Se So Neon frontwoman So!YoON! releases debut album

Se So Neon lead vocalist and guitarist Hwang So-yoon released her solo album on May 21. Courtesy of Magic Strawberry Sound

By Celeste Kriel

While Korean indie rock band Se So Neon is taking over stages locally and internationally, the band's frontwoman Hwang So-yoon released her debut self-titled solo album "So!YoON!" last week, three years after the band's inception.

The 10-track album was released on May 21 ― two days before her 22nd birthday. It is hard to believe the singer is only 22 with everything she and the band have accomplished in such a short time.

The band's 2017 debut release "Summer Plumage" won the Rookie of the Year and its single "The Wave" from that album took Best Rock Song of the Year at the Korean Music Awards 2018.

Se So Neon ― which until now has consisted of So!YoON! as vocalist and guitarist, with bassist Fancy Moon and drummer Kangto ― had a dramatic rise to becoming one of Korea's most promising indie bands. Part of the magic that led to its popularity is owed to So!YoON!'s ability to intoxicate audiences with her uniquely androgynous voice and magnetic energy on stage, which is as surreal as it is raw.

Armed with a distinctive husky vocal tone, a calming yet captivating stage presence, a persona that is equal parts cool and quirky, and a growing following of loyal fans, So!YoON! has all the makings of a post-millennial superstar.

Se So Neon can be translated as "New Youngsters" or "Bird Youngsters" and So!YoON! has birthed a new self and flown from the nest.

Along with the new album, So!YoON! has forged a new identity as a solo artist, distinguishing herself personally and sonically, even changing the way her stage name is stylized.

"I stylized it that way (So!YoON!) in order to build a new character and deliver the energy that's embedded within the way it's written," she told The Korea Times. "I was very drawn to the energy emitted from the text So!YoON! and thought people could sense this energy as well."

The cover of Hwang So-yoon's first solo album "So!YoON!" is based on Australian artist Patricia Piccinini's sculpture "The Rookie." Courtesy of Magic Strawberry Sound

Besides experimenting with a new way of expressing her name, she has also been exploring new sounds on the genre-bending album, collaborating with a wide variety of musicians from different genres and exploring different aspects of her musical creativity.

"The theme of this album is variety," she said. "I started making this album with a question: 'How many kinds of colors can Hwang So-yoon be?' This album is the result of my challenge to answer this question, exploring the variety that's within myself."

The 10-song album, the answer to that question, is a smooth blend of indie rock, electronic and dream pop, with a hint of alternative R&B and hip-hop, stitched together seamlessly by So!YoON!'s ability to make every song her own.

"Musically speaking, Se So Neon's music is made up of band sounds ― drum, guitar and bass mostly," she said. "On the other hand, So!YoON! is not confined to a specific genre or type of sound. I used a lot of electronic instruments and synthesizers while making this album. Playing around with new sounds and adding real sounds to them, adding my own texture. The result turned out to be a series of tracks with a complex sonic palette."

Sam Kim, runner-up in "K-Pop Star 3" and an R&B soul and pop singer-songwriter, features on So!YoON!'s song "Forever Dumb." Others featured include up-and-coming K-pop singer and producer SUMIN, rapper Jvcki Wai, Mid-Air Thief?― a folktronica musician who won Best Dance & Electronic Album at the 2019 Korean Music Awards ― and a remix by byul.org. She also collaborated with R&B singer Dean on his No.1 hit single "Instagram" as a guitarist.

"Athena," the ninth track on the album, features Se So Neon, creating a familiar sound reminiscent of what the band is already famous for, a cosmic mix of high energy and rawness.

So!YoOn! said she enjoyed making every track on the album and could not choose a favorite.

"I actually had fun with every track," she said. "But if I have to pick one episode, I think I can talk about the process of recording the last track, Athena. We had to record ensembles, which was different from the other tracks, and I got to record as a band. It made me realize how much I enjoy and appreciate band sounds."

Hwang So-yoon, also known as So!YoON!

Making music without the support of her bandmates of course did not come without its challenges.

"I think the main difference between the creative process as a solo artist and as a band lies in the number of people who deliberate over the album. As a solo artist, I had to contemplate music all by myself, while as a band I had my bandmates thinking together with me," she said.

"There are pros and cons to both sides. For this studio album, I worked with a number of producers who were thinking together with me and helped me navigate through challenges. So my concern was more on how I could work with this many people and what I need to do for clear communication and synergistic collaboration."

The band will soon welcome two new musicians, Park Hyun-jin on bass and U-su on drums, as Fancy Moon and Kangto will be leaving to fulfill their military duty.

"They both have really good energy," So!YoON! said. "I'm very much looking forward to see how they emit those energies as members of Se So Neon."

Aside from music, So!YoON! is also an avid contemporary art connoisseur. She approached Australian artist Patricia Piccinini ― who is known for her hyper-real sculptures ― regarding the album cover art.
So!YoON! wrote a heartfelt letter asking Piccinini if her sculpture "The Rookie" could be used as a basis for the jacket cover artwork. She said Piccinini's works hit her core because "they felt like they're somewhere between the natural and the artificial."

"As someone who's greatly interested in things that are abstract and ambiguous, I've always been more drawn to the beauty of the unnatural and the unusual," she explained.

"Most importantly, this work conveyed topics that I've thought of very much while creating the album. The topics were: the birth of a new self, circulation and conceptual images. I thought this work captured these topics very well."
So!YoOn!'s solo journey has just begun.
"I'm really glad that I went on this journey," she said. "I'm very much looking forward to perform as the new character that I've built, providing something refreshing from the types of music I've presented before."

So!YoOn! performed as a solo act yesterday at the Seoul Jazz Festival and will perform solo again at the DMZ Peace Train Festival on June 8, accompanying John Cale from Velvet Underground. For more information on scheduling or to keep up with So!YoOn's current activities, follow her on Instagram @sleeep__sheep.