Lena Park
Encyclopedia
Lena Park, also known as Park Jung-hyun, (born March 23, 1976 in Los Angeles), is a Korean-American R&B singer. Early in her life, Park showed talent for singing, mainly in the choir of her father's church in Downey
with her siblings Brian and Uriah. She also learned to play saxophone and piano. As of June 2007, Park has released 8 Korean
albums, 2 Korean singles, 3 Japanese albums and 7 Japanese singles. Park is often referred to as the R&B Queen, considered one of the best female singers in Korea.
album in 1993. She continued her studies while doing many performances. She attended UCLA
for a year before she began a career as a singer beginning with her first Korean album, Piece, in 1998. Park's first album sold more than 500,000 copies despite her not being comfortable enough to do promotions on talk shows. She did not learn to speak Korean very well until she released her first album.
In 1999, A Second Helping was released. It also was well received by both fans and the critics. Park's third album, "Naturally", was mixed in both South Korea
and the USA.
After a year break from singing because of her studies in the USA, she came back in 2002 with her album called Op.4. More comfortable with the media, she became much more accessible for talk shows and performances.
In 2002, her song "Kkum-e" (In a Dream) was a big success and enabled her to enter foreign markets, such as Singapore. The Korean government
selected Park to represent Korea in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 FIFA World Cup
. At the end of 2002, a "best of" album was released and she played a series of concerts. Live recordings from these concerts were made into her first special live album in CDs and DVD.
Park, along with Brown Eyes, CHEMISTRY
and Sowelu
formed the special unit conveniently called "Voices of Korea/Japan" and made the title song for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Official Album – Songs of Korea/Japan. She later debuted in the Japanese music industry where she received moderate success.
She is especially proud of her fifth Korean album, On & On, because she felt that she was finally comfortable and confident singing and composing in Korean. It took her about a year to make the album and during that time she became very involved with the production and creative work behind the album; she helped with a lot of the song arrangements, played the piano for some of the tracks and composed four of the songs on the album.
In 2007, she performed the opening theme, , of the Japanese anime
TV series, Romeo x Juliet
, which is a Japanese cover of Rolf Lovland and Brendan Graham's song, You Raise Me Up
. The single also includes a cover of the English version.
Her 6th Korean album, Come To Where I Am, was released on December 11, 2007. All songs were written and produced by Lena herself.
In 2010, she has graduated magna cum laude from New York’s Columbia University School of General Studies
with a degree in English and Comparative Literature.
Lena's fan base has recently grown exponentially in Korea through the nationally broadcasted program "I am a singer" and has earned the nickname "Nation's Fairy"
Korean Singles
Japanese Singles
Japanese Albums
Collaborations
Downey, California
Downey is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city is best known as the birthplace of the Apollo space program, and is the city where folk singer Karen Carpenter lived and died...
with her siblings Brian and Uriah. She also learned to play saxophone and piano. As of June 2007, Park has released 8 Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
albums, 2 Korean singles, 3 Japanese albums and 7 Japanese singles. Park is often referred to as the R&B Queen, considered one of the best female singers in Korea.
Professional career
Park won several singing contests in the United States before recording a GospelGospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
album in 1993. She continued her studies while doing many performances. She attended UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
for a year before she began a career as a singer beginning with her first Korean album, Piece, in 1998. Park's first album sold more than 500,000 copies despite her not being comfortable enough to do promotions on talk shows. She did not learn to speak Korean very well until she released her first album.
In 1999, A Second Helping was released. It also was well received by both fans and the critics. Park's third album, "Naturally", was mixed in both South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and the USA.
After a year break from singing because of her studies in the USA, she came back in 2002 with her album called Op.4. More comfortable with the media, she became much more accessible for talk shows and performances.
In 2002, her song "Kkum-e" (In a Dream) was a big success and enabled her to enter foreign markets, such as Singapore. The Korean government
Government of South Korea
The Government of South Korea is divided into executive, judicial, and legislative branches. The executive and judicial branches operate primarily at the national level, although various ministries in the executive branch also carry out local functions. Local governments are semi-autonomous, and...
selected Park to represent Korea in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
. At the end of 2002, a "best of" album was released and she played a series of concerts. Live recordings from these concerts were made into her first special live album in CDs and DVD.
Park, along with Brown Eyes, CHEMISTRY
Chemistry (band)
is a Japanese Pop/R&B duo, composed of and . They were the winners of the Asayan audition in 2000 organized by Sony Music Entertainment Japan....
and Sowelu
Sowelu
better known by her stage name, Sowelu, is a Japanese pop/R&B singer signed onto Avex Group's label Rhythm Zone.- History :Her career started in 2002 with the release of her first single Beautiful Dreamer, a soft love ballad which did very well in the charts, and was later featured on the Relaxin’...
formed the special unit conveniently called "Voices of Korea/Japan" and made the title song for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Official Album – Songs of Korea/Japan. She later debuted in the Japanese music industry where she received moderate success.
She is especially proud of her fifth Korean album, On & On, because she felt that she was finally comfortable and confident singing and composing in Korean. It took her about a year to make the album and during that time she became very involved with the production and creative work behind the album; she helped with a lot of the song arrangements, played the piano for some of the tracks and composed four of the songs on the album.
In 2007, she performed the opening theme, , of the Japanese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
TV series, Romeo x Juliet
Romeo x Juliet
is a TV anime series, loosely based on William Shakespeare's classical play, Romeo and Juliet, along with numerous references and characters from other Shakespearean plays. Though the anime borrows mostly from Shakespeare's story, the manga adaptation differs extensively from the original...
, which is a Japanese cover of Rolf Lovland and Brendan Graham's song, You Raise Me Up
You Raise Me Up
"You Raise Me Up" was the debut single from Westlife's fifth studio album, Face To Face.This version is considered by many to be the most popular , of all the various versions of the same song. The single peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the band's 13th Number One. It was the first...
. The single also includes a cover of the English version.
Her 6th Korean album, Come To Where I Am, was released on December 11, 2007. All songs were written and produced by Lena herself.
In 2010, she has graduated magna cum laude from New York’s Columbia University School of General Studies
Columbia University School of General Studies
The School of General Studies, commonly known as General Studies or simply GS, is one of the three official undergraduate colleges at Columbia University. It is a highly selective Ivy League undergraduate liberal arts college designed for non-traditional students and confers Bachelor of Art and...
with a degree in English and Comparative Literature.
Lena's fan base has recently grown exponentially in Korea through the nationally broadcasted program "I am a singer" and has earned the nickname "Nation's Fairy"
Discography
Korean Albums- [1998.08.09] 1st Album: Piece
- [1999.04.19] 2nd Album: A Second Helping
- [2000.11.09] 3rd Album: Naturally
- [2001.05.06] Special Album: Forever
- [2002.06.15] 4th Album: Op.4
- [2002.10.24] Best Album: The Romantic Story of Park Jung Hyun
- [2003.07.05] Live Album: Live Op.4 Concert Project 4th Movement
- [2003.07.05] Live Album: Live Op.4 Concert Project 4th Movement (DVD)
- [2005.02.05] 5th Album: On & On
- [2007.12.11] 6th Album: Come To Where I Am
- [2009.02.27] 7th Album: 10 Ways To Say I Love You
Korean Singles
- [2006.03.29] "Against All Odds"
- [2006.04.15] 위태로운 이야기 (Witaeroun Iyagi, Precarious Stories)
- [2008.10.22] No Break (with Crown JCrown JCrown J is a South Korean rapper who made his debut in March, 2006. Having lived in the Los Angeles, U.S., Crown J brings U.S.-style hip-hop to Korean listeners. He lived in Atlanta before moving to Los Angeles. However, his songs about love, friendship and family are filled with Korean sentiments...
) - [2008.12.12] Winter Kiss (feat. Baek Chan of 8eight)
- [2011.05.08] 이젠 그랬으면 좋겠네 (Ijen Geuraesseumyeon Jotgetne, I Hope It Would Be That Way Now)
Japanese Singles
- [2004.11.25] "FALL IN LOVE"
- [2005.05.18] "Sanctuary"
- [2006.02.22]
- [2006.03.24] "Music"
- [2006.05.21] "Gold"
- [2006.10.04] "Ai no Jealousy"
- [2007.06.20]
Japanese Albums
- [2004.11.25] another piece
- [2005.05.18] Beyond the line
- [2006.06.21] COSMORAMA
Collaborations
- [1998.xx.xx] Player – The New Beginning
- [1999.xx.xx] Yoon Jong Shin – 7th
- [2002.05.xx] Yoon Jong Shin – From The Beginning
- [2002.05.29] 2002 FIFA World Cup Official Album – Songs of Korea/Japan
- [2003.05.xx] Kim Jin Pyo – 4th
- [2003.05.xx] Na Won Ju – 1st
- [2003.12.10] Voice of Love Posse
- [2004.04.xx] Kim Jin Pyo – Remasatering All about JP
- [2005.03.24] JHETT aka YAKKO for AQUARIUS – JHETT (Track 11: Everything Inside Of Me feat. Lena Park)
Trivia
- In 2010 she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia's School of General Studies (undergraduate college for non-traditional students).
- She likes music from U2U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Amy GrantAmy GrantAmy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
, Tori AmosTori AmosTori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
, RadioheadRadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
and Joni MitchellJoni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
. - In Japan, Lena Park is often referred to as the "Utada HikaruUtada Hikaru, known by her stage name Utada in America and Europe, is a Japanese-American singer, song writer, arranger, and producer. Since the release of her Japanese debut album First Love, which went on to become the best-selling album in Oricon history, Utada has had three of her Japanese studio albums...
of Korea". Park and Utada were both born in the United States, and heavily influenced by American R&B music. They have both attended Columbia University although Utada has since dropped out. They both achieve success since their debut, and are both very influential female singer-songwriters.