Korea Girl
Korea Girl was an American indie rock band from San Jose, California. The band's best known lineup was composed of Elizabeth Yi (vocals, guitars), Tobin Mori (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Summer Farnese (bass guitar), and Marc Duarte (drums). Drummer Scott Landucci and bassist Jennifer Yee replaced Duarte and Farnese after both members left the band in 1997. Xiu Xiu frontperson Jamie Stewart was also briefly a member of the band. The band's name was suggested by a female friend of Mori's after he told her he was "jamming with this Korean girl".
They released a demo cassette shortly after forming in March 1996. They released one CD (Korea Girl in 1997; re-released in 1999 with additional bonus tracks) and one 7" (Reunion in 1997) on Asian Man Records, and they appear on various Asian Man compilations. Korea Girl was declared Album of the Year in 1997 by Santa Clara University radio station KSCU. The album was re-released again in 2023 by Los Angeles indie label 7th Heaven. The group received a Bammie (Bay Area Music Award) nomination in 1997 for Outstanding Independent Album.. In 1999, Korea Girl disbanded following increasing tension between Mori and Yi, culminating in Mori's departure shortly before the group's disbandment. Mori would later form Ee.
In 2025, the band achieved significant mainstream recognition after their song "Reunion", released in 1997, became popular on the short-form video platform TikTok.
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