SsingSsing (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: 씽씽) was a South Korean band that fused Korean folk music with genres including

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

, disco, and psychedelic rock. The band formed in 2010, and gained international attention in 2017 after performing on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

’s

Tiny Desk Concerts Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of ''All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C. The first Tiny Desk Concert came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music editor Stephen Tho ...

and at Globalfest at

Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...

. The band's six members include traditional singer Lee Hee-moon and music director Jang Young-gyu. SsingSsing ended in October, 2018 and Lee Hee-moon has said "But it is a project band that has disbanded. I loved being a part of it, but as of now, I do not have a plan to do it again."

Members

* Lee Hee-moon (vocals) * Jang Young-gyu (music director, bass guitar) * Choo Da-hye (vocals) * Shin Seung-tae (vocals) * Lee Chul-hee (drums) * Lee Tae-won (electric guitar)

Discography

Extended plays

Artistry

Visual presentation

The band describes their style as “authentic Korean traditional vocals with rock band music, combined with an extravagant visual style and stage manners.” SsingSsing’s performances often feature elaborate costuming and accessories. The singers dress in drag to reinterpret old Korean traditions, in what ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' describes as an “irreverent but intriguing hybrid.” Music critics Anastasia Tsioulcas and Bob Boilen in NPR’s ''All Songs Considered'' describe SsingSsing as “very glam, very rock and roll and very ready to play with the concept of gender. Because male shamans in Korean traditional art need to channel male and female spirits, the men in the band cross-dress.” SsingSsing Live

Vocalist Hee-moon Lee has elaborated on SsingSsing's trademark appearance, noting that the drag elements are more than just cosmetic styling:

“In Korean traditional art, male
shamans Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...
, called baksu, have the body of a male. But as mediums, they need more than a single sexual identity, because they're channeling both male and female spirits. When I act a female character and sing, I have to overcome the fact of my being a male sorikkun (singer), and try my utmost to bring a more neutral,
unisex Unisex is an adjective indicating something is not sex-specific, i.e. is suitable for any type of sex. The term can also mean gender-blindness or gender neutrality. The term 'unisex' was coined as a neologism in the 1960s and was used fairly i ...
feeling to the performance".

Musical style

One of the folk styles that SsingSsing incorporates into their sound includes Gyeonggi Sori, which originates from the central province around

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 of ...

. Gyeonggi Sori is recognized as one of the important Intangible Cultural Assets of Korea (Asset #57). Other styles present in their music are Seodo Sori (which originates from the northwest provinces of

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

Hwanghae Hwanghae Province (''Hwanghae-do'' ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon era. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo. History In 139 ...

Pyeongan Pyeong-an Province (, ) was one of Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Pyeong'an was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Pyeongyang (now Pyongyang, North Korea). History Pyeong'an Province was formed in ...

folk songs, and the shamanistic-ritual based Seoul Gut. Heewon Kim calls attention to the rural elements of SsingSsing's use of folk Minyo style: “we can try to define the band’s genre as alternative ''Minyo'' rock. Minyo, which refers to Korean folk music, is characterized by its emphasis on strong vocal lines and lyrics that sing about peasant lives.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea notes that “in a fast-growing society where people tend to stray away from traditional rituals, SsingSsing brings them back in touch with the cultural roots of Korea through a very playful style, accessible for 21st century urban citizens.” SsingSsing has also received accolades for bringing a different style of Korean music to global audiences beyond the typical K-Pop exports.

References

{{reflist South Korean musical groups