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and has collaborated with many other well-known jazz musicians including Benny Green,

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, Rodney Green,

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and Suzuki Hisatsugu. She is also well known for training

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, a popular

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singer.

Biography

When she was 18, WoongSan spent a year and a half at a Buddhist temple in the Korean countryside. During her training she had a powerful realization: her calling in life was music. Initially she played in a college rock band, but after a friend played her a

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record, she began to dedicate herself to jazz. She spent several years performing as a solo artist then released her first album accompanied by a jazz ensemble in 1996. By the end of 1998 she was a recognizable figure in both Korea and Japan, and since then, she has released six albums, garnered numerous awards and critical acclaim, and continues to tour prolifically. She has also written many songs for films. Last year, she proved her career was an ongoing path as a music performer on the stage collaborated with

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Style

WoongSan's style is a distinctive blend of jazz,

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, Latin and

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style. Her mid-low voice does not span as much tonal ground as other famous singers, but what she lacks in range she more than makes up for in creativity and malleability. As an independent lyricist, Woong San has penned powerful ballads, cozy love numbers and everything in between. Buddhism has played a prominent role in her life, and it shines through in her songwriting: she often explores the themes of freedom, mindfulness and the beauty of change in her songs. Her work has been described as "soulful, fearless, sultry."

Albums

Awards

#1993 MBC Korean Popular Music Festival's "Best Singer' award # 2001 MM Jazz's (jazz magazine), "best Artist" award # 2003 MM Jazz's "Best Musician" award # 2008 Korean Popular Music Awards' "Best Jazz & Crossover Album" award # 2008 Reader Poll magazine's "best Vocalist" award # 2010 Swing Journal's "Gold Disc" award for her album # 2011 Jazz Criticism's "Jazz Disc Grand Prize" award

State honors

Soundtracks

# "Elegy" for Korean TV show, Kyungsung Scandal # "I Think I Loved You" for Korean TV show, Mother, Sister # Participated in OST for Korean TV show, Lema Lee, the Sun # "Destiny" for Korean TV show, Ill Ji Mae # "In the Mood" for Korean film, Who Slept With Her? # "Pierro's Mask" for Korean film, The Shadow Murder # "Outrageous Love" on soundtrack for Korean TV show, Chuno # "You Make Me" on soundtrack for Korean TV Show, Kiss Sixth Sense

Notes

References

{{Authority control 1973 births Living people Blues musicians K-pop singers South Korean women pop singers South Korean jazz singers 20th-century South Korean women singers 21st-century South Korean women singers South Korean Buddhists