Sungha Jung

Sungha Jung is a South Korean acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and musician born on September 2, 1996. He gained global recognition by uploading acoustic covers, original compositions, and custom arrangements to his YouTube channel, which has grown to over seven million subscribers. Although frequently categorized as a musical prodigy, he prefers to be addressed simply as a guitarist.

Jung's interest in the instrument began after observing his father play, favoring it over the piano lessons he was already taking. His father taught him fundamental skills before Jung transitioned to fingerstyle after discovering the technique online. Highly influenced early on by Japanese musician Kotaro Oshio, Jung developed his ear by recreating songs he heard and consulting online videos. While his family initially found the practice noise challenging, they soon embraced his musical gift.

His internet presence took off after posting a cover of Pachelbel's Canon at nine years old, catching the attention of acoustic guitarist Trace Bundy. This led to joint touring opportunities across South Korea and the United States. Jung became an international viral sensation following his online arrangement of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song. Over the years, he received formal guitar lessons from Japanese jazz artist Hata Shuji and mentorship from German musician Ulli Bögershausen, who guided him in song arrangement and composition.

Beginning with a basic low-cost guitar, Jung progressed to higher-quality models, including a custom Selma instrument signed by Thomas Leeb. Through Bögershausen's assistance, he secured an endorsement deal with Lakewood Guitars in 2009, frequently performing on custom baritone instruments. Aside from steel-string and classical guitars, he plays electric guitar, ukulele, harp ukulele, guitarlele, twelve-string guitar, and piano, while also speaking English to interact with international fans.

Jung made his record debut in June 2010 with Perfect Blue, followed by Irony in 2011 and Paint It Acoustic in 2013, all tracked in Germany under Bögershausen's guidance. He released a collaboration project, The Duets, in late 2012. Moving to self-produced projects at Seoul's Brickwall Sound studio, he issued Monologue in 2014, Two of Me in 2015, and L'Atelier in 2016, all heavily featuring his original compositions. In May 2017, he released Mixtape, an album inspired by various musical genres.

Throughout his career, Jung has collaborated with numerous notable artists. He performed live alongside Jason Mraz, contributed to Narsha's 2010 solo release, created acoustic renditions for pop group 2NE1, and shared the stage with G-Dragon. In addition to music tours across Japan, Scandinavia, and the United States, Jung expanded into acting by portraying the character Ahn Hyeok in the 2011 feature film The Suicide Forecast.