Blackpink and BTS’ Suga show the power of using traditional Korean sounds as the K-pop trend picks up steam
- Suga’s new album ‘D-Day’ and Blackpink’s recent Coachella performances highlight how traditional Korean culture is increasingly being used in modern K-pop
- Korea’s cultural heritage is currently resonating with the hip crowd across the globe and K-pop artists are capitalising on this trend, an industry insider says
By Yang Seung-joon
A musician begins playing the haegeum, a traditional Korean stringed instrument, against the backdrop of a majestic painting depicting mountain scenery drawn on a roll of white cloth.
The brief solo is joined by the humming of other Korean instruments, including the geomungo and gayageum – types of stringed instruments known as zithers – to form an ensemble.
Contrary to what you might think, this is not a traditional Korean music performance typically seen at Seoul’s National Gugak Centre. This is, in fact, a scene in a documentary featuring BTS member Suga, released on Disney+ on April 21, titled Suga: Road to D-Day, with the BTS star rapping on stage to the tune of traditional Korean instruments.
Suga’s new track, “Haegeum”, inspired by the instrument of the same name that resembles the Chinese erhu, soared to the number 1 spot on the iTunes Top Song Chart in 90 countries, including the United States, on April 22.