Green Tea means spicy jazz vocals

Dominated by teen-oriented dance and R&B tunes, the country's pop music scene still has little tolerance for other genres which are well-established in other countries, such as jazzy vocal harmonies.

"So what?" said Im Kyung-ah, a female member of the vocal group known as Green Tea. She is content to row against the current with the rest of the members of the quartet.

"The whole situation makes us more conspicuous, and I think it explains the favorable reactions from both critics and the market for our songs," said Im, who studied jazz vocal at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, in a recent interview with the Korea Herald.

"Seoleim," the debut album by the quartet, was released in May, and was named "This Week's Album" by the major online portal Naver within a few weeks.

"Being a mainstream musician is cool, but we are not desperate," added Kim Hye-neung, another member and the 2002 winner of the prestigious Yoo Jaeha Music Concours.

The members of the quartet -- Kim Il-young, Lee Sun-ah, Kim Hye-neung and Im -- first got together five years ago. Im's interest in a cappella drew her to a community in Daehangno, downtown Seoul, where she met Kim Hye-neung. The other two members joined them later the same year.

It took them more than three years before they were able to sign a contract to produce a mini album of five tracks, which was released in 2005. That wasn't because they lacked the talent. Each of the members was and continues to be devoted to their non-singing professions -- Kim Il-young is a cell phone sound developer for the local wireless service provider LG Telecom, while the other three are lecturers in applied music at colleges.

In most of the group's songs, each performer has a dual role of main vocalist and member of the chorus; this is a style that has been considered unpopular here since the '90s. Lee, a former member of Yeohaeng Sketch, one of the most successful vocal groups in the country, claims that the popularity of "noraebang" (karaoke rooms) is responsible for the decline of this genre.

"Who's gunna sing our songs with those multiple-chorus parts at noraebang? Our songs are even challenging for us to sing," Lee laughed. "I think it is associated with the greedy, self-centered culture in which we live."

"Green Tea" as a name conveys the group's jazzy, spicy pop sound, but Im says the name doesn't signify much: "Lee and I drink a lot of green tea. It could have been Morning Latte if we had different tastes."

When the group formed, they dreamed of becoming the "Korean Manhattan Transfer," pursuing authentic American-style jazz vocals. It was The Real Group, a top Swedish a cappella quintet, which put the rookie Korean band on the map of the local pop music industry.

The English lyrics of their song, "Love is Magic" were written by Anders Edenroth, counter tenor of the Swedish quintet. Former member Margareta Bengtson participated in the production of this tune.

It was Kim Il-young who created a link between the two bands. Two years ago, he participated in his company's project to develop cell phone tones based on various a cappella hits, including some by The Real Group.

He initially contacted members of the Swedish group to obtain the right to use their music; the Scandinavians became musical friends and advisors of Green Tea. According to Kim Hye-neung, they will perform with The Real Group in the near future, but he wants this to be part of a larger story they will live and tell in the future.

"I hope we can perform with the Manhattan Transfer someday. Oh, I would be happy to die for a joint concert with Fourplay," he added.

Green Tea will give their first solo recital at the KT Art Hall in downtown Seoul on July 21. For more information about the concert, call (02) 1577-5599.

By Lee Yong-sung