Yeahwon Shin is a jazz vocalist who is also proficient in several global traditions, most notably Brazilian music. She was born in Seoul, South Korea and began to study music seriously at a young age. She graduated from her country's prestigious Dongduk Music University and moved to New York in 2005.

There, Shin continued her studies in jazz and contemporary music at the New School, where she graduated with honors in 2006. She began woodshedding on stages with musicians from the jazz and global music scenes. During this period she collaborated and performed with guitarist Egberto Gismonti, whom she considers her greatest influence. Shin's self-titled debut, comprised mainly of classic Brazilian tunes, was issued on Artistshare in 2010. It featured a stellar cast of players including Cyro Baptista, Mark Turner, and Ben Street. The album was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2011 in the category Música Popular Brasileira (MPB). (She was the first Asian artist ever nominated in the category.)

Shin relocated to Munich in 2012 and signed to Manfred Eicher's ECM Records. Lua Ya, her label debut, was recorded with pianist Aaron Parks and accordionist Rob Curto; it was released in September of 2013. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi