Bestselling author and Grammy-nominated singer Michelle Zauner fondly recalled her mother’s words that if she lived in Korea for a year she could be fluent in the language.
The author of the 2021 memoir “Crying in H Mart” Zauner is now following her late mother’s advice, living the “life of a humble Korean student”: She is documenting her yearlong immersion in learning Korean for her upcoming book.
Six months into the process, she’s currently studying at the Korean Language Education Center at Sogang University.
“It's going great. I really am truly in love with (the language) and feel like I could spend hours and hours endlessly studying Korean,” said Zauner during a talk at the Seoul International Book Fair on Thursday.
"The second book is about studying the language and about my life here, documenting how my skill changes over time,” said Zauner. “I'm curious especially as someone in their 30s, if it's still possible to acquire a second language and what goes into that.”
Also the lead vocalist of the American indie pop band Japanese Breakfast, nominated for a Grammy twice in 2021 with its album “Jubilee,” the 35-year-old musician said she needed a break from pressure.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to come here was because the past six years I've been touring as a musician very extensively and particularly the last two years the band became so much more popular that I actually became very nervous about it.”
“It was very difficult on my mental and physical health and when my publisher offered me a chance to write a second book I really jumped at the opportunity to live a much slower-paced life.”
Zauner said she is discovering her own version of the country in the alternative scene and community, which is very different from her childhood experience of occasionally visiting Korea. On June 23, she performed at the Asian Pop Festival in Incheon with singers Lee Min-hwi and Lee Lang.
“The biggest thing I'm learning is that there's no rushing, like most things in life,” she said.
Zauner, whose previous attempt to learn Korean about 15 years ago wasn't quite successful, said, “What’s been so heartbreaking about this experience is six months in, it's become clear to me that anyone can learn a language. You just have to be willing to pursue it every day for a long period of time.”
