The singer-songwriter Priscilla Ahn is a rising star in the U.S. pop music scene. Born to a Korean mother and an American father who was a soldier stationed in Korea, Ahn (24) is signed to famous jazz label Blue Note and has released her first album titled "A Good Day." U.S. music journal "All Music Guide" gave it four out of five stars, saying Ahn's soft and fresh tone of voice suits folk music well. She gave her first Korean concert at Sangsang Madang in Seogyo-dong, Seoul on Thursday night.
"I'm told I lived briefly in Korea when I was one year old, but I have no memories of that. But I've visited Korea several times, so I am familiar with the country. I grew up eating Korean food thanks to my mother, and I still love Korean food the best," she says.
She changed her last name from Hartranft to Ahn, her mother's maiden name, after she became a musician. "My real last name is difficult to pronounce and write. My mother's maiden name is easy, and I know it also means peace," she says. When told that Ahn also can mean "stable," she replied, "Ah, that's also a good meaning."
Ahn decided to become a professional musician when a teacher told her it would be better for her to pursue a career in music rather than go to university. "I don't regret that I didn't go to university," she says. "I can go whenever I want to. If I hadn't chosen music then, my dream wouldn't have come true now. I wouldn't be where I am now." She has given eight concerts in three cities in Japan and now says she is "thrilled" to meet her Korean audience.
"I really enjoy writing songs and lyrics and singing them. I would love to play music for the rest of my life," she says. "I'm going to come back as a more famous musician the next time."
source:
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200812/200812050011.html
