Nell (band)
Nell (Hangul: 넬) is a South Korean indie rock band. Formed in 1999, the band consists of Kim Jong-wan on vocals, guitar and keyboard, Lee Jae-kyung on lead guitar, Lee Jung-hoon on bass guitar and Jung Jae-won on drum.
While performing at live clubs in Hongdae, they were picked up by Seo Tai-ji, and soon became the first band of Goesoo Indigene record label in 2002. In 2006, the band decided to finish their contract with Goesoo Indigene and they are currently signed with Woollim Entertainment.
The band is heavily influenced by numerous British bands such as Radiohead, Placebo, Travis, and Muse. They also performed number of covers of Muse, Coldplay, Sting, and Bob Dylan during their gigs.
Nell has participated in both 2006 and 2007 Pentaport Rock Festival of South Korea, where Placebo and Muse also performed each year.
The band is known for their gloomy and psychedelic sound, and gained their fame with tracks like “Stay” from Let It Rain, “Thank You” from Walk Through Me, "Good Night" from Healing Process and “기억을 걷는 시간” from Separation Anxiety. Their 2006 album 'Healing Process' was chosen as one of five best recordings of the year among critics of South Korea. Nell's 2008 album "Separation Anxiety" was a hit in South Korea, ranking No.1 in various album charts.
After the long hiatus, they released their 5th studio album titled Slip Away on April 10, 2012 with the title track, "그리고 남겨진 것들" (The Day Before). Its Music Video starring Lee Min-ki and Song Jae Rim but none of Nell members appeared. Slip Away was a hit in South Korea, placed top rank in various album charts, such as Mnet, Bugs, and Olleh Music. Kim Jong Wan featured in G-Dragon's song "Today" in his 2012 album One of a Kind.
On November 22, 2012, Nell’s official homepage included a new picture signaling Nell’s comeback. The picture showed a large moon that had a kind of explosion going on. Nell’s new album will be titled Holding onto Gravity and will be released on December 3. On December 2, 2012, Woollim's Youtube official account released White Night MV starring Im Soo-jung.
In May 2013, the official Woollim YouTube channel uploaded a teaser for the upcoming mini-album which was scheduled for release in June. The Nell official homepage was updated on the 3rd of June confirming the release date for the new Nell mini-album Escaping Gravity to be the 10th of June.