iamnot
Main vocalist Lim Heon-il in 2018
Background information
OriginSeoul, South Korea
GenresBlues, rock
Years active2015 (2015)–2018
LabelsGravity Music
Members
  • Lim Heon-il
  • Yang Si-on
  • Kim Jun-ho

iamnot (Korean: 아이엠낫) is a South Korean rock band signed to Gravity Music. The trio was formed with main vocalist and guitarist Lim Heon-il, bassist Yang Si-on, and drummer Kim Jun-ho. In 2015, they released a string singles and their debut mini-album Whoami. The band releasesd their first studio album Hope in 2017. Their work earned them the Band Award at the 27th Seoul Music Awards.

History

Drummer Kim Jun-ho in 2018

Lim Heon-il and Yang Si-on attended the same high school and they enrolled at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, where they met Kim Jun-ho. Along with two other students from the institution, they formed the rock band Bremen and released its sole studio album in 2006.[1] They disbanded shortly due to their mandatory military service commitments.[2] The members later worked independently from one another in separate bands: Lim with Mate (2009–2014), Yang in Walrus, and Kim for SpeakOut (2011).[1] The trio regrouped and formed iamnot in 2015 with Lim on main vocals and guitar, Yang on bass, and Kim on drums.[3] The name was written without any spaces to read like a band name and not as a sentence.[1] Lim cited the precision of the negative expression "this is not" in contrast to the affirmative phrase "this is" that led to the decision of implementing the paradoxical moniker to describe their music.[4]

iamnot released their debut single "The Brand New Blues" in April 2015, followed by "Do It" and "Heiyheiy" through August.[1] Their first mini-album Whoami was issued on September 15, headed by the lead singles "Psycho" and "Cut".[4] Writing for Herald Economy, Jung Jin-yeong called it "possibly one of the most important albums of the year".[5] The band held a pair of concerts at Muse Live Hall in Seoul Olympic Park that weekend in commemoration of the album's release.[6] They released the single album Hold the Night in December and the song "Break the Wall" the following year.[1] Ahead of their first full-length album, iamnot released the songs "Happiness" and "RBTY" in 2017.[7][8] Hope and the lead single "Fly" were released on May 26.[9] Conceptually, the album relates to the struggles faced by the youth.[10] In 2018, iamnot won the Band Award at the 27th Seoul Music Awards.[11] They contributed a song entitled "Burn It Up" on the original soundtrack for TVN's television series Lawless Lawyer.[12]

Musical style

Bassist Yang Si-on in 2018

iamnot lays their musical foundation in blues and rock.[5] The band forged their music as "a mixture of garage-rock-like guitar riffs and bluesy tones" and has delved into various genres, including punk rock and EDM.[3] Their song "Do It" opens with a hip hop beat and progresses into an electric number with "intense" guitar riffs, "heavy" drums, and violin by Echae Kang.[13] "Psycho" saw the band incorporate elements of EDM into the track, while the simultaneously released "Cut" infused trap music.[4] With the release of Hope, the band's sound shifted from strong rock music to a more pop-oriented direction.[10] The modern rock single "Happiness" expresses the band's desire to see the word become part of day-to-day life.[7] Lim described the track's sound as "strong and bright".[10] "RBTY" is an electronic dance-pop track with elements of country music.[10] Its lyrics deal with redemption.[8]

Lim's vocal tone has been compared to that of singer Yi Sung-yol.[2] The frontman has been said to possess "crunchy low-keyed vocals" that are "laid-back" on occasion, "but retain that snarly tone that keeps listeners on edge".[3] Online magazine Mint Paper commended his "stand-out" singing on the single album Color, where iamnot worked with groups Common Ground and The Barberettes on Motown-esque tracks.[14] Kim's "clean high-key voice" has been described as complementary to Lim's.[3] Both musicians contribute lyrics and compositions to the band's catalog; the latter also works as a beatmaker.[6] Bassist Yang also plays the piano and guitar, while supplying synthesizers, arrangements, and record production.[3][6]

Members

List of members and instruments.[15]

  • Lim Heon-il (임헌일) – main vocals, guitar
  • Yang Si-on (양시온) – bass
  • Kim Jun-ho (김준호) – drums

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
Gaon Album Chart
[16]
Hope 29

Extended plays

Title Album details
Whoami
  • Released: September 15, 2015
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download

Singles

As lead artist

Title Year Album
"The Brand New Blues" 2015 Non-album single
"Do It"
(featuring Echae Kang)		 Whoami
"Heiyheiy"
"Psycho"
"Cut"
"Lalalala" Hold the Night
"Break the Wall" 2016 Non-album single
"Happiness" 2017 Hope
"RBTY"
"Fly"
(featuring Lee Seung-yul)
"Be There" (그 자리에 있어줘; Geu Jarie Isseojwo) Non-album single
"Come Back"
"Time" (시간; Sigan)
"Up All Night" 2018 Color

Guest appearances

Title Year Release Ref.
"Burn It Up" 2018 Lawless Lawyer OST [12]

Awards and nominations

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2018 iamnot Seoul Music Awards – Band Award Won [11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kim, Kwan-myeong (March 21, 2017). [3시의 인디살롱] 아이엠낫 "이승환은 대인배...29일 콘서트서 콜라보 요청". Osen (in Korean). Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Yoon, Min-sik (September 14, 2017). '이승환이 선택한 밴드' 아이엠낫(iamnot), 안주하지 않는 그들의 무모한 도전. The Korea Herald (in Korean). Herald Corporation. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Yoon, Min-sik (September 13, 2017). "'iamnot' what you expect". The Korea Herald (in Korean). Herald Corporation. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Jung, Jin-yeong (October 2, 2015). 아이엠낫 "우리가 누구냐고? 들어봐. 춤추게 될 테니". Herald Economy (in Korean). Herald Corporation. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Jung, Jin-yeong (September 23, 2015). <정진영의 이주의 추천 앨범> 32. 아이엠낫 'Whoami'ㆍ메써드 'Abstract' 外. Herald Economy (in Korean). Herald Corporation. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Lee, Ji-seok (August 17, 2015). 임헌일-양시온-김준호의 밴드 아이엠낫, 9월 첫 단독 콘서트 개최. Sportsseoul (in Korean). Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Lee, Ho-yeong (April 26, 2017). 임헌일-김준호-양시온, 'Happiness' 공개 예고...'밴드로 돌아온다'. Top Star News (in Korean). Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Sohn, Bong-seok (May 11, 2017). 아이엠낫 앨범 발표 앞서 'RBTY' 선공개. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Kyunghyang Company. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  9. ↑ Lee, Ha-na (May 25, 2017). 임헌일X양시온X김준호 밴드 아이엠낫, 오늘(25일) 첫 정규앨범 'Hope' 발매. Seoul Economic Daily (in Korean). Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Im, Jin-mo (July 2017). "Neo Music Communication IZM" 아이엠낫(iamnot) 인터뷰. IZM (in Korean). Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Lee, Ji-yeong (January 25, 2018). [2018 서가대]아이엠낫 밴드상 수상, "꿈만 같아...더 좋은 음악 만들겠다". Seoul Economic Daily (in Korean). Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Hwang, Hye-jin (May 18, 2018). 아이엠낫 ‘무법변호사’ 첫 OST 가창, 이준기X서예지 지원사격. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  13. ↑ Lee, Eun-ho (July 10, 2015). [신보 수배] 7월 둘째 주, 놓치기 아까운 음반. Ten Asia (in Korean). Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  14. ↑ 아이엠낫 – [Color] (in Korean). Mint Paper. August 10, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  15. ↑ 아이엠낫 (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Gaon Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  17. ↑ 2017년 06월 Album Chart (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
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