South Korean, Irish

I am so happy that the kind people from HapaVoice.com reached out to contact me.

It has been quite a pleasure growing up in my multi-racial home. On my parents’ record player, there was always a mix of Jazz, 50’s Rock & Roll, and Korean pop music. In the kitchen, we ate everything from bulgolgi & kimchee, to corned beef & cabbage.

I have to admit that I only heard the term “Hapa” for the first time in 2005 while sitting in a pizzeria in Los Angeles. The girl working behind the counter asked me if I were “Hapa,” and I had no idea what she was talking about!

At the moment, I am on a world tour with the Colombian pop-singer Shakira.  I’ve been playing drums in her band for the past 12 years. The guys in this band look to me for all their Asian issues. Where should we eat Thai food? What’s the best Bruce Lee movie? Was Confucius Taoist or Buddhist? Of course, I am Korean, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to help sort out their “eastern” problems.

My name is 100% Irish, which got me a few curious looks during my tour of Ireland with the artist Damien Rice. The locals seemed to think that my face and my name didn’t quite match up.

My dog is a mix.  I found him in a bush near my house about a year ago. Our veterinarian claims that he is part Poodle and part Bichon Frise. I think he and I bond so well because we’re both mutts!

Rock On,
Brendan

For more info on me, feel free to check out http://brendanbuckley.com