It was abnormally hot this summer. Many Kingos might have slept fitfully for many nights because of the so-called tropical night phenomenon as well as their concerns about the new semester at the same time. There may be various ways to overcome insomnia, and one of them could be listening to soothing music to help fall asleep. Therefore, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) introduces an artist with a dreamlike voice and a song with a sentimental melody that will help Kingos overcome insomnia.
Artist of the Month – Yaeji
Kathy Yaeji Lee, who is better known as Yaeji, is a Korean-American disc jockey (DJ) and musician who was born in 1993. She is an emerging artist, who was nominated on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)’s Sound of 20181 longlist along with artists like Billie Eilish, Superorganism, and Sigrid in November, 2017. She originally majored in fine arts and communication design at college. As she joined the school’s student radio station, however, she became interested in electronic music and started DJing. While she was working as an assistant for an artist and a graphic designer, Yaeji posted songs she had made on SoundCloud and YouTube every now and then. In particular, her remix of the song Passionfruit by Canadian rapper Drake drew attention from around the world. Yaeji is an incredibly versatile artist; she produces music, sings, raps, and sometimes makes her own music videos. In Korea, too, she has been drawing more and more attention and has performed in Korea twice since she went mainstream.
1 Sound of… is an annual poll of music critics and figures that selects the most promising new musician.
Songs Recommendation
➊ Drink I’m Sippin’ On
This is one of her most popular songs. The song is quite attractive because of its simple but relaxing trap sound and catchy Korean lyrics. There is a haunting hook, “That’s not it,” which makes the song loop in the listeners ears for a while. The lyrics of the song Drink I’m Sippin’ On are worth checking out as well because they are both in Korean and English, yet they sound surprisingly harmonious and soothing.
➋ Last Breath
The music video of the song Last Breath is unique; it is like a homage to makeup tutorials on YouTube. If Kingos focus on Korean lyrics like “All your embarrassing memories can be applied naturally right next to the year after next year,” they will notice that the lyrics do not really make any sense. The lyrics, however, are quite creative because they convey a slightly different atmosphere than the English lyrics do.
Song of the Month: HONNE – Shrink ◐
This song is from HONNE’s 2nd studio album Love Me / Love Me Not. HONNE is an electronic music duo based in England. The name of the duo, HONNE, is from a Japanese word that means “true feelings.” The duo makes sentimental music with the unique sound of electronic music and soul, which grabs listeners’ attentions. Interestingly, some songs of HONNE represent people’s feelings in the afternoon (◑), and the others are about feelings at night (◐). The song Shrink ◐ , too, is about missing old relationships and anxiety, which are the feelings that people have mostly at night. At a glance, some of the lyrics like “You’d better book me a shrink for 2020 ‘cause by that time I’m gonna be crazy” seem like they are about an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. In fact, however, there is no single line which shows that the song is only about an ex-partner; the lyrics can represent any kind of relationships that Kingos might have had in the past. The song Shrink ◐ has the sound of a synthesizer and drums only but sounds relaxing. With a lower volume, the simple jazzy sound and the dreamlike voice of the singer, Andy Cutterbuck, will calm Kingos down and help sooth them to sleep.
Since September is a month of the start of something new, Kingos might feel excited but nervous at the same time about the many changes they face: new classes, an autumn breeze to cool down the heat, and the campus turning red and yellow. Listening to music to chill out to, the SKT hopes that Kingos will be able to relax and sleep a little more comfortably at night.