Busker Busker
| Company type | Indie band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Headquarters | South Korea |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
Busker Busker () is an indie band from South Korea that rose to fame as the second-place finishers on Mnet’s music competition program Superstar K3. The group consists of vocalist and guitarist Jang Beom-june, bassist Kim Hyung-tae, and drummer Brad Moore.
Their first album, Busker Busker 1st Album, which includes the popular track "Cherry Blossom Ending", was launched in March 2012. After completing a six-month contract with CJ E&M in 2012, they transitioned to Chungchun Music and released their follow-up, Busker Busker 2nd Album, in September 2013. The band declared a temporary break in December 2013, though members have suggested the possibility of regrouping in the future.
Formation prior to Superstar K3
The inception of Busker Busker traces back to Jang Beom-jun (), who aimed to create a busking collective dedicated to street performances and supporting local artists across diverse artistic disciplines. Initially, the ensemble included students from Sangmyung University’s Cheonan campus. Before drummer Brad Moore joined, the band operated under the name Pinky Pinky, functioning as a segment of the broader Busker Busker collective. Their former drummer departed to fulfill South Korea’s mandatory military service.
At this stage, Jang and Kim Hyung-tae were enrolled at Sangmyung University, while Moore worked there as an English language instructor. These three individuals formed the core lineup and renamed the group Busker Busker. During summer 2011, they frequently performed in a park in Cheonan, which helped them gain recognition locally. Only Jang, Kim, and Moore participated in the Superstar K3 auditions, establishing the trio’s lineup. Moore stood out as a Caucasian member with limited fluency in Korean.
Journey on Superstar K3
Busker Busker auditioned for the third season of the survival competition Superstar K. Although initially eliminated after their rendition of "Juliette" alongside Togeworl, they re-entered the competition when a Top 10 contestant withdrew. Along with another returning band, Haze, they advanced into the Top 11. Their debut performance on the show featured "Tokyo Girl," which gained considerable acclaim and helped them avoid elimination while achieving chart success. The final three contestants were Busker Busker, Ulala Session, and Togeworl. Honoring an earlier promise, these finalists performed a strip dance in Hongdae. Ultimately, Busker Busker secured second place behind Ulala Session.
Release of Busker Busker 1st Album and Busker Busker 1st Wrap Up Album (2012)
Following their participation in Superstar K3, the band took a brief hiatus to focus on refining their musical style, partly due to rehearsal difficulties and drummer Moore’s temporary unavailability during the holiday season. They resumed practice sessions in January 2012 to prepare for their debut record.
On March 29, 2012, they launched Busker Busker 1st Album, featuring songs entirely composed by Jang Beom-jun, including the lead single "Cherry Blossom Ending". The album achieved commercial success; every track appeared on both the K-Pop Hot 100 and Gaon Digital Chart, with sales surpassing 50,000 units within three weeks. On June 21, they issued Busker Busker 1st Wrap Up Album, which contained additional tracks omitted from their first album due to thematic differences. After their "Youth Bus" encore concerts held on June 22 and 23, promotional efforts were put on hold temporarily. By the end of that year, total sales for their debut album exceeded 136,000 copies. Upon expiration of their six-month contract with CJ E&M Music, they signed with Chungchun Music.
In March 2013, "Cherry Blossom Ending" earned the nickname “carol of spring” as it topped music charts a full year after its release and continued to reappear on charts annually until March 2020.
Busker Busker 2nd Album and Subsequent "Indefinite" Hiatus
After the acclaim garnered by their first album, Busker Busker unveiled their sophomore record on September 25, 2013, featuring "Love, At First" as the primary single. Following the promotional period for this release, the group declared an indefinite hiatus and has since ceased all activities. In the aftermath of the break, Jang embarked on a solo music career in 2014, Kim established the media art collective "PigRabbit," and Moore dedicated his efforts to his Drum-DJ ensemble known as "Brad Project."
Members
- Jang Beom-june – vocals (lead), guitar
- Kim Hyung-tae – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Brad Moore – drums and percussion
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart rankings | Sales figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Busker Busker 1st Album |
|
1 |
|
| Busker Busker 2nd Album |
|
1 |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Highest chart rankings | Sales figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Busker Busker 1st Wrap Up Album |
|
1 |
|
Singles
| Song title | Year of release | Peak chart rankings | Sales numbers | Associated album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | KOR Hot | ||||
| "I Believe" | 2011 | 7 | 14 |
|
Superstar K3 Top 11 Part 7 |
| "People in Seoul" (서울사람들) | 3 | 3 |
|
Non-album single | |
| "Neo-ege Juneun Seonmul" (너에게 주는 선물) (with Superstar K3) |
41 | — |
|
Next 11: Superstar K Season 3 Top 11 | |
| "Cherry Blossom Ending" (벚꽃 엔딩) | 2012 | 1 | 1 |
|
Busker Busker 1st Album |
| "If You Really Love Me" (정말로 사랑한다면) |
1 | 1 |
|
Busker Busker 1st Wrap Up Album | |
| "Love, at First" (처음엔 사랑이란게) | 2013 | 1 | 1 |
|
Busker Busker 2nd Album |
| A dash ("—") indicates titles that did not chart or were unavailable for release in the specified region. | |||||
Additional Charted Tracks
| Song Title | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions | Sales Figures | Corresponding Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR |
KOR Hot | |||||
| "Tokyo Girl"[lower-alpha 1] (동경소녀) | 2011 | 1 | 1 |
|
Superstar K3 Top 11 Part 1 | |
| "Livin' la Vida Loca" | 17 | 35 | Superstar K3 Top 11 Part 2 | |||
| "The Station"[lower-alpha 2] (정류장) | 6 | 10 | Superstar K3 Top 11 Part 3 | |||
| "Finally Met You"[lower-alpha 3] (어쩌다 마주친 그대) | 8 | 15 | Superstar K3 Top 11 Part 4 | |||
| "Makgeolli-Na"[lower-alpha 4] (막걸리나) | 2 | 3 | Superstar K3 Top 11 Part 5 | |||
| "You are Different"[lower-alpha 5] (그댄 달라요) | 11 | 14 | Superstar K3 Top 11 Part 6 | |||
| "Juliette" (줄리엣) (featuring Togeworl) |
28 | 29 | Next 11: Superstar K Season 3 Top 11 | |||
| "Spring Wind" (봄바람) | 2012 | 18 | 22 | Busker Busker 1st Album | ||
| "First Love" (첫사랑) | 2 | 4 | ||||
| "Yeosu Night Sea" (여수 밤바다) | 3 | 5 |
| |||
| "Ideal Type" (이상형) | 7 | 9 | ||||
| "Loneliness Amplifier" (외로움증폭장치) | 6 | 8 | ||||
| "An Alley Way"[lower-alpha 6] (골목길) | 23 | 36 | ||||
| "At the Entrance to the Alley" (골목길 어귀에서) | 15 | 23 | ||||
| "Calling You" (전활 거네) | 11 | 16 | ||||
| "The Flowers"[lower-alpha 7] (꽃송이가) | 8 | 10 | ||||
| "Perfume"( Template:Lang-ko 향수) | 13 | 24 | ||||
| "It's Hard to Face You"( Template:Lang-ko 그댈 마주하는건 힘들어 (그마힘)) | 3 | 4 | Busker Busker First Wrap Up Album | |||
| "Neon Sign"( Template:Lang-ko 네온사인) | 8 | 9 | ||||
| "Showers"( Template:Lang-ko 소나기 (주르르루)) | 6 | 6 | ||||
| "Please Wait"( Template:Lang-ko 기다려주세요) | 12 | 12 | ||||
| Autumn Night( Template:Lang-ko 가을밤) | 2013 | 9 | 9 | Busker Busker Second Album | ||
| Too Much Regret( Template:Lang-ko 잘할 걸) | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Love Is Timing( Template:Lang-ko 사랑은 타이밍) | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Cool Girl( Template:Lang-ko 시원한 여자) | 5 | 7 | ||||
| Your Lips"[lower-alpha 8] (Template:Lang-ko 그대 입술이) (featuring Chae Ji-yeon from Putput) |
4 | 4 | ||||
| Juliette( Template:Lang-ko 줄리엣) | 8 | 11 | ||||
| Beautiful Age( Template:Lang-ko 아름다운 나이) | 7 | 8 | ||||
| Night( Template:Lang-ko 밤) | 6 | 6 | ||||
Music videos
| Song Title | Release Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Cherry Blossom Ending" | 2012 | Digipedi |
| "If You Really Love Me" | M-Media Works | |
| "Love, At First" | 2013 | Template:Unknown |
Awards
| Year | Honors |
|---|---|
| 2011 |
|
| 2012 |
|
| 2013 |
|
External links
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