# Silica Gel (band)

Silica Gel (Korean: 실리카겔) is a South Korean indie rock band. The band currently consists of drummer Kim Geonjay, vocalist and guitarist Kim Chunchu, vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist Kim Hanjoo and bassist Choi Woonghee. Since their formation in 2013, the band has released a studio album Silica Gel (실리카겔) (2016). They won the Rookie of the Year in 2017, the Best Modern Rock Song in 2022 and 2023, and the Musician of the Year in 2024 at the Korean Music Awards.

## Career

Silica Gel was formed in 2013 by students from Seoul Institute of the Arts in Ansan. They had to name the group to submit to the PyeongChang Biennale, and they named the band after seeing the silica gel in the gum container. They received attention for their style of combining band music with VJing.
In 2015 they released their first EP Pure Sun (새삼스레 들이켜본 무중력 사슴의 다섯가지 시각), and in 2016 they released a self-title studio album. They won the 2016 EBS Hello Rookie Contest Grand Prize hosted by EBS and the 2017 Best New Artist of the Year by Korean Music Awards.
In 2017, they released a collaboration single Space Angel with South Korean band Parasol. In November, they released EP SiO2.nH2O.
They had a 2-year hiatus from 2018, and vocalist Kim Hanjoo interviewed, "I was thought about how potential could be developed at the period." They came back through their 2020 single Kyo181. Their 2021 single Desert Eagle won the Best Modern Rock Song at the Korean Music Awards.
In 2022, they released their single No Pain, which gained huge popularity in South Korea. They won the Best Modern Rock Song again at the 2023 Korean Music Awards.
In 2023, they released EP Machine Boy, and they were in the lineup of various rock festivals, including the Pentaport Rock Festival and the DMZ Peace Train Music Festival. They have released their single Tik Tak Tok (틱택톡) with Hwang So-yoon of Se So Neon in August. They announced that they will release their second studio album, Power Andre 99.
In 2024, the band won the Musician of the Year award at the 21st Korean Music Awards.

## Band members
### Current members

* Kim Geonjay – drums
* Kim Chunchu – vocals, guitar
* Kim Hanjoo – keyboards, piano
* Choi Woonghee – bass

### Former members

* Koo Kyeongmo – bass
* Kang Dong-hwa – VJ
* Lee Dae-hee – VJ
* Kim Min-young – VJ

## Discography
### Studio albums

* Silica Gel (실리카겔) (2016)
* Power Andre 99 (2023)

### EPs

* Pure Sun (새삼스레 들이켜본 무중력 사슴의 다섯가지 시각) (2015)
* SiO2.nH2O (2017)
* Machine Boy (2023)

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Nominee / Nominated work | Result |
| Korean Music Awards | 2017 | Best New Artist | Silica Gel | Won |
| Korean Music Awards | 2017 | Best Modern Rock Album | Silica Gel | Nominated |
| Korean Music Awards | 2022 | Best Modern Rock Song | "Desert Eagle" | Won |
| Korean Music Awards | 2023 | Best Modern Rock Song | "No Pain" | Won |
| Korean Music Awards | 2023 | Song of the Year | "No Pain" | Nominated |
| Korean Music Awards | 2024 | Musician of the Year | Silica Gel | Won |
| Korean Music Awards | 2024 | Best Modern Rock Album | Machine Boy | Won |
| Korean Music Awards | 2024 | Album of the Year | Machine Boy | Nominated |
| Korean Music Awards | 2024 | Best Modern Rock Song | "Tik Tak Tok" (featuring So!Yoon!) | Won |
| Korean Music Awards | 2024 | Song of the Year | "Tik Tak Tok" (featuring So!Yoon!) | Nominated |
| Korean Music Awards | 2025 | Album of the Year | Power Andre 99 | Nominated |
| Korean Music Awards | 2025 | Best Modern Rock Album | Power Andre 99 | Nominated |
| Korean Music Awards | 2025 | Musician of the Year | Silica Gel | Nominated |
| Melon Music Awards | 2023 | Best Music Style | "Tik Tak Tok" (featuring So!Yoon!) | Won |