Kiwi band finds inspiration in Seoul’s indie undercurrent

The members of Kiwi band There's A Tuesday pose on stage at CJ Azit, Saturday. Courtesy of CJ Cultural Foundation

Under the neon glow of Seoul’s sleepless nights, New Zealand indie pop band There’s A Tuesday spent over a week in Korea diving headfirst into its music scene.

The Kiwi quartet — childhood friends Nat Hutton (vocals, guitar), Minnie Robberds (vocals, guitar), Gus Murray (drums) and Joel Becker (bass) — were in the city for a creative residency to write, record and perform, thanks to Asia New Zealand Foundation, BIG FAN and CJ Cultural Foundation.

Through the Seoul Residency program, the group from Christchurch explored the origins and reach of Korea’s indie scene with curiosity from their arrival on July 31 through Aug. 10.

Accompanying the band were their manager Cuillin Hearty; Savina Fountain, general manager of BIG FAN, a not-for-profit, multi-purpose music space located in Morningside, Aotearoa; and myself as music journalist.

For Fountain, a Korean New Zealander, returning to Seoul was an eye-opening experience. “I’ve learnt how strong infrastructure in the music industry, such as CJ Cultural Foundation’s Tune Up program, supports Korean artists in reaching the world stage,” she said. For her, “the biggest surprise has been the scale and vibrancy of the indie music scene here.”

The members of Kiwi band There's A Tuesday pose at a palace in Seoul during a residency program earlier this month. Courtesy of There's A Tuesday

The entire cohort felt the bright presence of Korea’s indie music scene throughout their travels, especially at the “TUNE UP MEETS FRESH FINDS” concert over their final weekend, where the band performed with local acts jisokuryClub and Can’t Be Blue. The sold-out event drew a predominantly young audience who knew the local performers and their lyrics well, alongside open-minded patrons who warmly cheered on the Kiwi band, appreciating their efforts to connect using common Korean gestures and phrases.

Members of Kiwi band There's A Tuesday pose with a street food seller in Seoul during a residency program earlier this month. Courtesy of There's A Tuesday

Incheon Pentaport Music Festival 2025

Amid an extreme heat wave, There’s A Tuesday’s first stop was a visit to observe the first day of the sweltering Incheon Pentaport Music Festival in Songdo on Friday. For Becker, their arrival was “super hectic.” While arriving at the venue, they passed by people lined up out front, and Becker said “the line just never stopped.” That patience from numerous patrons, he found, spoke volumes. “It was insane — the amount of people just waiting patiently in line for a festival. It’s a good indication of how respected the festival and the artists are.”

Hutton concurred. “The gig culture and crowd etiquette here is unmatched and unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

Looking back on her time in Seoul, she said, “The respect we saw from Korean audiences for not only the artist, but others in the crowd around them, created this really beautiful and safe-feeling environment."

Pentaport presented a range of genres, from EDM to rap and indie rock. Becker said he was expecting a bit more K-pop among the lineup but enjoyed the surprises. “There were some bands that had choreographed dance moves that made it feel like a full rock band.” One of these was QWER, an all-girl group whose energy carried across the fields of Songdo Moonlight Festival Park. They even used cheer poms, adding another layer of enjoyment for fans. “They’re not just playing music but giving a performance,” Becker praised.

His personal highlight was British rapper Little Simz. “Just seeing the crowd engagement for that was really cool and inspiring,” he said. The crowd’s enthusiasm for a foreign performer left a lasting impression. “I’d love to play here, if that’s what international acts get as a response.”

Members of Kiwi band There's A Tuesday pose at Incheon Pentaport Music Festival in Incheon during a residency program earlier this month. Courtesy of There's A Tuesday

Tour of Mound Media

There’s A Tuesday was next welcomed at Mound Media, one of the largest and most reputable music and entertainment companies for Korean indie bands, on a Tuesday. Its name, explained Mound Media’s Kim Kun-soo (Kevin), comes from CEO Shin Dong-ik’s wish to “create a special experience and a mound for all its pitchers” to reach a higher trajectory.

“I wanted to ask as much as I could,” Becker recalled. The Kiwi band learned about Mound’s work process and “the way that [the company] navigates things with different artists.” As they moved between floors, Kevin offered advice on “how to post and what to post” on social media, showing examples from the company’s roster. Social media outreach is a huge part of modern music marketing, and even more so for Korean artists.

When asked how foreign acts could break into Korea’s indie scene, Kevin said, “Foreign bands tend to do well in Korea if they have a big visual group identity. Korean idols are about fan engagement, but for the indie scene, it’s more about arts and culture — that’s the key difference.”

Becker found this perspective revealing. Back home in New Zealand, visuals are often seen as “just a bonus,” whereas Kevin emphasized that “Korean music is much more visual than other countries.” This point was reinforced when the band spotted a YouTube Award plaque for 100,000 subscribers, one of several dotted throughout the offices.

Another surprise awaited them: a floor dedicated to virtual YouTubers. Here, predesigned characters front livestreams that feature dance, Q&A sessions and real-time fan interaction. While the idea of a virtual artist isn’t new, Korea has expanded the format into a highly interactive experience. Many cutouts of these beloved characters sat atop employee desks. “There’s a human being behind each of these characters, recording and writing,” Kevin pointed out.

The visit also introduced the band to Mound Media’s distribution arm, Poclanos, the leading global distributor for indie music in Korea. Their advice to the Kiwi group: Prioritize playlist exposure, engage with Korean media, and play regular shows in Seoul.

Kevin added that breaking into foreign markets works both ways. “It’s most important to show your audience consistently what you can do — to touch their hearts.”

The band is now considering how to connect with potential and current fans worldwide through a visual experience that goes beyond simply listening to their music.

The members of Kiwi band There's a Tuesday eat at a barbecue restaurant in Seoul during a residency program earlier this month. Courtesy of There's a Tuesday

Writing and recording with Kimseungjoo at CJ Azit

The band next took on the challenge of collaborating with Korean indie singer-songwriter Kimseungjoo, despite not having worked with many artists before. They had caught his electric set at Pentaport and met him afterwards.

“Kimseungjoo had such a good voice, and meeting him afterwards, he was super friendly,” Becker recalled.

Curious to see how he approached songwriting, the group wondered if his process might align with their own. “We look forward to the outcome, even if there isn’t an outcome,” they said.

On Aug. 6, they headed into the CJ azit studio for an afternoon of writing and recording with him. They riffed off each other’s ideas despite the language gap between “someone who doesn’t usually speak English,” as Becker put it, and four New Zealanders who don’t usually speak Korean. “I think music speaks for itself, though,” he added.

“Despite our best Duolingo efforts, the obvious language barrier was definitely there!” Hutton added. Like her bandmate, however, she saw the silver lining: “But when coming together to work with local Korean artists in a musical space, it wasn’t necessarily a problem due to the universal language of music and art in general.”

On Saturday night, they proved just that. Bringing Kimseungjoo on stage for the debut of their new guitar-driven song, they wove Korean and English lyrics together in a performance that cut through any language barriers. The crowd responded instantly — it was a hit.

Kiwi band There's A Tuesday performs with Korean musician Kimseungjoo at CJ Azit, Saturday. Courtesy of CJ Cultural Foundation

Post-show, Hutton recollected her thoughts about her homeland in comparison to Korea. “In Aotearoa, we have a bit of a problem where some people view gigs — especially supporting artist slots — as a ‘predrinks’ [time] or something before going out,” she said. “But here [in Seoul], the music feels purely enjoyed for exactly what it is, and treated with so much respect.”

After the show, the band and Kimseungjoo bowed deeply towards each other, full of gratitude.

What’s next for There’s A Tuesday

Having returned home from Korea’s densely packed capital, the members of There’s A Tuesday have much to reflect upon. They ultimately went back with a renewed appreciation for Korea’s indie scene and its people, and gained some fresh insights into the workings of the music industry.

The New Zealand musicians have been selected to perform at Australia’s BIGSOUND — the country’s leading artist showcase and industry conference — next month, in Brisbane. There, the musicians will also embark on their inaugural Australia headline tour with two key stops.

The members of Kiwi band There's A Tuesday pose together during a residency program in Korea earlier this month. Courtesy of There's A Tuesday

Fountain said their Seoul Residency experience was deeply personal as well as professional. “As a Korean woman who has lived in New Zealand for the past 30 years, reconnecting with my heritage while engaging with the music industry has been incredibly inspiring and grounding,” she said. “I look forward to bringing these insights back to BIG FAN and New Zealand.”

Follow @theres.a.tuesday and @bigfan_nz on Instagram.

Samantha Cheong is a music journalist and freelance publicist from Tāmaki Makaurau. She is a Malaysian Chinese woman dedicated to uplifting the local creative community through her background producing news at TVNZ and writing about music for UnderTheRadar and Rolling Stone AU/NZ.