Celebrating 30 Years of Musical Journey... Musician Jang Sa-ik

[Anchor]

He is often referred to as a native vocalist who comforts the weary lives of Koreans. Sorikkun (traditional Korean vocalist) Jang Sa-ik is marking the 30th anniversary of his debut with a stage that synthesizes his musical journey thus far. Today's [13th] Nightline Invitation features Jang Sa-ik, one of the greatest vocalists of our time.

Q. You said that 'the past 30 years feel just like three days'... What does that mean?

[Jang Sa-ik / Musician: People often say 'ten years feel like a day.' Enduring ten years is really difficult, but after starting to sing, my life has been so joyful and happy that the 30 years feel just like three days, which is why I say that. (So you mean it passed by in the blink of an eye?) Yes, exactly.]

Q. You have set the record for the most solo concerts at the same venue for 30 years... How do you feel?

[Jang Sa-ik / Musician: About two years after I first started singing, my third stage ever was the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. So, quietly and steadily, thinking of it as a homework assignment every two years, I have continued to perform without stopping with a certain theme. Therefore, I can say that the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is the hometown of my singing.]

Q. Your 30th-anniversary concert is titled 'Road'... What kind of stage are you preparing?

[Jang Sa-ik / Musician: Isn't it called a road? Life is expressed as a road, and as we live, we encounter many relationships. People get lost in poems, get lost among people, and find their way while living, but actually finding one's own path is not easy. However, having gone through various corporate office jobs, those work experiences themselves were the path of life for me. Sometimes it was blocked, and sometimes I fell. But for over 30 years, I have been living on the path of song. Also, the very first song I ever sang was a folk song called 'The Road to Heaven.' Since I am ultimately searching for and walking the road to heaven, that road and the path I have lived are all connected, which led me to hold this concert under the title 'Road.'

Q. You have made various musical attempts... Will you showcase them in this concert as well?

[Jang Sa-ik / Musician: Last year, feeling a bit bored of just walking the path I always took, I thought about wandering down a slightly different road, so we did a nationwide tour project called 'A Durumagi Wears Jazz,' where Canadian jazz musicians came and performed. So this time too, among the songs I learned back then, there is an autumn song called 'Autumn Leaves,' which I will sing to the rhythm of our jazz friends. I also plan to sing some children's songs and old songs, showcasing a wide variety of music.]

Q. Many of your songs comfort the public... With what mindset do you sing?

[Jang Sa-ik / Musician: Those songs are ultimately my own stories. All songs are my stories. Especially in the case of 'Wild Rose,' before singing it, I was in a very difficult situation when I saw a wild rose hidden inside a thicket of rosebushes, and wondered where this fragrance was coming from, and when I looked, I found a beautiful fragrance coming from the white wild rose hidden among the roses. That's when I shed tears. Ordinary citizens who don't put on airs in the middle of the world—aren't their lives even more fragrant? So, thinking about my own situation and imagining those scenes, I just pour my heart out and cry while singing. But I suppose that's why the listeners resonate with it.]

Q. What does 'song' mean to you?

[Jang Sa-ik / Musician: Well, for me, singing is finding the path of my life. The reason for my existence in this world is: while you enjoy yourself singing, make all the people in the world happy. Like a young clown, making the world joyful, washing away the sorrows of the sad, and making those who are already happy even happier—this truly feels like happiness, finding that path.]

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