"'Mul Jom Juso' Handae-su Shakes New York Stage in His 70s"

On Stage at Lincoln Center Reopening
Sings 'Haengbog-ui Nara-ro' in Korean and English to Audience Applause
"Challenging New York Music Scene with Korean Rock"

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min]

Singer Han Dae-su is posing after his performance at Lincoln Center on the 24th. (Photo by Baek Jong-min)

Singer Han Dae-soo made his debut in the American music scene through the stage of Lincoln Center, a representative complex performance venue in New York City, USA.

On the 24th (local time), Han Dae-soo took the stage of the performance "You are here," planned for the reopening of Lincoln Center, which had been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic. "You are here" is a complex performance prepared by Lincoln Center to overcome the pain of COVID-19 and inspire hope for the future through artists recommended by various local communities, including the Korean Cultural Center in New York.

Han Dae-soo sang his hit songs "Mul Jom Juso" (Give Me Some Water), "Religion," and "Haengbok-ui Nararo" (To the Land of Happiness), delivering messages of comfort and hope to New Yorkers suffering from COVID-19. In particular, he sang "Haengbok-ui Nararo" simultaneously in Korean and English, drawing empathy from the audience. He also chose a song with English lyrics he had never performed in Korea for the American audience.

Han Dae-soo explained that this performance holds significant meaning not only for himself but also for Korean rock music. He spent his youth in New York and returned to Korea in the 1970s, releasing "Mul Jom Juso" and becoming a pioneer of Korean folk rock. Although he had performed in New York clubs before, it took about 40 years to hold an official concert?at the age of 70.

He showed extreme concentration, refraining from speaking except during rehearsals for the performance scheduled until the 30th, delivering a perfect show.

In an interview with Asia Economy, Han Dae-soo emphasized sharing the pain of COVID-19, which he also experienced, with the citizens of New York.

Han Dae-soo returned to New York a few years ago for the education of his daughter Yang-ho. Because of this, he fully experienced the COVID-19 outbreak in New York at the age of 70. He also released an album last year reflecting on those difficult experiences.

Han Dae-soo said, "Although New York's cultural and entertainment scene was centered around Jewish communities, interest in Asian culture has grown as issues of COVID-19 and Asian racial discrimination have come to the forefront," expressing hope that this performance could be a new turning point.

Interest in Korean music, which rose with BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan), has raised expectations for attention not only to idols but also to more popular music musicians.

He said, "There are many Asian artists in the New York music scene, especially in classical music, but there is no rock music. I hope this performance will be an opportunity to introduce Korean rock music."

Han Dae-soo described "Mul Jom Juso," known as folk music, as hard rock. He explained that in the 1970s in Korea, there were no places or musicians to perform rock music, so he ended up playing folk music.

He expressed regret over the cancellation of a Korean rock music concert that was planned at New York's Radio City Hall in the past. He added, "I want to challenge the New York music scene with Korean rock," giving a thumbs-up to Korean musicians such as Shin Dae-chul, Son Moo-hyun, and Han Sang-won, calling them excellent.