Biography
Alternative K-pop outfit Balming Tiger first surfaced in 2018 with an exuberantly arty, genre-blurring mix of hip-hop and pop that quickly drew notice, especially once RM of BTS joined them on the track “Sexy Nukim” from their 2023 debut album January Never Dies.
Assembled that same year in Seoul, South Korea, the collective was launched by singer-rapper Omega Sapien and includes singer-rapper Sogumm, multi-hyphenate bj wnjn, singer-songwriter Mudd the student, producers San Yawn and Unsinkable, video directors Jan’ Qui and Leesuho, visual artist Chanhee Hong, DJ Abyss, and writer Henson Hwang. The group cultivated a vivid aesthetic rooted in hip-hop yet freely borrowing from dance music, avant-garde pop, punk, and performance art. Their initial release, the 2018 single “I’m Sick,” was followed by further tracks such as “Armadillo,” which earned the Korean Hip-Hop Award for Music Video of the Year. A 2022 collaboration with RM of BTS on “Sexy Nukim” climbed to number 30 on Billboard’s Digital Songs Chart, secured the crew a second Korean Hip-Hop Award for Music Video of the Year, and directly led to the full-length January Never Dies. That album yielded additional singles in “Trust Yourself” and “Moving Forward.”
Assembled that same year in Seoul, South Korea, the collective was launched by singer-rapper Omega Sapien and includes singer-rapper Sogumm, multi-hyphenate bj wnjn, singer-songwriter Mudd the student, producers San Yawn and Unsinkable, video directors Jan’ Qui and Leesuho, visual artist Chanhee Hong, DJ Abyss, and writer Henson Hwang. The group cultivated a vivid aesthetic rooted in hip-hop yet freely borrowing from dance music, avant-garde pop, punk, and performance art. Their initial release, the 2018 single “I’m Sick,” was followed by further tracks such as “Armadillo,” which earned the Korean Hip-Hop Award for Music Video of the Year. A 2022 collaboration with RM of BTS on “Sexy Nukim” climbed to number 30 on Billboard’s Digital Songs Chart, secured the crew a second Korean Hip-Hop Award for Music Video of the Year, and directly led to the full-length January Never Dies. That album yielded additional singles in “Trust Yourself” and “Moving Forward.”
Albums
Singles
