This South Korean Singer Performed At The Olympics Opening Ceremony & Her Voice Is Angelic
The opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics kicked off on Feb. 9 with the introduction of 2,900 athletes from 92 countries. Pretty amazing, right? And one of the most beautiful moments of the event took place when four Korean singers performed a poignant rendition of the John Lennon hit song, "Imagine." The group of four musical artists included Ha Hyun-woo, lead singer of Korean rock band, Guckkasten; Jeon In-kwon, lead singer of Deulgookhwa; Ahn Ji Young, one half of the K-pop duo Bolbbalgan4; and solo artist Lee Eun-mi. So just who is Lee Eun-mi?
Lee Eun-mi is a South Korean singer who earned fame in 2004 with her hit song "I Have a Lover." The vocalist gained an even wider audience when she took over emcee duties on the South Korean singing competition show I Am a Singer, and hosted the second season. But perhaps one of the most intriguing things about Eun-mi is the fact that the quirky singer is known for hitting the stage without shoes. In fact, the signature move has even earned her the nickname "The Barefoot Diva," which is also the name of the star's memoir, published in 2012.
Of course, Eun-mi was not barefoot when she entered PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on Friday, Feb. 9 in her all-red ensemble perform "Imagine" with the three other musicians — she was all covered up because of the frigid temps.
At least she's got that big red coat to keep her warm, right? Meanwhile, the theme of this year's Olympics opening ceremony is harmony, convergence, passion, and peace. And so before the four Korean artists began their song, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach offered a few words regarding the motif.
"Dear athletes, now, it’s your turn!" he said. "This will be the competition of your life. Over the next few days, the world will be looking to you for inspiration. You will inspire us all to live together in peace and harmony despite all our differences. You will inspire us by competing for the highest honor in the Olympic spirit of excellence, respect, and fair play."
So inspiring! When the musicians finally began their incredible performance after the end of the Parade of Nations, the viewers were totally here for it.
It truly was an amazing performance — bonus points for the images of doves at the end, and for the dancers who showed up mid-song to surround the four singers with candles. I seriously cannot imagine (no pun intended) a better song choice for the occasion. I mean, just take a look at these totally on-point lyrics:
Imagine all the people living for today. Imagine there's no countries. It isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for. And no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace.
Chills. What a beautiful message of unity and peace! This was definitely a performance well worth waking up extra early for! But don't worry if you slept in past the 6 a.m. U.S. start time — NBC will be re-airing the ceremony at 8 p.m. EST on Feb. 9. You can also check out part of the moving performance here:
Live feeds of the Olympics Games will also stream on NBC.com, as well as on NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, and on the free NBC Sports app.
Let the games begin!
Erin Jackson is an inline skating world medalist and roller derby MVP. She dreamed of skating in the Olympics, but to do that, she had to get on ice. She took her first steps on a long-track course in 2016 and started training professionally in September 2017. Four months later, she qualified for the Olympic Winter Games. Check out Elite Daily Insights' video on Jackson's incredible story:
