Band of the Week: The Rose
Welcome back to another addition of Band of the Week! This week, we’re featuring a hot indie band comprised of rising stars in the K-rock genre. Only a year since their official mainstream debut, The Rose has been making headway on charts not only in South Korea, but around the world as well. But even this overnight sensation had a humble beginning.
In 2015, both Dojoon (main vocalist, keyboardist, and acoustic guitarist) and Jaeyeong (bassist and subvocal) were regular buskers, having met and played together until Dojoon eventually left his strict and time-consuming company (whose name is not to be disclosed). Instead, Dojoon focused a greater amount of time on busking. Before Jaeyeong would team up with Dojoon again, the bassist met Hajoon (drummer and subvocal), having frequented the same studio as the soon-to-be subvocalist. The two joined Dojoon and formed the band Windfall. Though they wrote their own music, uploading covers on YouTube is what really helped the group to break into the music business. However, they needed a fourth member to complete the band, so Dojoon recruited Woosung (lead singer, leader, and electric guitarist), and they signed with J&Star Company in 2016.
Little did they know that in August of 2017, with their debut “Sorry,” they would begin their sudden rise to fame. They were quickly recognized not only by the South Korean public, but also in India and the U.S. After naming them one of the top Korean Break Out Artists, American publication Billboard commented, “[It’s] rare for rock-leaning bands to make a major K-Pop impression upon debut, but The Rose's gorgeously emotive ‘Sorry’ was able to do that, scoring a spot on Billboard's year-end critics' song list and confirming themselves a multifaceted, new talent on the scene." Later they would win the Most Promising Artist award at the International K-Music Awards.
After the success of their world tours in Europe, the U.S., and South America, they released their first album Void with “Sorry,” “Like We Used To,” and their recent hit “Baby” as title tracks. The album has done well and solidified the band as a force to be reckoned with in the K-rock genre. With their newest album currently in the works, they’ll be coming back Oct. 4 with their new track “Dawn.” Be sure to anticipate their new release and don’t forget to stan South Korea’s favorite rookie band.