Artist of the week - Yang Pa

Jul 24, 2007

PROFILE:

Real Name: Lee Eun-jin
Birthday: March 17, 1979
Family Members: Parents and younger brother
Height: 162 cm
Blood type: O
Education: Berklee School of Music
Hobbies: Listening to music, Watching movies
Homepage: yangpa.com

BIOGRAPHY:

Our featured artist this week is Yang Pa. Yang Pa (means Onion in Korea) debuted as a high school teenager back in 1996. She has such strong and smooth vocal skills that many people suprised that she's in her teens. In March 1997, her song "Ae Song Ee Ae Sa Rang" reached No. 1 on many music charts in Korea. A new star was born. At year end award ceremonies that year, Yangpa won may awards as "best new artist". Her record sales in 1997 were more than 800,000.

Yangpa released her 2nd album in 1998 and held her first concert. In the same year, she was admitted to the famous Berklee School of Music in Boston with a 4 year scholarship. On interview Yangpa said that studying aboard was her dream. However, she continued to sing for a year before enrollment. Yangpa released her 3rd album in June 1999. Within a month, it was sold 650,000 copies.

While studying aboard, Yangpa continued to released albums. At the end of 1999, Yangpa released her 3.5 album, a special album named "A Letter from Berklee". This album, in my opinion, is one of the very best ballad album by a Korean female artist ever. Even though she's away, she won the KBS Singer of the Year Award that year.

Yangpa then concentrated on her studies. Her 4th album wasn't released until March 2001. She was still studying at the time, but again it did not affect the popularity of her songs. Title song "On Special Night" went to the top 5 in music charts.

Many people thought that when Yangpa finished her studying, she would come back very soon as a full time singer. At that time, nobody expected that we had to wait 6 years for another new album from Yangpa. That was because she had a contract dispute with her old management company. While she's still under contract, she could not release any new albums. Even though she did appear on movie OSTs and collobration albums. Also, a best hit album was released in 2003 that included a collection of her biggest hits.

Fans were waiting and wondering when Yangpa would released a new album. It finally happened in May 2007 when Yangpa released her long awaited 5th album "Windows of My Soul". Over the years on her long hiatus, the k-pop music scene changed a lot. So many young new singers with good voices debuted. We were wondering how many fans still remembered Yangpa.

But that worry was erased in a hurry. Just a few days after release, her album has topped the sales chart and stayed there for many weeks. Even though the record sales were a lot lower than her hey days, still it was impressive for a singer who has not released a new album in 6 years to accomplish such good sales. Also, for the first time in 8 years, Yangpa is appearing on gayo shows to perform. Her song "사랑…그게 뭔데" (Love…What Is That?) was written by famous hit-maker Park Keun Tae. The song reached No. 1 on every charts in Korea for many weeks. It was just like the same good old days for Yangpa, even gaining more fans now than before. In just 2 months, her 6 years of frustration is gone. Yangpa is again one of the top female vocalists in Korea.

DISCOGRAPHY:

1996. 12 1st album 'yangpa'

1998. 1 2nd album 'neverland'

1999. 6 3rd album 'His mansion in the pool … flies.'

1999. 12 3.5th 'a letter from Berklee’

2001. 3 4th album 'perfume'

2003. 11 best album 'Pianhwa'

2007. 5 5ht album "Windows of My Soul"