BIOGRAPHY
Formed in Seoul in 2019 by composer and bassist Jang Young-gyu (known for scoring Train to Busan and The Wailing), Leenalchi takes its name from Lee Nal-chi, a 19th-century pansori master and tightrope performer. The band pairs two female and two male traditional singers, graduates of Seoul National University's traditional music program, with two bassists and a drummer, reworking the centuries-old vocal storytelling tradition of pansori into rhythmic, onomatopoeic pop. Their 2020 debut, Sugungga, built from one of pansori's five surviving story cycles, won three prizes at the Korean Music Awards, including Musician of the Year and Best Modern Rock Song. The group later appeared in Netflix's Midnight Asia documentary series, released a follow-up album, Heungboga, in 2025, and signed to David Byrne's Luaka Bop label for the 2026 EP Here Comes That Crow.