Daniel Um
Daniel is one of the VIBE members. He started as a freshman member when I was a sophomore. Even though he was a year younger than me, participating as a different year member, he was one of the closest members with me in VIBE. It was easy to reach an agreement with him whenever we had conversation about music. May be that was because both of us did not have any strong, stubborn opinions on musical aspects. Daniel has such a strong, deep but high voice which I have always been admiring. He can hit high notes almost limitlessly and played a huge role in the first performance of the generation. It seems that he got positive influences, getting rid of problems and learning new skills, from the lessons he got when he was young. He truly sounds different from normal singers and because of it, I always considered him as a priceless music peer. He is currently a member of an a cappella group called 'Orang Appeal' in Syracuse University, New York. I called without any hesitation to interview him. "Hey Daniel how are you doing?" "Hey!!I'm doing fine. How have you been doing?" "Fine here too! Doing well in your new club?" "Definitely. I'm perfectly getting used to it!I just came back from my practice." "Wow good to hear! Sounds your practice went well. I called to check if you're doing well. Oh I also want to ask you some questions. When's your free time?" "Well I got from my practice right now so I have some time. What's up?" "Good! I was just curious about your club and your musical path. Sounds like something out of nowhere but..I was actually really curious all the time. Can you first tell me how you got to start participating in music?" "Kind of an unexpected question, a pleasant one though! Well, I should say I got huge influence from my dad. He loved music and it was music everywhere in my house. I naturally got to like music. The only difference with my dad was that he liked classical music. Oh it's not that I hate classical music but still, you know I am more fond of pop songs." "Yeah I know that. So, what's your club like? Are you doing well?" "Yes. I'm really happy about my club. Its an a-cappella group. Its my first time participating in an a-cappella group, so its a totally new experience." "Oh then it must be difficult for you guys to perform pop songs. Then don't you have any style conflicts with your club?" "Nope. You shouldn't think an a-cappella group usually doesn't perform pop songs. We practice any kinds of songs we want to." "Really? Then it was totally a misconception!" "Yeah for the upcoming performance, we are practicing 'Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk.'." "Wow, what a surprise! I assume you are having a lot of fun. The only difficulty is that we often practice songs that I am not familiar with. That's because its my first time to the States, so I don't know many foreign songs. Still, I'm working on it. It's manageable." |
I was proud of him that he is getting along with the club and the members pretty well. With a smile on my face, I continued to ask him questions. "Good to hear! I guess you will gain energy from your club activity. How are you specifically influenced by it?" "I think it would be no different from your own answer but, it definitely cheers me up. Also, I made most of my friends here. I was able to feel comfortable with my life here after I became a member of Orange Appeal. I'm so thankful. Oh, more than anything, you know how much I love music. Singing itself just gives me unbelievable power, so I love being in this club." I agreed to every words he said. I was happy to hear that he is continuously getting energy from music. At the same time, I also thought it might also be burdensome for Daniel to balance his studies and practices. Since I am also studying in the States, I was able to assume how hard it is to balance the two. As expected, he sighed when I asked the next question. "Isn't it hard to focus both on studying and practicing? I know you're also studying really hard and am aware of the difficulties of studying here. How are you getting along with that?" "..It is hard, it truly is. We practice three times a week," "What? Wait, three times a week? Wow that's a lot..I've been complaining about practicing once or twice a week. Now I'm embarrassed." "Well we practice five times a week right before our performances, haha." "..." "Its a relief that I really enjoy every practice." I couldn't say anything about the practice, so I went on to the next question. "So, any difference between club activity in Korea and in the States?" "Hmm..Its not really about the country or location. I think where I feel the most differences is between high school and college. My club is an official club in college, so gets huge support from the school. You know for VIBE, there wasn't any special support but for Orange Appeal, we can buy most of the equipment we need and places to perform. Its really awesome. Also, because its an official club, much more students are aware of our performances than when we had VIBE performance. I have much more motivation." "True. Now its my last question! What is the cultural of music? Another unexpected question, isn't it?" "Yeah, such a dramatic topic change. Well, I can't think of anything really special but, wouldn't it be an effective method of connecting people?" It was basically identical answer with what Jennie said. I think it is natural because I also agree with it. "I feel it the most when our members become a unity while practicing the same song. Not only us, but the audience also becomes one when they watch our performances and listen to songs." |