Nah wakes up souls, breaks through language barriers

The rather thin but vibrant voice of jazz vocalist Nah Youn-sun, 44, may be what attracts fans around the world. Especially when Nah delivers her deepest emotion in her songs, tears start flowing from the eyes of the audience. 

Neither the fact that Nah is not from the homeland of jazz nor the language difference mattered so much. Even when Nah sings a traditional folk song in Korean, people who do not understand a single word of the language quietly weep and shed tears. It is perhaps because her emotion is able to break through language barriers and touch the bottom of their hearts. 

“Whenever I sing Arirang, I shed tears, and so do foreign audiences,” said Nah in an interview. 

Nah has always sung Arirang in her concerts, and the sold-out shows at the LG Arts Center in southern Seoul on April 18 most recently and the Chatelet Theatre Musical De Paris in March were no exceptions. 

“It is amazing -- even foreigners say they feel sad after listening to Arirang,” said Nah. “They are touched and even cry. Even though I did not talk about the lyrics, they seem to commonly feel a sense of sadness.” 

Nah said foreign audiences particularly like Arirang in her concerts. 

“Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are all embedded in Arirang,” she said. “Arirang has a simple melody but it can be easily attached to your memory and appeal to your heart.” 

Nah said she is always introduced as “a jazz singer from Korea” and she is glad that she could communicate with global audiences through the traditional folk song.