Lee Soo Young

Lee Soo Young - Sexy Beauty Korean Ballad Singer

Lee Soo Young, or Lee Ji Yuhn, her real name, is a Korean ballad singer. Born on April 12th, 1979 in Seoul, Lee Soo Young made her debut in 1999 in Korea with the smash hit I Believe. Currently, she has 7 released albums and 2 mini-albums (labeled as 4.5 and 5.5) and sang 6 OST's. Lee Soo Young's recognized in Korea for her powerful voice and although she rarely makes T.V. appearances or appears in her own music videos, she has earned a lot of popularity.

In 2001, Lee Soo Young sang a version of the Final Fantasy X song Suteki Da Ne in Korean, titled 얼마나 좋을까 (Eol-ma-na Choh-eul-gga).

Initially, Lee Soo Young had been a quiet, composed female soloist, wearing modest business clothes and no flashy makeup on stage, standing solidly while singing her songs. No backup dancers, no flashing lights, only a girl and a microphone. Her songs were calming, often like mature lullabies, but with her lack of performing charisma, it seemed imminent that she would remain an underrated, low-key ballad singer for as long as she remained in the business. But it was not to be so.

Although Lee Soo Young had experienced moderate success with songs like "I Believe" and "Never Again," her career really started to gain headway after releasing her 4th album's title track, "La La La," which remained at the top of the gayo charts for weeks. She became a household name and rapidly had to rearrange her life as different television networks and programs started requesting Lee Soo Young to make more public appearances. Her management began to focus more on her image as a pop star, and gave her a makeover well worth the time. Dressed in stylish attire and boasting #1 gayo hits, Lee Soo Young propelled her career to top-star status, winning a bonsang, holding a concert, and releasing a 4.5 Best Hits album all in the same short amount of time. However, some would argue that such focus on her physical appearance has taken away from the essence of her music. Her songs have indeed, evolved, creating a sound independent of other gasoos in the business. Her 5th album, "This Time," is perhaps the epitome of that progression.

The album is somewhat like her previous one, "My Stay in Sendai," as it has an earthy, authentic feel. It is natural music, supplemented by many unique combinations of real instruments, recorded by skilled orchestra and band organizations. The richest tracks contain usage of a full symphonic orchestra, which, along with Lee Soo Young's powerfully emotional vocals, make certain songs juggernauts of strong, human feelings. A good example of this is track 4, "Oo Mi Gongju" (Graceful Princess), the story of a strong woman's grace and heart, even when touched with pain. The full-orchestra version of the same song is even more moving and poignant. "Sunshine's" happy beat and "Bring Me Love's" jazzy R&B flavor are new styles for the often sensitively mellow Lee Soo Young.

She does a good job with these songs but others, such as "Ga Nan Han Gi Do" (Poor Prayer) are poor, recycled versions of her older songs. None of the tracks are really too bad, but none of them, with the exception of the two first instrumentals and "Oo Mi Gong Ju" are astoundingly good. However, Lee Soo Young fans should be delighted with the release of this above-mediocre album as it does provide a wide projection of Lee Soo Young various vocal styles. She doesn't quite succeed in some of the genres, but she gets definite points for making an honest effort.