By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

Korean soul singer Yoon Mi-rae will appear as a special guest in Amerie's concert in Seoul on May 24 and 25. The latter is an American R&B diva of Korean descent.

Yoon, 26, and Amerie, 27, have something in common in that both are soul singers who was born to an African-American father and a Korean mother.

Yoon expressed her intention to join a charity effort of the concert titled ''2007 Amerie Love Korea Live Concert,'' according to Yoon's agency.

Amerie's concert will donate the proceeds to the Pearl S. Buck International (PSBI) that works for mixed-race children. The foundation will sponsor the concert.

Yoon has recently returned with her biographic third album titled ''t3 Yoon Mi-rae'' after a four-year hiatus.

She drew public attention with her new album in which she reveals her troubles and anguish resulting from her racial background. Through her songs, she tells of how she overcame them in childhood.
Yoon exerts a full range of her talents on her new album ranging from hip-hop to soul and R&B through such tracks as ''Black Diamond'' and ''Pay Day.''

According to Yoon's agency, she is a big fan of Amerie and can perfectly perform a featuring rap part of Amerie's ''1 Thing Remix.''

Amerie is gaining popularity from Korean fans for her affection to her mother's nation as she bears a tattoo featuring her given name in Korean letters on her back.

She is one of Korean-descent biracial stars of in the United States, along with football champion Hines Ward, actress Moon Bloodgood and model Ursula Mayes.

Since she debuted with ''All I Have'' in 2002, she has established a strong presence as a rising star in the American R&B scene with ''Touch'' and ''1 Thing,'' which were nominated for best song awards in the 48th Grammy Awards.

According to the K2M Entertainment that organizes the concert, Amerie is currently finishing her third album, ''Because I Love It,'' which will be released in the summer. The album will include a duet song with Korean pop singer Se7en.

The concert will be held at Melon-Ax in Kwangjin-dong, Seoul at 8 p.m. on May 24-25.
For more information about the concert, call (02) 585-6270.

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr