Ji-Yeon Um

Location: Seoul

Challenge: Phenylketonuria

Website: www.artwecan.or.kr

Ji-Yeon Um is a Jazz Pianist and Singer from Seoul, South Korea.

She says "I have loved music since I was a little girl. I tapped everything with my fingers and enjoyed the difference in sound. Even when I was walking down the street, or hearing music, I danced and sang along&qupt;.

When Ji-Yeon went to kindergarten, she realized that she was different from others. She adds "I looked different and ate different food. My friends talked, behaved or studied differently from me. None of them were the same as friends". It was because Ji-Yeon has a rare congenital metabolic disorder called Phenylketonuria, and it was diagnosed too late. She adds "I had a hard time accepting my disability. I didn't even know what to do".

But singing along and playing the piano allowed Ji-Yeon to escape everything. She adds "Music was the only way to get rid of the stress of not being able to eat and the stress of people who bullied me because I was different".

Ji-Yeon started to have a dream. "The music will change the color of the world." She made up her mind and practiced hard. She adds "Naturally, I became less angry and gained a sense of accomplishment and confidence. I felt so good when my friends who ignored me complimented me for playing the piano and singing well, and when the teachers who ignored me apologized".

As a result, music has become the most important meaning of Ji-Yeon's life. She says "Music is the power that sustains me and is an expression of talking to the world".

Ji-Yeon says "I like music so much. Music makes me grow, makes me happy, and makes friends. Even when I become a grandmother, I want to continue to be a musician".

Ji-Yeon Um