A Singer You Must Know If You Want To Understand Korean R&B

박정현 Jung-hyun Park (a.k.a. Lena Park)

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jung-hyun came to Korea by herself in 1996 to become a singer when she was still a college student at UCLA.

In Korea, she had a difficult time learning Korean as she rarely spoke Korean.

But her poor Korean speaking skills and unique accent couldn’t stop her from becoming a famous singer. She met a producer, Jongshin Yoon, and released her first album <Piece> in 1998.

In her first album <Piece>, the title song ‘My Day’ and the side track ‘P.S. I Love You’ became a great hit and she was recognized by the public.

Her ability to put emotions into the lyrics is extraordinary. With her rich, powerful voice with remarkable musical interpretation skills, she makes people burst into tears.

Although she is best known as an R&B singer, she sings across genres, such as pop, soul, gospel, and modern rock. She participated in music TV shows like “I am a singer” and “Begin Again” and gained even more popularity.

Throughout her 26 years in the K-pop scene, she has released dozens of songs.

Here are 8 songs we recommend you to listen.

(song / album)

1. 꿈에 (My dream) / Op.4

2. 나의 하루 (My day) / Piece

3. P.S. I Love You / Piece

4. 눈물이 주룩주룩 (A flood of tears) / 10 Ways to say I love you

5. 미아 (Lost Child) / On & On

6. 편지할게요 (I’ll write you a letter) / A Second Helping

7. 싱숭생숭 (SsSs) / Dynamic Duo x Lena Park (Single album)

8. 어땠을까 (What would have been) / PSY 6 GAB Part 1