FUSION GUGAK BAND GARNERS ATTENTION

[Anchor Lead]

The term "Hip hop of Joseon" is a newly coined term by a fusion gugak band named Leenalchi. This group of traditional artists pioneered a new genre that blends western musical instruments and Korean traditional pansori. The Korea Tourism Organization's PR video featuring Leenalchi have notched more than 270 million views worldwide. Let's meet the hottest traditional band in Korea.

[Pkg]

Repetitive lyrics and an addictive melody. At first encounter, the song seemingly embraces the hip vibes of Hongdae clubs but surprisingly, the lyrics are from the Korean pansori "Sugungga."

[Soundbite] "His body is streaked and his tail is full. Tiger is coming."

This song describes a scene where a turtle encounters a tiger for the first time. The publicity video for Seoul made by the Korea Tourism Organization featuring this track went viral, receiving global attention. This tourism video alone garnered 29 million views on YouTube. The number surpasses 270 million when other KTO videos featuring Leenalchi are all combined.

[Soundbite] SHIN YOO-JIN(VOCALIST, LEENALCHI) : "People realize that our songs are not the usual pop songs they hear but pansori pieces. They're intrigued and subsequently, pay closer attention to the lyrics."

Comprised of two bassists, one drummer and four Korean traditional "sori" vocalists... the band was first formed in 2018 and has since pioneered a new genre that can not be defined by a single definition of gugak, hip-hop or disco.

[Soundbite] KWON SONG-HEE(VOCALIST, LEENALCHI) : "It isn't easy for pansori vocalists and audience members to enjoy the music together. We get to meet a variety of people from different backgrounds through this new type of music."

Some traditional musicians look down on Leenalchi's music, but the band has been steadily communicating with the public with the conviction that music should be present in our daily lives.

[Soundbite] AHN YI-HO(VOCALIST, LEENALCHI) : "There is an innate pressure that comes from historical values. That pressure prevents traditional music from entering our daily lives. We have been suppressed by those values."

But what they want to express are firmly rooted in Korean traditional music. The band is demonstrating the ancient teaching of "learning the old to create the new" through their original music.

[Soundbite] JANG YOUNG-GYU(BASSIST, LEENALCHI) : "It's absurd to talk about music that doesn't exist at all by just looking t the cover."