One eight-year-old Korean girl became an internet sensation after tearing the roof off a jazz club with her jaw-dropping trumpet skills! The young prodigy cut an unassuming figure onstage at the club, surrounded by veteran jazz players. But Kwak Dakyung had a big talent that was going to make her the star of the show. She opened the song with a melodic trumpet solo and a big cheer instantly went up from the crowd, as it was clear they were seeing something special.
Kwak’s big moment quickly lit up the internet, drawing 8.7 million views on YouTube. The video shows her performing the jazz standard “Autumn Leaves” at the Groove jazz club in Seoul, South Korea. Kwak really has a great ear for melody and groove, and performs a very classy interpretation of the classic tune. Here at The Music Man we love to share the greatest in young musical talents, and we know that Kwak is gonna go far!
Kwak takes an extended solo at the start of the song, before a baritone saxophonist takes the next solo. Kwak wasn’t done yet, though, as just before the seven-minute mark, she begins a harmonized solo with a saxophonist. It takes real skill to perform a dual solo like that, but Kwak is all over it and jams it out like a pro!
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Kwak made her hit appearance at the Groove club on October 1, 2018. Nowadays she is 14 years old and is still playing jazz trumpet! The “Autumn Leaves” jam is not the only hit the young Korean talent has scored on YouTube. Another popular performance features a 7-year-old Kwak delivering a tasty trumpet solo on Chuck Mangione’s instrumental “Feels So Good.” This video has drawn 965,000 views on YouTube and surely will be on its way to seven figures soon.
Music lovers online were really impressed with Kwak’s skills, and added comments such as “Brought a smile to my face and tears to my eyes simultaneously. Wonderful!” and “The best part is, she’s doing all this without sheet music. That means she’s feeling the music, understands when to play and when to stop. She has a great ear for music and will always do well on any stage she graces. Great job!” The Music Man readers might be interested to know that Kwak has been playing trumpet since she was four years old. She made her debut performance at a jazz club at age six. Kwak’s father is also a jazz musician, and she regularly performs with her dad and various jazz ensembles. She is also continuing her musical education by studying classical and jazz trumpet.
If you would like to hear more from this talented young trumpet player, you can subscribe to her YouTube Channel for more incredible music. You can also follow her on Instagram for the latest updates and performances.