Lim Hyung-joo, this year marks the 20th anniversary of his world debut. When he made his debut in Korea in 1998, he took the lead as a leader in pioneering the genre, even though the genre of popera was unfamiliar in Korea. He took the lead in promoting the genre of Korean popera abroad and also contributed a lot. Not only did he debut in Korea, but he also appeared dozens of times in leading broadcasting companies around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, and Taiwan, promoting Korean culture and art. On December 31, 2005, he was the first Korean classical musician to be invited to the 56th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, a year-end music program representing Japan, and he appeared and won the NHK Trophy, contributing greatly to promoting Korean classical music by creating a sensation throughout Asia. Among his songs, Misty Moon has been a remake door countless times in China, and on the Chinese video platform site Billy, there are cases where the number of views per video is up to 200 million. If his song is that popular, it is becoming more and more popular as the theme song of the Chinese modern drama drama I Love Only You in 2020 was inserted as the theme song of the drama. Various people are participating in various audition programs while singing his songs, and it is also registered as a popular song on Chinese social platforms.
In addition, other songs are also undergoing a remake boom in Asia, and the song “Hopefully Happy,” which was the theme of the drama “Chae-Gul Chunhyang” aired in Korea in 2005, has been remixed by famous singers and actors in Indonesia and Southeast Asia 18 years later. It is currently recording more than 200 million cumulative views. In addition, the historical drama “Buddy,” which was the theme of “King and I” reflected in Korea in 2007, remains popular in dramas in Thailand and Southeast Asia, and the song is also popular in Southeast Asia. However, popera genre leader Lim Hyung-joo tried various forms and methods to make it easier for people from various classes and countries to access classical music and popera. His influence is great in Asia, but he is highly evaluated in other countries. In May of the same year, Lim Hyung-joo was included as one of the top three popera tenors in the world by famous music columnist Grace Keiko, who was named as one of the top three popera artists for CNN iReport, and was named as one of the most influential popera singers in the world by a BBC producer along with Sarah Brightman of the U.K., Andrea Bocelli of Italy, Josh Groban of the U.S., and Il Divo of multinational group, and was a pioneer in Asian popera and a young master of world popera. He was also recognized and praised by various leading media outlets around the world for his talent and musicality by the U.S. national daily newspaper The International New York Times, Japan’s major daily Yomiuri Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, China’s largest daily newspaper and the People’s Daily.He is the first Korean musician to perform at all three halls of Carnegie Hall, the “Dream Stage” in New York, at the age of 24, and has performed as a solo artist. He has performed successfully at the world’s best classical music halls, including the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the Hollywood Bowl, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, and the main auditorium at Harvard University’s Napel Center in Boston, where he sold out. He has been active in recordings along with performances since his debut. He is the first Korean musician to sign a solo distribution contract with Sony Music, EMI Music, Warner Music and Universal Music, and ranked 10th on the Billboard K-hot 100 chart in the U.S., the highest among Korean classical musicians, and ranked first on the Japanese Oricon Chart Classical Crossover & Healing Music Chart.
He has a diverse and splendid award history Representatively, he has a lot of history in addition to the U.S. House of Representatives Commendation of California, President Obama’s Award for Special Contribution to China’s Chunje Wanhui (Chunwan) Award, and the Presidential Award and the Speaker Award of the Republic of Korea.
Lim Hyung-joo is currently the first Korean to serve as professor of the Department of Vocal Music at the City College of the Arts in Rome, a full member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science – NARAS, and a voting judge for GRAMMYs. He also used his influence a lot in advantageous places even after achieving great musical success. Representatively, when he visited Mongolia in September this year to help establish a secondary school in Mongolia, he coincidentally overlapped with Pope Francis’ visit to Mongolia, which gave him the opportunity to sing in front of Pope Francis. Also, when I was conducting the Mass the next day, I sang Ave Maria without music once again. He said about this experience, “I have performed on numerous stages so far, but I think I will remember it more than any other stage and will never forget it. The part that Pope Nam told me to sing Cantare will be the driving force for me to continue serving and life as a musician in my life,” he said. He did not rest his volunteer work even though he did so many musical activities. Thus, he was named a world-class popera tenor born by Korea, which won the “UN Peace Medal” award from the UN headquarters for the youngest and the first time in Korea. The album Life On Air, released in November, is known as a “radio concept” in which comments and songs coexist, which have not been tried well in Korea.
SOPHIA KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
