Xen Sapphire to host fundraiser for YongsanCats

One of the best music duos in Seoul's foreign music scene almost didn't come together.

It started in 2024 when Rob Nichols came to an open mic event at Taco Amigo, located near Noksapyeong Station on Seoul Metro Line 6.

After he played his 2018 song "Noksapyeong," the event host, Xen Sapphire, approached him.

"As soon as he had gotten off the stage, I said to him, listen, that song, absolutely incredible, makes me cry," Sapphire told The Korea Times.

"It's probably one of my top five songs of all time.

Could I cover it?" He refused at first, saying the song is too personal for him to share with another singer.

She asked him again after seeing him perform it another time, suggesting that they could just do it as a private rehearsal.

But Nichols told her not to sing the second verse, which contains lyrics referencing his childhood trauma involving a father who deserted him.

"And I said, OK, let's do it.

As long as I can just sing a little bit, I'll be happy," she recalled.

Afterward, Nichols changed his mind, telling her that she does it justice.

"She just makes it her own," he said.

"It’s ...