Actress Kim Ah-joong's Song Picks

"I'm not gifted but I think I'll be able to find where my talent lies if I keep trying my best at various roles. I want keep trying and succeed as a good actress," Kim Ah-joong quite unexpectedly said at a press conference for KBS TV series "The Accidental Couple". One of the most sought-after actresses in Korea says she does not have talent. Even after she shot to stardom after playing close to two roles in hit film "200 Pound Beauty" by singing, acting and putting on disguise from head to toe.

But if you look back on her career, Kim Ah-joong is not an actress who got made it to where she is the easy way. The reason she was able to sing "Maria" so superbly in "Beauty" was because she had trained to become a singer for several years ahead of making her actress debut and she was able to star in the film because unlike the usual newcomers, she did not hesitate to take on action scenes in drama "Emperor of the Sea" or bare some skin in film "When Romance Meets Destiny". Many actresses had been reluctant to take on "Beauty" because of the fact that the main character undergoes plastic surgery to become a star.

Like Kim had said, "I had to jump into whatever I could to overcome my limit", Kim always seemingly threw herself into dramas or films and gradually developed on her acting little by little. If Kim could had not been able to sing "Maria" in "Beauty" without a double, she would have not been able to sing "Over the Rainbow" live in "Couple". That is why 10Asia asked the actress to make recommendations for songs sung by her favorite female vocalists voices.

1. Astrud Gilberto "Gilberto With Turrentine"
Kim's first choice was famous latin and jazz vocalist Astrud Gilberto's album "Gilberto With Turrentine". It would not be an overstatement to say she is a legend as she won a Grammy award in the 1960s. "I think GIlberto's songs always lift up the listener's spirit a bit -- to make you feel you're hovering somewhere slightly above the ground?" Kim said. She strongly recommended song "If not for you" in particular, saying it would help one pull through the hot early summer days. "I think everyone would feel refreshing after listening this song. Such music would make your day if you listened to it upon arriving at home after a long tiring day."

2. Lisa Ono "Pretty World"
Kim picked Lisa Ono as her second choice but pinpointed to song "I Wish You Love" instead of recommending an album. The song is particularly popular in Korea. "I think the song is romantic from beginning to end. It makes me feel like I want to fall in love because the song warmly and peacefully expresses the fluttery feelings one gets right before falling in love." Gilberto and Ono are both vocalists whose music are based on latin music. So we asked her about the appeal of latin music. "I don't know latin music well. But I think Gilberto and Ono's music contain a variety of emotions which can't quite be expressed in words. I feel emotions such as love, sadness and warmth when listening to their songs."

3. Lee Eun-mi "Ma Non Tanto"
As already known, Kim is famous not only for her acting but also her singing. "Maria", which she sang in film "Beauty" topped various digital music charts and she sand "Over the Rainbow" in KBS TV series "Couple". So it may be no surprise Korea's representative female vocalist Lee Eun-mi was among Kim's picks. "I always feel that she really puts her soul into her singing whenever I listen to her songs. Her song 'I Have a Lover' in particular made me envious of her -- that someone could really sing like this."

4. Bjork "Homogenic"
Bjork, who has performed in Korea before, is a musician whose albums contain both poetic melody and avant-garde sound. Song "All if Full of Love" from "Homogenic" is a song which best represents such the music world of Bjork. And the music video which shows robots making love is considered one of the best music videos ever made. "I was really shocked when I first saw the music video. In a way, it was heartbreaking too. But if you don't think of the image from the music video, this song is like the sea. Like everything in the world is becoming purified as the sun shines on the sea and lightens up everything with warmth... That might be what love is."

5. Portishead "Third"
"It's as if you're listening to a soundtrack from a movie" Kim said of her last choice Portishead's "Third", the group's first album in ten years. Portishead is composed of producer Geoff Barrow and vocalist Beth Gibbons -- Gibbons in particular famous for her unique tone and emotional expression. "It's an emotion I can't sum up in just a single word. I wouldn't call it depressing or hopelessness... It's just as if you get sucked into the world they are trying to show to you through their music. It would be nice if I could become an actress who can make the viewers feel such emotions..."

Senior Reporter : Kang Myoung-Seok two@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr