Music is my biggest passion. It has been a huge part of my life since as far as I can remember. I remember my dad playing the guitar for me when I was a toddler, and watching Korean audition survival shows with my family. I began playing the violin at four years old, and I loved singing along to songs from Disney princess movies. Music is a part of who I am.
I love discovering new music. Interestingly enough, I have a pretty particular kind of music that I like, but I am always willing to listen to other people’s playlists and introduce myself to a new genre. My music taste really reflects the kind of person I am. The general vibe of the songs I enjoy listening to are very chill and laid back. I like mellow beats and acoustic instrumentals, but the most important thing for me when finding a song that I really like, are the lyrics.
Lyrics are really what break or make the song; that’s why I think it’s difficult for me to find songs I really like nowadays. The problem I have with mainstream American pop music is that the songs have no soul and emotion. The records that are topping the charts all talk about drugs, sex, and girls. It’s not an issue that most people enjoy listening to songs like this, but it’s more of a personal thing where I wish songs with more meaning were popular.
CHAI is my favorite playlist that I’ve made on Spotify. I named it after one of my favorite Korean artists, named Chai, who I see as one of my role models. It’s a compilation of songs that make me feel alive in my emotions. Music helps me to connect with myself and my thoughts. In high school when I struggled with a lot of anxiety, I would listen to a lot of music to help me escape my head. Art is such a diverse medium that can bring healing to people.
Being a Music Industry major, I hope to become an A&R in the future. A&R stands for ‘Artist and Repertoire’, and their primary job is to go around looking for new talent, and signing aspiring artists to record labels. I consider myself to have a good eye for who I think might “make it.” When I was the most immersed into KPOP in high school, I would predict which groups would make it big, and trainees that I felt like would succeed if they debuted. An example of a prediction I ‘made,’ was of BTS. I have followed BTS since their debut in 2013, way before they had any recognition of any kind. I can’t really explain the thought process that goes behind making these predictions, but something about them I knew would speak to the world one day. A lot of their songs in the beginning challenged social constructs and raised awareness on the toxicity of the education system on young souls. Their lyrics are what hit me. BTS being a global phenomenon today, they still look to talk about topics that matter, whether that is self-love or mental health. It goes to show that when you genuinely talk about what you are passionate about, it will touch the hearts of others. It’s amazing that music has the power to do that.
