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When Balming Tiger take the stage at Oslo’s Øya Festival on Friday, August 11th — the first South Korean act to ever do so in the festival’s nearly 25-year history — it seems like the largely Norwegian crowd doesn’t really know what to expect. The alternative Seoul-based artist collective had people buzzing across the festival grounds ahead of their set, curious about what a K-pop-adjacent act might bring to the dreamy Scandinavian park.
Five of the eleven people who make up Balming Tiger are the performers of the group, while the remainder serve as producers, help bring music videos and photo shoots to life, and contribute in art direction. There’s Omega Sapien, a buzzcut rapper whose magnetic personality and multilingual abilities make him the de facto MC of the set; mysterious vocalist and producer bj wnjn; lovely, dreamlike Sogumm, who identifies herself as “not a human” and asks the audience to keep her secret; Seoulthesoloist, who introduces himself to me as Chan and carries a film camera around his neck; and Mudd the student, who has a broken foot and uses his crutches as his favorite prop during their time onstage.
It feels like a fascinating time to see Balming Tiger perform, almost as if this crossroads moment is tangible and visible. The group is gearing up for a debut LP and have released two singles ahead of the milestone: “SOS,” and “SEXY NUKIM,” the latter of which lives up to its name and features a verse from RM of BTS. “We feel like we are going to the next step,” Seoulthesoloist confirms. “This is our breakthrough.”
By the time their set wraps, Balming Tiger have the crowd on a string, despite the fact that very few, if any, of the festival attendees understood the Korean lyrics in their songs. Like any great act, though, the vibe transcended the language barrier; the audience joined in on the group’s easily replicable choreography at any opportunity. A brief technical glitch prompted the members to learn how to say “I love you” in Norwegian. Following the wildly energetic performance, the members have shifted out of their matching silver jumpsuits and slid into sweats for a chat backstage.
“Balming Tiger has had incremental growth, and it’s the best gift,” Omega Sapien explains. “We’re enjoying every step as we get better and better. We’re not skipping any steps — but I feel like after the album, we will.” He smiles. “Maybe it’ll be time to buy a house.”
