“Sound Scope” is a series spotlighting the emerging artists who are redefining the global music scene. In this edition, we focus on the Korean indie band PRYVT, who made their debut just over a year ago on August 4th, 2023.

Indie rock has long been a beloved genre across the world, with numerous countries contributing standout bands over the decades. In Korea, groups like The Black Skirts (active since 2004), Jannabi (since 2016), and wave to earth (formed in 2019) have left significant marks on the scene. The success and popularity of wave to earth, in particular, have inspired a surge of new bands and solo artists delving into indie rock—a development we enthusiastically welcome as fans of the genre.

PRYVT is the latest Korean indie-rock band making waves globally. The band comprises Indonesian singer, songwriter, and bassist HNATA; Korean-Canadian singer, songwriter, and guitarist hanuel; and bassist Justin Tecson. Additional member Isaac Owens contributes as the producer and serves as the drummer during live performances. They debuted on August 4th, 2023, with their single “tell me, will we survive?,” which has garnered over 5.4 million streams on Spotify since its release.

Since their debut, PRYVT has amassed over 640K monthly Spotify listeners with a six-song discography. Their most popular single, “if it’s not you,” released on February 14th, 2024, recently hit 11 million streams on Spotify. Originally planned as a 10-episode (song) project, PRYVT will release one more single at the end of September, with their debut album closing out the &SCENE series later this year. The upcoming single, titled “YOURS,” is set for release on September 27th. As hanuel explains, “‘YOURS’ is a song we teased earlier this year, and since then, fans have been waiting for its release. I wrote it based on a personal experience, and it reflects on reminiscing about the past.” However, this won’t be the end for PRYVT—they plan to continue their journey with more episodes as part of a trilogy.

The rapid success of their music has earned PRYVT a devoted international fanbase, leading to their “THE&SCENE North America Tour” this past June. The mini-tour included four stops in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, and Vancouver—the hometowns of members hanuel and Justin Tecson.

In addition, hanuel and Justin Tecson joined Korean-Canadian singer slchld in July for his “APOLOGY North America Tour” along the West Coast of the U.S. and Canada.

Marking a new chapter in their journey, PRYVT will be joining wave to earth on their “0.03 North America Tour” starting September 16, with stops from Vancouver to Houston. Reflecting on the opportunity, JT shared, “Being able to go on tour with wave to earth feels unreal. We’ve looked up to them since we started the project and now going on the road with them is a full circle moment. We can’t wait to play live for you all again.”

Having followed PRYVT since their debut, we’ve watched them become one of our favourite bands. Experiencing their live performances twice and witnessing their remarkable growth has us eagerly anticipating what they have in store for the coming year.

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