Narin A Cappella Group’s ‘Billboard Ambition’

“The goal I set when I started the group has not yet been achieved. The a cappella group Narin is just getting started. I want to share our music more.”

On the 17th, a cappella group Narin (Bang Hak-hyun, Kim Ki-hong, Jeong Bo-in, Kim Jong-ha, Kim Seo-young) said this in a face-to-face interview with Ten Asia.

Even from the group name Narin, their musicality is revealed. Narin is a conjugation of ‘narida’ in pure Korean. When translated, the name means ‘a child who came down from the sky.’ If you interpret it musically, it is like a voice that came down from the sky.

Narin’s musical style is ‘a cappella.’ Although a cappella is recognized as a genre, it is a type of expression for interpreting music. A method of building harmony with your voice without accompaniment. If you look only at musicality, it can encompass all genres, including ballads, hip-hop, and pop.

The five members are seniors and juniors in college. Group leader Bang Hak-hyeon gathered the members. Bang Hak-hyun said, "At first, I started filming cover videos of the American a cappella group Pentatonix as a hobby. While pursuing music activities, I formed a team with Seoyoung, who was a senior in the same department."

My first a cappella career was as a hobby. Afterwards, the members gathered together and started making music seriously. Bang Hak-hyun explained seriously, "The difference from other a cappella teams is the bass and beat box. Other a cappella teams do not have beat box. The bass also produces more unique sound effects, and we make music that fits the pop style." did.

Because a cappella is music that builds up harmony, there is a strong perception that it is ‘soft’. However, Narin was confident that there were no musical limitations. Bang Hak-hyun said, "I usually do the arrangements. That seems to have an influence. For example, we use a different style from the team called Maytree. While Maitree has well-refined, clean music that is easy to listen to, we tend to have a somewhat rough feel. “I’m giving it to you,” he said.

He added, "Maitree considers combination important. We don't consider combination as our first priority. We arrange songs to show the members' presence."

The members recalled their past introduction to a cappella. Kim Jong-ha, who was the tenor in the group, said, "When I was young, my parents ran a karaoke bar. I naturally wanted to sing. But when I went to college, I started to live a life apart from music. After that, a senior in college suddenly asked me, 'Do you want to do music?' “A senior introduced me to Hakhyun,” he said.

Soprano Kim Seo-young also smiled, saying, "Hak-hyeon asked me to do a cappella. At the time, I thought, 'I don't think a cappella would be fun because it's like Tobi Do Bop.' But as I gradually got to know a cappella, I realized that it is a very attractive music."

The same was true for Aalto Information. Jeong Bo-in said, "When I was a student, art schools were not as popular as they are these days. I studied like everyone else and entered a liberal arts university. While I was in college, I met seniors Hakhyun and Seoyoung. I had always wanted to do music, so I joined Narine. “It was lucky for me to come in,” he said.

Kim Ki-hong, who played the bass, is the only music major in the group. Kim Ki-hong said, "The keyword that runs through my life is the stage. I majored in vocal music, but while studying, I encountered many limitations. I wanted to go on stage, but there were many obstacles. I minored in business administration to survive, but Hak-hyeon hyung “He caught me. Just saying he would bring me up on stage made me move,” he recalled.

Narin is currently running a YouTube channel. The number of subscribers reaches 460,000. Despite its great popularity, there were some regrets. There is less awareness in the domestic market compared to overseas. Bang Hak-hyun confessed, "Anyway, we are a domestic group. We want to be loved by domestic fans. I don't know if the number of YouTube subscribers is that important. We are singers, not YouTubers."

Lastly, Narin shared her future plans. Bang Hak-hyun said, "As Narin, my dream is to get on the Billboard chart. Also, 'a cappella' is popular in the Japanese market. I'm also thinking about entering the Japanese market."

Kim Jong-ha said, "Actually, I'm living alone in Seoul. I'm living on my own, but interest rates have risen so much these days that it's hard to pay the monthly rent. I want to focus only on music. To do that, I need to work harder. This year, I want to write and compose about three songs." .

Kim Seo-young said, "Recently, I think I've had a great thirst for music. Rather than focusing on music, I've been doing a lot of things outside of music. I went up on stage at a concert recently and it was really great. I can't express it in words. All the members share this feeling." He said with a somewhat serious expression.

Meanwhile, Narin appeared on the stage of the '2023 MLD ARTIST CONCERT' held for three days from the 13th to the 15th. In March, they plan to participate in a cappella festivals in Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr