‘We sing to comfort ourselves’

Acoustic pop duo band OKDAL is celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut. The female duo has released a new album as well. OKDAL has released new songs every year but this is the first time they made an album with more than five tracks since their second album “Where” in 2013.

In an interview with The Dong-A Ilbo held at the Dong-A Media Center in Seoul on Friday, Kim Yoon-joo and Park Se-jin said they have the same concerns as they had 10 years ago when they were both 26 years old. This is why they named their song “Still a Child.”

The band has been loved by many fans since 2010 with their comforting songs, including “Hardcore Life,” “Having None is My Merit,” and “Good work, Today.” Many young people, who empathized with the band’s songs, listened to OKDAL’s debut album “Rooftop Radio (2010).”

The first track of their new album “The Beauty of Walk” is reminiscent of Paul McCartney’s songs. Every syllable of the song’s chorus and its shuffle rhythm reminds listeners of the scenery of Mangwon Hangang Park, which is the band member Kim’s favorite place to walk at night.

“I once texted ‘Good work’ to myself when I was having a hard time,” said Kim Yoon-ju. “To my surprise, it actually comforted me.”

The duo said they write songs not to comfort others but to comfort themselves. The lyrics of their song “Good Work, Today” ㅡ “Even if no one cares about your sorrow/ I’m always here for you” ㅡ has become the popular proverb of the time. The word “healing” is frequently used these days in our society like a slogan.

Being good talkers, the duo has appeared on many radio shows since their debut. Like the title of their debut album, “Rooftop Radio,” they realized their dream of becoming a radio DJ in October 2018. In a rare occasion for a rookie DJ, they received the Excellence Award in radio section at last year’s MBC Entertainment Awards.

The 36-year-old duo is standing in front of a mirror. Their concerns might be a good thing for the audience since having more concerns means having better chance at empathizing with the concerns of young people for a long time. They say in order to comfort someone you need to empathize with them first.

“To release albums even after we become grandmothers,” they said. “To shoot for our album cover wearing cute customs. These are our dreams.”


imi@donga.com