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| Musician and composer Jung Jae-il talks during a press conference for his album "Listen" held at the JCC Art Center in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Universal Music |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Jung Jae-il, the musician and composer behind the soundtracks for the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" and hit Netflix series "Squid Game," released his debut album via Decca Records.
His album, "Listen," is comprised of seven tracks of piano and minimalist string arrangements. "The songs are focused on piano because piano is my native language. I feel more comfortable communicating through piano than through spoken language," he said in a recent press conference for his album "Listen" in Seoul, Friday.
The multi-instrumentalist explained the meaning behind his album title, "Listen," and how it was inspired by nature.
"I simply named the album 'Listen' because I wanted to encourage others to listen to what nature is telling them. I believe the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of wars occurred because we didn't listen to the Earth," he said.
"I live near the sea and whenever I go out for a walk, I like to stare at the sea watching the waves crash and roll and birds fly over the fields nearby. I think about how nature would be beautiful if there were no man-made things such as high-rise buildings or cars."
Jung recorded the tracks at Rainbow Station in Oslo, Norway, which remains one of the world's finest recording studios. "The songs are mostly piano pieces, so I needed the highest quality instruments and recording equipment. Luckily, I was able to fly over to Rainbow Studio in Oslo and spend about 10 days working on my album there. I recorded seven hours a day," he said.
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| An album cover of Jung Jae-il's seven-track record, "Listen" / Courtesy of Universal Music |
Jung reflected on his 25-year music career and talked about realizing his childhood dream of becoming a film scorer.
"I never dreamed of becoming a professional musician. I was given the opportunity to make a living through music when I was a teenager. I have always loved music, but it started out as a kind of labor. I still consider art a form of labor. That's why I think diligence and responsibility are crucial for every artist," he said.
He added, "I was a teenage cinephile who loved taking trips to movie theaters. I watched all kinds of strange movies and listened to unconventional film scores. Music that treads the line between joy and sadness like Violeta Parra's 'Gracias a la vida' had an enormous impact on my youth," he said.
The 40-year-old musician revealed how his soundtracks for Oscar-winning film "Parasite" and global Netflix hit series "Squid Game" opened the door to new opportunities. He won the top prize in the TV show/Limited Series category at the 2021 Hollywood Music in Media Awards for his work on "Squid Game."
"After working on soundtracks for 'Parasite' and 'Squid Game,' I earned widespread acclaim and many more great opportunities like having to collaborate with Kore-eda Hirokazu on his film 'Broker,'" he said.
Jung began his music career at the age of 14. His musical passion shifted to guitar and bass during his teenage years as he joined the project band "Gigs" at the age of 17. He later specialized in music composition and production. His works encompass a huge range of sub-genres, including classical music, gugak (Korean traditional music) and pop music.
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