By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Popera singer Kimera, 54, has been appointed as the goodwill ambassador of the 2008 Korean Festival, organized by the Overseas Koreans Foundation, to uphold the spirit of Koreans living worldwide.
Famous for her flashy eye makeup and costumes, the singer appeared at the press conference Friday, dressed in an ivory suit, complete with a matching hat. It is the singer's first visit to her homeland in almost 20 years.
``I'm not very good at talking to the press or doing interviews,'' she said laughing.
She continued by saying that she was always proud of being Korean and there was no moment in her life that she wanted to change her nationality.
``When I was offered the position as ambassador, I asked myself, `was I too ignorant of my homeland?' I realized I haven't done much for my country and now I will change that by singing and performing,'' she said.
Kimera is known to be the one of the first singers to have come up with the new music style ``popera,'' which infuses the elements of pop music with opera. Having a voice range of four octaves, her first album ``The Lost Opera'' which was released in 1984 sold more than 3.5 million copies, making her an international popera diva. She gained popularity among local fans when she attended the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games to sing one of the theme songs.
However, she disappeared from the spotlight for the past 20 years, mostly to be with her family and daughter Melody, who was kidnapped in 1987 and returned home safely after 11 days.
``(The kidnapping) made me think about my life. I just stopped singing. I took care of my kids and their education and time went by. Then I got in touch with my fans and realized that they were still waiting for me all this time,'' she said.
Kimera added that when she asked her daughter if she still wanted her mother to sing, she said no, but after attending Kimera's concert, her daughter approved.
``I think she was surprised of the support of my fans,'' she said.
The singer is working on her eighth album ``Lost Opera Found'' with fellow singer and fan Adam Lopez.
``I was 10 years old when I first saw Kimera's performance clips and as soon as I saw her, I fell in love with her style of music, beauty and performance. I wanted to do classical music in the style of pop just like Kimera, and I'm thrilled to do it with the beautiful diva now,'' Lopez told reporters.
When Kimera was asked about her trademark heavy makeup and costumes, the singer thought for a moment and said that it was because of her dreams.
``I do popera, which is dramatic and ravishing and I thought I should be like that too. Many people criticized me for `destroying' classical music but now, I believe I actually bridged the gap between classic and pop music. The makeup represents my music and me and I think it is important to share my dreams, smile and music with fans,'' she said.
Kimera will appear with fellow Korean artists at the special performances during the 2008 Korean Festival through Oct. 8. For more information about the performances, visit https://kf.korean.net or call (02) 3475-5015.