They sing Yeh Dosti and Mustafa Mustafa with faultless diction, and with a mastery over the music that is purely professional. Yet, they neither speak the language, nor understand it.
Passion for music has taken the South Korean band Rio Montana, comprising of Hyun Ho Kim and Jun Ho Kim, to 75 countries, where they have sung in over 50 languages. The purpose: to help break cultural barriers and to spread peace. The band has travelled across India too, and as Mr. Jun Ho Kim told The Hindu , they really love the country, its people and the diverse cultures. “We have been coming here for the last 10 years and love to sing in the local languages,” he said, using the assistance of a translator.
The band is in Mysuru courtesy the International Youth Fellowship (IYF), and has played at the National Education Leaders’ Meet at the National Jamboree of Scouts and Guides being held at Adakanahalli off the Mysuru-Nanjangud highway. The duo take about a week to learn a new song before they are proficient enough to give a performance.
“Indian songs are very popular in South Korea though there are not many Indians living there. But, thanks to the internet and MP3, we download popular songs and practise them before we are ready to perform,” said Mr. Jun Ho Kim.
The lapses in pronunciation, if any, are corrected by their Indian friends. Jun Ho Kim enjoys Hindi movies and says 3 Idiots is very popular in South Korea. Among the Bollywood actors, Shah Rukh Khan has a sizeable following.
