Check out my previous K-Pop Samplers #1 and #2
1. Younha - Delete 2007
Younha was born April 29, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, and is a K-Pop and J-Pop South Korean singer. She debuted in Japan in 2004 with the release of her first single, “ゆびきり” (Yubikiri).
Younha made her debut as an artist at the young age of sixteen. Nicknamed the “Oricon comet” for her success in Japan, she has released eight singles and two albums there with varying degrees of success. Several of her songs have been featured in anime/dramas.
An interesting thing to note is that she was repeatedly rejected by Korean labels during auditions.
2. Yiruma - River Flows in You 2005
Yiruma (이루마, born February 15 1978, Seoul, Korea) is a South Korean piano music composer. His works have also been released in Japan.
Yiruma is well-known throughout the world, and his albums are sold all over Asia, as well as the United States and Europe. His most famous pieces include “Kiss the Rain”, “Maybe” and “River Flows in You” (First Love).
Although he formerly held dual citizenship as a citizen of the United Kingdom and South Korea, in July 2006 he gave up his British citizenship and entered the Republic of Korea Navy to begin his military service, which is mandatory for all male South Koreans.
Yiruma started to learn the piano at home in Korea at the age of 5. In 1988 he moved to England, and in December 1996 he participated in the album The Musicians of Purcell (Decca). He graduated from Purcell Specialist Music School (London) in July 1997, then from King’s College London in June 2000.
I highly recommend all of his songs for study music.
3. D.Bace - Go 2003
This was the title track off of their 2nd album. They were a short-lived boyband group like many others of their time. There was an influx of boyband around the early 2000s because Sechs Kies and HOT had disbanded, and g.o.d and Shinhwa were considered "old" by then... the group who finally hit it big was DBSK.
4. MC Mong - I Love U Oh Thank U (Feat. Kim Taewoo) 2005
MC Mong performed this song live at the Seoulful Concert, which I attended a couple weekends ago. I always liked this song but I figure it's a good excuse to upload it to share!
MC Mong’s style falls into both the k-pop and Hip-hop genre. On top of his own rapping, MC Mong’s songs frequently feature guest vocalists. For his third album, MC Mong flew to Tokyo, Japan to record a duet with Lisa, a former member of m-flo. MC Mong wanted a female vocalist to continue the sequel from his first album’s “A Letter To You” which featured Lyn. Other vocalists featured in his album are Park Hyo Shin, Ivy, and MayBee.
5. Clazziquai - Love Mode (Feat. Tablo) 2006
Clazziquai Project (클래지콰이) is an electronic trio from South Korea consisting of DJ Clazzi, Alex and Horan.
Clazziquai (Classic + Jazz + Groove) initially started out as an experimental project by leader and mastermind, DJ Clazzi a.k.a 김성훈 (Kim Sung-hoon). Kim graduated from Capilano College, and continued his study at CDIS (Center for Digital Image). After his graduation, he worked as a web designer, uploading his music online in his leisure time. Eventually, netizens (nickname given to Korean web surfers) discovered his music and were drawn to its experimental nature, which is the reason why Clazziquai was initially labelled a “project group”; in other words, it was meant to be a temporary partnership made for a specific music project, experimenting with music in order to create a more distinguished sound. Although this implied that Clazziquai would not exist long-term, this group has explained that their partnership was created for music, and thus they continue to exist.
Their music, similar to the shibuya-kei movement, is a fusion of different genres but is predominantly house, electronica and acid jazz. The group remained predominantly underground until their participation in the OST for the award-winning K-drama My Lovely Sam Soon.
6. Fly to the Sky - Gravity 2004
Fly to the Sky is a South Korean R&B duo comprised of singers U.S.-born Brian and South Korean native Hwanhee. The duo was formed in late 1998 by SM Entertainment Group, which is considered the largest and most influential pop music entertainment label in South Korea. SM Entertainment has brought out many K-pop legends as H.O.T, Dong Bang Shin Ki, Shinhwa , S.E.S., and BoA.
The duo officially debuted in 1999 and have been awarded several accolades. These include MTV Asia’s “Artist of the Month” in 1999, M.NET Music Video “Festival’s Best R&B Artist” in 2003, and SBS Gayo Daejun’s “Best R&B Artist” in 2004.
After the group’s contract with SM Entertainment expired in November 2004, Fly to the Sky signed on with PFull Entertainment.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Thanks as usual to boes for the mediafire account!