an interview with HUNJIYA

Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in a small town in upstate New York, Korean Pop and R&b singer-songwriter, HUNJIYA is back with two new singles "FAVORITE" and "TALK2ME" with a mixture of pop, alternative R&B, and folk you won't be able to stop listening. With honest lyrics that take you into HUNJIYA'S world you'll relate to her even more. HUNJIYA and I talked about how she got into music, musical inspirations and so much more.

Hi Hunjiya! Thanks so much for answering my questions! How are you?

Hello! Thank you so much for having me! I’m doing well!

How did you start getting into music and writing songs?

I started getting into music from a young age with piano lessons, clarinet lessons, school band and whatnot, but I found my love for it after learning the ukulele and then the guitar. When I was first starting, I was shy about showing my music so I secretly uploaded covers on YouTube/Soundcloud and even asked my closest friends to drive me to a town an hour away on the weekends to busk so I could practice performing. I slowly showed my friends, started writing songs for my friends, then others in school found out, and their positive response was a huge surprise to me. I eventually gained the confidence to share more of my songs and apply to music programs where I honed a lot of my skill set and met long-lasting music friends/collaborators.

How did you go about finding your sound?

To be honest, I feel as though I’m still finding my sound. However, when I was first starting music, I really enjoyed watching and listening to artists who sang and played the guitar at the same time or artists who produced their own songs as I tend to like having artistic control. I also always really enjoy songs that either make me incredibly emotional or that make me dance. I’ve been told my songs are lyrically sad, but musically groovy, so I guess that’s what I would describe my “sound”.

You are going to release two singles “TALK2ME” and “FAVORITE” on June 22nd, which is so exciting! Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind these two tracks? What made you want to release two singles, and not only one?

All the songs were made in the last week of 2020 when I was in one of those mad, spur of the moment, inspiration modes. This album was inspired by me trying to talk myself out of my identity crisis. Each track was inspired by how my behavior changes consciously or unconsciously for certain situations. "FAVORITE" is about going back to your routines as an individual versus a couple. Realizing that the things I used to love were my significant other’s favorite things (ex: movies, books, songs, etc.). After breaking up, you realize those may not be your favorite things, but moreso, the things you loved because you were in love with that person. "TALK2ME!" was written when I first moved to Seoul and I was way worse at Korean. I’d like to say I can speak “survival Korean” as in I can get by, have conversations, but there’s still a language and cultural barrier that prevents me from having deeper conversations or feeling like I can show my full personality. The song is about my experience as a gyopo and feeling like I quite fit into either homes (America or Korea). I wanted to release both tunes because it’s been a long time since I’ve released something (about 2 years now) and I feel like I have a lot to show since then.

You were born in Seoul, but raised in a small town in upstate New York! Has moving back to Seoul, and being raised in New York inspired your music at all?

In New York, I had a lot of alone time so I think that’s where I really honed into my love of music. Everyday I came home from high school, I would go to my room and just make music for hours. I had really supportive teachers in high school who encouraged me to keep going and practicing. I also was lucky to have a great voice teacher who originally taught classical voice, but constantly encouraged me to sing however I wanted to. She pushed me to sing my original song in the end of the year recitals which was one of my first times performing in person.

I moved out of Seoul when I was about 3 years old so moving back has been a new experience for me. I’ve been inspired by the new friends I’ve made here and the new experiences I’ve encountered while living here. The scene here is super underrated especially for underground, up and coming artists.

Was the creative and writing processes different with “TALK2ME” than “FAVORITE”?

FAVORITE was surprisingly easier to write as I made the demo within a night. Both writing processes were the same, but TALK2ME definitely took a lot longer. TALK2ME took me actually experiencing more of the language and culture barriers I convey in the song for me to finish the song.

What was it like recording “TALK2ME” and “FAVORITE”?

I recorded the final vocals in a studio in Seoul called Tone Studio. It was really nerve-wracking at first as the first take of TALK2ME was my first time ever recording in a professional studio with others around and FAVORITE was only my second time. I actually remember being really disappointed in myself after recording because I thought I didn’t do that great. After listening back, I realized I just was being incredibly hard on myself.

Which bands/artists are your main inspirations?

Lianne La Havas has been a huge influence on my musical upbringing. Other big musical influences would have to be Bon Iver, Erykah Badu, Kimbra, Radiohead, Moses Sumney, Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, Hiatus Kaiyote, Frank Ocean, Local Natives, the list goes on.

Was the creative and writing process different from your newest singles “TALK2ME”/ “FAVORITE” from your latest track “hourglass”?

I would say it was different because my track “hourglass” was produced by my friend and duo collaborator Justin Trout. Because I wasn’t the one who was producing the track itself, I focused mainly on producing my vocals and writing the lyrics.

Is there a certain method you follow when creating music?

I think my method has slowly become having fun with it and spending a lot of time alone with the song itself. I’ve gotten sucked into the “everything must be perfect in the demo” method too many times where I either never finish anything or start to hate it within the first hour of creating. Now, the method I try to go off of is treating the creation process as a fun, yet therapeutic moment to express whatever I want to say without judging it too harshly.

When creating a song what comes first music, or the lyrics?

I would say both for me! It depends on the song. Most of the time my process is melodies, music, then lyrics will come last.

One of my favorite things about your music is how personal it is, and how relatable it is. How do you keep that vulnerability there in your lyrics without shying away from it?

Thank you so much! I guess since music is a very therapeutic and isolated activity for me, I tend to show more of the emotions I might be too shy to show in my everyday life. I always try to be as honest with my feelings when creating music because it feels more natural to me.

What was it like working with Millic, EOH and IOAH on “TALK2ME” and “FAVORITE”?

I came to them asking for help on finding and replacing some sounds/instruments in the demos and they were generous enough to help me fine-tune the details out. It was a pleasure working with these producers as they were receptive to my feedback and took a lot of time to create the final product. The four of us worked on TALK2ME all together in a room just trying to find the perfect sounds for it and it was a lot of fun collaborating in a group.

You’ve preformed at festivals such as Art Basel, Okeechobee, and Sofar Sounds Seoul, what other festivals are on your bucket list? Is there any band/artist you would love to tour with?

Ah so many!! I would love to perform at so many different festivals like Lollapollooza, Governors Ball, Outside lands, Primavera, the list goes on. My dream band/artists to tour with at the moment might be Lianne La Havas, Kimbra, Se So Neon, Rina Sawayama, and Blood Orange.

You’ve had so many exciting things happen for you so far, what’s in store for you next?!

More music!! Very soon!!

We’re always into discovering new music! Who should we be listening to right now?

I recommend Alice Phoebe Lou’s “Lover // Over the Moon,” Allegra Krieger’s “Taking It In,” boylife’s “superpretty,” and this Korean indie band I recently saw called CHUNGYOILE (Their songs are only on YouTube right now!).

Words by Melody

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