Youn Sun Nah (vocals), Eric Legnini (piano, keyboards), Tony Paeleman (piano, keyboards)
Youn Sun Nah has a moving voice covering a broad spectrum of colours, timbres and hues, a character drawing on her Korean roots and myriad musical influences. These qualities enable her to express a wide range of emotions, making her one of a kind, not easily comparable to other singers. The Korean performer is an exceptional improviser and has the particular skill of being able to sing in several languages: Korean, English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
Youn Sun Nah was born in Seoul on 28 August 1969 into a family with a passion for singing and music; her father was a choir conductor and her mother a singer. She set out on her musical career at the age of 23 with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, going on to participate in Korean musicals for which she has bagged numerous accolades. A lover of French culture and song, she visited Paris in autumn 1995, deciding to move there to study French chanson and Jazz. Her natural inclination towards this style of music became obvious when she started playing in clubs throughout the city in 1996-1997. Since then she has never stopped working and racking up success, having recorded around a dozen albums, received numerous recognitions and taken her performance to top festivals and prestigious stages worldwide.
At the 59th edition of the Jazzaldia, Youn Sun Nah will present her album Elles, penned for release on 26 January 2024. Long known for her ability to approach several styles and perform numbers by widely varying artists such as Tom Waits, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye and Metallica, in Elles (2024) Youn Sun Nah offers a selection of covers paying tribute to the voices of the women who have marked her career: from Nina Simone to Roberta Flack, and including Björk, Maria João, Sarah Vaughan, Grace Jones and Edith Piaf.
Backed by the subtle and creative work of Jon Cowherd, Youn Sun Nah reimagines standards old and new in charming fashion, across genres and taking little account of musical eras and borders.
