Jeong Myeong-Soo who was born as a premature baby in 1985, was moved to an incubator right after coming out to the world. It was such a great benefit to be able to use the incubator, but no one expected that it could remove sight from the newborn baby. In the incubator, the newborn baby gradually lost his sight due to bacterial infection and exposure to strong light. Even though he received operation and many types of treatment to get back sight, he completely lost his sight at the age of 5.

Encounter with little keyboard

One day when five-year-old Myeong-Soo visited his uncle’s house with his mom, he heard the sound of keyboard for the first time. Myeong-Soo who was attracted to the sound, played on the chair for a long time. As Myeong-Soo liked it so much, his uncle gave it to him as a present. From the moment of bringing the instrument to his home, he played the keyboard instrument all day long.

At the age of 8, he formally started learning how to play the piano by going to a piano academy. Even though he could not read music, he learnt how to play the piano by following the sound the teacher played. Fortunately, not long after, he was able to skillfully play the piano owing to his great memory of sound.

Falling in love with jazz

Even though he entered the Dept. of Composition in Sahmyook University after graduating from Hanbit School for the Blind, the conflict in his mind got gradually bigger. In the result of repetitively thinking, he quit the school. From that time, he only played the piano. He needed a practice room. He heard from somebody that there could be a practice room in applied music academy. He experienced jazz for the first time in the applied music academy where he initially joined.

“When I heard jazz for the first time in the academy, it was so great. One month after I joined the academy, the teacher quit, so I taught myself all alone. At that time, I played the piano for more than ten hours every day.”

Super star Jeong Myeong-Soo

In order to systematically learn music, he entered the Dept. of Applied Music in Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2007. He proudly passed the general screening at the top of the class.

In the middle of performing musical activities after making his debut with a album of ‘Hope Bird Choir’ belonging to the internet missionary broadcasting for the disabled called ‘Hope Broadcasting’, he had a private concert called ‘Jeong Myeong-Soo’s Christmas Present’ in Yeongdeungpo Art Hall on December 10, 2010.

“Because of the mood, I was excited a bit. I was able to fully feel the excitement from about 500 audiences. Whenever playing music one after another, they gave thunderous applause. I was really happy on the stage.”

After the performance, he appeared in SBS TV program ‘Star King’ in the spring of 2011, and won high praise as Stevie Wonder in Korea. In the autumn of the same year, he appeared in ‘Super Star K3’ of tvN, which presented a touching moment to judges and viewers.

After that, in order to perform musical activities in full swing, he composed a quadriad band called ‘The Blind’ together with his friends regarded as prodigies of music in the world of blind people in 2014. Based on their performance, song, and flexible dance, they enjoyed great popularity just as idol.

Toward bigger dreams

Even though he entered university in 2007, he was able to graduate from it in 2015 because of his musical activities. And he entered the Dept. of Applied Music in Kyung Hee Cyber University(four-year-course), and then graduated from it in 2022. And then, he started studying again by entering Graduate School of Convergence Arts in Sejong University. He had a new dream of becoming a professor by acquiring a doctor’s degree.

On May 28, 2022, he married to a woman who he had a relationship for eight years. He would become a father soon, so he really pushed him so hard without feeling satisfied with the reality, in order to show the great look to his child.

“I always think about making jazz the public can comfortably enjoy. Just as the jazz piano became a comfort to me, I would like to create and perform music that could be a comfort to somebody.”

Because of the poor environment of musical activities of the disabled, in order to produce an album, he had to do everything on his own like performance, composition, arrangement, and recording work. Now, he knows the whole processes of making a CD, which is he is appreciating for. Jeong Myeong-Soo is always a young man filled with vitality of dreams to make his own CCM album and also to work as a producer.

Jeong Myeong-Soo

2022 Entered Graduate School of Convergence Arts, Sejong University

2022 Graduated from the Dept. of Applied Music, Kyung Hee Cyber University

2015 Graduated from the Dept. of Applied Music, Seoul Institute of the Arts

Prize-winning experiences

2017 Minister Prize of Public Administration and Security in Happiness Share Festival for the Disabled

2016 Minister Prize of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in Young Mic Young Artist Awards

2014 Winner in the audition of Asiana Dream Festival

Performance

2019 Special appearance in musical ‘Guitarist’

2015 Music ‘Rock & Roll’ Season 2

2014 Participation in the 14th Nationwide Culture & Arts Festival for the Disabled in Yonago, Japan

2013 The Blind ‘Radio 119’ in Rolling Hall of Hongik University

2010 Jeong Myeong-Soo’s Jazz Piano Concert ‘Christmas Present’ & many others