Majors and Minors: Dean, 'Pilseung Korea' with Andy

This is Andy Cheigh, a first-year from Seoul, South Korea. Andy plans to major in computer science, and he took part in his high school choir for three years as a tenor. His favorite food is noodles! Andy shared what today's music scene in Korea looks like.

Haruka (H): What’s pop music in Korea like? What genre, and which artist, is most popular right now?

Andy (A): Since 3 years or so ago, Korean people have gotten really into rap. There’s also pop, but only certain K-pop groups are famous, and the general trend leans toward rap and hip-hop today. Dean is the most popular singer right now. “Half Moon” is one of his more famous songs, and so is “21.”

Many of the internationally well-known K-pop groups are now in their 20s, so they’re getting older and therefore are becoming less popular. There are younger [pop] artists, but there are so many [more artists to compete with nowadays] that it’s harder to get famous.

H: What’s traditional Korean music like?

A: K-pop is what represents Korean music right now. Of course, there was more traditional music, but they have become much less a part of the musical scene today.

H: Is there a tune that everyone in Korea knows?

A: There’s a song called “Oh! Pilseung Korea,” a song that was sung widely during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, hosted jointly by Korea and Japan. “Gangnam Style” (2012) and songs by the artist Psy ... are also really well known in Korea. Psy had been popular in Korea for around 10 years before he released "Gangnam Style" and became known worldwide.  

H: Does modern music incorporate more traditional styles?

A: Koreans have their own taste in music for sure, but I don’t think it’s based on traditional styles. Modern taste is influenced by American music.

H: Is music in Seoul distinct from that of the rest of the country?

A: No. Since Korea is a small country, people tend to listen to the same music.

H: How, if in any way, do you find Korean music different from other music you’ve encountered?

A: Koreans tend to like slow ballads for some reason, while recently in the US there are a lot of faster songs.

 

Andy himself enjoys listening to both Korean and American music. He shared his own musical taste.

H: Do you listen to music from Korea a lot?

A: Yes!

H: What’s your favorite genre of music?

A: Ballad and rock are my favorite genres. My favorite American artist is Bruno Mars, and my favorite song is “Too Good to Say Goodbye" (2016).

H: Have you grown up knowing American music?

A: Yeah. A lot of Koreans listen to American music.

H: When did you start getting into American music?

A: I started listening to American music in middle school, when I stayed with a host family in California.

H: What’s been your favorite song at Tufts?

A: I’ve heard that “T-U-F-T-S” song [“Tuftonia’s Day”] a lot.