Umchina/엄친아 is a Korean portmanteau for “mother’s friend’s son.” This son may not even exist, but he’s the standard that other children are
Umchina/엄친아 is a Korean portmanteau for “mother’s friend’s son.” This son may not even exist, but he’s the standard that other children are compared to. Eric Nam is a real-life umchina. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Nam graduated from Boston College and was offered a job as a business analyst at Deloitte Consulting in New York. For fun, he posted a video of himself singing on YouTube. The combination of his smooth vocals and movie-star good looks drew the attention of a Korean broadcasting station, which invited him to compete in a televised talent contest. That was over a decade ago, and Nam’s versatility and popularity quickly won him fans worldwide not only for his music, but for the issues that he champions. Along with his brothers Eddie and Brian, Nam founded DIVE Studios to elevate Asian and AAPI voices. And the siblings also created the mental health and wellness platform Mindset.
Nam will support the release of his latest album “House on a Hill” with an ambitious world tour that kicks off in Orlando on Sept. 21. He also will make his acting debut in the upcoming Forest Whitaker film “Transplant,” where he has the lead role as a surgeon. Nam was in Los Angeles when we conducted this interview via Zoom. Because the SAG strike was ongoing, we didn’t discuss his movie.
