By Honorary Reporter Alaa Atef Ebada Ahmed from Egypt
Photos = Bae Sang-hee

The music group Ak Dan Gwang Chil (ADG7) combines the sounds of traditional Korean instruments with contemporary music. Inspired by the shamanic ritual gut, the band balances their nation's traditional heritage with the spirit of the modern era. 

Since their debut in 2015, ADG7 has created a new branch of Hallyu (Korean Wave). Back in 2020, this group had their very first Middle East online-debut concert live-streamed with KCC in UAE, I watched it live and their performance astonished me. I have dreamed to make this interview happen since then. 

The following are excerpts of written interviews on Aug. 14 and 19 with Bae Sang-hee, the band’s spokesperson and producer.

Your group did a European tour last month. What was that like?

During our summer tour this year, we performed in nine cities in five countries. I was impressed to see music enthusiasts coming together and enjoying the concerts in their own way. In the Netherlands, I was especially amazed by the audience's dedication to staying until the end and immersing themselves in music despite the scorching heat.

What does the name ADG7 mean?
ADG7 stands for Ak Dan Gwang Chil. "Ak dan" means "band" in Korean and "gwang chil" refers to the band's formation on the 70th anniversary of Korean liberation. It's been seven decades but the nation still has scars from its Japanese colonial period. We want to express this through music.

What is your goal?
We consider ourselves a folk-pop group of traditional shamanic music that strives to produce performances and music that can touch modern audiences by adapting traditional Korean music for the modern era.

What inspired you to start this band?
We've been playing traditional music together for a long time and contemplate how to share our music with the public. We started out as a pop folk band in 2015 and sought to create our own music with traditional elements. That's why we included gut in our music. It's not only a solemn ritual but also a festival. Through the use of this tradition, we believed that we could make music different from that of other traditional Korean music bands.

What makes traditional Korean instruments unique?
I think they're more reliant on how they're played than Western instruments. The essence of performing with traditional Korean instruments is constantly striving for maximum harmony. It's challenging to produce modern music with traditional instruments, but we believe that the effective pursuit of musical completeness and identity lies in effort and dedication.

Do you like being called a "shamanistic funk" band?
Whenever we hear ourselves called a shamanistic funk band, we're pleased that our artistic intentions have been well conveyed. We want to embrace traditional shamanistic music as our musical identity and reinterpret this positive energy into an art form. We also want to convey the comfort that this music gives to modern audiences.

What is your favorite song to perform?
"Widmung" was inspired by the tragic story of Kim Bok-dong, who was forced into sexual slavery by the imperial Japanese army. After I learned about her through the documentary "My Name is Kim Bok-dong," I composed a song on this painful moment in our history.

Any concluding message for Hallyu fans worldwide?
Every time we perform abroad, I always feel that people are the same no matter where we live. Everyone has hardship but we continue to live with the people we love. The passion of Koreans comes from living "together" as well. I wish all of you a beautiful life and dancing and fulfillment through our uplifting music.

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.