Hello and welcome back to HallyuTones – always focused on Sound, Stage and Substance.
Today’s interview is with the Korean co-ed rock band KARDI. Formed through a survival show, the group’s name combines ‘Cardi’, meaning heart, with a ‘K’ symbolising Korean bands as well as the traditional Geomungo instrument they use in their songs.
KARDI are well known in the festival and live music scene, with their recent ‘When The Lights Out’ concert at Nodeul Live House taking place just this past weekend.
Read on below to find out more about them!
Interview:
Q1. Let’s start with the EP title — When the Lights Out. What does that phrase mean to the band, and how does it tie into the EP’s overall message or concept?
Hwang Leen: It’s about how we perceive the things in life as light and how it disappears or fades away as we try to reach and follow it. We introduce different ways of this throughout the EP.
Q2. What do you hope listeners feel or think after hearing the full EP?
Hwang Leen: I want people to relate to me that I’m not the only one feeling and thinking this. I want them to feel reassured.
Q3. How does this EP translate to your live performances? Are there songs you’re especially excited to play on stage?
Yeji: We normally don’t do calm songs. There’s a song called ‘Wipilapilore‘, so I think we’ll have a chance to perform this.
Q4. Let’s take it back to the beginning — What was participating in ‘Super Band 2′ like?
Hwang Leen: It’s probably different for all of us, but I wanted to explore a bigger scene with more people and I was curious about what I could do in a big production.
Yeji: I had a label back then. In season 1, I saw people with instruments, so I thought that this wasn’t for me. However, my label suggested I go, so I just did, but it’s an unforgettable experience for sure. I’ve experienced various people, and it was very dramatic.
Ingyu: I just went and participated and just happened to end up in the finals. I didn’t really have a goal in mind.
Dawool: It was during COVID, so there weren’t many performances or festivals because they got canceled. I didn’t have much to do. Although the concept was about forming a band, I don’t know what kind of people and instruments I’d be working with, so I didn’t have big thoughts about forming a team. I was lucky to meet my team and lucky throughout the show.
Q5. What were your first impressions of each other, and how did it feel when KARDI’s final lineup was confirmed — was there a moment you knew it could really work?
Yeji: Everyone was scary.
Ingyu: At the MT (retreat), Yeji dressed scary in all black styling.
Yeji: That’s what the label told me to wear while everyone was wearing comfortable clothing like sweats.
Q6. What’s something people might not realize about the reality of being on a music competition show?
Yeji: It was very stressful, and they put a lot of pressure on the contestants with a tough, busy schedule.
Hwang Leen: We did a lot of retakes, and there was so much to do, so pulling all nighters was a given. However, it wasn’t all bad of an experience because it made me realize my limits on how far I can go.
Q7. Were there any lessons you learned from that high-pressure environment that you still carry with you into the studio or on stage?
Ingyu: Mentally, I had to focus all day about the song we were going to perform on the next day, so our mindset regarding completion was high. Our mindset was that it’ll all work out and must somehow work itself out. We also got to see how producers think about how things will look on air which was interesting.
Q8 Yeji, how would you compare your experience from ‘Voice Korea‘ to ‘Superband‘?
Yeji: During Voice Korea, everything was already mainly arranged. I just had to perform the song, so it wasn’t stressful, and I didn’t have a lot of rounds. In ‘Superband‘, we had to create and lead everything, so it was a lot of constant pressure. There were times where I felt like I wasn’t doing anything as the leader. I was also stressed because we have to show different sides regarding arrangements and production, but I feel like our music range expanded overall.
Q9. What were some early goals you set as a band after forming — and have those goals changed?
Yeji: We didn’t have a goal.
Hwang Leen: We didn’t set a goal in mind for the future, but we feel like if we do things that we see in front of us now, that we’ll eventually accomplish bigger goals. We didn’t have a massive plan or goal about what we were gonna do but just to not ever stop.
Dawool: We didn’t have a big dream to become a team, but our team was created through the show, so we were mainly focused on making music and doing projects. That’s how the team continued, but we got to share our story and figure out what kind of music we wanted to do which strengthened our team.
Q10. As a rock band in Korea’s diverse music scene, do you feel like your space is growing, or are you still carving it out?
Ingyu: The Korean music scene is small. We’ve been a band for four years now, and during that time we’ve found our place in it. Still, the rock scene in particular is quite small. We continue experimenting with different genres, but our foundation is rock, so we need to keep pushing and knocking on doors.
Hwang Leen: We’re not a huge existence in Korea, but we are paving a new path.
Q11. Lastly, what would you like to say to fans or new listeners?
Ingyu: Bands always have things that they want to say. Therefore, show interest in our music, and listen to our message, and we would be thankful.
Hwang Leen: Try giving us a listen, and it would be nice if you would remember our name.
Yeji: Just listen to us once!
Check out KARDI and follow them at the links below:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KARDI0925
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6v8xPUDPu5hQlu0GrYHyOE
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kardi/1587824646
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bandkardi_
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