K-Music Festival: Opening Concert with Ssing Ssing

The artist: SSING SSING

Ssing Ssing have been making waves across the globe, bringing glam rock and funk elements together with a charismatic theatrical twist that takes inspiration from shamanic tradition. In the words of vocalist Heemoon Lee 'in Korean traditional art, male shamans, called baksu, have the body of a male. But as mediums, they need more than a single sexual identity, because they're channeling both male and female spirits. When I act a female character and sing, I have to overcome the fact of my being a male sorikkun (singer), and try my utmost to bring a more neutral, unisex feeling to the performance'

'Very glam, very rock and roll and very ready to play with the concept of gender' (NPR)

'Hee-moon Lee, Da-hye Choo and Seung-tae Shin strutted and harmonized like a young Madonna on steroids. Dressed respectively as femme fatale, ingenue and badass, they kept a multicultural crowd on their feet' (New York Music Daily)

'One look at (and listen to) the cross-dressing, Asian rock band Ssing Ssing and you would hardly think they're singing music inspired by traditional Korean folk. But Ssing Ssing isn't like any other band I've ever seen or heard. The understated music, the small dramatic gestures and the costumes all combine for one of my most memorable Tiny Desk Concerts of all time' (Bob Boilen, NPR Tiny Desk producer)