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