Jung Mina

Jung Mina (born January 31, 1979) is a South Korean musician, known as the first gayageum singer-songwriter. She sings contemporary music and uses non-traditional techniques in her gayageum playing.

Early life and career

Jung started learning to play the gayageum, a traditional Korean string instrument, at 12 years old. She said it became a big part of her life, so she continued to play it as she developed her music career.

She worked various part-time jobs during school and after starting her musical career, including in the ticket office of a racecourse on the weekends for four years, and at a call center, like many of her friends. She said making a living with music was difficult. During a leave from graduate school, a club owner in Hongdae, where she was working part-time, convinced her to start composing and performing on stage. She said, "If I didn't have these experiences, I wonder whether I could have written the music I did, because the only thing I knew was traditional Korean music. I think I would be making only shallow and superficial music."

Debut and albums

In 2005, she debuted with her first extended play (EP), Tragedy.

Awards and nominations

In 2012, as an artist, she charted in the number one position on the Billboard chart "Next Big Sound", a weekly chart of the "fastest accelerating artists during the past week, across all major social music sites, statistically predicted to achieve future success." Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2008 Korean Music Awards Newcomer Award 2015 Korean Music Awards Best Crossover Album A Person's Moment

Discography

EPs Tragedy (2005)

Studio albums Love Dream (2006) A Person's Moment (2014)