The dream of becoming a singer: My mother
201300058 Yoonhae Kang
One of my oldest memories during my childhood is listening to my mother singing beside my bed. She always sang the song "Bird, bird" before I fell asleep. As far as I can remember, my mother always sang whenever she does households chores. "So, mom", I asked. "When is the exact time when you started to singing in front of people?" "I don't clearly remember" she answered. "However, it started from my early childhood"
When my mother was very young child, my mother's aunt who was living in the neighbor often visited my mother's house and sang famous songs of that time with playing her guitar. It was around 1960s, therefore, the song such as "Saranghae" or "Morning drops" were the most popular. Sometimes, aunt asked my mom and her sisters to sing with her, therefore, the young sisters singing with holding hands. My mother was always exposed to the environment of listening to music and singing songs since her childhood. "Do you think the environment was relevant with your dream of becoming a singer?" I asked. "In some ways" She answered. "Well, dear. The song which my aunt always sang to me actually gave me the opportunities of singing in front of people."
"You will probably have heard of Hee-uen Yang, the famous Korean singer. Your aunt-grandmother was so in loved that singer that I always had to listen the singer's song. What's interesting is that one of her song little pond led me to have a dream of becoming a singer." My mother said. When my mother was in 3rd grade in elementary school, my mother was humming a melody in her classroom. Her teacher who was passing by heard her humming and asked to sing a song. My mother was also crashed into the song little pond of Hee-uen Yang which her aunts loved. Therefore my mother sang little pond in front of her class.
From that time on my mother was always got a spotlight whenever there was a chance of singing. The teacher who asked my mother to sing always took her many singing contests. My mother won many prizes and sometimes even came out TV programs.
When she became 20, she joined a singing club which was named Aruemari. The club was famous among young college students in Busan for its high quality of singing and performance. My mom made her own band in the club. She and her team performed in many university's festivals. Many people loved her and her band's performance. "I used to get lots of flowers from my fans whenever I finished my songs" my mother said. Eventually, they became very famous and popular among college students in Busan. The team was now decided to go out for a competition of MBC Campus Song Festival, which was the only competition for becoming a professional singer at the time. Many famous singers such as Sun-hee Lee or Dong-Ryul Kim proved their talent at the competition and became professional singers. My mother's team started to make their own song. It was hard for them because they didn't have many experiences of producing a good song. The band tried to produce an impressive song which is sufficient to win the competition, however, none of their products was satisfying.
"Finally, one of our club's seniors gave us a song", my mother said. "Although Iwe thought it is still little weak for a competition, however, we tried to perform it best." They practiced day and night. Every day they gathered and practiced for the competition. "Weren't there any troubles when you were preparing?" I asked. "We sometimes have trouble in meeting time. At that time, there was no cell-phone so that it was hard to contact each other. As a band, all four of our members had to be gathered to continue our practice. If one of us comes late, the rest have to wait until the late member arrives. As the competition day approaches, we became more sensitive in late arriving as there weren't much time left for practices" my mother said, with a little sigh. "However, all of those struggles reflect how much we were passionate to the competition of MBC Campus Song Festival."
Finally when the competition day arrived, my mother and her band wore in same dress code. With same white shirts on top, boys wore jeans and girls wore denim skirt. They wanted to give fresh, innocent and passionate impression to the audience at the completion. The competition took place at MBC hall. "I was very nervous, but soon after I started sensing it turned to excitement. When I started singing, I felt the whole universe became quite. The stunning spot light made me feel hot and I could barely see other people. All I could hear was my voice and the accompaniment of guitar. All I could see was totally black, the black figures of people. At the place, I got the feeling that I was the only one who could breathe and sing and seeing. I was in the music." The result was great. They won 2nd prize. Everyone who saw her on television told she was shining and outstanding. They all said in one mouth that my mother is definitely a singer. She was like a pop-star.
However, sadly, the team had to be disbanded after the competition was over. 2 of the members got the call of duty and entered the army. The band re-gathered after 3 years, however, they were no longer college students.
Although she is now a normal housewife, she sometimes still seems to missing her old days. "Do you still want to become a professional singer, mother?" I asked. "No, my dear" She answered. "Maybe because I have just won the 2nd price and because our team was disbanded, I was able to meet your father, and have a great daughter like you". I gave her a big hug after I listened to her words.
My mother still sings today.
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