By Honorary Reporter Preeti Rawat from India
Photos = danke

A key element of K-pop is lyrics, which express the singer's feelings and helps the song connect to the audience. Thus the role of lyricists is significant. 

Danke, a trio comprising lyricists Kim Soo-bin, Park Woo-hyun and Lee Hee-ju, has made a name for itself with heartwarming and meaningful lyrics. The three members shared their story in an email interview on July 17 and answered each question as a group.

From left are danke members Lee Hee-ju, Park Woo-hyun and Kim Soo-bin.

The three made their individual debuts in 2016 and formed danke in 2018. They have helped write lyrics for over 140 K-pop songs including BTS' "Filter," NCT 127's "Highway to Heaven" and "Kick It," and Red Velvet’s "Good, Bad, Ugly."

"We met as students in a class at a songwriting academy. After that, we ended up like crew members," the group said. "During that time together, the three of us realized the synergy we could create if we worked as a team." 

Though their name means "Thank you," in German, the real origin of the moniker is a shortened form of "danggeun (carrot) cake." "We had a hard time early on as individual lyricists and our memories were related to carrot cake from that time," danke said. "So when 'dangke,' a shortened form of 'danggeun cake,' is written in the Korean alphabet, it has a good meaning. So we decided on it as our name."

The trio initially worked on things unrelated to writing lyrics or music, but persevered to break into putting words to music. The first song released under the group's name was Gugudan's "Lovesick" in 2018. "Amazingly, Gugudan's 'Lovesick' was the first song released under our name and the first we worked on as a team. So our start was very lucky," it said.

Danke's draft lyrics show the tedious and complicated process of creating lyrics.

Many aspects require consideration when writing lyrics for songs. For danke, the process begins with listening to a demo and writing the lyrics according to the number of letters in a song. The group said about five hours on average is needed to write the lyrics for one tune.

"The first thing to decide after listening to the music is emotions, themes and keywords, which should fit the feeling of the demo song. But if the label or artist has a different opinion, we must agree with it. Other considerations include the ease of pronunciation, connection of the lyrics and rhythm," it said.

Despite a hectic work schedule, the trio said attending a concert brings immense happiness to the members. "Despite what many think, lyricists have few opportunities to have close contact with artists. So when invited to a show or concert, we look forward to it the most. We're familiar with the songs and have sang them dozens of times while working, but it's really thrilling to listen to our lyrics sung by the artists on the spot," danke said.

On the songs receiving the best responses, the trio named Taemin's "Criminal" and Shinee's "Kiss Kiss."

The three members started out as individual lyricists in 2016 before joining forces in 2018.

The team also said different generations means different approaches to lyrics, adding, "Groups that debuted relatively early prefer lyrics with a natural tone. Those catering to the MZ Generation (or the pairing of millennials and Generation Z) tend to prefer more bouncy characters. So we try to write sharp and trendy metaphors that are more intuitive than literary ones." 

Danke has gained fame relatively quickly despite its short time in pop music. On its plans, the group said, "There are many artists, genres and projects we haven't met or experienced yet. We want to be danke and more independent lyricists while guarding against complacency and encouraging each other not to be satisfied with the present."

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.