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Hi Ki-Jung, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Hi, I’m great, thanks. Been super busy – which is GREAT.
For people on the go all the time, it’s far better to be too busy than not busy enough, so I welcome all of the projects on my plate.
It doesn’t feel like work because I’m doing what I love. In this time in my life, it’s about opening up more about my life in music which was set in motion when I was a young child. That’s like a calling – to give my message to the world on what it’s meant to me.
Life and the universe just seem to make sense to me in this moment – finally. I’m having a great time, as a result.
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Crystal Light”?
Absolutely.
Crystal Light began, believe it or not, as a sort of avant-garde love song in a modern, dystopian and even trippy style.
I struck gold on the chorus immediately when I sat down to write – basically, I find riffs and licks in the course of free-form improvisation on my instruments in my basement. That’s how I compose these days. No written music, just my ear and instruments with ideas that come and go.
The rest of the song took some iterating. I probably went through about 4-5 different versions of the song, some with a little dose of rap while others were patently psychedelic.
Where I ended up was something that hits the mark in terms of my original vision:
I wanted it to be dark and complex, psychologically, but a passionate love song at its core. It checks those boxes for me.
It’s furthermore about the darkness and the fear, the unsettled sense of impending break-up and dread, the hurt from misunderstandings, and our insecurities, at the same time as it’s an expression of compulsive passion.
But the protagonist is committed, come what may in terms of the emotional wear and tear involved.
Prepping for the worst while hoping for the best – that’s what this song’s about.
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
The song captures the upswing I went through in the early phase of a long-distance relationship.
It was terrifying at first because you think to yourself, “Can I handle rejection or disappointment?”
Then you have to make a choice: Do you step into the great, dark unknown, or do you live your life with regrets?
I tend to force myself to take the plunge on new opportunities – especially when they are unexpected. It’s like a duty or responsibility I feel to respond to, and act on, life’s possibilities when you have a shot to create real magic in your life.
Any plans to release any sort of video for the track?
I would absolutely love to release a video, especially if I can get the right director – someone modern, a bit dystopian in a most ominous sense.
I actually have someone in mind for the project so we’ll see soon enough. I’m looking forward to doing something video-wise with the song and this director’s got the tools, the technique and the vision, so stay tuned!
How was the recording and writing process?
My recordings are a pleasure to make always. It’s a discovery process.
It starts with a kernel of mad genius, I find.
I also start with: How do I feel and how do I want my listeners to feel?
And I really mean to feel the song instead of just hear it. That’s one thing about my songs: They all have emotional content in them that you can feel.
The recording process was brilliant. I crafted ideas and went back and forth with my co-writer and co-producer for a few weeks, I think. Then it started really taking on a cool identity as we settled on sections and arrangement and vibe and even the musicians we’d use.
How have Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton influence your writing?
Good question. Dylan is a prime example of the power and artfulness one can bring to writing strong and highly descriptive lyrics. His poetry paints whole visuals, scenes and scenarios and conveys deep meaning always – a true sign that he lives his art. How could you write such songs otherwise, right?
Clapton for me is not about the usual things that people admire him for such as his guitar work. I love his guitar playing but actually prefer Jeff Beck in that area.
But I look to Clapton as an inspiration because he has lived a very hard life, but he has shown through the pain there is love and that we can and should evolve through our lives – that different phases of our life carry with them different meanings and chances at love and at life.
What Dylan and Clapton have in common really is that they both live their art. They show at every turn how central and inextricable their music is to their human identity, and they’ve taken us on that creative and emotional journey for decades. I can’t sing their praises enough.
How has living throughout different parts of the world influenced your music?
Living in different parts of world taught me a few really important life lessons:
First, it’s taught me tolerance, open-mindedness, acceptance, and the universal power of both music and love, both of which cut across all would-be borders and divisions between us.
Second, being a global citizen means having a certain universalist perspective on things. For instance, we are all part of the collective human experience in this universe. We spend a lot of time trying to watch our words and choose the right labels to promote in society equality and tolerance, diversity, etc.
But we’re over-complicating it. At the end of the day it’s obvious we’re all the same – we’re matter, we’re energy, we have the same biological make-up for the most part, we live in a physical, tangible world but also can find ourselves on the metaphysical, more spiritual plane, and so forth. So just in terms of physics and biology, you can pretty much say we’re all the same and really part of a whole creation that is the universe.
And then you factor in love. No self-aware organism that I’ve seen or heard of is indifferent to love and affection. It is the reason for being, in my opinion.
So lots of good lessons came of my many travels, and I’ve literally met thousands of people around the world over time, many of whom I now proudly call longtime friends, so the bonds that have come out of just being with people in lots of different places are priceless and irreplaceable.
Does the new single mean we can expect new material – how’s that coming along?
LOTS of new material is on the cusp of being released and hitting the airwaves. You will be hearing a lot from me in the coming weeks. I can’t wait to share it all.
Any tentative release date or title in mind?
On sort of rolling basis, I have probably 7-8 songs in the chute ready for release over the next 2-3 months, and then I’ll keep going in that fashion from there. I even have a strong Christmas song I want to get out there when winter approaches.
So probably mid-August I’ll release a song called Midnight Queen which is a straight-down-the-fairway gritty rock pop number with a chorus that packs a punch. That’ll be my next one most likely.
What else is happening next in Ki-Jung’s world?
The most exciting additional news is that I have a superstar-in-the-making, Ashley Suppa, working with me and my music partner on launching her first solo EP. (That drops around mid-August.)
Working with Ashley and a select number of other talented artists is a dream come true for me. Such talent, such passion in such a young person. I love it. I’d work with young up and comers all day long if chance and circumstances allowed.
I may do some things on the music video, indie film, and concert promotion fronts too. There are a lot of options right now and a lot of very exciting possibilities as things proceed through the pandemic period.
Basically, I’m open to anything that piques my curiosity or interest from now until I can’t run anymore – but that day’s far, far away, hopefully.
Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I appreciate the wonderful magazine you produce.
