The Bizarre Mutants of K-Pop: Balming Tiger
All eyes are on South Korea right now, particularly on its music industry.
Perfectly trained K-pop idols set the standard, and rhythmic pop songs channel through the top charts one after another. The Eastern Asian country is pushing out idol group after group, consequently skyrocketing competitiveness. One group is far removed from the industry competition: Balming Tiger.
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
Their rapid success has made Balming Tiger a target for fans of hip-hop and Eastern Asian music globally. The eclectic collective is nothing short of revolutionary: in a scene where artists are made to follow rules and formulas reverently, Balming Tiger is a refreshing punch of freedom, friendship, and genuine artistry hidden behind alternative K-pop.
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
Balming Tiger was founded in 2018 in Seoul. Through time, they swiftly welcomed change and incorporated a multitude of genres and themes into their creations, richly expanding their palate and skills. The current members come from all walks of life but the foundation of the group lies in mutual respect and admiration, in order to put forward each other’s strengths and ideas in a symphonic fashion.
Abyss, sogumm, Omega Sapien, San Yawn, Jan’ Qui, Mudd the student, Unsinkable, Leesuho, bj wnjn, Chanhee Hong, and Henson Hwang are the epitome of a dream team, and together they do it all, whether it’s rapping, singing, mixing, songwriting, producing, editing, and directing their music videos.
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
More recently, Balming Tiger released a track featuring RM from BTS, titled “Sexy Nukim" (섹시느낌), which gained over 10 million views in the span of two months. This success is representative of the style and substance of Balming Tiger, unorthodoxly trailblazing and reforming the notion of Asian music in the world.
The collective is well known for its strong ethics and it’s clear that they thoroughly enjoy every step of their creative process, arguably symbolized through their slogan “Joyful Delivery”.
Sabukaru had the opportunity to have a chat with Balming Tiger - walking us through their philosophy, their inspirations, and the future of South Korean music, Balming Tiger continuously proves how grounded, innovative, accomplished yet humble they are.
Balming Tiger mixes an array of music genres, as well as well-thought references in lyrics and music videos from art around the world. This mix certainly makes you eclectic and unique. How would you describe Balming Tiger’s energy when it comes to what it creates?
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
We believe it is a harmonic strength. Our energy expands the more we bond. The energy of two members is stronger than that of one and three is stronger than two. There may be other groups out there that are the opposite. However, for us, the presence of our members is one of a kind. We understand each other’s weaknesses very well and can supplement those soft spots.
We aren’t geniuses nor are we people with uncontrollably overflowing exceptional talents. We just possess the ability to authentically express ourselves better than others a bit more. So, in other words, anyone can become us, and we can become anything.
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
What was your original vision for Balming Tiger?
At first, when Balming Tiger came to life, all we wanted to do is to enjoy doing the things we do and create things that made us joyful without caring what others might say or think. Our “joyful outcomes” were delivered to people and among those who recognized us and enjoyed our works, there were people who wanted alternative outcomes, so we gathered more members, and our vision evolved during the process. “Inspiring as many people as possible” is what explains us from A to Z. Whether people like us or not, we believe that all reactions come from inspiration. People turn their backs on artists who continuously churn out the same works. Like and dislike come from interests. We will keep challenging ourselves to new degrees and hope more people will be inspired by our challenging experiences.
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
Who are your biggest inspirations?
Our biggest inspirations are, of course, our members and our friends all over the world. Although we are overwhelmingly inspired by prestigious artists and figures, the emotions and expressions (even the smallest ones) that we feel as we rub shoulders every day are the biggest inspirations.
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
What led you to the road of music, and when was that?
Since we all came from different backgrounds it is hard to pinpoint one specific road. Yet, we believe that most of us sought music as an alternate activity to take part in our lives. Music was a best friend to Mudd the student, a good excuse to get off school early to sogumm, and, to Omega and Leesuho, it was a getaway from all the pressure and stress gained from living abroad. As this is how we started off, we think that now we are bonding to seek other alternate acts together as a team.
You guys played in multiple countries, collaborated with equally celebrated artists, and opened up a portal to a new face of alternative k-pop. What are your proudest accomplishments so far?
We have a lot of accomplishments that we are proud of, but if we had to pick one publicly, we would choose SXSW 2022. We not only took part in the festival but were the first Korean artist to curate a stage at the festival. The name of our stage was Balming Tiger: Joyful Delivery and had the chance to stage our members along with artists that we wanted to introduce to the global scene at one of the greatest festivals. We will have our stage at SXSW 2023 as well. It will be another “Joyful Delivery” full of captivating artists, so make sure not to miss it!
How is the current scene of South Korean underground music and parties?
It will probably be the same for artists in all parts of the world. In Korea, without support from the media, it is relatively challenging for underground artists to be in the limelight or be financially stable. The bigger issue is that the demand for the underground culture/scene in Korea does not strikingly increase compared to other mainstream cultures/scenes. This happens when there is a lack of local icons that represent a certain culture/scene.
Nevertheless, as the global status of Korean culture has increased, overseas opportunities are gradually opening for the Korean underground culture/scene. Creative artists with talent and entertainment events have always been present in Korea. Now is the best time for these artists to thrive. Artists that create and deliver quality music and performances are triggering small but strong movements in all parts of the globe.
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
Balming Tiger takes the shape of a collective, rather than a traditional band. Why did you opt for this structure instead?
We had many opportunities to communicate with creators from various fields, such as musicians, videographers, creative directors, and the list goes on and on. Since we all had the same approach, “all are artists and creators”, we were able to become a team. Outcomes from a collective like ours are countless and lead to another degree of potential.
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
Balming Tiger feels like a revolution in the K-pop industry, visually, musically, and conceptually. What changes would you like to see in this industry?
We like to call ourselves “bizarre mutants” that emerged from the K-pop scene. In a way, it could be the start of a revolution, as you mentioned. Yet, we think that we are far behind our vision and still have a long way to go to reach it. All multi-billion-dollar industries have an underbelly of polarization and K-pop is not an exception.
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
Safe, guaranteed, and familiar are key words when it comes to investment, which causes hesitancy when going in uncommon new directions. This not only applies to the industry. Current teenagers in 2022 that dream of becoming singers will most likely want to become K-pop idols. This is because there aren’t different icons to look up to as models. For more cultural icons besides idol groups to make an appearance on the scene, not only do we need more than the current standardized models, but we need to show the potential of the various types of models. This is the change that we are trying to bring. We want to become a model that displays the various aspects of K-pop and lays a bridge between the idol world and artists from different fields.
What’s the meaning behind your slogan “Joyful Delivery”, and how did you come up with it?
Shot by Kido Mafon @ifucktokyo
The slogan “Joyful Delivery” expresses itself. It means just as it is written. Due to Covid-19, “delivery service” has become prevalent in many parts of the world. Yet, “delivery service” was the norm in Korea far before the pandemic. The system quickly developed in Korea as Koreans like their food to be hot and quick. We are deliverers that deliver our hot joyful works all over the world.
What’s next for Balming Tiger?
We have an album coming up this year. It will be Balming Tiger’s first full-length album. We have no clue how the world will change and what we may turn out to be, but one thing will never change. During our presence, our vision of inspiring as many people as possible regardless of change, for as long as time allows us, will remain the same.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
