INTERVIEW
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’ World s
Saddest and Most ’ Beautiful Arirang A celebrated jazz singer with strong ties to Europe, Nah Youn-sun [Youn Sun Nah] has had a long and active career. Spending more time in Korea due to COVID-19 afforded Nah the chance to collaborate with musicians in various countries to produce the album “ARIRANG, The Name of Korean vol. 8,” released in December 2020. Lim Hee-yun Reporter, The Dong-A Ilbo
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atching Nah Youn-sun on stage, one gets the feeling that the singer is a unique and peerless instrument. The melodies that flow over her audiences are both delicate and keen, seeping into the heart of each listener. “Momento Magico,” “Asturias,” “Breakfast in Baghdad,” “Hurt” – all are opportunities to experience the ingenious music that Nah can craft with her vocal chords. Recognized as one of Europe’s foremost jazz singers, Nah regularly commands stages at the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals and possesses numerous accolades, including an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture. Since signing with German record label ACT in 2008 and then with American label Warner Music Group in 2019, Nah has made her superlative presence felt. Rather than American blues music, it 36
seems to be “Arirang,” Korea’s best known folk song both at home and abroad, that constitutes the main artery of this Paris-based jazz vocalist’s musical influence. “When I sing a sad chanson, I’ll find myself singing it much, much sadder than the original version,” she once mused. “You know the way of Koreans; when we lose someone close to us, we cry as if the world has ended. In a way, that’s the sensibility I’ve brought to my songs.” Nah’s seventh and eighth albums, titled “Same Girl” and “Lento,” respectively, both included versions of “Arirang.” Nah also sang a rendition of the song during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. This time, she’s taken on the role of music director for “ARIRANG, The Name of Korean vol. 8,” an album structured entirely around the folk song, which historically has had a slew of variations. Thirty-five minutes in length, the album includes six brand-new
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KOREANA SPRING 2021
