Busker Busker
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| L-R: Hyung Tae Kim, Beom Jun Jang, Brad Moore |
Who are they?
Busker Busker is living the dream. They are a trio of guys that used to busk on
the streets of Korea. The group consists
of Hyung Tae Kim, Beom Jun Jang, and Brad Moore. If you’re wondering, yes, Brad Moore is
actually a Caucasian guy. This is very
rare since there aren’t many foreign artists in the Korean music industry.
Busker Busker was founded by Beom Jun, the guitarist and
lead singer. With this band, he wanted
to showcase the talents of local artists and “bring an artistic cultural
presence” to the streets, not only through music but all forms of art. Beom-Jun’s fellow band mates that joined him
on this quest are Hyung-Tae, a fellow university student, and Brad, an English
Professor. Together they performed in
parks and streets around Korea.
Gradually their fame started to escalate.
It wasn’t until Busker Busker compete in the Superstar K3
did their fame kick off. For those of
you that don’t know, Superstar K is pretty much like those singing audition
shows such as American Idol, The Voice, and The X-Factor. Even though they didn’t win, they were
runner-ups on the show. This is quite
amazing seeing that they were originally eliminated after reaching the Top
48. In a stroke of chance, a band in the
top 10 dropped out and Busker Busker eventually won the right to compete again,
where they won second place. From the
show, the band received great publicity.
Almost a year after the show, Busker Busker released their
first studio album simply title Busker Busker 1st Album. Completely written and
composed by Jang Beom, the record was a “national sensation” having sold over
50,000 copies in the first three weeks alone and each song from the album
debuting high on the charts. And just 2
months after the album’s release, “accrued a grand total of 13,055,149
downloads”.
Considering that they’ve only debuted with one album, the
band has achieved many amazing feats.
The Music
"Cherry Blossom Ending" is Busker Busker's title track from their album. It's a very simple song, but that's what makes it soothing. With Beom Jun's soft voice and the hum of a harmonica, it's a very catchy tune. The song tells the story of a boy confessing to a girl under cherry blossom trees in the spring.
In contrast, "It's Too Hard to Face You" is more up-tempo. In the song Beom Jun "pleads with his ex to not run into him again [because] the ,memories of her are too
painful, and seeing her again would only reopen old wounds". To further illustrate this, the chorus is a frantic and speed up which " gives voice to his anxiety".
So, what do you think of Busker Busker?
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busker_Busker
http://www.allkpop.com/2012/05/busker-buskers-1st-album-breaks-13-million-downloads
http://www.allkpop.com/2012/02/superstar-k3s-busker-busker-oolala-session-to-debut-soon
http://seoulbeats.com/2012/04/busker-busker-the-saviors-of-k-indie/
http://seoulbeats.com/2013/01/side-b-busking-busking-to-the-top/
http://seoulbeats.com/2012/04/busker-busker-the-saviors-of-k-indie/
http://seoulbeats.com/2013/01/side-b-busking-busking-to-the-top/
I find it interesting that a lot of the people you have been mentioning are fairly educated. I keep hearing universities that these musicians have went to/are going to. I do not believe as many musicians in Canada or the USA are like this. I think this is a good thing. It means that they can write more passionately without using the word "swag" every other word. Another interesting band, by the way !
ReplyDeletewhite guy represent! Haha but no that's a very interesting story, surprises me that he is both an English professor (at so young an age) and that he would give that up to play music. Really shows you the power of the arts, eh?
ReplyDeleteI much preferred the first song, mainly because of the angst in the second one you described.
This is a really cool story. Next time I go to the Buskers I will pay more attention as I might just be staring at one of the worlds newest musical talents. Pretty incredible how quickly they can achieve success, although you always wonder how much of those 13 million downloads end up in their pockets with the way the internet works these days.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely much more difficult to be a musician these days. Especially in countries like Korea where the prices for a downloaded song is only 56 cents, and of that 60% goes to the label. The musician barely makes a profit.
DeleteWooow I wish songs were only 56 cents here!!
ReplyDeleteI think this might be my favourite band out of all the bands you've reviewed. I like their melodies, they're good for spring/summer cause they're so happy and relaxing! Even though I don't understand the words the feeling really comes across.