Seori on the weight of creating personal art: “Comforting words are not as helpful as your honest emotions”
Seori has an aura to her that feels like a clear bubble. It’s glossy, shiny and very delicate, and most importantly, it encases within it a soft-spoken but upbeat woman with a natural talent for song. It’s see-through and what Seori puts on display feels scarily real: she’s always had a knack for balancing mystery and vulnerability since her debut in 2020 with ‘?depacse ohw’.
Known for her introspective, stirring lyrics and a uniquely sweet vocal tone, Seori is loved for many things – from adding depth to tearjerker K-dramas through her soundtrack contributions to bringing Tomorrow X Together’s ‘0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)’ to life – but most of all, she is loved for her ability to effortlessly touch hearts through her music. Her latest mini-album ‘Fake Happy’, and first in two years, forges her character as an artist with a focused and flawless exploration of the self.
More effort was poured onto the four-part record than she ever has before. “As I haven’t released an album for a really long time, I tried to focus on touching the fans,” she explains to NME over a video call from Seoul with a sheepish look on her face. In the time between this album and her last single ‘Can’t Stop The Party’ in 2022, Seori started her new chapter and signed with Label Sayu.
She took a chance with the new label in hopes for a clean new slate, and she cherishes the experience of being able to grow with the people who are working alongside her in her elevation to stardom. “Working with the new staff and new producers has been really fun and touching because I could definitely feel their efforts while making this album,” Seori shares. “I hope to continue to solidify my distinctive artistic identity as I work with them, and I’m so far really thankful that I have finally been able to release new music.”
Bringing us back to her new music, Seori tells NME that because the record took her some time to release, she wanted to “show my honest and sincere feelings to the fans” while also considering “what would be meaningful for not only myself but also for the fans”. Music has always been a form of escapism – we all seek solace in soothing tunes and the artists who create them. Seori knows there is power in touching the hearts of her listeners and bravely leans into personal vulnerabilities with ‘Fake Happy’.
“After thinking about those topics on my inner feelings, I came to the conclusion that the theme of this album should be about the difficult emotions and inner feelings that I did not express before,” she says, while admitting that it was “very difficult” to bare her soul about the topic on the record. “However, one of the tracks on my album, ‘Broken’, really helped and directed me to figure out what kind of messages I wanted to deliver.”
The result was a short but sweet expansion of the feelings that branch out from those expressed in ‘Broken’, which first released early this year, during the peak of winter. “Something’s broken inside of me / Although you did nothing to me / I’ve got hurt so hard by / Look at you and me on the screen / No one can set me free,” she laments in a cry toward the snow-white void, as she visually brings to life in her music video for the song.
There was no particular reason why she chose it as a pre-release single, other than the simple fact that she thought it felt like an appropriate song for the season. “I think it goes really well with the winter moods, so I wanted to release it before the winter times were over,” she giggles while recalling. But, Seori does emphasise that ‘Broken’ does hold significance for this album as its backbone: “It’s especially meaningful in the sense that it really helped and guided me to decide the direction of the album.”
“The main topic of ‘Broken’ is about feeling a sense of inferiority compared to others and envy, which I have wanted to [open up about] to my fans for a really long time. After I decided on the topic, I thought that being sincere to myself and talking about my honest emotions without covering them up would be a meaningful connection between the fans and me,” Seori recalls, adding that she began narrowing down a small collection of tracks based on the precedent ‘Broken’ has set for its mood and message.
As for ‘Broken’, there was no particular reason why she chose it as a pre-release single, other than the simple fact that she thought it felt like an appropriate song for the season. “I think it goes really well with the winter moods, so I wanted to release it before the winter times were over,” she giggles while recalling. But, Seori does emphasise that ‘Broken’ does hold significance for this album as its backbone: “It’s especially meaningful in the sense that it really helped and guided me to decide the direction of the album.”
On the technical front, Seori takes a carefully calculated move as she introduces tinges of guitar-driven rock to the sound that skyrocketed her to mainstream popularity, which she described as “synth pop and electronic pop”. In particular, she delves into further detail about the inspiration behind ‘Fake Happy’ opener ‘Kill The Day’: “I also wanted to incorporate rock sources into my new music, as rock music has been one of my favourite genres since I was younger.”
As opposed to ‘Kill The Day’’s grungier sound, title track ‘Fake Happy’ takes a squarely pop direction while drawing from the same inspirations. Despite being the face of the album, ‘Fake Happy’ was the track Seori worked on last, saying she had her mind set on creating a dedicated track that “has more impact and connects them together”. The singer adds: “I think ‘Fake Happy’ carries out that pivotal role really well and highlights what I wanted to talk about in this album. I’m satisfied that it keeps a good balance and stays as a focal point.”
Overall, though, Seori says the record is more about being true to one’s own emotions, saying: “I think that forcing oneself to say comforting words or suggesting actual solutions is not as helpful as sharing the honest and sincere emotions that you’re going through.” That’s the reason why she has chosen to use her own life stories as a way to relate to others instead of giving advice.
“I hope the listeners can feel my empathy through my music when they are going through difficult times,” Seori says, with a sincerity in her disposition that is hard to miss. Now, with new music already ticked off her list of things to accomplish, Seori is looking towards her next milestones: performing live for her fans, maybe even overseas. “I made my debut during the pandemic, so I didn’t have many opportunities [to do so],” Seori explains. “I’m really eager to see them in person from now on!”
Seori’s new mini-album ‘Fake Happy’ is out now on Spotify, Apple Music and more.
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Carmen Chin
NME
