Ahead of their latest single, ‘SOS’, which was released yesterday, Balming Tiger had a chat with Tatler about the future of K-pop, working with BTS’s RM, and why 90s Hong Kong pop culture has a place in their hearts
It was impossible to ignore the chemistry between South Korean collective Balming Tiger and the city and people of Hong Kong during their Clockenflap performance in March, but who knew that chemistry was so strong that the 11-member crew would shoot their latest music video, SOS, right here in the city.
Filmed in the streets of Hong Kong, the MV pays homage to the city’s iconic filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai with scenes inspired by his films such as Fallen Angels (1995), Chungking Express (1994) and more. Meanwhile, the song’s catchy chorus resembles Morse code, which is a reference to its title.
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“We have a crush on Hong Kong,” Henson Hwang, speaking on behalf of his Balming Tiger bandmates, told Tatler over email. “It’s a very meaningful place for Koreans of our parents’ generation. The culture of the 80s and 90s, when Hong Kong’s [pop] culture blossomed really impacted us. We’re also all big fans of Hong Kong movies.”
In retrospect, perhaps this impact isn’t surprising given the parallels between the current global success of South Korea’s pop culture and Hong Kong’s hegemony across international cultural landscapes during the 90s. In both time periods and with both cultures, their music, cinema and arts found favour on a global scale and flavoured western pop culture.
Oscillating between cultures and genres is one of Balming Tiger’s main characteristics, and this experimental flare was clear even from one of their earliest successes: Kolo Kolo (2022), a hip hop track performed in both English and Spanish that flirts with soulful jazz. Trust Yourself, their first release this year, also demonstrates the same complexity, with rhythms that alternate between pop and punk.