We just can’t wait to perform in Northeast India: K-pop band KARD

New Delhi: Popular K-pop band KARD has landed in India. After making the national capital sway to its beat on Friday, the band will perform live in Guwahati, Assam on Sunday.

In a message especially recorded for EastMojo viewers, ahead of its performance in New Delhi on Friday, the co-ed quartet said it was a huge honour for them to be in India.

“Namaste, we are KARD. This is our message to all of our Northeastern fans. Thank you so much for loving our music, for loving and supporting us. We can’t wait to see you guys,” declared BM, a member of the band. Apart from BM, KARD comprises JSeph, Somin and Jiwoo.

“It is a huge honour for us to be in India. We are having a very good time, the food is delicious, everyone’s so welcoming. Very excited to meet our fans,” BM added in the video message.

The name of the band, KARD, actually denotes King, Ace, JokeR and HiDden, with the first three titles assigned to each member. The fourth title, HiDden, stands for the group’s global fanbase as the band can’t dream of existence without its love and support.

The Ace, JSeph, is the main rapper, lead dancer and vocalist; while the King, BM aka Big Matthew, is the main dancer, lead rapper and vocalist. Jeon Somin and Jeon Jiwoo are in the roles of the Black Joker and Colour Joker, respectively. Somin is the main vocalist, dancer and visualiser, while Jiwoo the main dancer, lead vocalist and rapper. As the youngest band member, the latter is also the ‘maknae’ or group’s baby.

Although the band officially debuted exactly two years ago in July 2017 with the mini album Hola Hola, the group had released three singles earlier – Oh NaNa, Don’t Recall and Rumor – under the KARD Single Project I, II and III. Their biggest hit by far, Don’t Recall, has garnered over 9.1 crore views on different video sharing sites.

After winning international acclaim, the group has released two more mini albums, You and Me and Ride on the Wind.

Not too many fans are aware of this fact, but JSeph and BM were supposed to originally debut as a hip-hop duo. Other than being the eldest in the band, JSeph is also notorious for his whacky sense of humour. BM is a Korean American from Los Angeles and speaks fluent English.

Also Read: LIVE IN CONCERT: K-pop band KARD to enthrall NE fans on July 14

Somin started her musical journey with the group Puretty in August 2012 in Japan. In 2014, she was the runner-up in the Korean reality TV series, Kara Project, that sought to find a new member for the popular all-girl band, Kara. She next debuted as the leader of the girl group APRIL, which she quit in November 2015. Jiwoo has majored in classical music and is an accomplished clarinet player. She often brags that she can do a perfect mimicry of any Doraemon character. As a dancer, she is reputed to have the most flexible body in the band.

As is the norm in the highly competitive world of K-pop, all four entered the music scene after undergoing up to five-year-long rigorous training.

BM felt that one of the reasons their music is so well known outside Korea is because they incorporate a lot of foreign sounds in their music. “It would be really very cool to incorporate Indian sounds in our music and, maybe, even in our visuals as well,” he said.

In 2017, KARD was adjudged ‘Rookie of the Year’ at the Asia Artists Awards together with K-pop bands, Wanna One and Pristin.

The band is promoted by the Seoul-based entertainment firm DSP Media that is also into music albums, talent search, music production, event management and concerts. In addition to KARD, DSP Media is also associated with other leading K-pop artistes and bands such as Oh Jong-hyuk, Heo Young-ji and APRIL.

This is the band’s first visit to India and they are here after holding successful concerts in the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and Italy. It is holding its maiden performances here under ‘Play Your KARD Right Tour’. This also makes KARD the biggest K-pop band to have come to India so far.

The event is organised by Pink Box Events in support from the Korean Cultural Centre India.