Pia (피아) was a South Korean
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band formed in
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
in 1998. Meaning 'the Universe and I' or 'You and I' in Chinese characters (Pi:彼 A:我), Pia was originally formed by Hullang Lee (guitar), Kibum Kim (bass) and Yohan Ok (lead singer) who were later joined by Simz No (fx, keyboard) and, after several member changes on drums, Hye Seung Yang (drums). The band has maintained this line-up ever since their first official gig together, the 2001 Ssamzie Festival.
After touring in local clubs and rock festivals for a few years, they relocated to
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
and released their debut album ''
Pia@ArrogantEmpire.xxx'' in March 2001. Having gradually gained momentum, the band made a breakthrough at the 2002
ETP FEST and eventually signed to
Goesoo Indiegene, a major label established by
Seo Taiji
Jeong Hyeon-cheol (Korean: 정현철; born February 21, 1972), better known as Seo Taiji or Seo Tae-ji (서태지), is a South Korean singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, ...
, one of Korea's most prominent musicians.
After releasing three studio albums ''
3rd Phase'' (2003), ''
Become Clear'' (2005), ''Waterfalls'' (2007) and an EP ''
Urban Explorer
Urban exploration (often shortened as UE, urbex and sometimes known as roof and tunnel hacking) is the exploration of manmade structures, usually abandoned ruins or hidden components of the manmade environment. Photography and historical inte ...
'' (2008) through Goesoo, Pia left the label in 2009 and joined WinWon Entertainment in 2011, releasing their fifth studio album ''Pentagram'' that year.
While Pia originally began as a
nu metal/
hardcore
Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to:
Arts and media Film
* ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film
* ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott
* ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
band recognized for their heavy guitar sound and Yohan's powerful screaming vocals, their musical style has changed significantly over the years. Having explored various genres such as
alternative metal
Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music
Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With r ...
,
emo core,
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
,
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
,
synthpop, and such, their current music is considered to be
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
and
electronic rock
Electronic rock is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s, when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrum ...
. While their albums have generally become softer and more melodic with increasing electronic influences, Pia has consistently incorporated their original heavy and powerful sound to their evolving style.
History
Formation, name, and early years (~2001)
Lead singer Yohan and guitarist Hullang met while Yohan was in a
death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...
band called "Sleep in Pain" and Hullang in "C.O.B." as one of
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
's most prospective
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
guitarists. The two bands had been in a sort of rivalry when they met at a concert after-party through mutual friends, a Korean metal band named "Rainy Sun", and the two began a close friendship since. During his mandatory military service, Yohan met Kibum who had played the guitar in college bands and became acquaintances. In 1998 after their military services, Yohan and Hullang gathered to form the band Pia, and after searching for a bassist, they recruited Kibum who had changed to bass to play in the military band.
The name "Pia", which is formed of two Chinese characters Pi(彼), meaning 'you', and A(我), meaning 'I', comes from the name of bands soldiers wear to identify friends from foes (피아식별띠). Yohan took notice of this during his service and decided to name the band Pia, with a motto of "the world consists of friends or foes." This original, somewhat aggressive meaning of the band name gradually softened, along with their music style, to mean 'you and I', and thus the universe.
After recruiting drummer Min Yong Shin, Pia began touring clubs and rock festivals all over the nation, and in 1999 they participated in
Indie Power 1999
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
* Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
* Indie game, any game (boa ...
, a compilation album of several then popular underground bands covering hit songs. In August that year, they entered the 2nd MBC Rock Festival in Busan and won the grand prize for their song "Oil Lump" which was later included in their first album.
In 2000, Pia relocated to
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
to record their first studio album, and recruited Simz for
turntables
A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
and
sampling and replaced drummer Shin with Da Hee Kang. While recording demos and spreading sample CDs, Pia actively performed live and again participated in
Indie Power 2001
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
* Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
* Indie game, any game (boa ...
. During this time, Pia's music was heavily influenced by the
heavy metal,
hardcore
Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to:
Arts and media Film
* ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film
* ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott
* ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
, and
nu metal scene and bands such as
Korn,
Slipknot,
Pantera, and
Limp Bizkit, and this continued to their first studio album
Pia@ArrogantEmpire.xxx.
''Pia@ArrogantEmpire.xxx'' and Goesoo Indigene
On 22 March 2001, Pia released their debut album titled ''
Pia@ArrogantEmpire.xxx'' through Rock Korea and was a success among critics and fans alike. The band spent around a year making this album with Heung-Chan Ahn from the South Korean thrash metal band
Crash
Crash or CRASH may refer to:
Common meanings
* Collision, an impact between two or more objects
* Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond
* Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating
* Couch su ...
as their producer. Ahn utilized the methods he learnt from
Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres.
Career
Some of the bands he has worked for include:
* 3 Inch ...
to produce a quality sound uncommon in Korea at that time. Many praise this album for its sharp yet thick sound and Yohan's aggressive, rage-filled screaming and growling vocals. The lyrics convey a sense of alienation, despair, rage, and cynicism that comes from our daily lives.
Pia toured in various clubs and festivals to promote the album, including the 2001 Ssamzie Festival. The band has revealed that they feel embarrassed when looking at their live gigs from these days because while their energy and vibe is incomparable, their actual performances were horrible. However, Seo Taiji took notice of their performance from Ssamzie and selected Pia to play at the 2002 ETP Festival alongside artists such as
hyde,
Tommy Lee
Thomas Lee Bass (born October 3, 1962) is an American musician and founding member of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap metal band Methods of Mayhem and has pursued solo musical ...
and
Seo Taiji
Jeong Hyeon-cheol (Korean: 정현철; born February 21, 1972), better known as Seo Taiji or Seo Tae-ji (서태지), is a South Korean singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, ...
himself. At the end of the same year they signed their first major label record deal with Seotaiji Company.
After the deal was announced, many criticized the band for selling out and worried the band would compromise their signature heavy dark sound to fit the public's taste. To add on, despite a major label debut, the general unpopularity of the K-rock scene put Pia in an ambiguous stance, as although they were officially a major label band they were still largely unknown to the public similar to underground bands. This would be the motif of their second album title, "3rd Phase".
"3rd Phase"
Their second album "3rd Phase" was their first album after they signed with Seotaiji Company, and was very much anticipated by fans who were curious of how their sound would progress or change. The sound in this album is less heavier and more melodic, with a wider range of style than their previous album. Some fans were disappointed by this change and accused Seotaiji for steering Pia into becoming a public-friendly band. However, the album was self-produced with only minor influence from Seotaiji who mostly assisted the technical aspect of the sound. Pia has also mentioned several times that their music style choices were never based on popularity but on the music they like and are inspired at that time while making the album.
Only one single was released from this album, "Gloomy Sunday", which received a fair amount of airplay.
It was from this point that Pia emphasized their wish to communicate with fans and audiences through their live shows. The band's name "Pia", which originally means friends or foes, was softened to mean 'You and I', and thus 'Us'.
The group also began gaining some international fame. After performing at several of their own concerts, Pia performed with
Linkin Park in October, and
Limp Bizkit in December 2003. In May 2004, Pia joined
Seo Taiji
Jeong Hyeon-cheol (Korean: 정현철; born February 21, 1972), better known as Seo Taiji or Seo Tae-ji (서태지), is a South Korean singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, ...
in Vladivostok, Russia and spread Korea rock music to Russian rock fans. The following month, the group joined Linkin Park on a tour of Hong Kong and Singapore. Although they were requested by Linkin Park to open for their American tour as well, due to visa problems regarding the military service of some of the members, Pia was not able to join the tour.
Band members
*
Yohan (요한) : Vocal
*
Hullang (헐랭) : Guitar
*
Ki-Bum (기범) : Bass
*
SimZ (심지) : F.X (effects - Turntables, Samples, Keyboard, etc.)
*
Hyeseung (혜승) : Drum
Discography
Studio albums
EP
Singles
* "We Never Go Alone (Fight Song for Park JiSung)" (2010.05.17, Music Pia/Imperial)
* "Sonyeon" () (2011.07.28, WinOne/Danal)
* "B.E.C.K." (2011.08.18, WinOne/Danal)
* "From This Black Day" (2012.07.23, WinOne/Danal)
* "Korean Anthem" (with Kim Jang Hoon) (2012.07.27, Concert World/
LOEN)
* "Oasis"
(오아시스) (with ZICO of
Block B
Block B ( ko, 블락비) is a South Korean boy band managed by KQ Entertainment, and consists of seven members: Taeil, B-Bomb, Jaehyo, U-Kwon, Park Kyung, Zico, and P.O. Block B has received several accolades, including nominations for seve ...
) (2012.09.17, WinOne/
LOEN)
* "Make My Day" (2012.12.05, WinOne/Danal)
* "Nae Bom Eulo" () (2013.03.19, WinOne/
LOEN)
* "Don't Go" (2013.05.30, Forest Media/
Pony Canyon
, also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affi ...
)
* "O" (2013.06.27, WinOne/
LOEN)
* "Storm Is Coming" (2015.03.24, WinOne Entertainment/Mirrorball Music)
* "Kuz (Re-Recording)" (28.10.2015, KongG Music)
* "SHINE" (16.06.2016, Mirrorball Music)
* "Jaoseon" () (21.07.2016, Mirrorball Music)
* "Midnight Run" (26.07.2016, CJ E&M)
* "Storm Is Coming (1Piece Mix)" (25.01.2017, Mirrorball Music)
Guest appearances
Compilation appearances
Soundtrack appearances
Video game appearances
Videography
* "Stop" (2001)
* "Gloomy Sunday" (2003)
* "Where I
(2003)
* "My Bed" (2005)
* "Cassandra" (2005)
* "Black Fish Swim" (2007)
* "The Oracle"
(Fan Artwork Music Video)
* "Yes You Are"
(Alex Wonsuk Choi version) (2011)
* "Yes You Are"
(Rotta version) (2011)
* "From This Black Day" (2012)
* "Oasis" (2012)
* "Flower" (2013)
* "Don't Go" (2013)
* "O" (2013)
* "백색의 샤 (Shah The White)" (2015)
* "Shine" (2016)
* "Storm Is Coming (1Piece Mix)" (2017)
Awards
References
External links
* {{in lang, ja
피아 (Pia) - 3rd Phase , Facebook
Nu metal musical groups
South Korean heavy metal musical groups
South Korean indie rock groups
Musical groups established in 1998
Musical groups from Busan