Whang Bo-ryung

Whang Bo-ryung (; born February 26, 1970) is a South Korean-American singer, songwriter and painter. She is the lead vocalist and founder of the band Smacksoft. She released her first solo album, Cat With Three Ears, in April 1998.

Life and career

1970–97: Early life in Seoul, move to New York

Whang was born in Seoul and relocated to Busan in the fifth grade of elementary school. In 1985, at age fifteen, she moved to the United States with her family. During her sophomore year in high school, she received an acoustic guitar as a birthday gift and started playing and writing music in her diary. She then left college, without graduating, for an "extended tramp around the world to find herself and her voice", visiting Japan, Vietnam, France and Thailand. who joined her on the last track. she decided to take time off, and in 2003 she returned to New York and the Pratt Institute, to study sculpture, and graduated with a B.F.A. in 2007.

In April and August 2012, she joined other indie singers, led by Song Eun-ji, to perform three concerts and release the album Please Talk, to benefit comfort women.

In 2013, Smacksoft received a second nomination for the Best Modern Rock Album by the Korean Music Awards for the album Follow Your Heart. As If Nothing Ever Happened ranked number 35 on the K-Indie Chart. She said she felt like producing "simple acoustic music" for a calming effect, to counterbalance some of the chaotic world events like the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and the following Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster that had upset her.

Artistry Musical style and influences

Starting as a soloist in the 1990s, Whang's music derived from punk and early German industrial techno style music. She describes Bach as a big musical influence, along with life itself. Kim Young-jin of The Korea Times and Sabrina Hill of Groove Korea magazine have labeled the sound avant-garde.

Art and performance art

She creates the artwork for her album covers and for Smacksoft,

Her art work has been shown with others, including a joint exhibition on January 1–20, 2013, "Rockstar", at the Gallery Toast in Bangbae-dong Seoul; her contribution was a painting of Brian Eno. She has held a number of solo exhibits, including one held December 20–31, 2015, at the Namsan gallery Daeppang Four Studio Gallery, which included concert performances.

Discography

Studio albums Cat With Three Ears (1998) The Sun Sign (2001)

"Sunshine"

As featured artist Dosirak Tuk Gong Dae (도시락특공대) (1997) "Maya" (She Wanted, 2000) "Gunpowder Cabin" (Fanatic, 2009) "Marching Through War" (Please Talk, 2012)