Since Jung Mina정민아 is a well-known gayageum musician, you might think that she was born into a rich family and had an easy time studying the instrument. However, she actually dabbled in different jobs before becoming a professional gayageum artist. She graduated from Gugak National High School and the Department of Korean Traditional Music of Hanyang University, but had a difficult time making a living as a musician after failing a few auditions. She found a weekend job at a club near her house that allowed her to use its studio for gayageum practice. That job led her to a night gig at the club playing gayageum, while working as a telemarketer during the day. Her life back then was extremely hectic, yet she made time to write her own music. Fans of her heartfelt music grew steadily but she still had a hard time making ends meet. She still had to work several different jobs to continue her music career and one of those jobs was making rice balls. She made rice balls and sold them in front of a subway station. She turned that experience into a song, which we’ll play as today’s first piece. Jung Mina sings “Rice Balls” to her own gayageum accompaniment. 

Rice Balls/ Sung by Jung Mina

The lyrics describe her fear of being chased out of her spot and being fined. She sang such dire circumstances in a cheerful tone maybe because she was still young and optimistic. Her positive disposition could have helped her hold onto her dreams despite all the hardships and develop her music career. 

Making a living wasn’t her only problem back then. In 2005 when her first album was released, the gugak music world was still very conservative. So her unusual experiences as a telemarketer or a club musician drew more attention than her musical skills. Nowadays, it isn’t that strange for gugak music groups to play pieces that would suit better in clubs, but back then it was almost unthinkable for a gayageum musician to play in a club. She must have suffered misgivings from her peers as well. However, such skepticism doesn’t target only trailblazers like Jung Mina, but all those who pioneer new paths. We can enjoy a diverse range of music thanks to people who endured such cynicism and misunderstandings. The next song we have is “Cheongchunga청춘가” or “Song of Youth,” a Gyeonggi-do folksong of the same name with different lyrics.

I have no money, no job. I fail in everything I do. 

Dogs laugh at an old adage that says, “You can do it.”

Does the word ‘youth’ still make your heart flutter?

Even the saying “Youth is pain” is no longer convincing. 

It sounds pretty grim and hopeless up until now. But listen to the lyrics that follow.

Don’t worry about getting a job or what others think.

If you have something you’d like to do, just do it like the youth. 

Does the word ‘youth’ still make your heart flutter?

Yes, yes, it does. It is youth. 

 

Here’s Kim Yong-woo singing “Song of Youth.” 

Song of Youth/ Sung by Kim Yong-woo

In January 2011, a young screenwriter named Choi Go-eun최고은 died alone in her room. She left a note on her neighbor’s door asking for food, which caused her to be remembered as a starving artist who died of malnutrition. But, she was actually a very talented writer whose death caused the Korean public to pay more attention to the lives of young artists. Artists still have a hard time making a decent living only with music, but that economic difficulty seems to have spread these days to young people in general. Even with good grades and several certificates, young people have a hard time finding decent jobs and financial security. What we grownups find encouraging, however, is that many young people still try to follow their dreams and work hard for future happiness. We hope that today’s last song “Tiger” encourages them to face their present fearlessly and strive for a better future. Here’s Bang Su-mi and Ravi singing “Tiger.”

Tiger/ Sung by Bang Su-mi & Ravi