Singer Jang Pil-Soon rehearses with the band at a studio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th. 2026.07.12. Jeong Hyo-Jin

At a rehearsal room in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th, folk-rock legend Jang Pil-Soon (63) took the microphone facing her bandmates. Her low, murmured “When My Loneliness Calls You” sounded as though the original track released 29 years ago had been lifted intact.

Met at a nearby cafe before rehearsal, Jang Pil-Soon said, “I lead a life far removed from the front lines of music, but my desire for it has not cooled,” and added, “I am always working intensely to release an album I can be satisfied with.”

Debuting in 1984 as part of the duo Sori Dool with singer Kim Sun-Hee, Jang Pil-Soon has been singing for 42 years this year. Jang Pil-Soon is a female artist who symbolizes Korean folk music. Spotted by Dong-A Records during her Sori Dool period, she made her solo debut in 1989 with the album <Eoneusae>. With a husky voice that carries a cool edge, she drew public attention from the moment of her debut. Her fifth studio album <When My Loneliness Calls You> (1997) and sixth album <Suni 6> (2002) are regarded as among the greatest records of the era.

Singer Jang Pil-Soon rehearses with the band at a studio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th. Jeong Hyo-Jin

The path Jang Pil-Soon has walked is both the history of Korean folk and the history of women musicians. In the early 1990s, she was one of the very few women among her fellow performers. At Dong-A Records, home to towering artists such as Cho Dong-Jin, Bitgwa Sogeum, and Sinchon Blues, there were only two women: Han Young-Ae and Jang Pil-Soon. “Back then, women had to make music in the face of absurd opposition. I did too. Now, if you have talent, you look cool even if you are a woman. The gaze that said, ‘A woman makes this kind of music?’ has largely faded.”

She said, “At the time, I did not even have the leisure to think it was especially hard because I was a woman,” and, “I became stronger thanks to trying to survive among stubborn male musicians.”

Back then, the world called her ‘the empress of folk’ or ‘the godmother of folk’. Regarding such titles, Jang Pil-Soon said, “At that time there were virtually no women musicians. Seniors like Yang Hee-Eun and Han Young-Ae were about it,” adding, “I think they call me that because I am someone who endured through a period when there were no women.”

“I always want to be someone cool to my juniors. A senior like a friend who gives strength and comfort. When they are wondering whether to make music or not, I hope they think of me.”

Jang Pil-Soon pets four dogs in her garden, including Naengi and Wandu, born to Gaeddongi and Dallae. Kyunghyang Shinmun file photo

Jang Pil-Soon’s musical life changed when, in 2005, she chose to move to Jeju Island with her then-partner and husband, Jo Dong-Ik. Asked why she left the pop scene at the time, Jang said, “I think I was small-minded.” “I poured all my energy into releasing my sixth album, but I was confused by the way people received the music. It was not that there was no response; perhaps it was a kind of fatigue with urbanity.” The critics’ response to the sixth album <Suni 6> was fervent, but its popular success did not match that.

After many years on Jeju, she rediscovered how to make music at her own pace. Returning to the industry with her seventh album in 2013, she won ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Best Pop Album’ at the 16th Korean Music Awards the following year for her ninth studio album released in 2018, <Suni Eight : Sogil >. Though her musical spectrum has broadened by the day over timespanning modern rock, electronic music, and ambientthe ‘folk spirit’ has not changed.

“The folk spirit is a spirit about life. Even if abstract, it tells stories that can embrace the world, that touch what lies deep in people’s hearts and can console them. I learned that music is not for seeing but for listening. With your ears you can listen to the music, and with your eyes you can look at another part of the world. I think folk is something that can move one’s emotions and heart.”

It has also been 21 years since Jang Pil-Soon began spending more time caring for Jeju’s stray dogs and tending to her life than on music. She said she feels ashamed that she cannot pour all her energy into music, yet her affection for it remains unchanged. “I still truly enjoy discovering new music and sharing it with my juniors,” Jang said, “and if there is a genre that piques my curiosity, I start by studying the sound with a sense of fun and learn.”

Singer Jang Pil-Soon rehearses with the band at a studio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th. 2026.07.12. Jeong Hyo-Jin

Having continued to connect with audiences on small stages until recently, Jang Pil-Soon is busy preparing for the ‘2026 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival’ on the 1st of next month. It will be her first time on a festival stage since 2014. She will perform with the players she has worked with since the 1990s. “When the offer first came, I wondered, ‘Why did they call me?’” she said, “but after much deliberation, I accepted in hopes of making good memories with the members with whom I had enjoyable shows before.”

At the end of the interview, Jang Pil-Soon spoke about music once more. “As long as humans are alive, there will be music. So I hope those who love music dig into what they want to do, rather than business or money. I hope that thought can breathe in their hearts. This may not be the answer, but is that not enough?”