K-Pop: Indie in South Korea: All real

Yunmin can rightly say that she is better than the rest. She remembers the weeks in which this became clear: “It was a great opportunity to grow as a singer!” She also had that time learned to deal with public pressure. »And now the figure of the Masked Singer is actually associated with us, with Touched!«

Yunmin is the lead singer of the South Korean band Touched, a music sensation in the East Asian country. She became famous this spring in an unusual way. With the TV show “King of Mask Singer” – which is now copied in Germany by Pro7 and broadcast under the title “The Masked Singer” – Yunmin set a nine-year-old record.

In this extremely popular South Korean show, singers and celebrities dressed beyond recognition compete against each other: whoever loses has to expose themselves. Whoever wins can continue to remain unrecognized. For weeks, South Korea asked itself: Who owns this voice that can sing so elegantly? For five months, Yunmin managed to win every singing duel and stay hidden behind the mask.

Anonymity is now over. But the singer is now recognized on the street: “People are now calling after me: ‘Ooh, Yunmin, give me an autograph! Let’s take a photo!’” She’s not yet as famous as the K-pop stars. »But even if it only goes in this direction, I’m grateful. Sometimes I wonder if this is really happening.”

The 27-year-old singer is not a typical South Korean music star. The quartet Touched, founded three years ago, is an indie band. In the East Asian country that has been flooding the world with K-pop hits for years, indie is an outsider genre.

How else could it be? The continent’s most famous exports include groups like BTS and Blackpink. They impress not only with their music, but also with their meticulously choreographed dances and sophisticatedly produced sounds and video clips – a multimedia work of art.

“I do not like to dance. I can’t do it either,” Yunmin admits. »That’s why we play our own instruments on stage. We have a real guitar, real drums, a real bass and so on. Our audience gets a real live experience.«

In South Korea, it makes sense that something like this would be considered special. K-Pop has dominated business here for decades now. The stars receive musical and dance training when they are still teenagers and some go to special schools that prepare them for a show career. But because dancing and fashion are so important, instrumental music in K-pop is outsourced.

As a countermovement to this style, K-Indie has been growing for several years. Touched is now one of the most popular groups. The Korea Herald newspaper raved about lead singer Yunmin’s music in June: “She emphasizes that the greatest appeal of rock music is her feeling of freedom, and shows how important rock ‘n’ roll is in her life.”

Indie music is booming in South Korea right now. These days, live bands play on the streets or university campuses of Seoul. The number of festivals is also increasing. Of course, indie music has always existed. However, it has only become really popular in the last few years. Probably also because a longing for authentic types has arisen.

The four members of Touched studied together at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and wanted to fulfill their dream of a music career. They toured the country with smaller gigs and supported themselves with part-time jobs in the expensive capital Seoul. Some of the song lyrics are also about this odyssey: »The songs are about our real lives. What we sing comes from our lived experiences.«

Yunmin and her bandmates used to deliver newspapers or distribute flyers for burger joints or fitness centers. “Our debut song ‘The Dawn Star’, for example, is about how I cling to happy thoughts when I’m not feeling well or feel insecure.” The band Touched, which refers to role models such as Radiohead and Coldplay, has been able to do so since Recently living from their music. This is still atypical in their genre.

After K-Pop, can K-Indie even become the next big thing to conquer the world from South Korea? These days the four musicians from Touched are traveling to Germany for the first time. On June 27th they will perform at Gruenspan in Hamburg. On June 29th and 30th they will be part of the “K-Indie on Festival” event sponsored by the South Korean government at the Kesselhaus in Berlin.

Yunmin isn’t just excited about the performances, she says. »I first went to Germany as a tourist. I liked the beautiful architecture, the beer and the sausages. And I was very impressed by the Berlin Wall. Unfortunately, Korea is divided into North and South. “I hope that we can learn from Germany and reunite.”

Perhaps the experiences in Germany will soon create a song about national division and unity. In Korea, where political tensions are at their highest in years, many people would certainly listen.

“I do not like to dance. I can not do it, either.”

YunminSinger of the band Touched