New Empire wins new Asian fans

Australian pop-rock quartet New Empire are winning over legions of new fans in Asia - especially South Korea - thanks to the power and allure of Korean dramas.

In July, two of the band's tracks, the groovy Across The Oceans and the anthemic A Little Braver, were featured in popular K-drama Uncontrollably Fond, an angst-ridden romantic 20-parter starring heart-throb Kim Woo Bin and idol Bae Suzy.

Viewers, who followed the drama religiously, caught on to New Empire's tunes too.

A Little Braver became a massive hit, charting on iTunes in eight Asian countries, scoring over 1.3 million streams on Spotify here, and peaking at No. 3 on the Asia Pop 40 chart.

In an e-mail interview with M, New Empire's frontman Jeremy Fowler - the rest of the band consists of drummer Kale Kneale, guitarist Kyle Lane and bassist Nate Cairns - shares his thoughts on gaining fame through a K-drama.

GOOD MATCH: Australian band New Empire had two of their songs featured in K-drama Uncontrollably Fond (above), starring Kim Woo Bin and Bae Suzy.

What was your reaction when you learnt that your songs Across The Oceans and A Little Braver were featured in Uncontrollably Fond? Have your songs been featured in other TV shows or movies?

We were excited when we found out, but we never expected that our songs would be so well-received by fans of the drama. The response has been overwhelming - I'm so glad people have been enjoying them.

We have been featured on TV shows before, but none have had a response like Uncontrollably Fond. We are very thankful for everyone's support.

Did you watch Uncontrollably Fond, or the scenes where your songs were featured? Did it gel with the mood and vibe of the drama?

We saw some of the scenes where our music was featured, and it feels like a great match.

The scenes I watched were pretty intense, and our music is always quite emotive, which naturally worked well.

Uncontrollably Fond did not air in Australia so we had to do a little digging to catch it, but it was worth it!

The protagonists of Uncontrollably Fond, actor Kim Woo Bin and actress Bae Suzy, are two of the hottest young stars in South Korea. Do you think that their good looks and acting helped bring out the emotions of your songs?

They are both very talented, natural actors who bring a lot of emotion to the show, and I think that is the main reason for its success.

Our songs seem to be a perfect fit, and almost seem like they were written for their characters. I wrote the songs a couple of years ago, so it was a lucky match.

Did you gain new South Korean fans after the drama aired? Have you been to South Korea, and would you like to do gigs there?

The response from South Korea has been well above anything we thought possible. We have been blown away by the support and love from our new South Korean fans. They are so beautiful and friendly, sending messages to us online. It makes me want to travel there.

I have been to Asia before, but not South Korea. It's definitely at the top of my list for places to visit next.

What provided the inspiration for Across The Oceans and A Little Braver?

Across The Oceans was written when I was in Perth, which is where I live in Australia.

It was my birthday, but my family was away in Europe and some friends were in the US on holiday, and I could not have been further from them. I wrote this song from a place of missing the ones I love the most.

A Little Braver was written on New Year's Eve a couple of years ago, when I was thinking about overcoming different fears in my life, and moving into a brighter future.