Seo Tai-ji
Encyclopedia
Jeong Hyeon-cheol better known as Seo Taiji, is a South Korea
n singer, musician, and songwriter. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, he has risen to become one of the most prominent and influential cultural icons in South Korea; many refer to him as "the President of culture". He introduced incorporating elements of popular musical genres in the United States and contributed considerably larger to Korean pop culture and Korean pop's development in the 1990s.
of Seo Taiji when he was recruited into the metal band Sinawe
, playing the bass. He chose to drop out of school because he felt that continuing to be enrolled in school would not be useful in pursuing a career in music.
-inspired beats, catchy rap lyrics and memorable choruses took Korean audiences by storm. It charted on the #1 spot for a record-breaking 17 weeks. This record has not been broken up to date.
), an alternative rock
song which indicates a hope of reunification of Korea. Instead, songs such as the extremely controversial Gyosil Idea (교실 이데아, Class Idea) with an impressive death grunt backvocal by Ahn Heung-chan (안흥찬) of Crash
took center stage. Gyosil Idea was extremely critical of the Korean education system and its brainwashing of the youth of Korea. This was the first of the numerous controversies regarding Seo Tai-ji and Boys. They were accused of backwards masking
Satanist messages in their songs. Although the mainstream news media later proved these accusations to be based on extremely tenuous evidence, the moral panic proved difficult to eliminate entirely.
"come back home." Pilseung (필승, "Must Triumph") was also a great hit with alternative rock
sound and shouting voice. Shidaeyugam (시대유감, "Regret of the Times") was nearly banned by the Korean Performance Ethics Committee (한국공연윤리위원회, present is '한국영상물관리위원회'[Korean Video Management Committee]) for having lyrics that were considered inappropriate for youth consumption. The backlash from the fans was immense, and the system of 'pre-censorship'(사전심의제) was abolished in July 1996, partially as a result of this.
a big corporation. After declaration on retirement, Seo Tai-ji and Boys released their Goodbye Best Album, which is the only compilation album from Seo Tai-ji and Boys. In the booklet, the writing indicates "Yes, it's not over, our love will continue as '&', not the 'End'."
Taiji's life after retirement in the United States is unknown to the public due to his high profile status. He wrote on his website www.seotaiji.com that he had dreamt of living a normal life with a wife and children living peacefully without all the media attention. He later mentioned in interviews in 2008 that at the time of his retirement, he felt like he could not continue to produce and write more music in such short time frame, being pressured to release albums every 6 to 8 months and working under such schedule was unsustainable. However, Taiji said that he was young back then and didn't realize the importance of music in his life. He will never again say that he will retire from music; it will just be a long hiatus if needed, but never a retirement. In 2011, the Korean press discovered that Seo married a Korean American woman named Lee Ji-ah
, whose real name was Kang Sang Eun for 14 years marriage.
and Nu metal
songs, but the main genre was still alternative rock
. Although it was his first solo work, fans refer to it as his 5th album.
He released the album Ultramania which consisted of Nu metal
and Hardcore punk
. His solo act had an effect on many South Korean boy bands such as H.O.T.
and caused them to decline in popularity. His songs "Internet War" and "Ultramania" were the biggest hits of the year. After the ETPFEST
, which he founded during his comeback, Taiji was presented with hide
of X Japan
's Fernandes MG-360S guitar, which is yellow with pink hearts, by hide's parents and his brother, Hiroshi, to celebrate the success of ETPFEST and the first hide Showcase tribute ever at a rock festival by X Japan. During his comeback, there were arguments that his seldom appearance on TV was aimed to make a mysterious image which helps promote his popularity, but in reality his personality is very reclusive and little is known about his personal life by the public. He has mentioned in several interviews that he chooses to maintain private personal life separate from his musical career but this concept is never well-accepted by the Korean culture where celebrity personal profiles are often disclosed widely to the public. This is one of the few reasons why he is criticized as being a mysterious figure.
sound in his third solo album, 7th Issue
. However, unlike Ultramania, 7th Issue was recorded mostly on a dropped C tuning, which gave the effect of the album sounding like one long song. Nevertheless, it had no problem attracting attention to a wide range of audiences. 7th Issue's catchy rock tune made his fans call it "Punk rock
". Also, he obviously added Drum and Bass
sound into his several songs, so that it proved him to be a favorable electronica musician (skills he learned from producing the "Seo Taiji & Boys" albums). J from Luna Sea
also participated in the making of this album as the bassist. His song "Live Wire" was a good hit succeeding the vivacity of "Ultramania". "Robot" deals with his youth and anguish, while the song "F.M.Business" acrimoniously criticize the issues of and the commercialized music business and the artist exploitation from greedy corporate record labels. He also touches on the issue of abortion along with sexism and sexual assault with the song, "Victim". His record sale was reduced to a half million due to on-line downloading services, but was still the highest selling record of 2004 in South Korea. Taiji proved himself to be a musician in top popularity for more than a decade. After his activities up to 2005, he once again suddenly disappeared out of the spotlight.
which he spearheaded to promote his comeback along side bands such as The Used
, Dragon Ash
, Death Cab for Cutie
and Marilyn Manson
.
He also put together "The Great Seotaiji Symphony" with Tolga Kashif
and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
to perform his old hits and new songs presented in an entirely new form, combining rock and classical music. The main concert was held at the Seoul Worldcup Stadium. After the main concert, there were complaints about the sound quality not being delivered to the second and third floors at the further ends of the stadium and to make up for this mistake, another encore performance (same setlist) was held in December at an closed/indoor venue, Jamsil Gymnasium upgraded with better sound systems.
Taiji's second single - following Atomos Part Moai - called Atomos Part Secret was released on March 10, 2009. It is the same date as the arrival of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to Mars in 2006. Taiji also held a concert promoting his second single on March 14 and 15. Tickets for the concert, cryptically titled Wormhole, sold out in just 20 minutes.
Seotaiji's 15th anniversary album consisted of most of his works so far, re-recorded and re-mastered but it was released in a limited edition with only 15,000 copies available, each with unique serial numbers. Serial numbers #1-15 were purchased by Seotaiji himself. He kept #1 for himself, gave #2 and #3 to his old time friends Lee Juno and Yang Hyun Seuk, and the rest to his close friends. Since the re-recorded and re-mastered songs were only available for the limited anniversary album and not all the fans were able to purchase it, he decided to re-release all the albums with the containing the new versions. On April 3, the first two Seo Taiji and Boys Albums were rereleased. Taiji will rerelease all 7 of his albums, from Nan Arayo! to 7th Issue. On May 25, the 3rd and 4th Seo Taiji and Boys albums were rereleased.
As of June 13, he will hold a nationwide tour named "The Möbius". The first of the concerts will be held in Seoul, Korea. The tour has ended, but a repeat performance was given 2 months after the finish. ETPFEST 2009 was also held with guest groups such as NIN, Limp Bizkit, Keane, Fade, Boom Boom Satellites, Pia and GUMX.
There is debate as to whether or not this explosive news was tipped off to SportsSeoul by the Korean government in order to take spot light off of the BBK scandal involving Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n singer, musician, and songwriter. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, he has risen to become one of the most prominent and influential cultural icons in South Korea; many refer to him as "the President of culture". He introduced incorporating elements of popular musical genres in the United States and contributed considerably larger to Korean pop culture and Korean pop's development in the 1990s.
Early career with Sinawe
At an early age, Hyeon-cheol had a fascination with music. At 14, he participated in several amateur rock bands. At 17, he took the stage nameStage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of Seo Taiji when he was recruited into the metal band Sinawe
Sinawe
Sinawe is a heavy metal rock music band in South Korea. They were the first band which played metal in South Korea. During its golden age in the late 1980s and early 1990s, many renowned musicians in South Korea such as Seo Tai-ji, Kim Jong-seo, and Yim Jae-beom improved their musical ability....
, playing the bass. He chose to drop out of school because he felt that continuing to be enrolled in school would not be useful in pursuing a career in music.
Seo Taiji & Boys: 1992-1996
After the breakup of Sinawe in 1991, Taiji switched gears and formed the dance group Seo Taiji & Boys (서태지와 아이들) with dancers Lee Juno (이주노) and Yang Hyeon-seok. Seo Taiji came across midi technology for the first time in Korea in the early 1990s and started experimenting with different midi sound to create a new type of music that had not been heard by the public. He initially had no plans to debut as a dance/pop boy group and Seo Taiji & Boys' incredible mainstream success was an unexpected surprise.1992: Nan Arayo (I Know)
The introduction of the first Seo Tai-ji & Boys album sparked a complete shift in the focus of popular Korean music that is still felt today. Their first single, "Nan Arayo" (난 알아요) was a hugely successful hit, being the first of its kind in Korean pop.Its New Jack SwingNew jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
-inspired beats, catchy rap lyrics and memorable choruses took Korean audiences by storm. It charted on the #1 spot for a record-breaking 17 weeks. This record has not been broken up to date.
1993: Hayeoga
The second album took a different turn. While the album remained mostly a dance album, the songs had elements of rock and heavy metal added to them.1994: Balhaereul Ggumggumyeo (Dreaming For Balhae)
The third album switched gears to being much more heavy metal and rock driven. The danceable tunes are nearly non-existent except Barhaereul Ggumggumyeo (발해를 꿈꾸며, Dreaming Of BalhaeBalhae
Balhae was a Manchurian kingdom established after the fall of Goguryeo. After Goguryeo's capital and southern territories fell to Unified Silla, Dae Jo-yeong, a Mohe general, whose father was Dae Jung-sang, established Jin , later called Balhae.Balhae occupied southern parts of Manchuria and...
), an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
song which indicates a hope of reunification of Korea. Instead, songs such as the extremely controversial Gyosil Idea (교실 이데아, Class Idea) with an impressive death grunt backvocal by Ahn Heung-chan (안흥찬) of Crash
Crash (South Korean band)
-History:Crash was formed in 1991 with the lineup of Ahn Heung-Chan , Jung Yong-Wook and Yoon Doo-Byung . They were also the first Korean band provoking slam dance and stage diving in their concert....
took center stage. Gyosil Idea was extremely critical of the Korean education system and its brainwashing of the youth of Korea. This was the first of the numerous controversies regarding Seo Tai-ji and Boys. They were accused of backwards masking
Hidden message
A hidden message is information that is not immediately noticeable, and that must be discovered or uncovered and interpreted before it can be known...
Satanist messages in their songs. Although the mainstream news media later proved these accusations to be based on extremely tenuous evidence, the moral panic proved difficult to eliminate entirely.
1995: Come Back Home
Not backing down, Seo Tai-ji and Boys' fourth album exploded with more controversial songs. "Come Back Home" was a foray into Korean gangster rap. It really made many runaway teenagers in South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
"come back home." Pilseung (필승, "Must Triumph") was also a great hit with alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
sound and shouting voice. Shidaeyugam (시대유감, "Regret of the Times") was nearly banned by the Korean Performance Ethics Committee (한국공연윤리위원회, present is '한국영상물관리위원회'[Korean Video Management Committee]) for having lyrics that were considered inappropriate for youth consumption. The backlash from the fans was immense, and the system of 'pre-censorship'(사전심의제) was abolished in July 1996, partially as a result of this.
1996: Retirement
Seo-Taiji and Boys retired from South Korea's popular music scene in January 1996 during its heyday. Their announcement of retirement was a huge disappointment for millions of fans in Korea. Seotaiji headed over to the United States after retirement while Lee Ju-no and Yang Hyeon-seok established record labels right after their retirement. Yang Hyeon-seok was very successful making YG EntertainmentYG Entertainment
YG Entertainment is a record label and talent agency founded by Korean band Seo Taiji & Boys member Yang Hyun Suk and based in Seoul, South Korea. It specializes in producing R&B and hip hop music. YG stands for Yang Goon and are also the initials of the chief executive officer, Yang Hyun Suk...
a big corporation. After declaration on retirement, Seo Tai-ji and Boys released their Goodbye Best Album, which is the only compilation album from Seo Tai-ji and Boys. In the booklet, the writing indicates "Yes, it's not over, our love will continue as '&', not the 'End'."
Taiji's life after retirement in the United States is unknown to the public due to his high profile status. He wrote on his website www.seotaiji.com that he had dreamt of living a normal life with a wife and children living peacefully without all the media attention. He later mentioned in interviews in 2008 that at the time of his retirement, he felt like he could not continue to produce and write more music in such short time frame, being pressured to release albums every 6 to 8 months and working under such schedule was unsustainable. However, Taiji said that he was young back then and didn't realize the importance of music in his life. He will never again say that he will retire from music; it will just be a long hiatus if needed, but never a retirement. In 2011, the Korean press discovered that Seo married a Korean American woman named Lee Ji-ah
Lee Ji-ah
Lee Ji-ah is a South Korean actress. Her first role was in The Legend as Sujini, a lover of Damdeok, the King .-Biography:...
, whose real name was Kang Sang Eun for 14 years marriage.
1998: Seo Tai Ji
Two year after Seo Tai-ji and Boys' retirement, Taiji resumed his career as a musician. His solo career has and continues to also be successful. He recurred to return to his true roots and perform rock music. Without any appearances or activity in South Korea, he released an album with a couple of music videos in 1998. There was some controversy over his sudden reversal of retirement, but his first Solo album "Seo Tai Ji" sold more than a million copies even without any promotion in Korea. His first solo work included heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and Nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
songs, but the main genre was still alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
. Although it was his first solo work, fans refer to it as his 5th album.
2000: Ultramania
In 2000, he returned to South Korea after a four year absence. On the day of his arrival at the Kimpo International Airport in Seoul, the entire airport had been crowded by thousands of fans and media trying to get the first look on Seotaiji. There was great talk between fans and the media about Seotaiji's unique hair style and his clothes worn on that day. At a comeback interview in 2008, he jokingly referred to it as one of the most embarrassing moment of his music career.He released the album Ultramania which consisted of Nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
and Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
. His solo act had an effect on many South Korean boy bands such as H.O.T.
H.O.T.
H.O.T. was a popular five-member South Korean boy band in the mid to late 1990s. Their name is an acronym, standing for "High-five Of Teenagers". They were formed by SM Entertainment in 1996 and disbanded in 2001.H.O.T...
and caused them to decline in popularity. His songs "Internet War" and "Ultramania" were the biggest hits of the year. After the ETPFEST
ETPFEST
ETP Fest or ETP Festival is one of the biggest rock music festivals in South Korea founded by rock singer Seo Taiji. ETP stands for Eerie Taiji People.-2004:The line up included Seo Tai Ji band, Hoobastank, Zebrahead, PE'Z, and Pia.-2008:-2009:...
, which he founded during his comeback, Taiji was presented with hide
Hide (musician)
, better known by his stage name hide , was a popular Japanese musician. He was primarily known for his work as lead guitarist of the heavy metal band X Japan from 1987 to 1997...
of X Japan
X Japan
is a Japanese heavy metal band founded in 1982 by Yoshiki and Toshi. Originally named X , the group achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood...
's Fernandes MG-360S guitar, which is yellow with pink hearts, by hide's parents and his brother, Hiroshi, to celebrate the success of ETPFEST and the first hide Showcase tribute ever at a rock festival by X Japan. During his comeback, there were arguments that his seldom appearance on TV was aimed to make a mysterious image which helps promote his popularity, but in reality his personality is very reclusive and little is known about his personal life by the public. He has mentioned in several interviews that he chooses to maintain private personal life separate from his musical career but this concept is never well-accepted by the Korean culture where celebrity personal profiles are often disclosed widely to the public. This is one of the few reasons why he is criticized as being a mysterious figure.
2004: 7th Issue
Seo Taiji maintained his Nu metalNu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
sound in his third solo album, 7th Issue
Seo Taiji 7th Issue
7th Issue is the seventh studio album by Korean musician Seo Taiji. All lyrics and music written by Seo Taiji. Strings on the song "0 " was arranged and conducted by Takayuki Hattori . Many of Seo Taiji's fans have noted that the whole CD sounds like one very long song...
. However, unlike Ultramania, 7th Issue was recorded mostly on a dropped C tuning, which gave the effect of the album sounding like one long song. Nevertheless, it had no problem attracting attention to a wide range of audiences. 7th Issue's catchy rock tune made his fans call it "Punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
". Also, he obviously added Drum and Bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
sound into his several songs, so that it proved him to be a favorable electronica musician (skills he learned from producing the "Seo Taiji & Boys" albums). J from Luna Sea
Luna Sea
Luna Sea is a rock band from Kanagawa, Japan, formed in 1989. The band was initially founded by bassist J and rhythm guitarist Inoran, when they were in high school. They soon recruited lead guitarist and violinist Sugizo, drummer Shinya and vocalist Ryuichi, a lineup that has remained the same...
also participated in the making of this album as the bassist. His song "Live Wire" was a good hit succeeding the vivacity of "Ultramania". "Robot" deals with his youth and anguish, while the song "F.M.Business" acrimoniously criticize the issues of and the commercialized music business and the artist exploitation from greedy corporate record labels. He also touches on the issue of abortion along with sexism and sexual assault with the song, "Victim". His record sale was reduced to a half million due to on-line downloading services, but was still the highest selling record of 2004 in South Korea. Taiji proved himself to be a musician in top popularity for more than a decade. After his activities up to 2005, he once again suddenly disappeared out of the spotlight.
2008~2009: 8th Atomos
He returned to Korea after a long awaited absence, and revealed his latest single "Moai". It was the first release of Seo Taiji's ambitious 3-part "mystery project", which was followed by another single, "Bermuda Triangle" which was put up as a digital single. The third part, Atomos Part Secret, was released on March 10. He had a promotion called "Missing Taiji", where there were false rumors that Taiji went missing, only to return on the "Wormhole" concert day. In his single "Moai", Taiji reinvents his sound, and introduces a new experimental style he calls "nature pound". "Moai" draws inspiration from the mysterious statues of Easter Island which had long fascinated him since his childhood. He performed at the 2008 ETPFESTETPFEST
ETP Fest or ETP Festival is one of the biggest rock music festivals in South Korea founded by rock singer Seo Taiji. ETP stands for Eerie Taiji People.-2004:The line up included Seo Tai Ji band, Hoobastank, Zebrahead, PE'Z, and Pia.-2008:-2009:...
which he spearheaded to promote his comeback along side bands such as The Used
The Used
The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah. The band was founded in 2001 and signed to Reprise Records the same year. They rose to fame in June 2002 after releasing their self-titled debut album. They followed up with their second album, In Love and Death, in September 2004 and their third...
, Dragon Ash
Dragon Ash
are a Japanese Rap metal group founded in 1996 by Furuya "Kj" Kenji and Sakurai Makoto. They are an icon in Japan and were one of the first groups to popularize hip hop in Japan. They brought a western flavor to Japanese music and helped to turn rap music mainstream, with a mixture of reggae, rap,...
, Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
and Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
.
He also put together "The Great Seotaiji Symphony" with Tolga Kashif
Tolga Kashif
Tolga Kashif is a British born musical conductor, composer, orchestrator, producer and arranger of Turkish Cypriot descent.-Early life:...
and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
to perform his old hits and new songs presented in an entirely new form, combining rock and classical music. The main concert was held at the Seoul Worldcup Stadium. After the main concert, there were complaints about the sound quality not being delivered to the second and third floors at the further ends of the stadium and to make up for this mistake, another encore performance (same setlist) was held in December at an closed/indoor venue, Jamsil Gymnasium upgraded with better sound systems.
Taiji's second single - following Atomos Part Moai - called Atomos Part Secret was released on March 10, 2009. It is the same date as the arrival of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to Mars in 2006. Taiji also held a concert promoting his second single on March 14 and 15. Tickets for the concert, cryptically titled Wormhole, sold out in just 20 minutes.
Seotaiji's 15th anniversary album consisted of most of his works so far, re-recorded and re-mastered but it was released in a limited edition with only 15,000 copies available, each with unique serial numbers. Serial numbers #1-15 were purchased by Seotaiji himself. He kept #1 for himself, gave #2 and #3 to his old time friends Lee Juno and Yang Hyun Seuk, and the rest to his close friends. Since the re-recorded and re-mastered songs were only available for the limited anniversary album and not all the fans were able to purchase it, he decided to re-release all the albums with the containing the new versions. On April 3, the first two Seo Taiji and Boys Albums were rereleased. Taiji will rerelease all 7 of his albums, from Nan Arayo! to 7th Issue. On May 25, the 3rd and 4th Seo Taiji and Boys albums were rereleased.
As of June 13, he will hold a nationwide tour named "The Möbius". The first of the concerts will be held in Seoul, Korea. The tour has ended, but a repeat performance was given 2 months after the finish. ETPFEST 2009 was also held with guest groups such as NIN, Limp Bizkit, Keane, Fade, Boom Boom Satellites, Pia and GUMX.
1997: Marriage
On April 21, 2011 it was revealed by daily SportsSeoul and later confirmed by numerous media outlets that Seo Taiji married his ex-wife Lee Ji Ah (real name Kim Sang Eun) on October 21, 1997. Their union was kept secret because both Seo Taiji and Lee Ji Ah kept their personal lives hidden from the media. In the past, netizens have commented on Lee Ji Ah's past- giving her the infamous nickname of "alien" because of her ability to keep her private/past life secret. Since the shocking news of Seo and Lee's 14 year union, many have speculated that Seo Taiji's power and wealth were two of the main reasons why her past has been undetectable. In addition, many believe the real reason behind the controversial disbandment of Seo Taiji and the Boys was because of his relationship with Lee Ji Ah. Since their marriage in October, the once happy couple lived in Arizona and Atlanta, Georgia from Seo's retirement in 1996 until his return in June 2000. Lee filed for divorce in 2006 citing both lifestyle and personality differences. According to Lee, the divorce was finalized in 2009. Their relationship went public after Lee sued Seo for alimony, since then (as of 4/21/2011) they have had two appearances in court- once in January 2011 and April 2011. Currently (as of 4/21/2011) they have yet to settle their lawsuit.There is debate as to whether or not this explosive news was tipped off to SportsSeoul by the Korean government in order to take spot light off of the BBK scandal involving Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.
Seo Taiji Band
Although Taiji now works as a "solo" artist, the following musicians consistently play with him during tours, studio recordings, and music videos. Some of them belong to other bands, but they participated in recording and performances for a short period of time.:- Top (Ahn Seong-Hoon) - lead guitar for SeoTaiJi's 6th~8th album
- Rock - rhythm guitar for SeoTaiJi's 6th~7th album
- Sang Uk (Monkey) - bass for SeoTaiJi's 6th~7th album
- Heff "The Machine" Holter - drums for SeoTaiJi's 6th~7th album
- Kim Seok-Jung (HangulHangulHangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
:김석정) - Keyboards/Programming/Samples/FX/arrange for SeoTaiJi's 8th album - Kang Joon-Hyung (HangulHangulHangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 강준형) - bass for SeoTaiJi's 8th album. He normally works with the band "A'ccel in a story". - Choi Hyun-Jin (HangulHangulHangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
:최현진) - drums for SeoTaiJi's 8th album. He normally works with the band "Vassline"
Seotaiji and Boys
- Seotaiji and Boys(1992)
- Seotaiji and Boys II(1993)
- Seotaiji and Boys III(1994)
- Seotaiji and Boys IV(1995)
Solo studio albums
- Seotaiji 5th Seo Tai Ji(1998)
- Seotaiji 6th Ultramania(2000)
- Seotaiji 7th Issue(2004)
- Seotaiji 8th Atomos(2009)
Live releases
- 2009 Seotaiji Band Live Tour [The Möbius] (2010)
- The Great Seotaiji Symphony (including the track 'FM Business') (2009)
- Seotaiji Live Tour Zero '04 (2005)
- 6th Album Re-recording & ETPFEST Live (2003)
- Seotaiji Band Live Album 2000/2001 태지의 話(Taiji Speaks) (2001)
- Taiji Boys '95 다른 하늘이 열리고(Farewall to sky) (1995)
- Seotaiji and Boys '93 마지막축제(Last Festival) (1994)
- Taiji Boys Live & Techno Mix (1992)
Singles & Etcs
- 8th Atomos Part Secret (2009)
- 8th Atomos Part Moai (2008)
- [&] Seotaiji 15th Anniversary Album (2007): remastered all songs from 'Seo Tai-ji & Boys' albums, live albums, solo albums, and remix songs are included.
- Feel The Soul Maxi Single (Released in Japan) (2001)
- Seotaiji and Boys Goodbye Best Album (1996)
- Sidae-Yoogam[시대유감-時代遺憾 Regret of the Times] (1996)
DVD releases
- Seotaiji Live Tour: The Möbius (2011)
- The GREAT 2008 Seotaiji Symphony with Tolga Kashif & Royal Phillharmonic DVD (2010)
- 2004 Seo Taiji Record of the 7th (2005)
- The Shedding Bird: Seo Taiji Company DVD+Art book (2005)
- Seo Taiji Live Tour ZERO 04 DVD+Art book (2004)
- Seo Taiji Live Tour '2000-2001 The Taiji Speaks' DVD (2001)
Blu-ray releases
- Seotaiji Live Tour: The Möbius (2011)
- The GREAT 2008 Seotaiji Symphony with Tolga Kashif & Royal Phillharmonic DVD+Blu-ray (2010)