Walking into Itaewon’s Urban bar I overheard two musicians talking about Sungha, “I wish I could play like this kid when I was his age” one said. “I wish I could play like this kid now” said the other- and this couldn’t be closer to the truth as I witness the 12 year old legend-in-the-making Sungha Jung wail away on his acoustic guitar to Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean.
It goes without saying that he’s not your average Nintendo DS enthusiastic preteen with nearly a million hits on YouTube- revamping the classics of Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Marley and Nirvana; just to name a few. Sungha’s been shredding through every ounce of music he can get his hands on.
Growing up listening to his father’s 60’- 70’s pop collection is where his journey began. At 9 he picked up the guitar emulating his father and began as any beginner does- basic chords, scales, tuning and of course repetition. Soon he began taking lessons and shortly after that he embarked on teaching himself the art of finger-style. When Sungha couldn’t get the tabs for a song he would study it by his dedicated ear. With a passion that has driven him to practice (on average) 4 hours a day it is easy to hear why Sungha has been receiving so much hype. Now, he learns and rebuilds songs in as little as two days and posts his videos on YouTube.
This is where things began to blossom for Sungha. His videos began to spread like seedlings in a windblown tree and scattered across the land- reaching the right hands and taking fruition. German guitarist Ulli Bogershausen was one of those hands that instantly became admirers of Sungha’s talent. The two have been in contact ever since and has even played a concert in Frankfurt, Germany with Ulli. When I mentioned his name, Sungha’s eyes lit up “It was amazing playing with Ulli. He is my musical inspiration”. In fact, Sungha has performed with many of the guitarists he admirers and studies- like Japan’s Katori Oshio and Austria’s Thomas Leeb.
Sungha like most children attend school, but what he does outside of it is shaping his future. Always remaining poised and humble- Sungha played Masaak Kishebe’s Rainy window at the premiere of 2007’s August Rush. And while most students perform presentations in school- Sungha has performed at a concert at Jamsil Stadium in front of a crowd of 8000. This only adds to his list of live performances, concerts abroad, and guest appearances on television.
As much as he enjoys recreating his favourites, Sungha also composes and arranges his own music with 8 originals to date. I asked him where a 12 year old gets his inspiration- he explained to me through his interpreter that having been able to play and build friendships with his mentors, has intensely added to his drive and passion- composing Missing You upon Thomas Leeb’s departure and Voyages with Ulli after being taken under his wing.
Now jamming with America’s Trace Bundy in the corner of Itaewon’s Urban amidst a room full of photographers, he embraces it all like a veteran, nodding his head and cracking a smile after each melodic journey. Just shy of 13 and already 4 years into the game there is no showing what echelon he will be setting the standards for- because right now he is too busy living his dream. If you want to check out, learn more, or follow this incredible guitarist- you can rock out to his nostalgic collection and incendiary originals on www.myspace.com/jungsungha.
6/28/09
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