REACTION: Sohyang - I Will Always Love You

[@armenoid2278]

Good to see you back reacting to Sohyang. She has been very active in 2020 & 2021. This performance was from a TV show called Begin Again Korea, that she participated in, where she joined a group of other well known singers, going around various sites in Korea performing in front of small groups, in effect busking, for the workers and people during these difficult times. She has so many incredible performances including solo, duets and with the group. There are too many to list, but here are some you can start with; Stay (her own song), Misty, If I Ain't Got You, I Won't Give Up, Love Poem, Day Day (where she raps), Flashlight (duet) to name but a few. I could go on, as there are so many more.

[@davidkoepke9841]

You're correct. The 2020 TV "Begin Again Concerts" were socially distanced, masked outdoors, and restricted to a tiny audience. A group of well known performers traveled around Korea usually 2 locations per week. Sohyang joined for 5 weeks in the summer plus one winter concert. Her songs included "I'll be there", "If I ain't got you", "I won't give up", MV "Never Enough", her own "Stay" (Korean), and rapping in "Day Day" with the group.

[@billforrester2512]

I wondered why I haven’t seen you reacting to SoHyang for a long time. Anything she sings is fantastic but a recent performance I think is beautiful is Love Poem. So happy to see you back.

[@joandsarah77]

Sohyang's been back for about18 months now! She did a lot of singing over 2020-21 mostly on Begin Again Korea, but also in churches, a couple of duets, kdrama songs but she also just did the official song for the Summit on the Environment in Seoul Korea. "We Are One". She gained her health back and has been very busy.

[@geofftaylor7701]

If you listen to the original by Whitney, you will hear a saxaphone solo about half way through. Then listen again to SoHyangs performance and note at around 4.10 minute in where she sings to replace the saxaphone. Absolutely brilliant.

[@tomsawyer2768]

So Great having the Queen of the North back:-)) We missed you! SoHyang has done so much this past year ! This song was filmed at the Dock yards! It is all part of a show called, Begin Again Korea! This is the third season ! Normally it is a group of 8 to 12 Of Korea’s popular singers , Busking on streets, Parks, Parking Kotaro Shipyards. The other season they went to 2 or 3 countries,(Europe only so far) and spent the summer/ fall showcasing Korean talent! The crowds are small and it is Televised In 2020 one member did 5 shows but could not continue, so She was asked and did the remaining 6 or 7 shows! She did solos, duets and group songs and the Performance from her and the rest were , Brilliant! One of my favorites is , Flash Light! She does this with Su-Hyun( from AKMU) There voices and the harmonies are Fantastic! Our LDy has been healthy for awhile and is better then ever! This is on Vimeo( less blocks etc) vimeo.com/440711585

[@yukuolee3740]

Sohyang has actually been very productive with new performance since you last reacted to her. Welcome back. Sohyang had performances on Immortal Song 2, King of Masked Singer and Begin Again Korea. There is plenty of material for you to react if so choose. However, beware that copyright issue remains a constant risk, however irritating it can be.

[@ToddSauve]

We all wonder if So Hyang is human or from another planet. Current odds are that she’s from another planet, with an outside chance she’s actually an angel come down from Heaven. 😇 We have never heard anyone sing like her, or be able to hold an audience in the palm of her hand until she lets them go. Her voice is, as one person described it, like liquid gold. Perfection in clarity and pitch, and she doesn’t fade in the upper octaves, which is startling when you hear her hit those 5th and 6th octave notes with such _POWER_ it actually gives everyone goose bumps-and makes us bald guys’ hair stand on end! As she says, her voice “is from God.” She does all the musical arrangements herself (with the input of her musical assistants), teaches vocal technique at a South Korean university and speaks four languages. Korean, English, French and Vietnamese. Let me catch my breath. OK. She is a survivor of uterine cancer from the age of 20, just after getting married, and states very plainly that God saved her life due to the prayers of her church. But this left her without the ability to have children so she decided to dedicate her life to being a Contemporary Christian Gospel singer and has refused recording contracts from the biggest corporations in the world. She only wants to sing for charities, churches and while doing missionary work, to strengthen those suffering through difficult times. David Foster, Josh Groban, Michael Bolton and others have all travelled to Asia to work with her. She contracted hepatitis B from a blood transfusion during her cancer surgery and it clings to her to this day. Because of this she is prone to catching pneumonia but has sang perfectly while suffering from it in her live performance of “You Raise Me Up” before Shane Filan of Westlife on South Korean TV: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpbCfWylm82Iqpo She has asked those who love her singing to pray that God keep pneumonia away from her, she has suffered from it on so many occasions. Imagine how she must feel with this coronavirus floating around everywhere! She just turned 43 on April 5, 2021, though in Korean culture she would be 44 because you are deemed to be one year old when you are born. She was about 37 when she sang this version of “Arirang Alone”, their unofficial national anthem based on a 600 year old folk song expressing their desire to reunify north and south: vimeo.com/308253527 After being sick with pneumonia eight times from 2016 through to 2020, and considering giving up singing altogether, she chastised herself and entered a televised singing contest called “King of the Masked Singers” in 2017 and won six consecutive times, which has catapulted her into international fame from the performances being posted on KZbin. Whitney Houston’s former manager saw her on KZbin and showed her to Oprah Winfrey, who brought her to David Foster’s attention. Foster then contacted So Hyang and went to Japan in order to perform eight concerts together at Tokyo’s famous Blue Note Club in late 2018. (For those who don't know, David Foster was Whitney Houston's producer for her albums, wrote "I Have Nothing", her most iconic song, and is probably the most famous and influential music producer in the world. He places So Hyang right beside Whitney and the rest of the top tier divas.) Here is the interview where So Hyang related the events: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6LIdpJno7Vggc0 (Be sure to turn on English subtitles.) Here is the version of “I Have Nothing” Oprah, David Foster and the rest watched on KZbin: kzbin.info/www/bejne/imW4qnyDoMmsaq8 She preceded it with this blockbuster: vimeo.com/312061203 She could be an international Super Star if she wanted to be but has decided that it would ruin her spiritually, quoting Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 which both say “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” In a South Korean television interview So Hyang conceded that she struggled with her desire for fame for a number of years, going into the basement in her home numerous times and closing the door so she could complain vehemently to God that He was holding her back from becoming famous due to her health problems and other unforeseeable events. Then she later saw a Korean TV drama where the talented daughter of a very successful businessman was positive she would take over when her father retired. But he left the management of the company to a woman she hated, so she had a fit and lay kicking and screaming on the floor. So Hyang says she saw herself in that young woman and then understood that God was keeping her from developing self-destructive character by withholding international celebrity status from her. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJ2Qm4tvoKeme9U (Again, turn on English subtitles.) So as a consequence she does not pursue fame or fortune and actually has no social media presence whatsoever. What can one say about such a person? She is a literal Wonder Woman! And we need about a billion more just like her! And whether she wants it or not, fame has overtaken her, backed up and run her over again! On Oct. 5, 2020, it was revealed that So Hyang turned down _yet another_ contract offer, this time from Sony Music. www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200921000995 “Debuting in [the] US was my utmost goal for the past 20 years. But when I got a call from the US agency, I politely rejected, as I realized that what I wanted most was not becoming famous,” she said. “I think singers are very susceptible to arrogance, especially when they hear the screaming from crowds on stage. It can make you feel like as if you’ve become God.” “And I’m perfectly okay with sharing my music via KZbin, which can reach tens of millions of people all over the world without making me feel stuck up. Maybe that’s why I was born in this era.” So Hyang is just the most amazing singer, Christian and human being. She is beautiful both inside and out, and so humble, open and genuine, with a stage charisma, facial expressions and smile that is off the charts. In Korean dictionaries 소 향 (So Hyang) has several meanings. • First is a type of Korean traditional music. • Second is to burn incense on a burner. • Third is to go toward. But these meanings are rarely used today and hers is a quite uncommon name. 소 향 is also the name of a heroine in a Korean traditional novel. So in retrospect her name was well chosen, and you can take your pick! Please analyze her performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWfMeZtqrqeredE Also, please react to her version of “The Power of Love”: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqOxnImIp7Bqlas Plus this beautiful duet with her friend Lee Hi where they do Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You”: vimeo.com/439148918 And this version of her singing “Oh Holy Night”: vimeo.com/322716334 Here she performs “Lean On Me” before Michael Bolton, who called her a vocal “virtuoso” after her performance: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fafWmHaiociBhqc This is a wonderful Jazz inflected performance of “His Eye Is On The Sparrow”: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmLZoaOspsR5Y5o Wait until you see her duet of David Foster's “The Prayer” with Jeong Ui Geu: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKXIXqRpoNqhppo This song of hers "Everyone" is dumbfounding: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmbIaICGp8pqn7s And finally “Will You Be There”: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHPHhKObrbqrn80 Here’s an English language interview with her that I’m sure you will enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGPYkKOjpLyroJo Her English is perfect when she sings and almost perfect when she is doing interviews. OK, I’ll stop gushing now. Well, one more gush. In an interview with a Turkish music producer So Hyang's assistants revealed (a bit to her chagrin, as she is a self-effacing person) that she can hit Eb7 and D7 in practise. However, she never goes above the 6th octave in performances. Since she starts at D3 that is more than a 4 octave range ... so how about them apples???! Here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJ-zcp6ortesnbM I know, bananas isn’t it? Oh, I just remembered, she is also a published novelist and theological treatist, and a very good stage actress, which she proved by playing Julie Andrews’ part in the South Korean production of “The Sound of Music.” Moreover, she sang the “Moana” part in the Korean version of the Disney film, does the musical vocals for many South Korean television dramas, and is a talented artist and cartoonist. She can also play the piano and guitar. Is there anything this genius level woman can’t do? Though she is less than 5' 4" and probably not even 100 pounds, So Hyang simply transcends the thresholds of music and takes you there with her. She becomes the song when she sings it. An experience like no other. I don’t know what else to say. I’ve spent _entire days_ listening to her, and shed more than a few tears of joy along the way. She is indeed akin to an addictive substance you can't live without. I really must also compliment the choir, orchestra and audio/video production people So Hyang works with. They are all top notch from what I can see and hear, and it is important to note that as these are _essential_ parts of any great music production. The Korean people are easily as talented as anyone else. As you can see, I am a shameless fan. 😉

[@sushisin377]

Do pause, rewind, play, pause, talk to avoid block. Next song from Sohyang"If I ain't got you" on Begin Again Korea.

[@ignatiuschua5268]

The way to avoid copyright issue is to react to fancams. She has quite a few, and the voice quality are usually good whilst the visual might no be so. Check out her Upon This Rock, O Holy Night, Breathe and Home to start with.

[@andrewchau2358]

Oh and also here's a playlist of all of So Hyang's performances from Begin Again😊 Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYHWf3eDiLGKq6s

[@kingfangs6693]

React to Selena Quintanilla Disco Medley

[@joandsarah77]

Do be careful of blocks and copyright strike, these days its safest to place some kind of filter over the video. JBTC who are the broadcasters of this show, Began Again Korea can be tough. if you look up this show + Sohyang you will see she did many songs,some alone and others with the group. I would leave links but KZbin auto removes any posts I make with links in them, but here are some from BAK 2020. Vimeo can be better than KZbin. Misty Flashlight Day-Day I Won't Give Up I’ll Be There

[@andrewchau2358]

Please react to So Hyang & Lee Suhyun - Flashlight! It's also from the Begin Again Korea series and their harmonies are lovely🥰 Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooTdk2mXZbWeh7c