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| Photo by Photo by Valence Heartlock |
Songs are laden with beautiful stories and emotions that can sound like pure poetry. Singer-songwriter SOOJUNG is a classic example of when the two elements come together, you have a picture-perfect song. One that takes you on a journey that you can relate to and is packed with heartfelt messages.
Their music catalogue is full of gems such as “Did You?” that demonstrate how their lyrics allow you room to create almost cinematic scenes of your own. SOOJUNG is a multi-layered artist, and it’s those artists that we should be paying attention to. Independent musicians have the freedom and also wisdom to pass to others. Not only that, but they aim to incorporate their Korean culture into the music where possible. Past music videos have featured Korean folklore or mythology, in tracks such as “The Man of 3000 Years”. An artist that is fascinating and a joy to listen to and I deeply implore you to follow and absorb yourself in the music of SOOJUNG. We talked about leaving office jobs to focus on music, the song writing process, and what they would love to work on next.
KpopWise: Your new single “New York of the West” is out now. You described it beautifully as “a song that feels like a warm embrace and a reminder of everyone you love most.” That sense of reflection and emotional storytelling seems to be a key theme you like to visit in your song writing. Do you see yourself as a storyteller when you’re writing?
SOOJUNG: Absolutely. Before anything else, I see myself as a storyteller. When I write songs, I’m looking for specificity – certain images that convey certain emotions, or certain words that crunch together to get a specific feel. For me, the curtains aren’t just blue because they are. It all means something. Especially in the medium of a song, where our time and words and sounds are somewhat limited and should serve the specific message or feeling you’re trying to name for others and yourself.
KPW: Having had a background in poetry and theatre, I imagine that helps dive deep into telling those stories in your songs?
SOOJUNG: Yes! Obviously writing your own song is a different muscle than writing or performing poetry or theatre, but ultimately, my background in poetry and theatre helped prepare me for telling my own narrative through songwriting. Poetry is about rhythm, the breaths on a page through a line breaks or commas, and theatre is also about pace. In that way, I think a lot about the breaths in my song.
Not just where I breathe, per se, but where the songs themselves breathe. Where in my songs are the truths? Where do the words lie if not in the music itself, which reveals the truth? I think poetry and theatre, and learning how to perform vulnerability, have helped me carve an authentic representation of myself, grounded by breath in my songwriting.
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| Photo by Valence Heartlock |
KPW: Your music has a little bit of something for everyone regardless of mood. “Did You?” feels like a song for everyone who’s chosen themselves. As the listener, it's like you're singing straight to them. How much of yourself do you like to put into your music?
SOOJUNG: I put quite a bit of myself in my music. I think as a singer-songwriter, it’s important that you use your own experiences in this world to anchor your songwriting. Years ago, I was listening to a podcast talking about storytelling in country music and how emotions are evoked specifically in country music by extremely specific lyrics. Even though the lyrics are specific, and the specificity of them may not exactly match a listener’s experience, the emotion lives within that specificity and will therefore emotionally affect a listener regardless. All of my songs are from my point of view, and if others relate to them, that’s seriously such a beautiful gift to me, and I don’t take that for granted.
In particular, I’ve been reflecting on “Did You?” having just filmed a live version of the song with my band, and have been thinking about the lyrics. “Running through open fields / cracking open bedroom doors / holding your gaze too long,” each of those three images exists as a movement in time, and they’re all sort of existing as portals into other worlds. The physical act of running through a field, physically going from one place to another... the crack of a bedroom door physically showing you into another room, a portal into somewhere else, another life choice... the gaze, the human eyes being a portal into someone else’s existence.
I think about the worlds created in a look, in a locked gaze. Those three images are so specific, and maybe not everyone has run through an open field, but they know the feeling of running towards something you want, or wanting to run towards something you want. Maybe that’s why that song in particular feels like I’m singing straight to them, because we all know the feeling of almost having something, and remembering almost having something feels like a suspension in time, like its own liminal space carved out in our hearts.
KPW: When you’re writing a song, what is paramount that you feel needs to be in your songs? Is it depth in lyricism or a certain melody or a balance of both?
SOOJUNG: For me, I think I am most critical when it comes to my lyrics. A song can have the most beautiful melody in the world, a singer can be the most gifted, but if the lyrics don’t hit, then the song doesn’t hit for me. I’m not sure if I’m looking for lyrical depth all the time, but I always want to be saying something, whether that’s something true, or a lie, or a truth within a lie, or a lie within a truth.
Sometimes I write lyrics that are extremely straightforward and honest, and other times I write lyrics that obscure the truth a little, as a form of protection. And then there are other times when I write lyrics where I think I’m being honest, and then after the song comes out and I have time to reflect, I realise, “Oh, that’s not true at all,” or “That’s not true anymore.” Lyrics are such a moment in time, a snapshot, and I believe as human beings we can be more mercurial. Lyrics usually come first, and then a melody naturally follows.
An old mentor of mine pointed out that I love going up fifths. Well, I do. A fifth is a question hanging in the air, and I love lyrics that aren’t too sure of themselves or how it’s going to turn out. My favourite songwriting trope is asking a question and not receiving an answer but knowing the answer, and a fifth usually creates that tension for me. I also love dissonance, whether that’s singing notes out of the chords being played or having notes in different instruments just a little too close to each other. It drives some people crazy, but I really like it.
KPW: What has your experience been like releasing music independently via social platforms like Instagram and YouTube?
SOOJUNG: I’ve really enjoyed the freedom independence provides. I love being able to make what I want, when I want, and collaborate with my friends and other musicians and creatives I admire. I sometimes have issues with authority figures, so I really feel a lot of joy being independent and being able to exercise autonomy in how my music and art are distributed.
However, I will say that a lot of these social media sites and tech companies are evil, and we should definitely all be finding alternative ways of supporting artists. I’ve been really into getting more physical media and supporting musicians I love that way. I love a good CD. I have my Patreon, and that’s been a great way to share more of my practice and process behind the scenes.
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| Photo by Valence Heartlock |
KPW: As a Korean-American musician, does your culture naturally find its way into your music, or do you use it to shape your sound and creative perspective?
SOOJUNG: I try to incorporate Korean culture as much as I can into what I make, particularly visually. My music videos tend to incorporate Korean folklore or mythology, like the whole song “The Man of 3000 Years” that was inspired by the myth of General Sinui, or how I incorporate the bridal mask, or gaksital, in the music video for “Babysbreath”, or the gumiho in the music video for “Did You?”
I’ve also been wanting to incorporate more Korean instruments in my music-making. I would love to work with someone who plays the gayageum. It’s been on my bucket list for quite some time now. Maybe for the album.
KPW: Are there any artists, past or present, who have had a big influence on your sound or the way you write songs?
SOOJUNG: One of my favourite singer-songwriters of all time is Rachael Yamagata. Everything she writes feels like a revelation, a truth, and I really love the melodies she constructs in that gorgeous husky voice of hers, and the piano/guitar she comes up with is seriously lovely every time. I had the privilege of seeing her in San Francisco last year after being a fan for over a decade, and it was the most magical experience. Her songwriting is something else; it feels like a privilege to even listen to what she creates. Her music ages like fine wine; you can listen to it again and again, and it never gets old.
I’m also really influenced by the writing of Mitski. Mitski was the first musician I listened to where I really felt spiritually connected to everything she was saying. Mitski albums usually take 2-3 years to really feel relatable to me, and I remember the first time I heard Puberty 2 I felt like I was transcending. She writes with such precision and builds worlds so, so well. I’m really excited to hear her new album coming out.
I also really love the songwriting of SZA. I love how straightforward she is. I love how raw her songwriting is, like she’s not afraid of her truths and saying them, even if they come off as too much. SZA does not pretend to be a perfect ingenue; she encapsulates so much of the messy, flawed human experience in her writing, and the melodies she crafts are so full of yearning as well. Ctrl is such a perfect album, I return to it all the time.
Finally, I'm not a musician, but I really love the paintings of Artemisia Gentileschi. I want to study her more thoroughly, as I know her history and artmaking on a very surface level, but I love her feminist reinterpretations of Biblical stories and the way she’s intertwined her personal traumas into her artwork. In a way, her paintings reclaim a lot of religious tropes and stories, and I really appreciate the way she’s done that.
KPW: How do you overcome days when it's hard to write in moments of writer's block or creative burnout?
SOOJUNG: I don’t! I believe if you’re experiencing writer’s block, that is a sign from your body or spirit that you need to be doing something else. I think there’s something really beautiful about people who force themselves to write every day, however, that is simply not me. I try to keep up my morning pages or a daily journal, but in terms of writing a song or a poem, if I’m not feeling it, I’m not feeling it. The creative act, for me, is really just being a vessel, and I think any practitioner would tell you that forcing yourself to be a vessel doesn’t really end up well. If I want to write but feel blocked, I’ll work out or hang out with my friends or turn my attention towards something else. When creativity comes, it will come.
KPW: Having left an office job to pursue being an independent artist – not only is that brave but also inspiring. For those wanting to take that brave leap, what words of advice would you give to someone reading?
SOOJUNG: For clarity, I am still working outside of music. I think as an independent musician, or someone who is not a nepo baby, you have to work. I have bills to pay. I just realise every time I’m in a full-time office job that I’m too burnt out to actually make anything, and then I wonder what the point is. I would say make sure you set up your life so that you have time to make things. For some, having an 8 to 5 gives them the stability to make music on the weekends or do shows.
For others, like me, it’s easier having multiple part-time jobs to make music. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you can carve out time to create. You don’t work that job as your career; you work it to sustain your life, to make art, to eat well, and to be with your community.
I will say that being broke has never helped anyone’s music career. If you don’t have the financial stability, don’t feel pressured to quit something when you have no backup plan. Not all of us have the luxury of relying on someone else if it doesn’t work out. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to pay my bills and make music, and I encourage everyone to make sure their basic needs are covered before they go all in. But I think that’s the practical side of me.
KPW: Tracks like “Three! Two! One!” are perfect for those who are still in their office jobs, it’s like you provide the soundtrack to those just trying to get by. What sounds do you love to create, as you aren't tied to one genre?
SOOJUNG: I love all genres of music. For me, I will always love to just create whatever I can, just to see if I can do it. Whatever serves the song and the story is what I like to make. For example, “Three! Two! One!” was produced by my friend Johanna Young, who is a brilliant producer, and we decided to go with a more electronic feel to support the lyrics. I love songs that sound sad, so as long as I get to sound always a little bit sad, I’m happy.
KPW: Now that you’ve had distance from that decision, what have you learnt or wished you did from then to now?
SOOJUNG: I need to remember to never return to an 8 to 5 office job. No matter what. As long as I want to create, I need to remember to never go back, regardless of the stability it may provide. I made the right choice, and I need to remember who I am and what kind of work will get me the life I want. And it’s not that. So shoutout to past me for getting out of there every time.
KPW: Instagram has become a major part of how artists connect now. How do you use your Instagram feed and Stories to connect with your fans?
SOOJUNG: I try to be as honest as I can, within boundaries, on Instagram. It’s hard, because Instagram and social media in general are such tools of the panopticon, and it’s hard not to think about the surveillance state and its consequences every time you share something. But I also understand that social media is how people keep in touch with others and their lives. I think it’s great for sharing information, but it’s also important to remember it’s not material. It’s important to have networks outside of social media, people who check in on you personally, and not just through liking your stories or posts.
KPW: Social media is a great place to find artists and new music. For someone who’s just heard you for the first time, what song do you think is the one that best defines you as an artist?
SOOJUNG: I think “Did You?” defines me as an artist. The storytelling in the lyrics, as well as the fact that I produced it and my friends are the session musicians on it – the incredible Cazo, Johanna Young, and Eilidh Pope – I think this song perfectly sums up everything I love about music. I love the fact that community is what makes me happy at the end of the day, and I love being able to make things with my friends. I also love yearning and belting, and this song has both.
KPW: Do you see Instagram more as a creative space, a promotional tool, or something else entirely?
SOOJUNG: The extremely cynical side of me sees Instagram as a tool of the surveillance state. But I think it’s also a great way to express yourself visually and to practise messaging and storytelling. Instagram is a great place for knowledge and information sharing, and I’ve learnt quite a bit about everything from it. I hope it can be a place where we can continue sharing things within our community and building hope and empathy and networks of change.
KPW: What does 2026 hold for you, and what are you most excited for this year, personally or professionally?
SOOJUNG: This year, I will be recording my debut studio album with Plaid Dog Recording in Boston, which I’m super excited about. By the time this article comes out, we may have launched the Kickstarter for it. I hope to do more shows, work with more incredible artists, stay grounded, and serve my community as best I can. I would also love to do a full tour and more work with my band in Ireland, clíodhnas. wav.
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