Q. Please briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Yoon Dahye (hereinafter referred to as ‘Yoon): Hello. This is Yoon Dahye, greeting you with your first full-length album [King of the Ants].
Q. You showed off your wit by appearing on the
Yoon: I rested a lot. I had some time to vent while focusing on outsourcing work. It felt like winter vacation.
Q. You wrote ‘1st album singer, albumer’ on your Instagram profile. What made you write it that way?
Yoon: The context is a bit important here. It was like a kind of perk for those who have known me for a long time. Originally, the bio said ‘1st album aspiring singer, albumer’. Before it was released, I was promoting it in my own way, saying, “It will be released soon.” After the album was dropped, the list of aspiring singers was removed and the group was changed to ‘first album singer/album release’.
Q. Congratulations on being nominated in the R&B/Soul Album/Song category at the Korean Music Awards. How did you feel when you first heard the news?
Yoon: I was so happy that I was banging my desk, almost like someone who won the World Cup. In fact, the candidates are known in advance. So, my mouth was itching, but I endured it, saying, ‘I’m turning 30 soon, let’s endure it with the mindset of an adult woman.’ I was so, so happy.
Q. [King of the Ants] is an emotionally intense album as well. What did it mean to you for an album like this to be nominated?
Yoon: One of the reasons I don’t know what to do is honestly, I haven’t done much before the album reaches people’s ears. After the release, there were limits to what I could do due to various circumstances, and it wasn’t like I was just jumping into sales.
However, thankfully, I think it spread by word of mouth because it was introduced in many critical and curation magazines such as Magazine and Readmer. In this case, I think I was lucky to have good people and good listeners. I really feel like it was a fluke. Because I was barely good at sales.
Q. As this is a full interview, I will start by going over the past. Do you remember the moment you first fell in love with music?
Yoon: My last clear memory was when I was a preschooler. Ever since I was born, I always felt that I was better at singing than the average of my peers. Another thing I remember is that when I was young, I was often alone at home. Because my parents are going out to work. When I was in elementary school, I spent a lot of time alone at home, and because I felt lonely, I became addicted to the Internet.
At that time, I really liked putting a blank CD in the console, arranging the order of my favorite songs, creating my own best album-like mix set, and listening to it. While surfing the web, I had many opportunities to come across so-called diva songs, hit songs, and best albums, and I would sing along alone at home.
Q. What music did you listen to at the time?
Yoon: I was young, so what I could hear at that time was the time when Whitney Houston and Dreamgirls movies were popular, so I also liked Beyoncé, and I feel that female solo artists like Shakira and Amery were at their peak. I think I developed my own dream while listening to that kind of music in a computer room that was about 3 pyeong (3 square meters) in size. To sum it up briefly, I was the type of person who had fun doing what he was good at.
Q. So when did you start thinking about music as a career?
Yoon: I first found out that there was a practical music department when I was a senior in high school. I don’t know why I found out only then, but as soon as I found out, I thought, ‘There is such a thing? ‘Then I should go,’ I naturally thought. Rather than an explosion of passion. When I was a teenager, I never really experienced failure, so I thought, “Of course I should just go for it.” I think it was the same intuition.
Q. When did you go from being a ‘listener’ to a ‘creator’?
Yoon: After going to college. Before that, I didn’t have any professional subdivisions like vocalist or singer-songwriter, and when I went to college, I learned that I could write my own songs and sing them while listening to other people’s stories. At that time, our school provided a lot of support in that regard. There was an environment and classes to learn computer MIDI music at school.
And most importantly, I was really bored because the school was in Anseong. I think that was when I first started writing songs and singing because I was alone in my room and had nothing to do. When I think about it now, the quality was terrible, but when I think of the lyrics and melody I wrote back then, it’s not much different from [King of the Ants].
Q. I also want to ask about your voice. Did you like your own voice from the beginning?
Yoon: I don’t think I was very conscious of my voice when I sang. However, I had a complex when speaking. I have a loud voice and in crowded places, I am the type of person who speaks louder to ‘get the upper hand’, so it may sound harsh to some. However, I didn’t really worry about whether or not my voice was good enough to sing. Because I had confidence in my skills. I tend to like my voice now.
Q. What was the biggest factor in the development of your vocal style? Among training such as academy/class, self-study, and field experience.
Yoon: The field experience was the greatest. In the field, I keep thinking, ‘What can I do to sound more professional?’ Vocalically speaking, the nuance of emotion varies greatly depending on how the ratio of sound and breathing is combined. For example, even the same “I love you” feels completely different when the sound is set to 100 and when the intensity of the sound and breathing is changed. The process of researching it was really fun. I hoped that the details of my emotions would be conveyed convincingly once I heard it. I learned the most by encountering this and checking in the field to see if I was persuaded or not, like a clinical experiment.
Q. When did you enter the field in earnest?
Yoon: I took the exam again and was in the class of ’17. I went to school until ’18 and took a leave of absence in ’19. From then on, although there was a difference in scale, I worked for pay, so I entered the field as a professional in 2019.
Q. What experiences did you have during that time?
Yoon: When I think about it now, I think the reason I took a leave of absence was ‘passion.’ When I’m with Park Moonchi (hereinafter referred to as Moonchi), fun things keep happening, but when I’m in Anseong, there are too many restrictions on my schedule. So I took a leave of absence without notice, thinking, “I need to stay in the metropolitan area.”
I had so much fun working with Moonchi that I didn’t care about anything. While performing on Stage, EBS Gonggam, and various festivals. I didn’t realize how legacy a program it was. I just did it because it was fun.
When I came to Seoul and started receiving pay, I was so happy that I thought, ‘Is there anyone who has more fun in life than me?’ Every day felt like a festival.
Q. Did you learn something like that from Park Mun-chi?
Yun: That’s right. At that time, I didn’t think of work as ‘work’. “Hey, let’s go to the festival tomorrow. Let’s go and have a water gun fight.” It felt the same. I felt like work was transformed into a function like entertainment or leisure.
Q. Let me also talk about the lyrics. The way you mix everyday words with surreal images is impressive. Do you usually read a lot?
Yoon: I used to like it, but I could hardly read it while preparing the album. Instead, I wrote a lot. No matter when I use it, it’s a huge help with lyrics. I continued to write stub articles and always wrote down sentences that were considered sensational by my standards. Like a dictionary.
Q. When did you start writing a lot like that?
Yoon: I think it was around 2020. At that time, I was almost in my fifth spring, and I was experiencing strong tertiary sexual characteristics. Looking back, I think my 20s were the most difficult. At that time, I kept a bottle of cheap wine or something in front of my desktop and just kept writing. Those writings eventually became the source material for the album.
Q. What was the nature of the writing you wrote at that time?
Yoon: It felt like poetry or prose. I had a lot of self-pity. I also had thoughts like, ‘Why is the world treating me so poorly?’ However, I felt that there was no justification for just writing a complaint. I’m living my life full of food, I have a lot of friends, and I’m doing well. Still, my heart continues to hurt.
Then, I was wondering how I could avoid being embarrassed when I wrote it on my notepad for only myself to see, and I thought I should write it down as a kind of password. Bypassing my mind again and again, so that only I can recognize it. When I look at it now, there are a lot of notes that I don’t even know what they say.
Q. Was there a moment when you thought the melancholy and pessimism of that period was cool?
Yoon: There was. I think it’s similar to anyone in their 20s. It seemed cool to be pessimistic and gloomy, and all the literary figures I liked were somewhat shady, so I think I was intoxicated by that image. In the end, it was helpful.
Q. So, have things like the rhythm of your daily life changed since you started your music career in the field?
Yoon: I don’t think I’ve ever felt comfortable since 2019. My schedule, income, and relationships were all awkward, and I made mistakes, so I couldn’t handle the fluctuations well in the beginning. Now I can surf a little on that sea, but there was never a moment when I was completely stable.
Q. How did you survive the instability at that time?
Yoon: I think I lived like a fool. I used to waste time living like there was no tomorrow. Also writing while drinking wine, which I mentioned earlier. At the time, it was pretty much the only way to fall asleep and it was also a way to avoid immediate pain. When I think about it now, I think, ‘It was worth trying at least once.’
Q. Now, before we talk about the album in earnest, let’s talk about ‘Lara’, ‘Dala’, and ‘Yoon Dahye’. There is a context in which ‘Lara’ came to be with Moonchi. How did Kimt and Friends’ ‘Dala’ come together, and why did you use that name?
Yoon: The two teams’ activities overlapped. Moonchi was also from my school, and Kimtwa and his friends were also my school friends. At first, we all started with a light heart, but as we worked together, we felt like our hearts were aligned and the project grew.
And in those days (around 17-19), there were almost no people without stage names. Everyone had cool names. ‘Lara’ had the feel of Moonchi unni creating a world view almost as if she were jamming in a freestyle, while ‘Dala’ had Kimt and Friends drummer Ye Chan-i asking, “How about Dala?” That was the start when I threw it out there. Actually, I haven’t been doing it under that name for a long time.
After trying out many names, I ended up wanting to be called by my own name. If there are too many names, it can be confusing to know who is where. More than anything, I thought that my real name ‘Yoon Dahye’ would stand out more when I was doing the music I wanted to do in earnest. I like that feeling of not fitting in, but rather being attractive. And even for foreigners, ‘Yun’ is not as difficult to pronounce as you might think.
Q. Minefield/AP How did you join Alchemy?
Yoon: When I was working as ‘Lara’, the current company director (Seongguk) contacted me and said he wanted to continue meeting me. At that time, I had a strong desire to try it alone, and since I didn’t have a discography under my name, I was worried, ‘Can I go in without knowing anything?’ I vaguely knew what Moonchi was doing because I looked over her shoulder.
However, as he continued to explain the company’s vision and various directions, I ended up joining with the thought that ‘a new window could be opened.’ When making big decisions, I think I tend to simply conclude with “Is it new/obvious, or is it fun?”
Q. What does Yoon Dahye consider important when collaborating?
Yoon: It is important who has leadership in a project. I think of a project as a kind of ship, and that it should have only one captain. For example, if a captain is appointed like Moonchi, I tend to follow along flexibly and add whatever opinions I can, like a helmsman.
On the other hand, when it comes to projects like AP that I put my name on, I had the sense that “I have to be the captain.” In the case of AP Alchemy’s compilation and [King of the Ants], it was possible because people like hyeminsong and kohu actively cooperated with my opinions.
In the case where there is a separate captain, it is okay to receive the beats first and work separately. If the captain has a comfortable method, it is better to follow it. However, if I am the captain, I feel comfortable choosing the sound source first. Once you’ve made all the beats, it’s hard to go back. The method of sharing opinions from the beginning is right for me. So, in [King of the Ants], there is not a single track that only received the beat first.
Q. So how do you think the ‘captain’ is determined?
Yoon: In a field like Song Camp where there are many writers who are meeting each other for the first time, the decision is made naturally by going in and seeing the people. Seeing who has a deeper understanding of the genre, who is more decisive, and how they express their opinions. I don’t think you become a captain just because someone does it for you, but you become a captain when you put things together. If there is someone who knows better than me and has as many arguments as I do, I can immediately go into cooperation mode. But if you don’t, you start to feel like, “I have to take the helm.”
Q. great. Now, let’s get into the story of [King of the Ants] in earnest. First, let’s look at the album cover of “Sin City,” which was a pre-released single. You used an ant-shaped helmet. What kind of feeling did you want to give?
Yoon: Like any other project, this work has changed a lot from the initial intention. Headgear is a case where the original idea survived until the end. I really wanted to write it.
Q. Why did you choose this headgear?
Yoon: It was created by 3D artist Kim Young-gyun. I wanted to look like an ant. Would you say they are anthropomorphic ants? If you look closely at an ant’s face through a microscope, it looks really annoying. A little ‘ugh…’ ’Do you feel like that? If there were ants the size of a human, you would definitely think, ‘Ugh…’ ’I thought I would. But there was no way for me to look like an ant without a headgear.
What people are most curious about is why it was called an ant. Actually, I wanted to express that part as much as possible through the music video. I thought there were many better ways than explaining it with words.
But it became a little difficult. I want to take this album as if it were a series. I think he’s a really cool character. If I get a chance in the future, I would like to answer through various routes why it had to be an ant.
Q. Adeungba Lighthouse could be life, or it could be a life trying to move forward. Even if you live like that, there may be some attributes that don’t really change. I think it has several meanings.
Yun: That’s right. Did you say it too accurately? In my opinion, the ‘King of the Ants’ is the king of insignificant things. Really trivial and worthless things. Some people even hate it.
Ants are laziness, pride, insincerity, impurity, ignorance, obscenity, and self-destruction. There are some things you don’t want to keep close to you. Ants are born when such things pile up in the sewer.
But, ‘Why did it have to be an ant?’ I probably won’t be able to tell you for the rest of my life. The only people in the world who know why are me and my mom. And if possible, I don’t want to explain this. I think it will interfere with appreciation in some way.
Q. There was a trigger, and it can be seen as a character that originated from that.
Yun: That’s right. But in the end, it is a huge metaphor, and when you ask what it symbolizes, it becomes the things I mentioned earlier. Lazy, insignificant, ugly, arrogant, arrogant, lewd… .
Q. Considering that it is related to the 7 deadly sins, it seems there was a tightly connected trigger. It’s fun. For this album, kohu and hyeminsong are the key producers. I think I met hyeminsong while working at AP Alchemy, and I’m curious about how you and kohu ended up working together. Have you had any interaction from the beginning?
Yoon: We knew each other originally. We had respect for each other’s talents and those aspects. When musicians meet, they usually say, “Let’s work together!” You say it. We exchanged like that at first, but one day we actually started having a session in the same studio.
Q. Did you meet because of other external work?
Yun: No. I just asked to meet him. Just as I arrived at the studio, it seemed like my brother was listening to something similar to me.
Q. Do you remember what you heard?
Yoon: We liked similar things. I like things that are connotative, and I think I prefer music with a variety of intentions. The same goes for sound. I remember my brother and I both liked three-dimensional music. However, neither of us had any experience producing something like that as personal work.
Q. I liked it, but it was a situation I had never implemented.
Yoon: So I thought, ‘If the two of us are going to work together, we should make music like this.’ Music that is connotative, colorful in intent, and three-dimensional.
I remember the demo for ‘King of the Ants’ was the first project. I made that first with kohu oppa, and then I was making ‘The One with Ears’ with Hyemin. Thanks to the fact that I was doing both things at the same time, I was almost a master at it.
Meanwhile, kohu oppa even invited Hyemin and suggested that the three of us try it together. I agreed very easily. Because I’m working with two good people.
Q. Do you remember when that was?
Yoon: I think it was around January or February of last year when I was making demos with each producer. There were other reasons for working together besides being good people. kohu oppa had some music that he was stuck on while working on, but when he worked with Hyemin, he found a way forward. So I thought, ‘The three of us should do this album.’ kohu oppa and Hyemin have continued the synergy they had and are working as a team on other artists. We became a good team.
Q. Dahye, what kind of chemistry do you think there is between you?
Yoon: Taehong oppa (kohu) likes the ‘vibe that comes out of nowhere.’ I know how to make an overall estimate of how this will ultimately flow and what kind of picture will come out. Hyemin tends to be completely immersed and focused on ideas that come to her immediately.
kohu and I say we are ‘Golden Retrievers’. When Hyemin throws out an idea, kohu oppa puts it together in an amazing way. And kohu oppa’s sensitive and touching point and Hyemin’s unique… You know. A sudden tap.
Q. “What is this?” That part?
Yoon: Yes. Suddenly, you hit ‘bang!’ with one punch. Strangely enough, I liked that combination. So, while kohu oppa touched a lot of the ‘harmonic parts’, Hyemin picked up a lot of things like texture and rhythm. The exchange of opinions went so well that it was difficult to say that there was a clear division between the two. It was a really fun experience. I think the reason they continue to work together to this day is because they complement each other well.
Q. great. Still, Dahye still holds the key to the overall production, right? Should I say that I play the role of a captain? I’m also curious about Dahye’s role.
Yun: That’s right. In the end, since the rough sketch is my album, I thought it was right for me to present the mainstream version. I also think that my preparation is a courtesy to the professional players. But even when I talk nonsense, they understand it perfectly, so when I throw something at them, they suggest, “How about something like this?”
And there are three of us. There was also a system tailored to that. No matter what work you do, from composing to mixing, if two out of three people say okay, the remaining one will obey unconditionally. The three of us had well-balanced tastes, so the balance was good. Thanks to this, everyone had their opinions broken at least once.
Q. It’s separation of powers.
Yoon: By doing it that way, there were no obstacles to sharing ideas. Instead, I didn’t set any limits on what I wanted to do and didn’t plan it out in detail. I prepared in great detail for things I didn’t want to do. I think the captain is the one who can clearly say, “This is not the direction.” I remember working hard to prepare for those parts.
But kohu oppa and Hyemin are real professionals. Beyond producing good output, they kept providing me with better ideas, so the whole time I was working, I thought, ‘What would I have done without those two people?’ In fact, they are the core staff of this album.
Q. great. If you look at the release strategy, you can see a picture of competing head-on with the album. You released a pre-release single and immediately released a full-length album. I felt the intention to show something with the album. Is there a reason for this decision?
Yoon: Actually, my colleagues around me tried to dissuade me. It would be strategically disadvantageous, so please reconsider. It was also about marketability. Among my music colleagues, there were people who said, “I can’t do albums anymore.” But for me it had to be an album.
Q. I wonder why.
Yoon: It’s because I stayed away for too long. Assuming that you started your activities in 2019, this is your first album released in 6 to 7 years. It also means that this is the first album in my discography that contains my story.
But if I released this as a single cut, I felt like I would die of resentment. And you know the editor of Soul Magazine. That’s a lot of talk. If I live without being able to speak, I will die of frustration. So, when I heard opinions from my friends, I said, “I appreciate the advice, but I think I should pay this regularly.”
There’s something I said back then while I was being stubborn. “This regular will become the musical standard for all my future activities.” I put a lot of effort into making it, and I was confident about it.
My friends told me to “think about it” for two hours and I said that, so they must have really wanted to beat me up. (Laughs) But that’s how I felt. I think all of this is to gain momentum.
No matter what activities I do in the future, I don’t think I’ll be too afraid as long as I have this album. One day, a commercial opportunity may come up that doesn’t fit my needs, or the project may unexpectedly not go as planned. You may be working on a project that you have no control over.
But I thought that if this album was my standard, I could trust it and move forward. I invested in [King of the Ants] with the confidence that it would support me. I believe so. And I told my friends… I think people will call me arrogant if I say this… .
Q. It’s okay if you don’t worry. I’m confident.
Yoon: There’s something I said to my friends back then when I was being stubborn. “I will definitely release this album and be nominated for a prestigious domestic awards ceremony.”
Q. It came true.
Yun: That’s right. I’m in trouble with my friends right now. “Of course, you have to spit out the words and just look at it.” I’m just amazed right now.
To be honest, I said it in a somewhat childish way at the time. As a side note, after I was nominated, I got a call from a college friend. He asked me if I remembered when I said about 10 years ago, “KMA will become Nomi.” I don’t remember. I found out that he was talking here and there. (laugh)
I guess people should spray it and see. In the past, I thought my weakness was that I was always the type to talk and brag, but these days, I think that’s not the case.
Q. It happened as I said.
Yoon: Yes. I guess things really turn out as you say and as you set your mind to. Anyway, the timing was good this time, and I think it was possible thanks to word of mouth from people in various industries. The future is really important. I think I need to shoot harder to avoid ending this on a bad note. Anyway, to sum it up: I had too much to say. It had to be an album.
Q. The fact that there is so much to say means that there could have been a lot of things accumulated inside. I’m curious about Dahye’s condition before making the album.
Yoon: Before making the album, it was the longest and most bitter period of wandering. I was in a very mentally broken state. So the album messages tend to be too personal and difficult to understand.
I don’t think the album is just for the listener. So, the thought of “recording for myself” came first. I just wanted to convey this record to people as kindly as possible. For that to happen, I thought the sound and song had to be unique. At that time, my condition was so strange… It smelled. There was a lot of bad smell.
Q. My soul was in a cloudy state.
Yoon: Really. What I feel fortunate about at this point is that I didn’t lose my mind and made something during that time. It was really nice to remember and record what I was like during that time. I also think it was a time when it was absolutely necessary.
Q. Recording acted as a kind of therapy.
Yoon: Really. And after I kindly explained the album or narrative, I never asked you to “watch it together,” right? However, I think there are people who felt similar emotions conveyed through [King of the Ants]. I hope just one person feels like, “I think I know what this feeling is.” If I can do that, I have nothing to regret.
Q. great. Listening to you now, I think you were working on a song called “King of the Ants” with kohu. Has the expression “King of the Ants” been in your head or heart for a long time?
Yun: That’s right. Rather, I think my other work was put to rest because I had those four letters in my head. Personally, I was truly healed after releasing this album. “Funeral Freestyle” is especially like that.
There was a time when I felt emotionally dead. There was a time when I said, “If this is the case, I am dead.” I was lying on the floor.
Then I started making songs. I worked like a funeral director. It’s like praying to yourself that the deceased may rest in peace. “Go to a good place.” After that, I felt extremely refreshed, and even if I were to fall into a similar depth of swamp again, I don’t think I would be as helpless as I was then. It feels like the number of weapons has increased. It was a time of healing for me.
Q. It seems like a lot of things happened. So what track on this album reveals you most honestly? Is it all like that? If I had to pick just one song.
Yoon: (Static) “She’s a finger goldfish.” … best. I think I’ll listen to it until I die.
Q. great. Now, let’s break it down track by track. First, it is “little drummer boy.” Personally, I thought it was like a weak warrior or a Christmas carol. It seems like it can be interpreted in many ways. What meaning or image is this song made from?
Yoon: I think it was a feeling itself, so to speak. The image itself. I think it’s also a story about dedication. It’s also a story about how attractive dedication can be, and how selfish it can be. Dedication is more artificial than you think. Because I’m doing it for me.
Q. There are times when you do something that makes other people wonder why you do it that way. Like when it’s so good that it’s crazy.
Yun: That’s right. I think it was an image that made me pray earnestly for someone. For example, I often feel love when my loved one wakes up from sleep. When I think about why that is, I think it’s because I was so defenseless at that moment. Because people are sleeping so defenselessly. At that time, I couldn’t think of anything else. I just hope it goes well. Even Lee Jae-yong and Jensen Huang are defenseless when they sleep. This is the moment when a person becomes the most vulnerable.
So, I think you may have felt a weak image. It was a song I wrote with the desire to protect fragile things.
And I also had a strong desire to heal myself by writing songs like that. I want to live with that much dedication to myself. So, I really wanted that nuance to not just be too pretty. Because I wanted to show the many facets of dedication.
Q. When the song starts, it goes into a marching rhythm. What idea did it come from?
Yoon: This song is the most spontaneous song in the entire album. Originally, there was a nuance or theme that I decided to work on that day. But there are days like that. It was just a really, really nice day. I go out and smoke a cigarette before work, but even thinking about cancer makes me unable to do what I decided to do today. I didn’t want to do it. I feel so fulfilled. There were flowers blowing in front of me, and it was so warm. “Isn’t this going to work? Let’s play it.” So it became the most improvised song. From selecting the theme to proceeding, Taehong and Hyemin had a fierce battle as if they were freestyle rapping.
Q. So, actually, the intro was probably decided impromptu, right?
Yoon: The funny thing is, as soon as we made the demo that day, everyone agreed, “We should make it track 1.” It’s strange when I think about it now. What were you obsessed with at that time?
Q. If you listen to the album all the way through, the sound flow and transitions are well connected and move along quickly. Can we say that the album itself has some kind of narrative?
Yun: Of course. I first spoke honestly to the producers without any hesitation. Now that I think about it, there are two other people besides my mom and me who know the overall story line. (laugh)
I thought it needed that much resonance. Because it was a very personal feeling and consideration. I thought we had to somehow choose words that made sense between us, and that we had to come across them at points that somehow fit together. So, I really told the producers what I felt and thought.
**Q. What penetrates it is the “King of the Ants”… I have a lot of questions, but… **
Yoon: You have to make a fuss like this again to make people curious. (joke)
Q. I see. (Laughs) First of all, there is a narrative. So, if you could offer some guidance when listening to the album, what would it be?
Yoon: I think overall it is a love song. In the Off the Record section, I told the fascinated editor what I thought the definition of love was. In a way, love may not be as clear as you think. I was a bit hesitant to say this because I was worried that it would be difficult to understand because this part was missing. If you think about it that way, I think the key word that runs through numbers 1 to 10 is ‘love.’
In the end, the ‘King of the Ants’ also wanted to die because he loved life so much. I loved life so much. It was so much fun. Needless to say, ‘castella’.
Q. In a way, it seems that way. The keyword ‘obscene’ may just be obscene to others, but there is something like lust in it. Pride and sloth can also be rooted in love. It seems like an album that is not only pretty and beautiful, but also looks at the emotions within it from various angles.
Yoon: Yes. I think so too. For those who want to dig deeper, I think it’s also a story about life. It is also a story about the waves I have encountered in my life.
Q. You can think of this interview as an introductory interview.
Yoon: As the original author, I was cautious about saying anything. For example, let’s think of seeing the three letters ‘Halis’. Even if we don’t know what it means, we all feel the sensation that ‘Halis’ gives us. And everyone feels different.
No one will know what “King of the Ants” means. It’s a fragmentary memory that only I know. However, everyone has a different sense of meaning and nuance from the term “King of the Ants.” I found that very precious and nice.
Since I declared, without any explanation, “The name of this album is [King of the Ants],” it felt like a true reinvention that everyone was calling it that and adding their own touches. It feels like secondary processing. It looked very happy. For those who find it difficult, it is a difficult sensation. I think that would have its own pleasure.
The reason I try to leave it as vague as possible is because I think it’s an album that can become more diverse when each person goes through their own filters. So I wrote the lyrics a bit ambiguously. Soul Magazine and other media outlets also pointed out this a lot. By leaving it open like that, it was really fun to see the interpretations branch out in so many different directions. I think that’s one of the attractive points of this album.
Q. So when you wrote the lyrics, did you do a lot of editing to maintain ambiguity?
Yoon: It wasn’t like that. As I said earlier, it was my habit to make passwords when I was young. I guess that’s it. Only I can recognize the arrangement and words. It’s a bad taste.
But no matter how much I list them as passwords, they are words that everyone knows. So, when you see a word, you will have your own sense or impression. I’m curious about that. I’m more curious about what other people heard than what I think. Things like “What kind of feeling was it, how was it secondary processing, what kind of creation was it like?”
So, I want to reveal clues and other things at a better time and in a nice assortment. To me, [King of the Ants] is not a doll that has already been assembled. This album feels like a plastic model before assembly, with each part removed. How to assemble it is up to each person. You can also put the eyeball on the palm of your hand. Isn’t that kind of state attractive?
Q. great. ‘Sin City’ comes later. The vibe of the previous track continues and then the breakbeat comes in. How did you create this song?
Yoon: ‘Sin City’ is also a song I wrote very early on. I made it almost at the same time as ‘King of the Ants,’ and it’s a song I worked on with Taehong oppa. It was really difficult to come up with a title.
‘Sin City’ can be the most difficult song. There aren’t too many ladders between the horses. There is a sense of speed as the scenes continue to be skipped, as if in a time warp. I was thinking about what word could combine those scenes into one word, and the title ‘Sin City’ came out. I thought that if I could image the feeling of a city full of crime, like a city full of acrid, stale, and damp backwaters, the vibe and lyrics of the song would be believable.
I changed the title a lot, but I think it was a good idea to use ‘Sin City’. Originally, I was going to do it as ‘Sin City’. I wanted Hangul notation. But when I searched for ‘Sin City,’ the search for the movie was done at the same time. Because we have to compete… (Laughs) Anyway, I’m personally satisfied.
Q. ‘King of the Ants’ had such stories in the beginning, so I felt like it went along without becoming too boring. What picture or image did you want to convey for this track?
Yoon: I wrote this and posted it on Instagram once. It’s a song that expresses the feeling of being like Shinji Ikari on an Eva.
Directors of apocalyptic films like
I really like that kind of thing. Apocalypse or dark hero. With that feeling, I wanted to make the atmosphere itself solemn and heavy. As if there was nowhere to go, as if there was nowhere for me to escape to. I wanted the beats to squeeze me from all directions.
So, the process of trying to somehow find a pore is depicted. The amazing battle between the beat and me continued, and it was thrilling in a different way to see my singing power gain and singing become more difficult. I hope that nuance is conveyed well to the listeners.
Q. I think there is definitely something like that in the image. I thought lyrics like “Mode in 5” were from
Yoon: When I first started, I said, “I want to start with a really ignorant synth.” The concept I came up with on the day I made the first demo was the synth in the intro and DnB (drum & bass). I uploaded the melody right there. If you think about it, the framework was already laid out in the first demo. The rest was all about details. This is a song where immersion and nuance were so important.
The synth used in this song is probably the most ‘ignorant’ synth kohu has ever touched. As Hyemin joined in, the sound started to become clearer.
Q. You put a lot of effect on your voice. What was the intention?
Yoon: As you go into the verse, the nuance is completely different from the intro. So I wanted the vocal tone to be completely different.
The image that came to mind when I sang the intro was the woman from the
As the song progresses, the vocal range continues to increase. When I hit the highest register at the end, it’s so high that I end up singing like I’m screaming. I personally like this part because I think that nuance is captured well in the recording. The lyrics fit well too.
When setting the vocal tone, I think the most important thing is “what kind of lyrics are being sung,” and the part where the sense of unity was the best was the latter half of ‘King of the Ants.’ I sang it with the feeling of “Why do you only do this to me!”
Q. It’s fun. Now, it is evoked as ‘She is a Finger Goldfish’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘Goldfish 1’ for readability) comes after ‘King of the Ants.’ What did you intend?
Yoon: We really changed the track layout a lot. Because there are so many different genres. Those who want an organic flow may be confused here.
In the original track layout, more braking tracks were concentrated in the ‘Goldfish 1’ section. But as I continued to play the album, I became really tired after ‘King of the Ants’. So I thought I should open the window in this part with ‘Goldfish 1’. There’s so little oxygen. Because they keep putting pressure on me. Also, I added it because I thought that if similar sounds continued, people would not be able to listen to this album until the end.
Q. I’m just showing Rei to Shinji.
Yun: That’s right. It feels like a daily episode comes out once. Personally, I think it was a very good choice. Fortunately, Hyemin and kohu oppa also sympathized with me at the same point.
Q. This song is also nominated in the R&B/Soul Song of the Year category. It would be good if you could tell me about your work process.
Yoon: This one had lyrics first, and then there was a cappella (melody). It was a file that had been sitting around for a while, but I took it out because I thought, “Now is the time.” Personally, I think it is the most beautiful track in [King of the Ants].
Q. It’s such a pretty song. It’s soulful, and the orchestration creeps in and then the sound captures the emotion in the second half. The melody is pretty and the words have a surreal feel.
Yoon: The sensations that words give are all different. They are also words that do not convey feelings. I thought it would be more beautiful to convey it when it was listed that way. There’s no law that says you have to write lyrics with all connected words. That’s a prejudice. So, it was a post where I wrote down all the ‘good and pretty words’ that I thought of.
And to connect it with ‘Her Finger Goldfish’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘Goldfish 2’), I was making ‘Goldfish 2’ with Hyemin when ‘Goldfish 1’ was halfway through. The outro of ‘Goldfish 1’ is the hook of ‘Goldfish 2’. Actually, in order, ‘Goldfish 2’ came out first, and that hook was added to the outro of ‘Goldfish 1’ at the end. So, you can think of the two songs as a series.
From the beginning, I said, “The two songs will be part of a series,” and I also said that the names would be similar. kohu oppa and Hyemin did the sewing between those two songs.
Q. In the two song titles, only ‘eun’ and ‘ui’ were changed and placed. As the other changes into the subject, I feel like my perspective also changes. Was there any intention?
Yoon: I didn’t really intend it. I thought it would be better to just change that, so I put it that way. But even though the survey was different, my feelings changed drastically.
Q. How did the ‘Funeral Freestyle’ you mentioned earlier come about?
Yoon: I came up with the title last. The lyrics and melody came out the fastest. It really came out like a freestyle. I came out spitting it out almost like a speech. This song was a cappella first. This is a case where the melody was written first and then the track was uploaded.
Q. The sound is in the Moombahton style. What idea did this start from?
Yoon: It was kohu oppa’s idea. “How about Moombahton?” But Hyemin said, “It’s so good, isn’t it?” So I said, “Let’s do it, let’s do it.” When I actually tried it, it was very ‘dangerous’. The rhythm is danceable, but the lyrics are too dark… The contrast was rather strange and interesting. At that time, Hyemin and I said something like, “It would be really great to have fun like this at my funeral.”
Q. It also feels like the ‘coffin boys’ meme.
Yun: That’s right. Coffin Boys. It felt a bit like “a funeral being held like a festival.” So I really liked the idea, and I remember that the flow went smoothly without any major blockages.
When it comes to work, there are songs that don’t work out even if the three of us come together, while there are times when the three of us work on some songs in sync, and my thoughts become your thoughts as if they were shared. This song was exactly like that. So there was no major disagreement in choosing it as the title.
Q. There are also sentences like “Hell is other people,” and I wonder if they were conscious of Sartre or if they come from actual experience.
Yoon: I actually felt that way too. This was especially true because it was a time in my life when I was hit hard. I think the core message of this song was this. “Life is hard. But everyone is doing this? Does this make sense?”
Then, around the second verse, it goes, “Okay, I’m doing it anyway. It’s all hell anyway. If that’s going to happen, let’s stay together so we don’t feel lonely.” In other words, it is a dilemma in which we accidentally praise life again at the crossroads of death. So I wanted to make this song as exciting as possible.
Q. There is a feeling of conflicting emotions constantly intersecting throughout the entire album.
Yoon: I guess I like that kind of thing. If any emotion is too biased to one side, the listener will get tired. So I wanted to keep the balance on the track. I didn’t want to pass on too dark emotions to the listeners. So I think this song would be the most fun to perform live. The rhythm is really fun.
Q. I think you must have paid a lot of attention to the rhythm in your pronunciation and delivery.
Yoon: I paid a lot of attention. For this song, I had the idea that ‘the rhythm should be heard first, not the pronunciation.’ I felt that rhythm was more important than pronunciation/delivery, and I set the vocal tone based on that standard.
Q. How did ‘White Tee’ originate from the song, and why was it ‘White Tee’?
Yoon: For this one, the lyrics came first. The starting point was the song that was most similar to ‘little drummer boy’. And I also use similar words repeatedly in other songs. For example, the expressions for sleep/night are intertwined in ‘White Tee’ and ‘He who has ears’. In ‘White Tee’, it’s like, “Last night was somehow longer than my last life,” while in ‘He Who Has Ears’, it’s like, “Some nights are longer than life.” We keep talking about sleep.
The reason I expressed it as ‘White Tee’ was because I was so heartbroken that the person became cloudy because he couldn’t sleep. I really wanted to wash my clothes cleanly. Just as I step on the bleach solution in water and wash it cleanly, I want to give it back to a time when it was clear. And I think one of the elements of love is ‘worry.’ Worrying is an action that can only be done with affection. In terms of a game, it feels like “if you’re worried, there’s a 40% chance to activate the love skill”? (laugh)
So, I wrote this song because I was really worried. I wanted to write something like “I feel so sorry for you, I will protect you” without the word “I love you.” Actually, the words are ‘I love you’, but I didn’t want to say ‘love’.
Q. Is the intention to continue to vary and repeat words and nuances and connect them?
Yoon: I thought it would be good if they connected. For example, there is a section where the pronunciations of ‘He with ears’ and ‘White Tee’ are mixed. Even if I don’t know the lyrics, I thought that if I heard a similar pronunciation, it would stick in my ear, and if a similar pronunciation appeared again in the next song, I would hear it again.
And I thought it would be an interesting point to see how the same expressions/pronunciation were developed for completely different music in different songs. Most of all, I hoped people would not get bored while listening to the album.
Q. Vocalically, there are parts of ‘White Tee’ that really hit home. What did you take into consideration?
Yoon: There is an interesting device vocally. There is a main theme that is repeated in the intro and outro, and I wanted to make it feel like the speaker changes. So, I intentionally stretched out the intro/outro vocals and sung them slowly, then increased the BPM. Then it becomes very strange, as if it was sped up by a machine. I liked that nuance (at kohu oppa’s suggestion), so I tried that method.
And this song has a pretty high vocal range. But for me, it’s easier to sing if I come out like that. However, it is not easy to sing high notes in a ‘warm song’. So a tight build was important. Even if I yell here, people ask “Why all of a sudden?” The goal was to connect the front and back well, as if sewing, so that there would be no surprises.
Since I had come a long way to ‘He Who Has Ears’, I really wanted people to relax and just enjoy ‘White Tee’. In fact, there are quite a few people who say that ‘White Tee’ is their favorite.
Q. You recorded ‘Cabriolet (reprise)’ as a reprise of OKASHII’s song. I know you originally participated as a chorus member. How did you end up in Reprise?
Yoon: It started with Matthew. Matthew said, “I want to make this album into an LP, but I need a special version for the LP. I want to put my sister’s verse on it,” so I put on a little chorus and made a verse. However, due to circumstances, that plan was aborted.
But I missed that verse so much. ‘Cabriolet’ itself was really good. And in my interpretation, ‘Cabriolet’ is like a dream. So, supercars, things I really wanted. When I brought up that theme, I had a lot to say. I thought, “The verse I made was pretty, but it’s a shame that it was buried,” so I contacted Youngmin (the person in charge of the original song) and asked, “Can I include it as a reprise on my album?” I was grateful that OKASHII’s friends readily said they liked it.
Q. How did you reinterpret it?
Reprise needs ‘relocation’. Because we can’t go the same way. I started arranging the song with kohu oppa, and he said that the ‘rocking sound’ kept coming to mind when he heard this song. At first, there was only verse 1, but as the second half of the track was completed, I added it again and finished it. So, I think a ‘Cabriolet’ that is different from OKASHII’s ‘Cabriolet’ was created.
Personally, I imagined performing with this song the most. There is a feeling of pleasure like riding a motorcycle down the highway. It feels like I’m just running without anyone next to me or behind me. I want people to feel that refreshing pleasure, so I really want to do it at a performance.
Q. What does the intro voice mean?
Yoon: It doesn’t mean much. In the previous song, I was concerned that it would be unnatural to jump too suddenly when transitioning, so kohu added a little bit like an exhaust sound, and as I played with it, it became a really nice texture.
Q. The word ‘castella’ is soft, but the lyrics are very strong. I’m curious as to why the album ended with ‘Castella’ and the starting point of the title.
Yoon: This song also had ‘writing’ first. And I was actually eating castella when I wrote that. It’s simple. But that day, a piece of castella made me feel very sad. There are days when you feel so lonely and lonely. At that time, sentences like “It would be great if I could answer my phone” really struck me.
I have a lot of friends, I’ve been in relationships, I have colleagues, I have a mother… Still, there was an unbearable feeling of loneliness. In the end, I think they felt a great sense of patting me down as they accepted that this was the weight of life given to each of them.
I made this song with kohu oppa in the studio from the beginning. My brother took out the ukulele. I originally bought it to use in ‘Funeral Freestyle’, but I brought it out again this time. I also keep getting greedy for equipment. (laugh)
Q. Please also tell me about the sound.
When I started playing ‘Castella’ on the ukulele, it felt so different and even more lonely. It was also great that my brother deeply sympathized with the picture I was drawing, the crisp words, and the lonely emotions. The ideas for ambience that followed continued seamlessly, and it seemed like proof that we resonated with similar nuances. Moreover, we met early that day and ended at dawn. How lonely the early morning is. So I thought this song should be a song that ends with a pat.
The gap in sound/nuance between the previous track (‘Cabriolet’) and ‘Castella’ is large, so you might be confused… Life is all sudden. Suddenly lonely, suddenly lonely. So I think it was a really good ending. I also heard that the lyrics resonated a lot. I found comfort in the thought that ‘everyone lives with a similar burden of life on their backs.’ I think releasing an album is a good thing for both of us. Artists are also saved through listener feedback, and it was only this time that I realized the virtuous cycle.
Q. After making the album to the end, what did you want to say to yourself?
Yoon: “It was a lot of hard work.” And “Looking at it now, it wasn’t a big deal.” It will happen again in the future… I want to say that. It feels like my past self, my present self, and my future self meet at the same line. And I have to say, “You’re not wrong. What you thought was right.”
Q. You said that the album had a therapy-like aspect to it. Are there any stories that still remain? Could it be more like a ‘series’ in your next work?
Yoon: … To be really honest, I think I poured everything out after [King of the Ants]. I have nothing to say. So I don’t think I’ll be writing songs for myself for a while.
Instead, I want to observe other people more. It will take time for it to continue like a series, but I’m looking forward to another time of exploration. I’m also looking forward to it from an observer’s perspective.
Q. Lastly, is there anything you would like to leave to the listeners or any future plans?
Yoon: Thank you so much for being nominated for the Korean Music Awards. I have included my own interpretation/commentary for those who are watching the interview, but I believe that your own interpretation and processing will be a new musical experience.
I hope you will listen with an open mind, and if it is difficult—“If you don’t know what I’m talking about”—you can just think of whatever you like. Because that’s my intention.
I hope that [King of the Ants] will be loved a lot and loved far and wide for a long time. And I’ll see you at the Korean Music Awards ceremony. Thank you for your hard work.