Sungha Jung facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sungha Jung
Jung in April 2016
Background information
Birth name	Jung Sung-ha
Born	(1996-09-02) 2 September 1996 (age 28) Cheongju, North Chungcheong, South Korea
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Acoustic guitar
Years active	2006 – present
Korean name
Hangul	정성하
Hanja	鄭晟河
RR	Jeong Seongha
MR	Chŏng Sŏngha

Jung Sung-ha, known to many as Sungha Jung, is a talented musician from South Korea. He was born on September 2, 1996. Sungha is famous for playing acoustic guitar using a special style called fingerstyle guitar.

In fingerstyle, a guitarist uses their fingers and fingernails to pluck the strings. This allows them to play both the melody and the bass parts of a song at the same time. Sungha often learns songs by listening carefully or watching videos. He also writes his own music. He shares all his amazing guitar playing online. Many people call him a "guitar prodigy" because he's so good. But he prefers to be known simply as a "guitarist." His YouTube channel is very popular, with over 7 million followers!

Sungha Jung's Musical Journey

Sungha Jung at the Musikmesse Frankfurt in 2016

Sungha Jung became interested in the guitar after watching his father play. He found the guitar much more exciting than the piano, which he was already learning. His father taught him the basic steps. After that, Sungha improved his skills a lot just by trying to play what he heard. If he faced a challenge, he would watch online videos to learn more.

Sungha started playing fingerstyle guitar when his father discovered this technique online. His first big inspiration was a guitarist named Kotaro Oshio. From him, Sungha developed a deep interest in fingerstyle. At first, Sungha's mother and grandmother thought the guitar playing was too noisy. But they soon realized it was a special gift.

Becoming an Internet Sensation

A famous guitarist named Trace Bundy saw a video of 9-year-old Sungha Jung. Sungha was playing Bundy's version of Pachelbel's Canon. After seeing this, Bundy invited Sungha to play with him on tours. They performed together in South Korea and the United States.

Soon after his first video went viral, Sungha gained many fans. He even asked them for advice on his playing! His cover of "The Pirates of the Caribbean" theme song became a huge hit. It has been watched over 61 million times on YouTube. This video made Sungha an internet sensation.

Sungha has also received guitar lessons from Hata Shuji, a well-known Japanese jazz guitarist. He was also guided by German guitarist Ulli Bögershausen. Sungha calls Ulli his musical inspiration. He learned a lot about writing and arranging music from him.

Learning and Playing Different Instruments

Sungha once suggested the "AllEars method" for those who want to learn his guitar style. Besides steel-string and classical guitar, he has played many other instruments. These include the twelve-string guitar, electric guitar, ukulele, guitarlele, harp ukulele, and piano. He has even sung live, like when he performed "Falling Slowly" at a concert in Bangkok. Sungha speaks English, which he learned to talk with people during his concerts abroad.

Sungha's Guitars

Sungha received his first guitar when he was nine years old. It was a simple plywood guitar that cost less than $60. When his father saw how skilled Sungha was with this basic guitar, he bought him a better one. This was a Cort Earth900. Sungha started playing seriously with this guitar.

His third guitar was a special custom-made "All Spruce" Selma model. Another guitarist, Thomas Leeb, wrote a message on it: "KEEP ON GROOVING! TO MY FRIEND, THOMAS LEEB." In 2009, with help from Ulli Bögershausen, Sungha got a sponsorship from Lakewood Guitars. Today, he mostly plays Lakewood Signature Model guitars. Sungha often uses baritone guitars. These guitars have a longer neck, thicker strings, and a deeper sound than regular guitars.

Practice and Recording Habits

When Sungha was a child, he practiced guitar for one to two hours on school days. During school breaks, he would practice for up to three hours. He can usually figure out the notes and finger positions for a song very quickly. It typically takes him a few hours to practice a song before he can cover it. However, to make his songs sound perfect, he sometimes spent days or even up to a month practicing.

Live Performances and Collaborations

In 2010, Sungha was featured on the solo album NARSHA by the singer Narsha. He played on the song "I'm in Love." In 2011, he performed in the US with Trace Bundy. He also toured in Scandinavia and Japan.

In 2012, he worked with the K-pop group 2NE1. He created acoustic versions of their hit songs "Lonely" and "I Love You." Later in 2012, he performed live with G-Dragon from BIGBANG. They played the song "That XX" together. In 2013, he played "I'm Yours" with Jason Mraz. Jason Mraz called Sungha "amazing" and his "hero." Sungha also acted in a Korean movie in 2011.

Sungha Jung's Albums

Sungha Jung has released many albums. His first album, Perfect Blue, came out on June 17, 2010. His second album, Irony, was released on September 21, 2011. His third solo album, Paint It Acoustic, came out on April 15, 2013. These first three albums were recorded in Germany at Ulli Bögershausen's studio. Each album featured more and more of Sungha's own original songs. He also recorded an album of guitar duets called The Duets, released on December 17, 2012.

Sungha's fourth solo album, Monologue, was released on April 28, 2014. This album was almost entirely made up of his own original music. He recorded it in Seoul and produced it himself. His fifth solo album, Two of Me, came out on May 1, 2015. This album also featured only his original compositions. L'Atelier, his sixth solo album, was released on May 13, 2016. It included nine original songs and one original arrangement.

On May 12, 2017, Sungha released Mixtape. He described it as a mix of different music styles that have influenced him over the years.

Discography

• Perfect Blue (2010)
• Irony (2011)
• The Duets (2012)
• Paint It Acoustic (2013)
• Monologue (2014)
• Two of Me (2015)
• L'Atelier (2016)
• Mixtape (2017)
• Andante (2018)
• Sungha Jung Cover Compilation 1 (2019)
• Sungha Jung Cover Compilation 2 (2019)
• Sungha Jung Cover Compilation 3 (2019)
• Sungha Jung Cover Compilation 4 (2019)
• Sungha Jung Cover Compilation 5 (2019)
• Sungha Jung Cover Compilation 6 (2021)
• Sungha Jung Cover Compilation 7 (2021)
• Sungha Jung Cover Compilation 8 (2021)
• Sungha Jung Cover Compilation 9 (2021)
• Poetry (2022)

See also

In Spanish: Sungha Jung para niños