Seoul Time : Kiwi band There's A Tuesday rocking in South Korea
Christchurch indie band There’s A Tuesday is in South Korea for a ten-day music residency, made possible by the Asia New Zealand Foundation, not-for-profit music hub Big Fan and South Korea's CJ Cultural Foundation. So, what’s in store for their Korean journey? Music journalist and Asia New Zealand Foundation grant recipient Samantha Cheong follows the band’s adventure—and shares what fans should watch out for.
There's a Tuesday
The Seoul Residency covers flights, accommodation, and daily expenses—allowing the band to focus entirely on their music and cultural exchange with the CJ Cultural Foundation. This isn’t the first collaboration between the two foundations; earlier this year, Anna Tirakatene undertook a business internship researching the global music industry.
Among the many local applicants for the residency, Ōtautahi natives Nat Hutton, Minnie Robberds, Gus Murray (drums), and Joel Becker stood out for their “dreamy indie pop sound and thoughtful approach to songwriting”.
There’s A Tuesday released their softly searing and emotionally mature debut album Blush in April—an 11-track record exploring coming-of-age, queer identity, and deeply moving experiences of love and life that resonate universally. Most recently, the band has also been selected to perform at Australia’s BIGSOUND.
Now, venturing even further from home, the talented foursome will immerse themselves in Seoul’s diverse and growing music scene and explore Korean culture from 31 July to 10 August. The residency aims to foster cultural exchange between Korean and New Zealand artists and cultivate long-term connections with seasoned music industry professionals. Accompanying the band are their manager Cuillin Hearty, BIG FAN general manager Savina Fountain, and myself as a music journalist.
Fountain notes, “The goal is for others back home to benefit from the relationships and insights we develop on this trip” and to “build meaningful connections that help bridge the music communities of Aotearoa and South Korea”.
A jam-packed, genre-bending journey
The band are in South Korea from 31 July to 10 August
The band’s ten-day itinerary includes attending the Pentaport Rock Festival in Incheon to watch artists like Kim Seung Joo and HYANG perform at the “ultimate seaside festival” for rock enthusiasts; a trip to the New Zealand Embassy to the Republic of Korea; a tour of Mound Media Studios; performing at a TUNE UP MEETS FRESH FINDS concert; and a meeting with Spotify Korea officials.
Throughout, There’s A Tuesday will be collaborating with Seoul’s own indie act jisokuryClub, who are known for their infectious positivity, catchy songs and humorous lyrics.
They will be headlining the TUNE UP concert after There’s A Tuesday warms the stage. Our Aotearoa darlings will get creative with jisokuryClub’s Jeong Jiseok 정지석, Shin Jaehwan 신재환, Moon Junghwan 문정환, Moon Sansu 문산수, Kim Hongbi 김홍비 and Park Eunbin 박은빈.
The Seoul band’s name comes from lead singer Jeong Jiseok and the Korean word for “colander”—Sokury. jisokuryClub’s music aims to be "captured in a colander of good thoughts”. You can listen to CJ Cultural Foundation’s playlist here to get familiar with the two groups.
While this is a major step for the band, the residency also marks a first for New Zealand music journalism. Alongside the artists, I’ll be capturing the story from the inside—through daily updates, interviews, and a short documentary.
I aim to demystify the Asian music scene by capturing the band’s adventures and help make Korean music and culture more accessible to Kiwi audiences back home. I will share my experiences exploring Seoul’s music scene, the tastiest bits of culture I encounter, and how seeing the city through the eyes of the band has shaped my understanding of Aotearoa-Asia relations.
The Foundation's Arts Programme brings Asia into the mainstream of New Zealand arts by inspiring New Zealand arts professionals to grow their connections and knowledge of Asia. It also supports the presentation of Asian arts in partnership with New Zealand arts organisations and events.
