Sun-Mi Hong
Biography Sun-Mi Hong
Sun-Mi Hong
One of the leading up-and-coming talents from the vibrant Amsterdam scene, Sun-Mi has built a formidable reputation for her creativity and energy. Recent accolades include winner of the SENA Dutch Jazz Competition 2018 and Edison Award Winner 2021 in the National category for her last album ‘A Self-Strewn Portrait’ (ZenneZ Records).
For Sun-Mi, the new album and relationship with Edition is an expression of a long-held ambition: “Drumming has been the funnest, wildest toy, the purest object that can translate many different, complicated feelings and emotions. Sometimes it cries with me, sometimes it shouts for me, sometimes it hugs me. I am thrilled to make my own voice through drumming and through my compositions with the quintet. I can’t wait to share our new album with you all, and I feel especially honoured to be doing this with Edition Records. My dream has been extended far enough to meet them in this chapter of my life. My only aim is not to stop writing music and to hope this transcends to you in some way.”
Sun-Mi’s long running quintet, based in Amsterdam from 2012 she formed the group there in 2017, balances original compositions with investigations into the great unknown of improvised music. Sun-Mi continues: “The quintet stretches its own boundaries every time they play and are constantly looking for new ways to make a typical jazz quintet (trumpet, tenor saxophone, bass, piano and drums) sound decidedly atypical, fresh and unique. After a very successful second album launching, the quintet has been working deeply together, not only sharing music but also daily life. We expect the coming album to reflect this personal connection.”
For Edition, this signing fits directly into the label’s core values, as CEO Dave Stapleton explains: “It is always exciting when a new artist bursts onto the scene, and from the middle of 2020 I suddenly kept hearing about Sun-Mi. Her energy and commitment to improvised music was clear but it was her drive and vision that struck me most. To move to Amsterdam when she did, to not only pursue her passions but flourish in what she wanted to achieve was something that really spoke to me. To allow herself to follow her creativity and to make her own way is remarkable. To help creative musicians thrive, build careers and reach wider audiences is at the heart of our purpose. We cannot wait to get started. Welcome to the family Sun-Mi.”
