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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

ASMR trend infiltrates broad variety of contemporary culture

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A singing bowl [KOREA SINGING BOWL ASSOCIATION]
A singing bowl [KOREA SINGING BOWL ASSOCIATION]

On Mnet’s hit dance competition show “Street Man Fighter” which wrapped up last month, the hip-hop crew that surprised viewers the most was Bank Two Brothers. The free-spirited crew seemed to adapt from the outset compared to other crews, unable to adjust to the intensely competitive atmosphere which saw them create choreography based on K-pop music, which is characterized by perfectly in-sync dance movements. Bank Two Brothers managed to grow and change, making step-by-step progress until they reached the final stage.

One of their most memorable moves saw them meditating with a singing bowl. A singing bowl, which dates back some 2,500 years and originates from Tibet, Nepal and India, is a type of bowl that produces a deep, ringing tone when played. The vibration from the bowl is said to synchronize with the listeners’ brainwaves and to have natural healing powers.

From Episode 1, this particular crew drew a stark comparison to the tense and excited other crews. The members meditated before every performance, right up until the moment before they took their spots on stage for the last performance of the season. Viewers enjoyed the fact that people who dance to such dynamic choreography needed time to meditate and such scenes reflected the trend of “spacing out,” which is seeing increasing popularity in contemporary society.

Hip-hop dance crew Bank Two Brothers, one of the final contestants of Mnet's hit dance competition show "Street Man Fighter" (2022), meditate with a singing bowl before taking to the stage. [MNET]
Hip-hop dance crew Bank Two Brothers, one of the final contestants of Mnet’s hit dance competition show “Street Man Fighter” (2022), meditate with a singing bowl before taking to the stage. [MNET]

A crucial tool that helps people to space out is the autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, another popular trend in Korea. Described as a pleasant form of paresthesia, the concept is characterized by a combination of positive feelings, relaxation and a static-like tingling sensation of the skin when one hears whispery noises such as the sounds of soft chewing, burning wood, falling rain or tapping against a window pane.

ASMR content has become big on YouTube Korea. In an annual report published by Forbes Korea on the Top 10 highest-earning YouTube channels, the top two spots last year were filled by channels “Jane ASMR” and “Hongyu ASMR.” This year, No. 5, 7 and 10 were filled by “Hongyu ASMR,” “Jane ASMR” and “SIO ASMR.” All three channels upload content related to mukbang sounds.

ASMR content is categorized by a diverse variety of genres such as mukbang and even role play. The most popular genre nowadays is dubbed “Ambience ASMR,” which features an imaginary or virtual space with ambient noises. YouTube channel “asmr soupe” takes listeners to spaces from their favorite movies such as the library of Hogwarts from Harry Potter or the wizard’s castle from 2004 hit Japanese animated film “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

The effect of ASMR is scientifically proven. Research conducted by the University of Sheffield’s Department of Psychology in 2018 found that those who’ve experienced ASMR had significantly reduced heart rates and relaxed bodies with the potential to benefit mental and physical health. In 2019, a research team at Hanyang University’s Department of Robot Engineering analyzed brainwaves and found that ASMR sounds help the brain to relax, revive good memories, and bring peace and stability.

Premium apps such as Headspace or Calm have become a must-download for ASMR addicts. With mottos such as “inviting you to all havens over the world,” the apps curate sounds for listeners to meditate to such as “the sound of grasshoppers on the Jeju Saryeoni Forest Path” or “the sound of wind rustling against the Bodhi trees of Mahabodhi Temple.”

Musicians are also utilizing the ASMR trend. Composer Mayrain, who runs the YouTube channel “Healing Tree Music & Sounds,” which has over 1.14 million subscribers, earns explosive responses by mixing serene, new-age music and nature sounds such as birds chipping and rain. One of the most popular videos has more than 68.85 million views. In the comment section of a performance of Tibetan singing bowl, one listener wrote, “I was listening to this while I was eating chicken, and felt that chicken and I were the only beings in this world.”

The contemporary music scene has also reflected this trend. A recently published dissertation titled “What Does ASMR Sound Like? Composing the Proxemic Intimate Zone in Contemporary Music,” written by Giulia Accornero, a doctoral candidate in Music Theory at Harvard University, cites that the ASMR trend has attracted the interest of contemporary music composers, especially its element to promote a private and comfortable atmosphere, which invokes what is dubbed as an “intimate zone” and allows audiences to form emotional intimacy with the music.

Mukbang ASMR YouTube channels such as "Jane ASMR" and "Hongyu ASMR" are topping charts of most-viewed channels. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Mukbang ASMR YouTube channels such as “Jane ASMR” and “Hongyu ASMR” are topping charts of most-viewed channels. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“It’s not new that people have had preferences for soothing sounds such as rain falling or firewood burning, but due to advancements in technology, the media environment has progressed to massively process and amplify such sounds for consumption,” Professor Kim Kyoung-hwa of Music Research Center in Hanyang University, told the JoongAng Sunday, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily. “As singers’ vocals receive more attention than their capacity to reach high notes, it’s interesting to see that people are beginning to show interest in the sensory experience that music can bring more than just its composition.”

The ASMR trend has reached the theatre world as well, the most representative example being a sound immersive play titled “In this Garden, We Loved,” organized by the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The play is adapted from French writer Pascal Quignard’s play “Dans Ce Jardin Qu’On Aimait,” and revolves around a minister named Simeon Pease Cheney and his obsession with his garden and natural sounds. The center installed 60 speakers across the theater to create an immersive sound effect and used moss imported all the way from Belgium for the set design so that audiences could vicariously experience the feeling of being in an arboretum with the protagonist. Its meticulously planned sound design presented the audience with a soothing and healing experience as they vividly heard sounds of birds fluttering away, footsteps, and a waterfall.

"To You," Korea's first-ever ambient music concert organized by the Mapo Foundation for Arts and Culture, was held last month. [MAPO FOUNDATION FOR ARTS AND CULTURE]
“To You,” Korea’s first-ever ambient music concert organized by the Mapo Foundation for Arts and Culture, was held last month. [MAPO FOUNDATION FOR ARTS AND CULTURE]

Recently, Korea’s first-ever ambient music concert was organized by the Mapo Foundation for Arts and Culture. Ambient music is a form of instrumental music that emphasizes texture, tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It has been popular since the 1980s in Japan and Europe, dubbed as “healing music.” Held last month, the concert titled “To You,” was directed by composer Lee Jeong-bong, who personally collected nature sound such as the sound of the sea from Gangneung, Gangwon, the sound of a river rushing through Namhan Mountain Fortress, the sound of grasshoppers in the depth of a forest in Gangwon, and the sound of rain falling in Gyeonggi. The fusion of Korean traditional musical instruments such as nagak (seashell played as a horn) and the chorus of singers humming provided a novel stage experience that local audiences had never experienced before.

“Some audience members were tearing up,” Song Je-yong, the CEO of the foundation, said. “For people who need time to heal but don’t have the time to go too far, I want to present them with ‘instant meditation,’ which is why I am planning a brunch concert next year. For contemporary people who are always co-existing with burden and stress in their daily lives, I hope they find time to heal in nearby theatres.”

BY YOO JU-HYUN [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]