On Nov 21., Cornell will be welcoming popular singer Eric Nam and rapper Ruby Ibarra for its second in-person concert of the 2021-2022 school year.
The concert is a collaboration between the Cornell Asian Pacific Student Union and Cornell Concert Commission.
Nam, the concert’s headliner, is a Korean-American singer, songwriter, podcast-host and entrepreneur. His latest single, “I Don’t Know You Anymore,” garnered over one million views on Youtube. He has also been named GQ Korea’s 2016 “Man of the Year” as well as Forbes Korea’s 30 under 30 in 2017.
Born and raised in Atlanta Georgia, Nam kickstarted his entertainment career in 2011, when he was invited to compete in a singing reality show in Seoul, South Korea after one of his music covers went viral. Officially making his debut in 2013, Nam has since released five albums, ten singles and ten collaborations, singing in both Korean and English.
In addition to his music career, Nam is also the host of the popular music podcast, the “Deabak Show” by Dive Studios, a production company he co-founded with his brother, Brian Nam. His show has invited some of the biggest names in k-pop music, including artists like Jessi, Tomorrow x Together and ASTRO.
Nam virtually participated in a facilitated Q&A for the Cornell community earlier this year, hosted by the Asian & Asian American Center as part of their InspirAsian Speaker Series. He also gave a virtual performance and Q&A to Cornell students in April, hosted by CAPSU.
Ruby Ibarra, the show’s opening act, is a Filipino American rapper, music producer and spoken word artist from California. She cites her musical influences as hip-hop artists from the 90s, including Tupac, Eminem and Wu Tang Clan. Ibarra raps in English, Taglanong and Waray.
Tickets went on sale Saturday Nov. 7 to the Cornell community and were sold-out in less than 24 hours. Soon after, posts surfaced online with pleas for extra tickets.
The concert will be held in Statler Auditorium at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m.. More information on the event can be found here.