Shining Without Recognition:The Life Lessons I Learned from EJAE인정받지 않아도 빛나는 존재: 이재가 가르쳐준 삶의 의미 #USA
A few months ago, a voice began to linger in my ears a voice that somehow felt both new and familiar. It was EJAE, a Korean-American singer whose songs climbed to the top of the Billboard charts and stayed there for weeks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Korean-American artist remain at No. 1 for that long. Through the algorithm, her songs found their way to me again and again. Soon I began watching interviews of her on Korean TV, and one of her remarks deeply resonated with me: “Life is so hard. The pain has been too deep… I’ve wanted to be a singer for so long, but I hated myself for not being able to make it in Korea.” That honest confession, spoken through quiet tears, touched countless hearts mine included. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, life doesn’t unfold the way we wish. Watching her speak with such vulnerability, I felt an overwhelming empathy. Perhaps it’s because I’ve had similar experiences living and working between Korea and the United States. We ...