In the season of spring, caroling listeners may find themselves revisiting the favorite “Cherry Blossom Ending,” a song that started the trend of warm weather favorites returning to music charts.

A song that seems to capture the feeling of fluttering cherry blossoms through acoustic guitars and the light shakes of maracas, “Cherry Blossom Ending” by Busker Busker has filled hearts with nostalgia since its release on March 29, 2012. At the time, the group was re-emerging into the spotlight after coming in as runner-up on the music competition show Superstar K3 and was just beginning to ride the waves of fame. Busker Busker 1st Album marked their debut under their new label CJ E&M Music, and the title track “Cherry Blossom Ending” ushered them into a new era of their musical career.

The trio of Busker Busker formed on a college campus where Jang Beomjune and Kim Hyungtae were students and Brad Moore was an English teacher. Although they were originally eliminated on the ninth episode of Superstar K3, they were given a second chance when another act withdrew from the competition. After coming in as runner-up, they used a four month hiatus after the show to find their musical direction and write the 11 tracks of Busker Busker 1st Album, playing each instrument used in the songs as well. 

Days before the album was released on music sites, Busker Busker teased fans with the pre-release rock and roll inspired track “Ideal Type,” a comedically romantic song in which one finds attractiveness in their partner’s “wrinkly elbow” and “spiraling coachella.”  The three-man band later took over South Korea’s Times Square Mall in Seoul to debut “Cherry Blossom Ending” at their first showcase on March 26. 

The music video for “Cherry Blossom Ending” follows Busker Busker who go on a traveling adventure after they watch a news report of a girl wishing for a longer vacation and they seem to fall in love. As the trio jog and ride bikes through the journey, they meet worn-out athletes and cheerleaders and offer them a road-side performance that relieves their tiredness. Continuing on their trip, Busker Busker starts to grow weary themselves until they realize they’ve finally reached their destination, a single cherry blossom tree in full bloom. 

Busker Busker gave their first music show performance of “Cherry Blossom Ending” on M!COUNTDOWN on the same day their album dropped on music sites. Like the music video, the band performed under glowing pink trees in bloom with budding vines surrounding them. The performance was given an even fuller sound through accompanying congas, melodica, and keyboard instruments.

As musicians who prioritized honing their craft, Busker Busker was selective about where they exerted their energy, turning down many appearance requests and held a short round of live performances on M!COUNTDOWN. They focused instead on presenting their best selves at their first solo concert Youth Bus that was held a month after their debut.

The sentimental lyrics telling the story of budding lovers and friends who grow closer as they walk through the falling cherry blossoms struck a chord with thousands of listeners, and the song quickly skyrocketed to the top of the charts. “Cherry Blossom Ending” opened at No. 1 across six Korean streaming sites and the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 Chart. By May, Busker Busker 1st Album garnered more than 13 million downloads, and at the end of the year its title track peaked at No. 2 on the Gaon Yearly Digital Chart for 2012, just below PSY’s “Gangnam Style.”

After racking up more than a dozen awards at MAMA, MelOn Music Awards, Korean Music Awards, and the Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards, Busker Busker treated fans to one last album before going on indefinite hiatus. But a decade after the song’s initial release, the re-emergence of “Cherry Blossom Ending” on the charts continues to be a sign that spring is in bloom.

Edited by Rachel Collucci