"Korean Cultural News" Vol.15 Ponchak Singer Lee Park Sa

My father played the haegeum, a traditional Korean instrument similar to the Japanese shamisen, and my mother was a folk singer from the Gyeonggi region. My older brother performed the traditional performing art of samulnori, and I also learned the traditional music of pansori from a young age, so I grew up in what you might call a family of performers. Traditional music and folk songs were a part of our daily lives.

I worked as a tour bus guide for 11 years from 1978, but at that time the roads in Korea were not very well paved and the trips were very bumpy. Also, once we set off, the trips could take up to 20 hours. At that time, to keep the passengers from getting bored, we started singing songs to liven up the trip, and that's how Ponchak began.

To please the audience, they would add shouts, ad-lib, and come up with various ideas to sing medleys of popular songs, which became a hot topic. So in 1989, they made their debut with "Shinparam Ipaksa 1 (Shinparam Ipaksa 1st Collection)."

The cassette tape was an explosive hit, and they became so popular that they appeared on TV and were extremely busy with sales. However, at the time, Ponchak was seen as music for middle-aged and older people. However, by chance, they caught the eye of a Japanese record company, and their Japanese debut was decided.

Of course, there were many singers at the time, and some even sang pop medleys. But I was the only one who did beatboxing, which involves singing the intros and accompaniments to the beat, and who sang pop phrases repeatedly to the rhythm. Tourists often told me that my songs were catchy and easy to remember.

A producer from Ki/oon Music of Sony Music, who was visiting from Japan, happened to pick up my cassette tape in Namdaemun and asked me if I wanted to debut in Japan. At first, I thought it would be difficult to make a medley of Japanese songs, but he sent me about 150 songs, and I released "Dr. Lee's Ponchak Disco PART 1 & PART 2" in 1996.

Following the success of our Japanese debut, we produced a video with the same staff called "Dr. Lee's 80 Days Around the World Ponchak." It was a music video that was actually shot while traveling around the world, and it was an interesting endeavor.

One reason is the speed of the beat. My songs have a faster BPM than other Ponchak songs, making them easier to dance to. Another reason is that I think people find my improvisations interesting.

Also, I'm not good at practicing (laughs). I think most people rehearse thoroughly and prepare before the performance. But I go on stage just as I am, in my physical condition and mood that day. If I practice too much, it's not very interesting. So, people who have come to my shows many times can tell how I'm feeling on a given day (laughs). I think it's this attitude that has captured the hearts of young people.

I'm not a particularly good singer, but a lot of young people are interested in my voice, my improvisations, and my performances, and they come to see me. I'm very grateful for that.

"Characters" and "Suiseki." When I was young, I wanted to be a calligrapher, but once you write a character, it doesn't change. My hobby is collecting suiseki, which come in a variety of natural shapes, and I think this also represents an unchanging spirit that is unaffected by the surroundings.

This time, Maywa Denki invited me to a live performance, and we were able to collaborate for the first time in 28 years. I found Maywa Denki interesting from the first time I met them, as they make and play their own unique instruments, and they continue to do so to this day. The instruments they invent are unlike anything I've seen anywhere in the world. They are inventors, after all.

When we were asked to perform together this time, I was honestly worried that our fans might have aged, since it's been 28 years since we met. But when it came down to it, it was full of young people, and we were able to put on a really fun performance. The times are changing at an incredible speed, but I think it's important to have an unchanging heart.

I want to sing as much as I can. That's all. But I don't want to try too hard, I want to trust that the young people will support me with all their might, and I want to just be myself.