K-Pop Goes Green! All-Korean Band's St. Patrick's Day Surprise?!

Get ready to paint the town green, folks! This Saturday's St. Patrick's Day Festival is shaping up to be a unique celebration of Irish culture, right here in Korea. And adding a delightful twist to the festivities is Gan Ainm, an all-Korean band bringing their own vibrant spin to traditional Irish tunes.

K-Pop Goes Green! All-Korean Band's St. Patrick's ...

Gan Ainm, which means "without name" in Gaelic (how wonderfully enigmatic!), is composed of four exceptionally talented musicians: Darren Choi on the banjo, Koh Hae-young masterfully wielding the fiddle, Koh Seulki enchanting audiences with the concertina, and Zee lending her captivating vocals and guitar skills to the mix. This year marks their first time gracing the stage at the annual festival, a highlight organized each year by the Irish Association of Korea.

Darren Choi, known as Jong-wook in Korean, has been with Gan Ainm since 2013. He actually joined when the band had a slightly different makeup, including non-Korean members. As the story goes, Choi connected with Patricia Jones, a button accordion player, at a traditional music session. Sometimes those informal jam sessions lead to the most magical things, don't they?

Over time, things evolved. After some members moved on, the core group narrowed to Choi, Jones, and Hae-young on the fiddle. These dedicated musicians spent a good amount of time busking on the streets and performing at charity events. It was during this time that the band officially embraced the name Gan Ainm – a decision, apparently, made with more focus on the music than endless name brainstorming!

The current all-Korean lineup solidified just last year, although these musicians share a much longer collaborative history. While the band has included foreign members previously, the shift to an entirely Korean roster wasn't necessarily a pre-planned event. It seems organic, and that's what often makes the best music.

Choi's own journey into the world of Irish traditional music is an interesting one. He was first exposed to it during a folk music course at Hanyang University. "The professor, a Korean who had studied in Ireland, focused heavily on Irish traditional music, and I — then in a rock band — was quite captivated by it," Choi explained. "I held onto that feeling for a long time, but in those days, there was no one around me actually playing Irish music."

Choi recalls a turning point around 2010, when Irish music gatherings began to pop up with increasing frequency. He went on to perform with various Irish music ensembles, including Ceoltoiri Korea and Wild Atlantic Way. In 2022, he even released an instrumental single with Soomee Han, showcasing his deep connection to the genre.

Despite the common comparison of Koreans as "the Irish of Asia," Choi offers a grounded perspective, believing that Irish music remains a niche interest in Korea. "In Korea, Irish music is still largely unfamiliar to the general public," he noted. "As a result, it is much more often received as something curious or novel rather than being appreciated for its originality. I expect this will remain the case for the next few decades as well." While he advises against jumping to simplistic cultural parallels, he does acknowledge that there are definitely some shared cultural threads between Korea and Ireland. So, head down to the St. Patrick's Day Festival this Saturday and experience the unique blend of Korean talent and Irish tradition with Gan Ainm. It's sure to be a memorable performance!