WoongSan

Woong San
Birth name Kim Eun Young
Born (1973-04-18) April 18, 1973
South Korea
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Musician, bandleader, Teacher, Actress, Vocalist, Sing-a-song writer
Years active 1996~Present
Website www.woongsanjazz.com

WoongSan (born Kim Eun Young) is an award-winning South Korean musician, actress and TV show host.[1] She has been a leading figure in the jazz music scene in Korea and Japan for over a decade, having performed live over 500 times since her 1998 Japanese debut. She is the first Korean-born musician to perform at New York City’s historic Blue Note Jazz Club and has collaborated with many other well-known jazz musicians including Benny Green, Lonnie Plaxico, Rodney Green, Conrad Herwig and Suzuki Hisatsugu. She is also well known for training Ali (South Korean singer), a popular K-pop singer.

Biography

When she was 18, WoongSan spent a year and a half at a Buddhist temple in the Korean countryside. During her training she had a powerful realization: her calling in life was music.[2] Initially she played in a college rock band, but after a friend played her a Billie Holiday record, she began to dedicate herself to jazz. She spent several years performing as a solo artist then released her first album accompanied by a jazz ensemble in 1996. By the end of 1998 she was a recognizable figure in both Korea and Japan, and since then, she has released six albums, garnered numerous awards and critical acclaim, and continues to tour prolifically. She has also written many songs for films.

Last year, she proved her career was an ongoing path as a music performer on the stage collaborated with Lee Ritenour.[3]

Style

WoongSan's style is a distinctive blend of jazz, blues, Latin and funk style. Her mid-low voice does not span as much tonal ground as other famous singers, but what she lacks in range she more than makes up for in creativity and malleability.[4] As an independent lyricist, Woong San has penned powerful ballads, cozy love numbers and everything in between. Buddhism has played a prominent role in her life, and it shines through in her songwriting: she often explores the themes of freedom, mindfulness and the beauty of change in her songs. Her work has been described as “soulful, fearless, sultry.”

Albums

Year Title Details Track listing
2004 Love Letters 1st album released both in Korea and Japan
2005 The Blues the 2nd album in Korea
2007 Yesterday the 3rd album in Korea
2008. 12 Fall in Love the 4th album both in Korea and Japan
2009. 10 Miss Mister special gift album for fans
2010. 5 Close Your Eyes the 5th album both in Korea and Japan
2011. 10 Once I Loved 2nd gift album
2011. 10 Tomorrow 6th album released in Korea
2013 I Love You 7th album released in Korea
2015 Temptation 8th album released in Korea

Awards

  1. 1993 MBC Korean Popular Music Festival's "Best Singer' award
  2. 2001 MM Jazz's (jazz magazine), "best Artist" award
  3. 2003 MM Jazz's "Best Musician" award
  4. 2008 Korean Popular Music Awards' "Best Jazz & Crossover Album" award
  5. 2008 Reader Poll magazine's "best Vocalist" award
  6. 2010 Swing Journal's "Gold Disc" award for her album <Close Your Eyes>
  7. 2011 Jazz Criticism's "Jazz Disc Grand Prize" award

Soundtracks

  1. "Elegy" for Korean TV show, Kyungsung Scandal
  2. "I Think I Loved You" for Korean TV show, Mother, Sister
  3. Participated in OST for Korean TV show, Lema Lee, the Sun
  4. "Destiny" for Korean TV show, Ill Ji Mae
  5. "In the Mood" for Korean film, Who Slept With Her?
  6. "Pierro's Mask" for Korean film, The Shadow Murder
  7. "Outrageous Love" on soundtrack for Korean TV show, Chuno

References

  1. "Profile of Woong San". Woong San Jazz. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  2. "Beautiful, Brooding Sound". Bubblews. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  3. "The Collaboration of Eastern and Western Musicians: WoongSan & Lee Ritenour". YTN. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  4. "Styles of Woong San Music". Japan beyond 3.11 Stories of Recovery. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 16, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.