Jakarta, 2017 – May 6, the sun was beginning to set and the sky was darkened. But the spirit in the Balairung University of Indonesia immediately heightened as the stage lights dimmed. Audiences applauded as a young guy in denim shirt came to the stage with an acoustic guitar in his hands. Yes, Sungha Jung answered his fans’ call and came to perform as a guest star in Indonesia at Korean Culture Day!

Sungha swiftly charmed the audiences with his opening song, ‘Catching the Beat’. He greeted the audiences with a shy smile before he continued with a sweet song, ‘Isn’t She Lovely’. Next, Sungha told the fans that he was going to move to a K-Pop, ‘Spring Day’ by BTS. The crowd cheered while sang the song lyrics loudly along with the sweet tunes Sungha played.

“The next song is an Indonesian song, I played this song in my solo show a few years ago,” Sungha introduced the next song he would perform. Not wanting his fans to guess any longer, he began to play a familiar tune. Audiences immediately sang with him as he performed ‘Dekat di Hati’ by RAN. They were mesmerized by how fluent Sungha played an Indonesian song. As expected, Sungha Jung never disappoints!

The mood was instantly raising when Sungha mentioned the famous Korean drama, Goblin, for his next performance. He hyped up the venue with Punch and EXO Chanyeol’s ‘Stay with Me’ and Crush’s ‘Beautiful’. He carried on with his two original songs, ‘Seventh #9’ and ‘Classical Gas’, indicating the end of his performance in Indonesia before he left the stage.

The hype was instead getting up as the crowd chanted “We want more! We want more!” asking for an encore. Sungha once again answered his fans’ call and came to the stage not only with his guitar but with a guy following him. “It’s an honor for me that Sungha Jung practiced to play my song for this collaboration,” Calvin Jeremy, the Indonesian singer who also came to perform at the event, told the audiences with a big smile. Sungha picked the strings and began playing ‘Berdua’, while Calvin sang the sweet song. Loud cheer quickly filled the venue as two artists from two countries did the collaboration as the last performance of the day.

Tiredness from performing a number of songs and CD signing event didn’t dampen Sungha’s mood to greet media partners and answer the questions during the press conference. He revealed that he is going to release his seventh album in the following week and planning to do a tour following his release and that he hoped he can get the chance to collaborate with Hallyu artists during his tour. He has worked with numerous of artists from Korea and other countries, but Jason Mraz left the most impression to him.

Inspiration to make music arrangements came to Sungha from his family and people around him, as well as the places he visited. He confessed that his current favorite music genres, jazz, and blues, also gives colors to an arrangement he made. Sungha strongly encouraged other artists and especially guitarists to keep practicing, although they might not get a formal education in music, and trying to find their own style.

Sungha shared his past experience of his tour in cities in Indonesia, exposing his love of seafood when he stayed in Bali. He also spoke about his excitement when he performed in Jakarta as he got a great number of audiences coming to his show a few years ago. Sungha would love to visit other cities for his tour to greet more fans, hinting for more city tours in Indonesia.

Korean Culture Day is an annual festival held by Korean Studies Department Students of University of Indonesia. This year round, the 9th Korean Culture Day didn’t just compromised the arts and culture of Korea. The event also delivered an enjoyable experience that was sum up the festivity: Sunsational Getaway. They were emphasized the theme ‘Korean Summer’ in which the audience could felt the beauty of Jeju Island where heat and freshness intertwines. See you on Korean Culture Day next year!

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Article by: Tsurayya

Photo by: AF