It is pitch black outside my bedroom window. I open my laptop as the silence of 1:30 AM creeps up on me. On my screen, from the other side of the world, I am greeted by the band O.O.O (오오오) sitting in a sunlit studio room in Seoul, where the city is awake and bustling. They are squeezed together on one couch, talking and laughing as if they are family. After some formalities and multiple hellos, the five band members introduce themselves.
Sung-Hyun Ga (가성현) is the vocalist and songwriter of the band. He wears a vintage yellow shirt and a smile while leading the conversation. Next to him is the band’s drummer, Doyeon Ko (고도연). He sits quietly sporting a backward baseball cap. His style gives him an edge, distinguishing him as the drummer of the rock band. Sitting comfortably on his right is Taeyoon Kim (김태윤), the band’s art and video director. Dressed sleekly in all black with his long hair framing his face nicely, he adjusts the camera.
Ji-sang Lee (이지상), in a contrasting outfit next to Kim, is the band’s bassist wearing a cool blue long-sleeve, looking professional and relaxed. At the edge of the couch sits the band’s producer and guitarist Seoul (서우), his outfit showing his music roots with a vintage band tee. I ask how they are. Sung-hyun Ga excitedly explains they just finished a tour in China. It was their first time doing a tour there, so they made many special memories together as a band.
They all smile reminiscently at this comment. This prompts my next question as to how O.O.O came to be? They all laugh, exchanging awkward glances. Internally I start to panic a bit, thinking I might have asked something I shouldn’t have. Sung-Hyun dispels my worries. “Our band’s history is actually pretty complicated,” he explains. “In the past, we have had members change within the band a few times. Some of us are newer, and some of the original members are no longer here.”
Taeyoon touches on the band’s roots as well, talking about his favorite song on the EP Yellow called “앞으로 (WE’LL)”. He explains that through this EP, he bonded with the O.O.O band members. This song serves as a reminder of those memories holding a special place in his heart.
I asked the rest of the band members if they had a special song from their repertoire. Ji-Sang chimes in. “‘플라워 (Melancholy)’ is a song on our PLAYGROUND album that I like a lot,” he continues “I love performing ‘플라워 (Melancholy)’ live, and I love the meaning behind the lyrics and the arrangement of the song.” The rest of the members nodded in agreement concluding it is their favorite song to perform. “It has a fast beat and melody, so it sounds fun and hype,” Sung-Hyun states, “but if you listen to the lyrics, it’s the complete opposite vibe than the melody. It’s depressing and because of that contrast we like the song.”
Sung-Hyun’s eyes light up as he explains the breakdown of the song. I decided to ask him and Seoul, as the songwriter and producer, what inspires them when songwriting and producing, and what that process looks like for the band. Sung-Hyun eagerly answers. He is inspired easily. The inspiration can come from his daily life or sometimes he pulls inspiration from a few of his favorite bands. He assured me they are not copying their music, and he makes sure they have different vibes, but other bands still inspire their music.
I laugh, bewildered as to why he is concerned considering O.O.O’s music is rare and one of a kind. K-rock and K-indie are already such unique genres in the music market on their own. It does leave me wondering what kind of music the members enjoy outside of their own. I ask this, and it sparks a topic of intense conversation as the members all start talking. Ji-sang says he loves the band Oasis. Sung-hyun listens to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Harry Styles, Bruno Mars, and a variety of pop music.
Everything seems to be going well for O.O.O as of late, they have had successful tours, releases, and seem to enjoy their time together. It made me wonder what they have had to overcome to reach the success they are at today. I inquire if there have been challenges that O.O.O have faced and how they overcame these challenges?
“The rotating band members was the biggest challenge.” Sung-Hyun explained, “One of the guitarists quit the band. It was really hard after that to find the perfect members to make the band complete.” Other members touch on COVID-19 and how it affected the band, heavily impacting their ability to perform live. Sitting here right now, talking to O.O.O and seeing the smiles on their faces, I think it’s safe to say everything worked out.
“What are your future goals as a band?” I ask. Sung-Hyun explains their short-term goal is to prepare for their single performance in August and December of 2023. They really want to work hard to give their fans an amazing show. Their long-term goal focuses on their name O.O.O which means Out of Office. They want to incorporate the meaning of the name into their music and band image more, so their fans and audience understand it.
I wanted to hear something from all the members, and I was curious about their music history. So we went down the line, on the couch as each member explained their music journey. Starting with Seoul, he briefly explained that he went into music because he thought being in a band was cool. Before he knew it, music consumed his life and became an integral part of it. He’s never looked back since.
Ji-Sang’s music roots started when he was in middle school band. During this time he started listening to punk rock, and he loved the culture associated with the music so much that he ended up making it his career. Taeyoon’s story is a bit different from the rest as he is not a musician member of the band. He tells me that all of his close friends were in music, so it inspired him to work in the industry. Since then, he has made a successful career for himself working with a variety of artists.
Doyeon seems to be the band’s secret weapon and has many talents. He told me he learned drums at 7 years old. He also plays violin, piano, and guitar. His love for the arts does not just stop at music. In elementary school he even did drama! Being in a band seems like the perfect career path for him. Sung-Hyun had little experience with music outside of being in his school’s band. He confesses he had no clue music would end up being his career. He thought of music as a hobby, never anything serious. He assumed after a year he might even pick up a different hobby. Years have passed, and now he has an amazing career with O.O.O.
Speaking of success, I inquire if the band has any new music or upcoming projects that they are excited about? They don’t have a specific date yet, but they have recorded 2-3 songs that will be released as singles by the end of 2023. “We have already performed some of these songs on tour,” Sung-Hyun hints.
They seem to really enjoy touring and being around their fans. “What do you hope the fans take away from your music?” I ask the band. “We want fans to feel comfort from our music if they are streaming and when we perform live, we hope the audience enjoys our stage and just vibes,” Sung-Hyun concludes. After attending O.O.O’s concert, I can assure them that they were successful in that endeavor. In fact, I’ve even become a fan, finding myself gravitating toward their music in times of comfort.
I wasn’t able to conduct this interview in person while I was in South Korea, but if I could I am sure we would have conducted our interview at a cafe, as Seoul has one on every corner. I explain this to the band and ask them for their drink orders. Surprisingly, only Sung-Hyun and Seoul’s orders are Iced Americanos.
Doyeon enjoys a nice grapefruit, honey, black tea but not often because of the sugar content. Taeyoon explains his order depends on the situation. If he is working, he gets an Iced Americano, but if he’s not working; he enjoys an iced choco latte or misugaru (미숫가루) which is a Korean-style roasted mixed grain powder. Ji-Sang’s order is very classy, an espresso with cubed sugar.
The future for O.O.O is bright, as the music is beginning to spread and touch the hearts of fans around the world. Despite the challenges, O.O.O has come out on top and better than ever. I am excited to see this band grow together in spirit and music. Slowly, O.O.O is changing the way the global music industry views at Korean music. They are part of a wave spreading Korean music globally outside the world of K-pop into the blissful, melancholy, heartfelt, and groovy world of K-Rock and K-indie.
Spotify │Instagram: band_o.o.o │Youtube: O.O.O-Topic
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