Musician Ben Akers is a Seoul man (From Craven Herald)

Musician Ben Akers is a Seoul man

4:32pm Thursday 21st June 2012 in Arts & Ents News

A former Silsden man who moved to South Korea has established himself on the country’s growing music scene.

Ben Akers, a 29-year old singer and guitarist, performs live both solo and with a band, and regularly appears on radio.

He runs an open mic session every Thursday in Seoul. He is also the resident live performer each week on a government-backed radio station for English speakers.

Ben played in the band Fahrenheit when he was at South Craven School in Cross Hills and always wanted to be a professional musician.

He studied business management and information technology at Leeds Metropolitan University and worked in finance before setting off to see more of the world.

He arrived in South Korea in 2006 and has married and settled down in the country, where he said he enjoyed the different culture, food and way of living.

He was recently interviewed by the national paper Korean Times about his experiences in the country and his music career.

He told them: “I’ve really enjoyed being in Korea and teaching people about the differences in culture between the UK and Korea.

“Living and working in a foreign country can be quite daunting for any newcomer. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from being here in terms of language and culture, but most of all patience.”

Ben said the Korean music scene had been growing over the past few years adding: “It’s been a great experience so far in getting into the music scene.

“I think that things have changed dramatically. Lots more venues have stages and open mic events. I’ve seen them advertised throughout the country.

“I host an open mic at The Orange Tree, in Hae Bang Chon. The response has been great so far from both locals and expats.”