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| sEODo Band / Courtesy of Universal Music |
Six-member band blends Korean traditional rhythms with pop music
By Park Ji-won
Members of sEODo Band identify themselves as "rebels" of fusion music. Refusing to be called yet another "fusion gugak" band ― referring to an emerging genre that captivated audiences globally after Leenalchi band's megahit YouTube videos for the Korea Tourism Organization ― they define their music as "Joseon pop."
Because the genre is unprecedented, they claim they are pioneers of the fusion music genre.
"Our music is rooted in traditional music, specifically pansori. Also, there has been a long history of fusion gugak in Korea," sEODo, the vocalist of the band, said during a Korea Times interview in Seoul, Monday. "But we don't want to be called, a fusion gugak band. We are already a pop music band. We try to defy the cliches of the fusion gugak category and try not to use the typical traditional rhythms of the genre. As Latin music first became Latin pop and then a mainstream pop genre in the international music scene, I hope our Joseon pop will become a pop genre in the music scene worldwide."
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| The cover for the album, "Moon: Disentangle," by sEODo Band / Courtesy of Universal Music |
The vocalist stressed that their music shows what he calls a unique "Korean groove" that should appeal to many fans internationally.
"For example, in a concert, when I ask audiences to clap their hands, Korean audiences naturally clap their hands on the first beat of any songs while audiences from other countries clap their hands on the second beat. Some call it the 2/4 beat. I think that is Korean music. Such a Korean groove could be seen as cheesy amidst the formulas of current pop music, but through our uniqueness and coolness, we hope it can become universal. The lead song, City Lights, adopted this groove, and it is something we will continue to do with our music."
The six-member band was discovered by Universal Music, who put in the effort to find singers to team up as a band that appeals to the hearts and minds of global audiences.
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| SEODo Band. From left are: keyboardist Kim Seong-hyun, percussionist Park Jin-byeong, vocalist sEODo, guitarist Yeon Tae-hee. bassist Kim Tae-joo and drummer Yang Jung-hoon. / Courtesy of Universal Music |
The band consists of vocalist sEODo, keyboardist Kim Seong-hyun, guitarist Yeon Tae-hee, percussionist Park Jin-byeong, drummer Yang Jung-hoon and bassist Kim Tae-joo, who have together signed a global distribution and promotion contract ― rare for a gugak-based band. A Universal Music representative said, the six members, who met while attending the Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts, are ready both musically and physically to absorb everything to become successful.
The lead vocalist came up with the composition style while studying both traditional and popular music. He has been studying vocal music since he was four and majored in it at Gugak National Middle School, while learning pop music composition on the side. He was advised to create his own music by combining Korean and Western music and decided to learn more about pop music at the university, famous here for fostering singer-songwriters of pop music.
After the members worked together as a project group in 2018 for the 21C Korean Music Project, a famous gugak competition, they officially formed the band. Since then, they have won multiple gugak awards, including one from the culture minister.
Another characteristic that makes the six-member band unique is their "genderless" fashion style.
Wearing women's clothes while combining Korean traditional garments and ordinary contemporary clothes, the lead vocalist said, "We just wear the clothes that look cool to us."
The band, which has started to appear on TV and radio shows while actively performing online, is planning to hold live concerts in July and August.
