Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
Indie band rejects stereotype
From left are members of Lips-Bite keyboardist Laurent, drummer Yi Sang, vocalist Yeon Je-hong, guitarist Choi Kee-sun and bassist Moon Hyun-ho. / Courtesy of Lips-Bite
By Kim Bo-eun
By Kim Bo-eun
Indie band Lips-Bite refuses to be defined by stereotypical standards.
Indie musicians are often thought to be headstrong, hungry musicians indifferent to popularity and content with doing their own thing.
A defining line is drawn between them and mainstream pop artists, who are thought of as compromising their artistic integrity for commercial success.
But things are not all black and white in the world of music, according to the five-person band.
“If you are doing music and you are happy doing it without the fame or money, it means you are doing it as a hobby. If you are going to do it professionally, you cannot disregard commercial success,” keyboardist Laurent said in Lips-Bite’s interview with The Korea Times.
“Plus, an indie band’s distinct style of music and popular music are not mutually exclusive.”
Identity
Vocalist Yeon Je-hong, bassist Moon Hyun-ho, drummer Yi-sang and guitarist Choi Kee-sun agree.
Perhaps this is more so because Lips-Bite covers a wide spectrum of genres.
Throughout the years they have been playing since the band was formed in 2010, their songs have ranged from ballads to hardcore rock.
Each of the five members has been influenced by a diverse array of artists, and therefore the music they make is far from simple. Recently, the band has narrowed its focus down to playing “pop based on indie rock” based on fans’ feedback.
Asked whether this was a form of compromise, the band members said yes and no.
“There’s been a need for us to narrow the spectrum to satisfy the audience. We cannot make music that nobody listens to,” Choi said.
“But we wouldn’t make music of a genre we do not like, even if it were popular,” Yeon added.
Moon said “I wouldn't use the word compromise. It’s more about how the music evolves and matures as it goes.”
This is why their latest song “Luna” is a favorite of Moon and the other members.
“I believe our latest song is the most accurate reflection of our ability. The song shows how far we’ve come and it also defines us well,” he said.
Luna, released earlier this month, is a song about a crush and the excitement of getting to know a person who seems to be different every day.
Green Plugged
For the band, Seoul’s “Green Plugged” music festival is special. They were picked up as rising artists by the festival in 2011 and have been playing every year since.
Therefore it comes as no surprise that performances at the festival remain among their best moments.
“We played there yesterday _ it was our fifth time. It is something we really enjoy because we get to interact with a big audience,” said Yi. “For us, Green Plugged is like a birthday that comes around once every year.”
Yeon recalls last year’s performance as the most memorable moment of his career
.
“It was the second time we played as the team we are now, after switching members. It was a proper performance, and I still remember the images of the audience I saw as we were playing on the stage.”
The band has proved itself through the festival, with its songs “Same Hope,” “Spring=You” and “Dallae” making the title tracks for the festival’s annual omnibus album for three consecutive years _ 2013-2015.
It is almost like Lips-Bite has become representative of the festival. Many of their songs center on motifs such as “spring” and “excitement,” which are defining keywords of Green Plugged.
Plans
The band is still young, so members have many things they wish to do _ such as collaborations with other artists, game music as well as film soundtracks.
As they pursue their careers together, they often face situations in which they have conflicting opinions. One of the members was once accused of being a “Hitler,” but the members usually talk things out when there are issues.
“We have a tendency to follow the person who has clear beliefs and ideas,” Moon said.
“But this depends on the situation, because each person has his own strength _ Yeon takes care of our schedules, Laurent is in charge of contacting people and so on,” Choi said.
With the band’s songs on iTunes, they are now exposed to an international audience. To the question of whether they have thought of making songs in English, they said they are currently making one, which is music for games.
“But if we were to do anything seriously, we’d first have to start studying English,” Yeon said, laughing.