Continuing from Asian Chairshot (you can read about our interview with them here), The Fifth Parlour had the opportunity to yet interview another rock band from South Korea during Music Matters 2014. Known by the mass as Daybreak, the quartet consisting of Lee Won-seok (Vocal), Jung Yoo-jang (Guitar), Kim Sun-il (Bass) and Kim Jang-won (Keyboards) have been causing waves in Korea’s independent rock music scene since 2007.

The Fifth Parlour sat down with the boys of Daybreak for a short interview and managed to find out more about the four talented and charming guy-next-doors, dug up some information on what fans can expect from the band and lastly got some tips on how to discover Korean’s indie music scene.

Introducing, Daybreak!

First off, the band shared with us how their name “Daybreak” came about. Apparently, their group name originated from the letters “db”. They shared that they were brainstorming about words containing those letters and thought of the word “Daybreak” in the process. They settled with the name “Daybreak” as it means the start of the day which they found refreshing.

Things that Daybreak fans can look forward to: a new EP and their 4th studio album! It has been 2 years since Daybreak has released a studio album as they have been focusing their efforts on delivering live performances. Well, the wait is over. Daybreak shared that before their trip to Singapore, they have finished up recording an EP that they had been working on since last summer. The band leaked that their new EP will have a 80s New Wave genre and that the 4th studio album will be scheduled for release within the year.

Daybreak at the interview

At the interview, it was easy to see that the boys of Daybreak are closely knitted and shared great teamwork. Although they often joke around with each other, they are willing to take out their troubles and share it with the other members during times of difficulties and hardships. Hence, influences to their music comes from their conversations with each other and carries each of the member’s personal stories.

Previously, Daybreak collaborated with Sunny Hill on the single “Love Actually” which rose to become a huge hit in Korea. Daybreak shared that they had a lot of fun working Sunny Hill for the single. If given the opportunity, they would like to collaborate with any great artists, but stated a special preference for hip-hop artists. The band shared that that would be ideal as they are a vocal group and it would be nice to collaborate with a hip-hop artist since they can’t really rap.

If Daybreak didn’t exist, what do you think the boys of Daybreak would be up to? Daybreak joked around and said that there could have been a member being a teacher, another a chef and perhaps another one doing sales. However at the end of the day, the band concluded that they are still best at doing music. They feel that they do not have anything else that they are good at other than making music and they can’t imagine themselves doing anything else in another profession.

The independent music scene in Korea, also known as K-indie, has been increasingly getting more spotlight not just in the country but Worldwide. Regarding this trend, Daybreak thanked fans for having an interest in Korea’s indie scene. They said that the support of the fans energizes the artists, and showed genuine appreciation for their fans who listen to their music. For fans that have yet to discover K-indie, Daybreak urged them to search for good music carefully so as to not let any of them slip through their radar as there are many great indie musicians in Korea.

For fans that are new to K-indie, you could start off by taking a listen to Daybreak. Although primarily a rock band, Daybreak is versatile and is able to pull off other genres well. Such as from their 3rd studio album, “SPACEenSUM”, Daybreak showcased a variety of styles ranging from indie rock to electro-pop and even jazz lounge. Check out their performance at Music Matters 2014 last month (fast forward to 3:23:14 for Daybreak!):

Daybreak also reminisced about their exclusive solo concert, Summer Madness, which took place last year and stated that it was one of their most memorable shows performing as a band. The boys remember the tough times making preparations for the concert and added that it was a concert that left a lasting memory. They revealed that they are preparing for another concert with the hopes that it would be as memorable as Summer Madness. We certainly hope that Daybreak would have another successful Summer Madness and we wish that they would bring Summer Madness to Singapore and be back for a full-fledged concert!

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/BandDaybreak

TWITTER: @Band_Daybreak

CYWORLD: club.cyworld.com/Band-db

The Fifth Parlour would like to thank Daybreak’s manager, Chang Lee, the lovely Jessica for coordinating and translating the interview and the boys of Daybreak for the interview. We wish Daybreak all the best for their future endeavors.