Leenalchi (이날치, styled as ‘LEENALCHI’) is an alternative pop band that fuses traditional Korean music and modern rock. The band is known for redefining Pansori, a common form of musical storytelling once popular in the Joseon Dynasty. Calling themselves the “21st-century Pansori,” Leenalchi brings together familiar and unfamiliar rhythm and sound, and visually impacts listeners with vibrant pop art style music videos.

The band name “Leenalchi” is the pseudonym of late Joseon Pansori Lee Kyung Sook, who was famous for walking the tightrope like flying fish (Nalchi). The word “Nal” is a double entendre for “flying in the sky with wings” and “uncooked and raw eatery,” making Leenalchi’s identity both attractive and unconventional.

The band was formed in 2018 with music director and bassist Jang Young Kyu at the center. Jang, who previously created fusion rock bands like SsingSsing, was working on the animation music theatre project “Dragon King” with Sugungga (“The Hare’s Liver”) as a recurring motif. There he found five professional sorikkuns (musical storytellers) to sing, not act: Kwon Song Hee, Shin Yu Jin, Ahn Yi Ho, Lee Na Rae, and Park Su Bum. Park left the group in mid-2020 for personal reasons. Jang also recruited live session drummer Lee Chul Hee and Jeong Jung Yeop, who played the bass guitar for Kiha & The Faces, to underscore the rhythm as sorikkuns gave solos, sung together in choir, or deliver words quickly as a rapper. On May 29, 2020, Leenalchi released their first album, SUGUNGGA.

After the formation, Leenalchi performed their first showcase at Hongdae on January 20, 2019. Then word of mouth came to Hyundai Card, which curated the project’s first mainstream solo concert on March 18. The following year, the Korean Tourism Organization featured Leenalchi’s groovy music with Ambiguous Dance Company’s swagger moves on its Feel the Rhythm of Korea campaign ads. The ads were a cultural shock and fascination to both South Koreans and the world, and soon amounted to 73 million views within a month.

In a live interview with JTBC News, Leenalchi said they would anticipate another new project based on Suggunga in 2021. On February 3, 2021, the single “Please Don’t Go” was released.