Singer Ali Finds Fame Late on Reality Show

Singer Ali has been drawing attention with her powerful vocals on KBS2's reality TV show "Immortal Song 2", where contestants sing hits from the 1980s and 1990s.

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Ali, who sat down with the Chosun Ilbo on Nov. 11, said, "I have always felt hungry to perform, and the show is satisfying my appetite. In fact, this is the first time I have sung solo in front of such a large audience. At times, I feel so nervous that I don't even look up to see how people are reacting to my songs".

She established a strong connection with music while learning pansori, or traditional Korean percussion music, when she was an elementary school student. She expanded her understanding of traditional music by joining a band specializing in samulnori, which involves Korea's four traditional instruments and is rooted in farmers' music, and later joined an orchestra during her school days.

Having worked as a singer at jazz clubs since then, the 27-year-old said she has never entertained thoughts of stardom because she knows the short-lived nature of fame.

When asked to assess her singing style, she replied, "Many people compare my voice with those of black soul singers, but I think my particular sound has more in common with pansori, which represents Koreans' pent-up emotions".

About her future plans, she said she hopes to venture into dancing and acting to "expand on the range of emotions expressed in my songs".

The singer added, "At present, I'm trying to show many different sides of myself through various music genres, but I'd like to challenge myself by singing a ballad in a very Korea style".