feel consoled when listening to my compositions. I'm just a man who writes music. It's surprising people can share my emotions at such a deep level." One thing's for sure: there's a new Korean Wave ambassador in town. They call him Yiruma and he's spearheading... possibly the next Korean export: "K-Classical". Han Seong-Woo, Arirang News.
