Summer’s officially done and that generally means the pace and concept for K-pop songs will change. This week marked the end of summer and the start of fall, so here are our faves from this transitional period. “Thank You” by INFINITE (Released Sep. 19) INFINITE made their long awaited comeback this week with sixth mini […]
While South Korea is musically known for “Gangnam Style” and K-pop, the country has a burgeoning indie scene based in Seoul’s Hongdae neighborhood. Each year, Zandari Festa brings a bevy of Korean and overseas musicians to the area to perform around town at the Korean Peninsula’s closest thing to SXSW. This year, Zandari Festa will […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Untitled-design.jpg7681024Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2016-09-21 16:59:312016-09-22 05:31:385 rising female acts at Zandari Festa ’16
Summer’s officially done and that generally means the pace and concept for K-pop songs will change. This week marked the end of summer and the start of fall, so here are our faves from this transitional period. “Thank You” by INFINITE (Released Sep. 19) INFINITE made their long awaited comeback this week with sixth mini […]
While South Korea is musically known for “Gangnam Style” and K-pop, the country has a burgeoning indie scene based in Seoul’s Hongdae neighborhood. Each year, Zandari Festa brings a bevy of Korean and overseas musicians to the area to perform around town at the Korean Peninsula’s closest thing to SXSW. This year, Zandari Festa will […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Untitled-design.jpg7681024Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2016-09-21 16:59:312016-09-22 05:31:385 rising female acts at Zandari Festa ’16
Summer’s officially done and that generally means the pace and concept for K-pop songs will change. This week marked the end of summer and the start of fall, so here are our faves from this transitional period.
“Thank You” by INFINITE (Released Sep. 19)
INFINITE made their long awaited comeback this week with sixth mini album Infinite Only and while their title track “The Eye” was a fantastic one, “Thank You” is my favourite track of the album, hands down. It sounded like a normal ballad on my first listen, but that was before I realised how vocally challenging the entire song was and how beautiful the lyrics of the song were. I was also hooked after watching Infinite perform it (flawlessly) on their first comeback performance on M! Countdown. It was probably the most relaxed yet sincere performance they had ever given and was full of bromance as well as fanservice. This group… is just perfection.
“Love Yourself” cover by Melon5 aka Super Junior-M’s Henry, B.I.G’s Benjy, N.Flying’s Jaehyun, Day6’s YoungK, and Astro’s Eunwoo (Aired Sep. 25)
The SBS live music show Inkigayo started doing this new Unplugged segment and this week’s episode featured the collaborative cover of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” performed by Melon5. For a music show without a lot of live music performances, this sweet rendition was really quite nice to hear. (Plus I’m a sucker for collaborative stages). Aside from the fact that the five men are all talented singers, you could see and hear the fact that they enjoyed being able to play instruments on stage. The highlight of the cover was clearly when Henry and (I think, sorry!) Eunwoo were having fun with their violins, using a variety of different techniques to recreate the song’s original style on stage. The only criticism I have is that YoungK only really got a chance to sing at the end, because he clearly has the most distinctive voice from within the group of otherwise similarly-toned singers. Not that it was a bad thing to hear the four others, especially Henry who is overdue for some new music either as a soloist or with Super Junior-M, but it seemed that, aside from YoungK, Melon5 was trying to emulate Bieber’s voice rather than to put their own spin on things vocally. Hopefully, we’ll get to see this grouping being a bit more adventurous in the future.
“What Season Are You? (feat. Giriboy)” by Fromm (Released Sep. 25)
As we transition from summer to autumn, the mood for the season gets cozier and calmer. The perfect dose of comfort comes in the form of Fromm’s “What Season Are You?” Her long awaited comeback, as always, did not disappoint giving us just the right amount of melancholy paired with her sweet vocals and the haunting guitar that leads the melody. Moreover, Giriboy’s input in the song is interesting, since he sings a few verses here and there rather than rapping (thank god!). And we can’t forget about the music video; it’s absolutely visually stunning. From the colors to the photography, it’s simply breathtaking.
— Alexis
What was your fave K-pop release this week? Share your picks and thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
While South Korea is musically known for “Gangnam Style” and K-pop, the country has a burgeoning indie scene based in Seoul’s Hongdae neighborhood. Each year, Zandari Festa brings a bevy of Korean and overseas musicians to the area to perform around town at the Korean Peninsula’s closest thing to SXSW. This year, Zandari Festa will take place from Sept. 30-Oct. 3 and feature a lot of acts that we know and love, like Love X Stereo, Patients, The Barberettes and more.
Since the festival began in 2012, it has been integral in showcasing some of Korea’s best lesser-known talent so we always love to take a look at the roster to see what musicians we should be listening to. Like many music festivals, and music industries, throughout the world, Zandari Festa is geared heavily towards male and co-ed music acts, so we decided to highlight some of our favorite femaleKoreanindie acts who will absolutely slay the audiences at this year’s Festa.
Sweet Revenge
What happens when you combine the spunk and beauty of Girls’ Generation with the rock flair of CNBLUE and Day6, then actually let them create their own music? Sweet Revenge. The most idol-like of all-female acts at this year’s Zandari Festa, Sweet Revenge is pop-rock quartet. Even though they look like any other K-pop girl group out there, Sweet Revenge writes all of their songs and plays live. In heels! Their more recent songs, like last year’s “Fly High,” feel like a hybrid of J-pop, primarily thanks to the lead vocalists high-pitched vocals, and American alternative rock.
Sweet Revenge will perform at Evans Lounge at 5PM on Oct. 3.
The folk-pop singer-songwriter Shin Seol Hee released her first album in 2013 and since then has released an album and several singles. Her sound primarily revolves around strumming guitars intertwined with other sounds, such as the lilting chimes and electronic elements like what was heard on last year’s “Circle.” She has a breathy voice with a surprisingly strong tone so hearing her sing is a sheer pleasure. Her latest single, “Another Season,” was released just this week (Sept. 19) so take a listen ahead of Zandari Festa.
Shin Seol Hee is performing at Veloso on Oct. 2 at 5PM.
Kirara
After changing her name from STQ Project, Kirara’s become a fan favorite and is rising as a Korean electronica darling. The electro-pop tunes that the producer has put together are sprinkled heavily with 8-bit blips and modern rock and dance sounds to create a style that’s very much of the moment while still sounding like it came out of an ‘80s arcade. Anybody who is a fan of Clazziquai Project will certainly fall in love with her sound. Definitely go listen to her.
Kirara is performing at Steel Face on Oct. 3 at 5PM.
Earip
If you’ve ever watched a Korean drama, there’s nearly always one song on the soundtrack (OST) that is a dreamy tune with comforting words sung softly over the melody. Earip’s moving ballads sound exactly like that and have ever since she released her first album in 2005. The folk singer released her fifth album, Exile, earlier this year with the music video for the single. Our personal favorite is the sweet-sounding “뒷일을 부탁해” from 2013.
Earip is performing at Steel Face Rooftop on Oct. 3 at 6PM.
Like Kirara, Aseul is a rising star in the Korean electropop scene but Aseul’s music is more ethereal than Kirara’s playful sound. Her latest single, June’s “Fisher,” is a trance-filled earworm that takes nearly two minutes before Aseul’s vocals join the fray. Previously known as Yukari, Aseul has produced a variety of music since 2014 and this will be her first time at Zandari Festa with the new moniker. If you’re in the area, definitely check her out. (And tag us in the videos so we can pretend we’re experiencing her sound too!)
Aseul is performing at Steel Face on Oct. 3 at 7PM.
What do you think of these acts playing at Zandari Festa? Whose set would you like to attend the most? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook,Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Untitled-design.jpg7681024Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2016-09-21 16:59:312016-09-22 05:31:385 rising female acts at Zandari Festa ’16
