Live
at Disney Hall Part of the Global Pop Series Presented by "The Blue
Ribbon"
Lena
Park and Wheesung's talents
were on full display in their concert at the world renowned
Disney Hall. The venue's great acoustics and production
standards provided a rare opportunity these Asian artists
to intimately and effectively express their creative interpretations
with their audiences. These two singers embraced that night’s
rare moment by giving their U.S. audience something special
and/or different than their normal concert offerings to
affirm that imitating great singers (despite their great
influence and talents) doesn’t mean duplicating
great singers since audiences (in the long run)
are looking for artists with their own unique vision while
communicating the emotional heartbeat of the songs that
they sing. Today's fans are looking for more than singers
with good to great voices, there are looking for singers
that have taken the time and effort to interpret the words
behind insightful songs in a personal way directly to them.
Since both artists realized a rare opportunity that night,
it brought a greater expectation and excitement to their
joint concert.
Wheesung
Singing "Is It Not Possible"
Lena
Park & Wheesung ("With Me" )
Wheesung
- "Insomnia"
With
the music from his recent single “Insomnia”
playing as a backdrop - Wheesung made his entrance dancing
and singing in a striking outfit of sparkling silver jeans,
see-through black top and grey blazer jacket. Female fans
of his music that made him to be the best selling artist
of 2003 in Korea made themselves known by drowning out his
vocal for the first part of his song. After Insomnia, Wheesung
sang Love is Delicious, Choco Luv, Fading Star, Narak, The
Day We Met, A Walk in the Sky, Ahn Dwe Na Yo, With Me and
Incurable Disease. Wheesung's performance reflected his
growing maturity as a vocalist to go beyond his previous
stiffness and thickness to be replaced by a greater resonance
that provides a greater ability to effectively interpret
songs. This growing process allowed him to continue his
transformation of just being another singer within the Asian
music massive assembly line of singers to providing a unique
voice within the KPop and other music scenes while providing
opportunity to collaborate with artists such as Se7en, M-Flo
and U.K.’s Craig David.
Wheesung's
Last Song at Disney Hall
At
times, Wheesung
appears to be an uptown version of Hong Kong’s Khalid
Fong who has incorporated elements from artists such as Usher
and Justin Timberlake (especially with his dance moves
with his dancers) within his attempts to reach the stylings
of Jay Chou. On his pop ballads, he displayed a restraint
that successfully reflects the taste of his many fans in Korea
and throughout Asia while displaying faint influences from
artists such as Jamie Cullums and Harry Connick. As he matures
as an artist, one looks forward to his development of becoming
a master interpreter of songs that will provide him with a
platform to reach audiences outside of Asia with an unique
creative voice. Could he be an Asian version of either Marvin
Gaye or John Legend in the future?
As
part of the tradition of Asian artists in concert
to stop the concert to talk to the audience, Wheesung fulfilled
his obligation by comically commenting that the dryness
of the air in Los Angeles had caused him to consume a greater
amount of water that he was accustom to that resulted in
his ever-increasing need to use the bathroom. When members
of the audience replied that they would wait for his return,
he laughed and replied that he would just continue with
the concert – albeit with facial expressions that
reflect his attempt of “lasting” till the end
of the performance. His self-deprecating jokes and banter
brought humor and warmth to the presentation to his music
while thrilling his Korean fans (many of them are female)
who responded in piercing screams of delight.
Lena
Park ("You Raise Me Up")
Lena
& Charice (Always Love U)
Lena
Park at 2009 Korean Music Festival
Lena
Park Singing "Somebody Like You"
When
Lena Park appeared on stage
– she (sometimes referred to as the “Utada
Hikaru of Korea”) displayed her versatility of
singing various genres from r&b, Korean/Japanese pop
to gospel throughout her performance (including her
influences from Amy Grant, Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell)
– including her talents at playing piano. Attired
in a little black dress, black wedges and her hair up in
a bun – she started the concert by singing two songs
from her early album and followed with a number of other
songs including the hit “Noon mool e jooreuk jooreuk”
(closest translation is “Tears are Falling”)
with the same excellent "house band" that
backed up Wheesung. Special Note: Disney Hall, Wheesung
and Lena Park are to be commended on providing an excellent
"house band" artists that provided outstanding
musical support while providing a quick transition between
both artists.
Altogether,
Lena Park sang about 12 songs
for the night that displayed why she was selected to represent
Korea in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002
FIFA World Cup – as part of Voices of Korea/Japan
with Brown Eyes, CHEMISTRY and Sowelu. Her selections included
various songs in Japanese and Korean that included, Noon
mool e jooreuk jooreuk, P.S. I Love You, In Dreams, Reflection,
At the Hair Salon, Someone Like Me Someone Like You, I’ll
Write to You, My Day, The Rain and You Mean Everything To
Me. Her smooth singing in
her performances that mainly consisted of ballads reflected
her influenced of old school r&b/jazz singers such as
Nancy Wilson, Anita Baker and Alicia Keys. The audience
were captivated by Lena's performances of many of their
favorite songs, though screams of delight that was afforded
to Wheesung wasn't forthcoming - probably because the majority
of the crowd was female?!?!
Hearing
her interpretations of Reflections from Mulan
and remembering her rendition of “Raise Me Up”
(from the Japanese anime TV series, Romeo & Juliet)
– one long for her to really cut loose and sing with
complete abandon on at least one song (in addition to
the Sandi Patti song listed below) during the concert,
especially since she has demonstrated in the past the vocal
ability and power to successfully do so. I think her fans
were also waiting for her to display her vocal explosiveness
and power that they have come to expect and admire. As a
result, the audience were not as enraptured or vocal in
their response to Lena's performance - in comparison to
Wheesung that solicited screams of delight.
Noting
David Foster’s
(among other American music producers) recent interest in
developing Asian singers (i.e. Filipina Charice - click
HERE
to watch her video - and China’s Jane Zhang - click
HERE
to watch her video) - along with KPop's Boa making
her entry into the marketplace, Lena Park's talents as a
singer put on full display what David Foster's latest Asian
discoveries could be upon transitioning from just having
a good voice to being a singer with the ability to passionately
interpret songs like other talented Asian singers such as
AI
(aka Uemura Carina Ai), Hikaru Utada, Lea
Salonga, Regine Velasquez and others. Given the past
attempts of Coco Lee (even with her solo appearance
at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001 - clickHEREto view her performance) and Utada Hikaru (click
HERE
to see her latest video), along with their male counterparts
such as Rain and Se7en - one might want to review the results
and procedures of their respective attempts to conquor the
U.S. marketplace to maximize one's success. In the past
Asian record company executives had the mistaken notion
that what worked in their own respective countries will
work in the United States. American producers are often
guilty of making Asian singers into the mold of past singers
in a "cookie -cutting" model that practically
eliminates their creative uniqueness and passion. At times,
the parents' of the Asian singers have been the fatal element
in their pursuit for success that resulted in inadequate
promotion/public relations, production, unprofessional management
and/or selection of songs - all of which, has happened in
the past.
STORY
BEHIND THE CONCERT
Korea’s
top ballad singers Lena Park (a.k.a. Park Jung Hyun)
and Wheesung were selected by the Los Angeles County
Music Center to represent Korea at the Global Pop
Concert at the Walt Disney Hall in the U.S. The selection
was made based on their exceptional musical talents
and popularity in Korea.
Lena
developed a repertoire that can best demonstrate her
musical personality - as noted by her popularity formed
after singing the title song of a Disney animation
film, “Mulan,” in 1998. Wheesung has gained
attention from the American music scene after he sang
the Korean version of Craig David’s “Insomnia.”
Presented
in conjunction with Global Pop, Global Social is an
opportunity to connect through interactions and conversation
highlighting Southern California's rich, multicultural
communities. Khype, Korean American Music Foundation,
Koreatown Youth and Community Center, Korean Cultural
Center and Kollaboration are a few of the community
partners that will be at Global Social representing
the diversity of cultural assets in the local Korean
community.
The
next concert (see below to view her video) will feature
Coco Lee in a solo concert featuring her music It
is anticipated that the night will feature exclusively
ballads (including
Best of Love - along with Michael Jackson's "The
Way You Make Me Feel" and "Rock With You")
with a "house band" providing musical
support - along with a special section dedicated to
the late Michael Jackson that includes the songs listed
above- somebody that Coco Lee has met in the past.
A
special part of Lena’s performance
was her duet with Uriah (her much younger sister, as
she stated at the concert) singing their favorite Sandi
Patti song titled “That’s the Love of God.”
The experience seemed to bring back great memories of when
they were singing together in their father’s church
in Downey. Acknowledging her Christian roots, past experiences
of singing in her father's church choir and her parents
in the audience, singing a Contemporary Christian Music
(CCM) seemed to bring a special passion to her
performance that made it the best moments of the concert.
In
addition, it was a delight (as I sure it was a delight
to her parents) watching the older sister (Lena)
escorting the younger sister (Uriah) to each side
of the stage, like an older family mentor gently teaching
her the ropes of how to connect with audiences while providing
opportunities for the audience to give her adulation that
she richly deserved since she sang very well.
Though
Wheesung and Lena have sung together on
several songs in the past, the many requests for encores
were not met – could it be that the venue had a curfew?
Both artists, however, returned to interact and giving thanks
to the audience for their time and support. Given the rare
and intimate opportunity to showcase their talents and magic
when working together, it would have provided memorable
moments that would not be forgotten easily within the Korean
communities. If these moments become trademarks for their
appearances at Disney Hall, this annual showcase has the
opportunity of becoming an event that both artists and audiences
alike look forward to attend.
Congratulations
- despite the fact that the concert wasn't
sold-out - should be accorded to the sponsors of this event
and the others involved in the Global Pop Series - The Blue
Ribbon, a Music Center support group consisting of 625+
women such as prominent members such as Maralee Beck, Karen
Kay Platt and Maxine Dunitz. Through their vision of championing
the arts by bringing celebrated international artist representing
the diverse through their substantial financial contributions,
Lena Park and Wheesung were able to perform to their U.S.
fans – with Coco Lee appearing in July.
Their
inaugural concerts
featured Fly the the Sky and Lea Salonga in 2008. Hopefully,
their Global Pop Series (in conjunction with Korean
community partners such as KHype, Korean American Music
Foundation, Koreatown Youth and Community Center, Korean
Cultural Center and Kollaboration for the next KPop concert)
will continue to build their relationships with the various
Asian communities since they have demonstrated that they
will support their respective artists that perform in Southern
California. Past examples of successful recent concerts
have included the Annual Korean Music Festival (SRO
18,000+ people - for seven years), Gary V.’s
SRO concert at Nokia Theater (6,100+ people), Celebrating
the Beijing Olympics (featuring Stephanie Su with 9,000+
people) at Inglewood Forum (former home of the
L.A. Lakers), Jay Chou at Galen Theater with 8,000+
people in attendance and many other examples that include
KPop's The Wonder Girls" performing on the Jonas Brothers'
2009 tour.
Review:
Coco Lee's concert
had a surprisingly small audience, considering her stature
in Asia, though it might have been anticipated considering
the low media coverage, community involvement and promotion
within the Chinese communities. Despite some production/sound
engineering issues not often found at events at Disney Hall
- Coco's
performance reflected her success in Asia, her experiences
in the United States and her
tribute to Michael Jackson.With the renownNathan
Wang(Fullbright Fellowship recipient who has worked
on Steven Spielberg, Fox's Eekstravanza/Likely Suspects,
Warner Brother's China Beach, Dreamwork's Toonsylvania,
Steven Spielberg's Lost Children of Berlin, Disney's Pith
Possum and Jackie Chan's Asian version of Rumble in the
Bronx/First StrikeWho Am I - among other credits. He has
also worked with Sandy Lam, Jenny Tseng and Chris Wong while
composing the music for Zhang Ziyi's latest movie entitled
Sophie's Revenge. To listen to the theme that Nathan composed,
click HERE)
conducting her music, Coco's vocals soared with the excellent
musical foundation that was filled with ballads. She shared
with her audience (in English, Mandarin and Cantonese)
memories of her career in Asia, attempts to conquor the
U.S. marketplace (a topic to be discussed at another
time) and meeting with the recently deceased Michael
Jackson. Considering the above-listed success of Asian concerts,
along with other similar events at its sister venue - the
Hollywood Bowl with events such as its Lang Lang/Herbie
Hancock concert - it is this reviewer's hope that the Global
Pop organizers will incorporate factors that will bring
creative and financial success befitting their vision.
EXPANDING
THE SCOPE AND FOCUS OF THE GLOBAL POP SERIES
could
the next year's concerts be in conjunction with
the male counterparts of “The Blue Ribbon”
support group, the David Adishian-led “Fraternity
of Friends" (read the information on the
left for more information) – since this
private group of 250 money managers from 90 public/private
companies, real estate moguls, entertainment executives
within 22 entertainment companies and lawyers from
16 law firms with a combined market capitalization
of $18 billion has provided many millions in support
of culture and the arts?
Given
these financial resources, imagine a series of sold-out
concerts at Disney Hall from all the major Asian
communities during Asian Pacific American Heritage
Month (May) – an Asian version of
the “Spotlights Awards.” I can!
The
"Fraternity of Friends" is the Music Center's
version of the old boys' network--one with a cultural
and philanthropic twist. The
little-known, male-only Fraternity of Friends has
ponied up millions of dollars over the years to
support the Music Center--including a combined $18
million to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The fraternity's
only requirements appear to be a seven-figure income
and an interest in giving money and time to one
of the Music Center's four marquee names - Dorothy
Chandler Pavilion, the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson
Theatre and Disney Hall. To become a member, a hopeful
candidate has to be sponsored by and know an existing
member.
Founded
in 1978, the Fraternity of Friends modeled itself
on its older sister organization, Blue Ribbon, a
women's-only club created in 1968 by Dorothy Chandler
to provide economic and community support for the
performing arts. Today,
fraternity members hail from more than 90 public
and private companies with a combined market capitalization
of $18 billion. More than 22 entertainment companies,
16 law firms and a handful of real estate moguls
are on the roster. They created its
own philanthropic outlet--the Spotlight Awards--a
one-night performance by local high school students
that is like a cross between "American Idol"
and the Academy Awards. Most
of the Spotlight Awards winners become successful
professionals in ballet, theater and dance.
A
Final Flash! The
Wheesung and Lena Park concert started out great since it
started on time – a rarity for Asian concerts! Hopefully,
Disney Hall’s professionalism will start a new tradition
and/or a blueprint for successful Asian concerts that incorporates
professional production standards. Unfortunately, past Asian
concerts - in contract to the above-listed successful concerts
- have been consistently plaque with unfortunate circumstances
filled with last-minute cancellation (Rain's cancelled concert
at Staples Center), the supposedly BOCOG (Beijing Olympics
Committee) endorsed concert at the Nokia Theater filled
with various problems while not being well-attended and
others. Asian audiences have a fast-growing track record
of supporting their artists, this reviewer looks forward
to Disney Hall's upcoming concerts highlighting artistic
representatives of "Global Pop" at their venue.
Wheesung
Info
Awards
2003 18th Golden Disc Awards - Bonsang
2003 Korean Music Awards - Bonsang
2003 Seoul Gayo Awards - Bonsang
2004 Korean Music Awards - Best Male Performer
2004 M.NET KM Music Video Festival - Best R&B
Artist
2004 19th Golden Disk Awards - Bonsang
2004 KBS Music Awards - Bonsang
2004 MBC Music Awards - Bonsang
2005 M.NET KM Music Video Festival - Best Male
R&B Artist
2005 20th Golden Disk Awards - Bonsang
2005 SBS Gayo Awards - Bonsang
2007 22nd Golden Disk Awards - Bonsang
CDs
Vol. 4 - Love...Love...? Love...!
Vol. 5 - Eternal Essence Of Music Wheesung
1st Mini Album - With All My Heart And Soul
Wheesung
Memory of The Restless OST Korean Movie Soundtrack
Joo Suc Vol. 4 - Seoul City's Finest : Superior
Vol.2 Joosuc
Best Ballad Vol. 4 Korean Various Artists
Club Hit Gayo Remix Vol. 5 Korean Various Artists
The Kingdom of The Winds OST (KBS TV Drama)
K-pop Super Live In Saitama Super Arena (Japan
Version)
Lena
Park Info
CDs
(Click on the LINKS to purchase Lena's music) Music Cosmorama Subetenomononi
Anatawoomou Gold
Within Another Piece
Ai no Jealousy (Japan Version)
Beyond the line (Japan Version) FALL
IN LOVE (Japan Version)
Vol.3 - Naturally Inori
- You Raise Me Up (Japan Version)
Sanctuary (Japan Version)
Vol. 6 - Come To Where I Am (Taiwan Version)
Park Jung Hyun Single - Precarious Story
Park Jung Hyun Live - Op.4 Concert Project 4th
Movement THE ALBUM
Vol. 5 - On&On
Vol. 7 - 10 Ways To Say I Love You Poster (Version
B)
Vol. 7 - 10 Ways To Say I Love You Poster (Version
A)
Vol. 6 - Come To Where I Am
Vol. 7 - 10 Ways To Say I Love You
Vol. 7 - 10 Ways To Say I Love You (Repackage
Edition)
Chemistry - fo(u)r (Korean Special Version)
The 25th MBC Korean Children's Song Contest
The Accidental Couple OST (KBS TV Drama) Korean
Various Artists
The Contractor (2007) (VCD) (Hong Kong Version)
