“We always believe we make the coolest music. We have no doubts about it. We are the only ones working with Gugak and Pansori in this way. We don’t worry if using Pansori feels old or how others perceive it because we believe in the music we are creating.”
Meeting at their agency Hike’s office in Seodaemun, Seoul on the 5th, the members of Leenalchi said their music is “hard to explain in words.” Jang Young-gyu added, “Everyone probably perceives our music differently, so it is hard to define. We called it ‘Alternative Pop’ because it was difficult to categorize, but we would rather just call it ‘music by Leenalchi.'”
Leenalchi recently released their first global single, “Tteotda Jeo Gamagwi” (The Crow Has Arrived), worldwide through the prestigious US indie label Luaka Bop. Luaka Bop was founded by David Byrne of the legendary New Wave band Talking Heads.
The new song “Tteotda Jeo Gamagwi” borrows a passage from “Jeokbyeokga,” one of the most difficult and masculine narratives among the five pansori stories. Park Su-beom explained, “A crow appears the moment Jo Jo flees after losing the Battle of Red Cliffs. While Jo Jo didn’t think much of it, his general Yu Bok called it an ominous sign, leading Jo Jo to kill him. The crow, which can be either a bad or good omen, creates tension in the story, and we used this element to create a song with a funky rhythm.”
The EP album will feature “Yakseongga” from their first album Sugungga, singles “Hihihaha” and “Bwabway Bwabway,” the OST “Sae Taryeong” from the drama Jeongnyeoni, the OST “Let’s Live for Today” from the drama Pachinko, and the new single.
Following the EP release, Leenalchi will embark on a full-scale Canada and US tour, starting with major jazz festivals in Ottawa, Montreal, and Vancouver. Notably, they will collaborate with Japanese Breakfast, led by Korean-American singer-songwriter Michelle Zauner, at the Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco, and hold a solo performance at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Jang Young-gyu mentioned, “While we previously focused on touring Europe, this time we will be performing in North America. The setlist will mainly consist of songs from the EP and Sugungga.”
Leenalchi operates in an independent and alternative way, stepping away from the K-pop formula of huge capital and meticulously planned fandoms. They have even said they might not be “commercially active.” They gained international fame after “Tiger is Coming” was featured in a Korea Tourism Organization promotional video. When asked if the massive success of “Tiger is Coming” was burdensome, the members replied, “We didn’t think it would become such a huge issue domestically. Our goal was rather to become a band that could sustain itself internationally within a few years.”
In that sense, this North American tour could be a major turning point. “It is a bit late, but we are hoping to lay the foundation to achieve our goal this year. The opportunity has come, and we want to make the most of it. If Leenalchi first approached people as a ‘sensation,’ we now hope to become a band that feels like ‘daily life.'”
