[INTERVIEW] What makes Nah Youn-sun most acclaimed Korean jazz singer

Jazz vocalist Nah Youn-sun speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the InterContinental Seoul COEX, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Lee Min-young

By Dong Sun-hwa

Soulful-voiced Nah Youn-sun is undoubtedly the most acclaimed Korean jazz singer in the world.

Boasting particular popularity in France, where almost every city has its own jazz festival, Nah last year received the Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters). It is a prestigious award from the French Ministry of Culture that recognized her contribution to the arts and the enrichment of French cultural inheritance. She was the first Korean vocalist to earn the order. There is even a road named after her in France.

But what brought her into the limelight? When The Korea Times posed the question, the singer was bashful at first, saying she had no idea. In fact, Na looks self-assured and charismatic on stage, but is utterly different off stage. She mostly talked in low tones.

"So far I have been holding on to my own style instead of following in others' footsteps," Nah said during an interview at the InterContinental Seoul COEX, Tuesday. "Maybe this has appealed to the listeners."

She added: "I attempted to mimic other singers when I first started my career, but soon realized this would not work. From then on, I began incorporating my unique sentiment as a Korean into singing. The numbers that I appreciated in my youth also helped me forge something of my own."

Many cite Nah's magical and "multi-functional" voice as her strength. She does not need dozens of instruments to craft a dramatic gig, because her voice can replace them. Hovering between high and low, dramatic and gentle, her sound easily creates a narrative arc. Her flagship tracks include "Momento Magico" (2013) and "Arirang" (2013).

Nah received the Korea Image Fire Stone Award on Tuesday. Yonhap

The beginning of her musical journey traces back to 1994, when she debuted in the musical "Subway Line 1." A year later, she headed to France to learn jazz and chanson (French song.) Nah said she chose jazz due to advice from her friend, who majored in music.

"After deciding to study music, I asked my friend which genre to dive into," she said. "She offered me jazz, saying it is the origin of popular music. She said I would be able to pull off diverse genres once I learn jazz."

What mesmerized her most was jazz's free-spiritedness.

"I can enjoy freedom on stage, playing different gigs every day," Nah said. "Jazz has a history of around 100 years, but is nevertheless 'young.' Jazz has no boundaries in terms of nationalities and is very embracing as well, allowing everyone to sing as one."

But many listeners in Korea still find the genre unapproachable and it has not entered the mainstream.

"Music taste varies among people, so I do not want to force everyone to appreciate jazz if the genre doesn't strike their fancy," Nah said. "But those who have an interest can just repeat jazz songs everyday like background music to feel closer to the genre."

The singer also opened up on her plans. She said she would continue her globe-trotting tour as always. In 2019, she dropped her 10th studio album "IMMERSION" after inking a contract with renowned American music label Warner Music Group. After the release, she played 60 concerts around the world.

Nah is also set to tackle a fresh challenge this year.

"I recently created an Instagram and realized people these days communicate and interact a lot through social media," she said. "Thus, I think I should strive to be a part of them too. I am also open to collaboration with diverse music genres."

Nah received the Korea Image Fire Stone Award on Tuesday. The Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), a global cultural promotion advocacy, honored the singer for spreading K-jazz.

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