Band 2Z celebrates taking Korean culture all the way to Brazil: “The desire to be ‘us’ is what we have the most in common”

Korean band 2Z is packing its bags to visit Brazil for the second time next month. Members Hojin, Jiseob, Junghyun, Bumjun, and ZUNON will perform at the Asia Star Festival on July 7th in Sao Paulo, about a year after they visited the country for the very first time in June 2022, alongside other Korean artists, as well as names from Thailand, Japan, and China.

A few weeks ahead of their trip, I talked to them via e-mail about their love for Brazil and Brazilian fans, but also the main cultural lessons they’ve learned while playing their music all the way across the world.

“I miss the energy we see when watching Brazilian fans. They’re very passionate and have the power to make an artist excited”, says main vocalist Hojin, remembering their first visit, when they played a theater for a few hundred fans. “Last June we made a promise after seeing that, even without speaking Korean, our fans sang 24 of our songs in Korean.

At that moment I thought “I will definitely come back to Brazil and play a concert for many more people”

During their first visit to Brazil, they spent about a week in the country, traveling to cities like Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Fortaleza, and São Paulo, and had the chance to get to know more about Brazilian culture.

“What I love the most is churrasco (Brazilian barbecue). We love meat so much that we can eat 10 kg of samgyeopsal.”, jokes JungHyun, bassist, vocalist, and maknae of the band. “I feel like Brazilians take their meat, like barbecue or hamburgers, very seriously. I want to have some as soon as possible!”

And while they have been learning about Brazilian culture with their traveling and with their fans, 2Z members celebrate the fact they are able to share Korean culture with the world just the same.

“I’m very proud of myself that K-Culture is gaining attention all over the world. But it’s always sad people don’t know K-Bands all that much. We believe that 2Z’s presence at Asia Star Festival will be the first step toward our global promotions!”, says JungHyun.

Hojin adds to the topic with the things he loves the most about Korean culture, and what he wishes he could show the rest of the world: “Korea is one of the few countries in the world with very defined seasons. And as spring, summer, autumn, and winter are very defined, we have particular clothing and food for each one. Also, depending on the season and the weather, people go through different emotions, so I think different types of joy or sorrow can be reflected in the music. Kore also has this housing technology called Hanok, which adapts to the environment. If you want to feel the beauty of Korea, you can watch the Not Without U MV, by 2Z! I believe the beauty of Korea was shown in this video.”

When comparing both countries, leader, and drummer Bumjun points out basic things like the weather, food, and sports: “I think the most significant difference is the weather. Summer is equally hot in both countries, but Korea is a lot colder in the Winter. Besides that, the food is very different as well. Based on our experience. I know Korean food has a lot of spicy dishes, while Brazilian food is savory. As for similarities, both countries love football, are very passionate, and know how to really have fun!”. But he chooses to leave the most important to the end: “It’s when we say ‘us’. I think the desire to be ‘us’ is what we have the most in common.”

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Original article: https://honoraryreporters.kore...