Originally from Paju South Korea, bela (they/them) is a musician and a performance artist based in Berlin. They are known for electronic music performance merging pungmul – a Korean folk act rooted in agricultural traditions and linked to past social movements – and vocals inspired by extreme metal. bela shapes pungmul into the ritual for queer rage and grief with sub-heavy distortions and cries. Their LP “Noise and Cries”, co-released on Subtext UK and Unsound PL in April 2024, debuts their raw vocals for the first time. Spanning over 5 avant-garde basement experiments and 2 grounding lengthy ambient scenes, it comprises a fierce reflection on the precarity of life back in South Korea, queer identity, severance of relationships, and endurance. bela was nominated for the SHAPE+ Platform 23′-24′.

They have presented their solo and collaborative works across different stages in Europe including Berghain, Trauma Bar und Kino, Schauspielhaus Zürich, Cafe OTO, A4 Bratislava among many others. They have performed in experimental music festivals CTM Festival(DE), Ephemera(PL), Unsound Kraków(PL), and Rewire Festival(NL). They also premiered their works in European art festivals transmediale(DE) and EVA International(IE). bela is a co-runner of Sorrow Club: a mixed event series spanning from music to non-music.