K-Colors of Korea April 2014 | Page 19

Wistful romance and introspective disillusion p Interview with singer and songwriter Hee Young Interview by Esther Klung; Photos by Mijin Park H ee Young was born in Korea, Seoul, but moved to New York, Brooklyn, to work as a singer and songwriter. She released her irst album, as a self-release, in 2009 and `Sleepless Night´, which is her latest release in November 2013. Touched by her beautiful music we decided to talk with Hee Young about her music and inspiration. We highly recommend listening to her songs if you enjoy lyrical music. K: Describe your music in one sentence. HY: I saw this phrase somewhere describing Francois Hardis‘ music, and I thought this description would work well with my music as well: ‚wistful romance and introspective disillusionment‘. K: When did you decide to become a singer and songwriter? HY: Once I discovered that I was capable of being one; at the age of 16. I started combining bits of poems I‘d writen in my journal to melodies on the piano, and that was a new discovery for me that I could be a singersongwriter too. K: Tell us about your latest CD, about the writing process and how it feels being on stage with your songs. HY: It‘s a collection of songs I‘ve writen since the release of my irst full-length album ‚4 Luv,‘ except for ‚Happy New Year‘ which was writen before ‚4 Luv‘ came out. For me the writing process is prety much the same with any album; just give me some alone time with a guitar or a piece of paper, and I‘ll probably write something. he recording process was unique this time because instead of recording at a studio, me and a couple of friends took our recording gear including a reel tape recorder to outside New York City for a week and recorded at a rugged barn and an old church in Long Island. It was a challenge because of the weather (heat wave) and because we were out of our comfort zone, but the result came closest to what I wanted, which was to have the songs convey the intimate and honest sound they had when they were irst writen. I love performing the new songs from ‚Sleepless Night.‘ Every time I sing these songs, they take me to the place the songs irst took place, which makes the performance genuine and meaningful to me, which I hope the audience feels as well. K: Name three things, places, people or moments which inspired you and explain what was inspiring about them. HY: New York City, especially Brooklyn - because that‘s where I live, and the environment I surround myself in always afects my writing. Hank Williams - Subconsciously I think listening to his music inluenced me with writing and singing the songs from this new record. Elliot Smith was always an apparent inluence with this new record, but very recently I realized that Hank Williams must‘ve inspired me a lot as well. My friends & lovers - I‘m greatly afected by my closest people. K: Why did you decide to move to New York? HY: It was either New York or Nashville for me because 17