“Cherry Blossom Ending” (벚꽃엔딩) by Busker Busker (버스커버스커), Tuesday, April 5, 2022
TODAY, LET’S WALK ON THIS STREET. Busker Busker formed when singer-songwriter Jang Beom-june and bassist Kim Hyung-tae joined an English instructor teaching at their university, Brad Moore as the band’s drummer. The band previously performed under the moniker Pinky Pinky, but when the band’s drummer went to serve in the country’s compulsory military service, the two band mates continued to play music. The new trio performed shows both in Cheonan and in the burgeoning indie scene in Hongdae, Seoul before joining the talent scouting show Superstar K3, which the band was the runner-up winner. After the band’s appearance on Superstar, they signed a record deal and released their first, self-titled record. The album was a spring-themed record with the lead single “Cherry Blossom Ending” becoming a major hit the spring of 2012. The band released an EP of b-sides and follow-up songs to their self-titled record. The band also released a second record based on the fall; however, they called it quits in 2013 with Jang Beom-june starting a fairly successful solo career. The band has hinted at reuniting over the years, but other than a few one-off concerts, a new record has yet to be confirmed.
DO YOU LIKE THE LULLABY REACHING YOUR EARS AT NIGHT? I first heard Busker Busker a year after “Cherry Blossom Ending” was released. At the time that I heard the song, it was quite different from what I knew as K-pop. It was the early 2010s and electro-pop was king. College had me starting to enjoy the pop music of the late '00s and early '10s. Once I got past my judgment of Lady Gaga and saw what she was doing as an ironic pop star, I started to enjoy the worldly sounds of pop music. But when I came to Korea under the impression of being a missionary, I was trying to shed the sounds of the world. My musical diet was still very much alternative rock, and that style seemed to be absent from Korea. Sure, I could find elements of familiarity in SHINEE, Taeyang, and PSY, but nothing really sounded like music that I could listen to for fun on my own. But Busker Busker offered a French-riviera sounding pop-rock that didn't sound derivative of a band I knew but familiar enough to enjoy as an album experience. One particular aspect that I liked about Busker Busker's debut was the lack of English in the lyrics. Unlike K-pop groups aiming for international success and even fellow rock bands like NELL, Busker Busker recorded the album purely in Korean. With only one hiccup on the record--"Ideal Type"--Busker Busker became one of my favorite albums that I listened to in 2013 and 2014. And it was that familiar sound in their debut album that fully introduced me to K-pop. I started to get an appreciation for the synthetic sound too. I started to see artistry in the dance pop. And ultimately, I realized that I could enjoy culture for what it is and it doesn't mean that I have to forsake my own musical style. I can simply supplement it.
Jeong Bum June's solo performance:
Check out my playlist 추천한 K-Pop Starter List on Spotify and Apple Music:
DO YOU LIKE THE LULLABY REACHING YOUR EARS AT NIGHT? I first heard Busker Busker a year after “Cherry Blossom Ending” was released. At the time that I heard the song, it was quite different from what I knew as K-pop. It was the early 2010s and electro-pop was king. College had me starting to enjoy the pop music of the late '00s and early '10s. Once I got past my judgment of Lady Gaga and saw what she was doing as an ironic pop star, I started to enjoy the worldly sounds of pop music. But when I came to Korea under the impression of being a missionary, I was trying to shed the sounds of the world. My musical diet was still very much alternative rock, and that style seemed to be absent from Korea. Sure, I could find elements of familiarity in SHINEE, Taeyang, and PSY, but nothing really sounded like music that I could listen to for fun on my own. But Busker Busker offered a French-riviera sounding pop-rock that didn't sound derivative of a band I knew but familiar enough to enjoy as an album experience. One particular aspect that I liked about Busker Busker's debut was the lack of English in the lyrics. Unlike K-pop groups aiming for international success and even fellow rock bands like NELL, Busker Busker recorded the album purely in Korean. With only one hiccup on the record--"Ideal Type"--Busker Busker became one of my favorite albums that I listened to in 2013 and 2014. And it was that familiar sound in their debut album that fully introduced me to K-pop. I started to get an appreciation for the synthetic sound too. I started to see artistry in the dance pop. And ultimately, I realized that I could enjoy culture for what it is and it doesn't mean that I have to forsake my own musical style. I can simply supplement it.
Official Music Video:
BTS covering "Cherry Blossom Ending":
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