Finding home between worlds: How Glumroll turned third-culture journey into music

Promotional image for Glumroll's song "real2feel" / Courtesy of Glumroll

Home is a complicated idea for those who grow up between cultures.

For artist and songwriter Glumroll, who just dropped her debut EP "Pretty Nabi," it was never defined by a single country. Born in Korea but raised abroad from the age of 4, she spent much of her life moving from place to place before eventually graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2025.

Like many third-culture kids, she learned to adapt quickly. Every move brought new communities, expectations and ways of seeing the world. The act of balancing cultures can shape everything from friendships and communication styles to ideas of success, independence and belonging.

For years, Korea was not necessarily that place for Glumroll.

Although her family had returned to Korea, she never imagined building a life there herself.

"Until my last year of university, I never really considered going back," she said. "I didn't grow up there, and I never really saw myself there."

Her experience reflects a reality shared by millions of members of the Korean diaspora. While connected to Korea through heritage and family, many spend much of their lives abroad, developing identities shaped by multiple cultures at once. For some, reconnecting with Korea comes through family. For Glumroll, it came through music.

During her final year at Berklee, she attended a master class focused on K-pop production. There, she was introduced to songwriting camps, a collaborative production method that drives the creative processes behind Korea's mainstream music industry.

What began as a learning opportunity soon became something more.

"I could suddenly see a career opportunity there," she said. "At some point, I felt like I needed to give myself the chance to actually live in Korea."

Glumroll in Korea / Courtesy of Glumroll

The move marked the beginning of another adjustment.

Although Korea was her birthplace, arriving as an adult meant experiencing the country through a different lens. Certain customs felt familiar, while others required adaptation.

"There was a lot of adaptation," she said. "Everyone works incredibly hard. Even as an independent artist, you're expected to have a lot of different skill sets already."

The adjustment extended beyond language. Professional expectations, workplace culture and Korea's fast-paced creative industries required a different mindset. Despite the challenges, she also found a welcoming creative community.

That ability to connect across cultures would ultimately shape "Pretty Nabi."

While Glumroll wrote the majority of the EP herself, the project was built with support from collaborators across multiple countries. From producers in the United States to a Korean illustrator who helped bring the visual concepts to life, the project reflects the same multicultural experiences that shaped her upbringing.

Album art for Glumroll's EP "Pretty Nabi" / Courtesy of Glumroll

The EP explores themes of transformation, identity and belonging through songs written primarily in English, along with Korean-language tracks, including the lead single "Relative."

At its heart, the project follows a character searching for her place in a changing world.

"It's about a girl who is trying to find a place in the world as it changes," she explained. "As the character changes, I wanted the music to reflect that."

The title itself carries symbolic meaning. In Korean, "nabi" means butterfly, a symbol of transformation. For Glumroll, the EP celebrates not only the destination but also the process of change itself.

The visual identity draws inspiration from the red-and-blue taegeuk symbol found on the Korean flag, while adding her own artistic interpretation. The imagery reflects themes of balance, transformation and coexistence.

"The idea of yin and yang is really important to me," she said. "Dark and light coexist. In order to appreciate the light, we have to have the dark."

That philosophy can be heard throughout the music. Bright melodies sit alongside more introspective moments, reflecting both optimism and uncertainty.

In many ways, those contrasts mirror the experience of growing up between cultures. Rather than choosing one identity over another, Glumroll's music embraces the complexity of holding multiple perspectives at once.

Glumroll in the U.S. / Courtesy of Glumroll

Even her stage name carries a similar meaning.

Inspired by childhood memories of reading "A Series of Unfortunate Events," written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket,
the name Glumroll combines melancholy with resilience.

"It sounds sad, but hopeful," she said.

That same outlook influences how she approaches collaboration.

"My goal isn't streams," she said. "I want to work with people who understand my vision but can also bring their own perspective."

For her, creativity thrives through mutual respect rather than competition.

As both an artist and a third-culture kid, Glumroll has spent much of her life navigating spaces between worlds. Through "Pretty Nabi," she suggests those spaces do not have to be places of uncertainty. Instead, they can become places of creation.

For millions of people living between cultures, belonging is often treated as a destination. Glumroll's journey offers a different perspective: sometimes home is not a place waiting to be found, but something that can be created from every place that has helped shape you.

“Pretty Nabi” was released on June 25.

Listen at glumroll.bandcamp.com or follow @glumroll on Instagram for more information.

Antonia Giordano is a freelance photographer and writer based in Seoul. An adoptee, Antonia deeply understands and connects with the issues surrounding adoption and post-adoption. Visit giordanoantonia.myportfolio.com and follow @antonia_creative_services on Instagram.