'A unique flavour of fusion music': E-Sang performs in Bangladesh 

On Saturday night, a Korean vocalist sang the opening lines of the country-wide famous song 'Ami Banglay Gaan Gai', swapping the classical harmonium and keyboard with traditional Korean instruments. Strong raw vocals of Mahmuduzzaman Babu paired with the angelic voice of the lead vocalist, resulted in 'fusion' that was nothing short of breathtaking. 

Who would have thought that an entire crowd of at least a thousand Bangladeshis would be singing along to a Korean band's performance. That's the power of fusion music.

Korean band 'E-Sang' headlined the show 'Korean Music Concert' on Saturday, organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Bangladesh, in partnership with Rtv, at the Hatirjheel Amphitheatre.

The event was similar to a lot of the local concerts and events held in Dhaka, it got underway almost an hour later than it was originally planned. After the national anthems, there was a brief performance by a group of locals who sang well-known Bangladeshi songs like 'Dhono dhanne pushpe bhora', which initially warmed up the crowd. 

Photo: Noor-A-Alam

However, this was followed by a few uninspired customary speeches from dignitaries, which killed the flow of the show. It was up to the Korean ambassador, HE Lee Jang-keun, and the  Mayor of Dhaka North, Atiqul Islam, to breathe new life back into the crowd, before E-Sang took the stage.

The pleasant irony of the situation was that the Mayor had begun his speech by addressing the foreign visitors in Korean while the ambassador had opened by addressing the audience in Bengali.

It took E- Sang only a few minutes to set up, and during that time, a couple of traditional Korean musical instruments caught the attention of the inquisitive members of the audience. 

Binari (Hymn of Wish), a reconstruction of a traditional Korean song, served as the opening act. Korean shamans carry out this customary ritual in the hopes of bringing well being and prosperity to all.

Photo: Noor-A-Alam

The lead vocalist entered the stage following the opening act. Although it attracted attention from onlookers, the miniature hat she wore on top of her head complemented her black outfit nicely. The other members of the band, who played the bass and the percussion instruments, wore 'hot pink' suits, giving the group a decidedly K-Pop aesthetic.

The first song the entire band played together was 'Sarang-Ga', which is a loose translation for 'love songs'. The track was an excerpt from a 'Pansori' (recitation of a dramatic song) that tells the tale of a lady courtesan's romance with an important male officer from a chosen dynasty.

A track in the middle made extensive use of the 'Piri', a traditional Korean flute. The song's purpose was to convey  a message regarding the frantic pace of city life, while also subtly encouraging listeners to take a break in the midst of their busy days — a sentiment that Dhaka city residents can easily identify with. 

Photo: Noor-A-Alam

The flute blended seamlessly with the vocal performance, which was pitch-perfect, and it created the same, if not slightly better, mood-setting effects as a movie's background score.

The group also performed a song they called 'Moon Song', a flawless mashup of the well-known ABBA song 'Gimme Gimme!' and the traditional folk ballad 'Dal Taryeong'.

Melodies, dances, and lyrics from traditional Korean performances like 'Pulmul-nori' and 'Namsadang-nori' were also a part of the mashup. It expresses hope for a "bright" future that is as bright as a full moon, hence the title Moon Song.

Photo: Noor-A-Alam

Due to the concert's policy of open admission and first come, first served; the audience was diverse. However, a sizable portion of the crowd was made up of teenagers and young adults. 

When asked where their interest in Korean music came from, the majority of them replied "Anime," which initially peaked their interest, and it was also the recent upheaval of the K-Pop scene. 

But rest assured, Saturday night's crowd experienced a flavour of fusion music which is likely to stay with them for a very long time.