INTERVIEW British music duo says BTS is still their favorite K-pop act
Andy Clutterbuck, left, and James Hatcher of HONNE will visit Korea to perform at the summer music festival “Sound City” scheduled on July 27-29. Courtesy of Live Nation Korea
HONNE speaks about forthcoming performance in Korea
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The British electronic music duo HONNE, comprised of Andy Clutterbuck and James Hatcher, garnered huge popularity among Korean audiences thanks to their mystical, dreamy music and conversational lyrics.
They will visit Korea again for the summer music festival “Sound City” slated for July 27-29, following their two previous successful performances in 2016 and 2017 since their debut track “Warm on A Cold Night.”
Speaking about their fond memories of Korean fans, the British singers say the forthcoming music festival is “one of their most-anticipated events.”
Just as the group's name HONNE ― a Japanese term referring to your true feelings ― indicates, their music comes from a personal place and they write about things that are true to them.
Andy and James spoke about what to expect in their forthcoming performance, concept behind their music and new album among others.
The duo said they adore K-pop musicians, including RM, lead rapper of the superstar K-pop band BTS. HONNE twitted two years ago that they've “become friends with Nam-joon (RM's real name) and he's been super supportive.”
Q. You're about to visit Korea for the third time. Please tell us what to expect in your show.
A. (Andy) When we went on stage the first night we performed there two years ago, we were unbelievably blown away by the audience. They seemed so excited that they sang along to everything. I remember it being one the best nights of my life, and we've fallen in love with the place. Everyone's lovely and there's loads of amazing stuff going on. That's why we love to visit.
Q. Tell us about your new album and what was it like making it?
A. (Andy) Our new album titled “Love Me / Love Me Not” will come out in August. We are putting out two songs every month until the album is released. That's why a few tracks like “Day 1” and “Me & You” are out already. There is a concept behind this album, where in every pair of songs, one is a “love me” song, and the other one is a “love me not” song.
Q. Why do you think fans are excited about your music?
A. (Andy) Our music has a lot to offer. It's warm and it's great for snuggling up with someone on a cold night. There's a deeper level in the lyrics, and people can really connect to it. From the musical point of view, it's a different pop music where it's easy to decipher. (James) It's complex and there's layers to it which I think people could enjoy.
Q. How do you work when you two have different ideas about music?
A. (Andy) We fight until the death. We wrestle (with laughter). Music can sometimes be compromised. You have to compromise in all to move forward, I think. We are quite happy, we've known each other for a long time now to be able to do that so. (James) We work apart for the most part. Andy writes all the lyrics and melody, and I will just be writing music. Actually on this record, we have collaborated quite a lot with other artists as well.
Q. You two have mentioned Beenzino and RM of BTS as your favorite K-pop musicians. Is there anyone else you'd like to partner with for music?
A. (Andy) Yaeji is great, I think she lives in the U.S. but occasionally she goes back to Korea. She's really cool. (Yaeji is a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and DJ, who was listed on BBC's Sound of 2018.) (James) I'd like to write something with Dean. (Dean is a Korean alternative R&B singer-songwriter and a rapper) He has done great collaborations in the past.
Q. You two have such a hectic tour schedule. Where do you get inspirations from?
A. (James) It's definitely the fame that inspires us. In terms of the music, we've been inspired a lot by the artists, especially hip-hop based like Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar. And that has sneaked into our music, which made the beat a little bit heavier in our new album.
Q. Do you have a specific place you'd like to visit in Korea this time?
A. (Andy) If we could visit Itaewon, Hongdae, and Gyeongdong Market, that'd be amazing.
(James) I really want Andy to see the Hongdae area because I saw a whole new side of Seoul. I went there with my girlfriend before. The nightlife was just so different and exciting. There was a massive karaoke place and a huge crowd at one in the morning. It was great.