Singer-songwriter AIRY fulfills her long lasting crush for music
Singer-songwriter Airy meets for an interview with The Korea Times held at a cafe in near Hongik University in Seoul, Wednesday./ Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Singer-songwriter Airy winning Rookie of the Year, and New Artist of the Year Award at Korean Music Awards, Feb. 2019.
By Jung Hae-myoung
In contrast to the fast-changing K-pop industry which produces short-lived idol pop, there are musicians that build up their music careers purely through their talent and creativity. Singer-songwriter Airy is one of the musicians who ferociously and sturdily built her career path with her authentic style that is often described as “freak folk, psychedelic rock, dream pop” and sometimes featuring aspects of traditional Korean music.
Earlier this year she was named Rookie of the Year at the Korean Music Awards. Selected by numerous music critics and music reporters, she also had the honor of taking the top prize at “Hello Rookie” aired on EBS, which has served as a career springboard for artists including rock band Guckkasten, post-rock fusion band Jambinai and indie rock band Kiha & the Faces.
Airy met Korea Times last Wednesday at a cafe near Hongik University in western Seoul to talk about how she became a musician and her feelings on winning these two awards. Her guitar, an Epiphone Sorrento, was with her during the interview.
Her guitar has a single lower cutaway, reminiscent of the vintage-style guitars usually played by jazz guitarists. “At first I thought it was ugly, but I wanted that. After a performance what I usually hear from people is that 'I never thought you would play that kind of song,' and I want to break that kind of stereotype. That is one of the reasons why I chose a guitar of this shape,” she said.
Airy holds her Epiphone Sorrento guitar./ Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
On her feelings about winning on “Hello Rookie,” she said, “First of all, it feels really good to win the prize. This was my first time participating in an audition program, and my first chance to compete with my own creative work,” she said. “But on the other hand I felt weird about my winning the prize. I remember one of the makeup artists asked, 'How can the judges evaluate when all of the contestants' music styles are so different?' In the end we are all trying to create opportunities through this platform.”
She only recently decided to make a commitment to pursue music as her career since she had been unconsciously suppressing herself from doing so. She was always in bands from middle school through college until she discovered her songwriting ability which awakened her dream of making a career out of music.
However, music was not an easy path to pursue as much as she loved it.
“It really took me a long time to find musicians to play with me. While putting time and effort into it, I was out of energy, and when I was trying to earn money I couldn't take care of my body,” she said.
Korea Times photo by Choi Won-seok
She also mentioned what it is like being in the music scene as a woman.
“I did have a sense of self as a woman before, but there were so many times I was exposed to sexual objectification and harassment. I was disadvantaged in many ways for being female and was on the receiving end of rude words and actions,” she said.
Despite the hurdles, she has been able to create her own world of music that is sometimes described as “shamanistic,” “religious” and “traditional.”
“I am not really offended by the labels, and rather find it very interesting,” she said. “I am not affiliated with any religions but I think it touches on many aspects of our lives that human beings have considered important for a long time, such as art, culture and societal values,” she said.
In her youth, she joined a traditional Korean percussion group and played the “janggu,” a double-headed drum, which sparked her musical inspiration.
“When I was young, I used to go to traditional music festivals, and saw people performing Saja Noreum, traditional plays, twirling sangmos, and dancing like b-boys. I think I wouldn't have known that kind of fun is inherent in Korean people,” she said. “I wouldn't have known if I hadn't joined a traditional Korean music club.”
Airy hopes to perform for and communicate with audiences in other countries in the future./ Korea Times photo by Choi Won-seok
Her interest lies not only in music but also in the overall art field, including literature and film.
“Looking back, I used to keep journals every day writing about my feelings freely. During my teenage years, I used to hide my ugly emotions in my writings too. It seems that now it was like a poetry of my own,” she said.
She also dreamt of being a film director when she was in high school, which is reflected in her three music videos that she filmed last year with the help of various directors including “N'ouir” who helped her depict ambiguous dream-like states of mind.
She emphasized that fantasy makes people see reality and makes them think about their surroundings and question societal assumptions.
Airy showed her willingness to expose her music to different countries and audiences.
“I don't have any plans at the moment, but I frequently get messages from people in England, America, Thailand and France asking when I am coming to their countries and where they might get a CD,” she said. She also hinted that there will be a new single in 2020.
Finishing the interview, she said she hopes her music can bring comfort to many, just as other great music has made her feel.