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

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

He runs an ‘open mic’ session in the capital city of Seoul and is also the weekly resident performer 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 since married and settled down in the country. He was recently interviewed by the national paper Korean Times about his experiences in the country and his music career.

Ben said the Korean music scene had been growing over the past few years, adding: “It’s been a great experience so far. 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, Seoul. The response has been great so far from both locals and ex-pats.”