The Universality of Music: A SXSW Interview with WYM
A true artist’s artist, his constant need to get better, explore how far he can take his skills and push for more, drives him to continue creating his music. “There is so much great music around, and I don’t want to get behind.”
With his eye on the past and his heart always looking to move forward, one has to wonder if some funk and soul is in his musical future. He reveals, “I haven’t released any of those tracks… yet.” Of course the inclusion of “yet” leaves anticipation high for his next project. He quickly elaborates, “I cannot really guarantee [this], but my next album might have those elements in it. Maybe! Maybe a little bit of a hybrid or fusion. Recently R&B and hip-hop, they incorporate a lot of electronic sounds, so I might do it the other way: electronic musician might incorporate soul or R&B. I have to see what comes out of me.”
R&B is a very vocal- and musician-focused genre. As such, collaborations aren’t unheard of. Save for track “Falling Under Blue Sky,” however, WYM provided his own vocals, something he wasn’t necessarily enthusiastic about. “I sang on my album, but I didn’t really want to. I’m not really a vocalist. Vocal is not my cup of tea or expertise. But I had to because I couldn’t find a vocalist that I like, that can understand my music in Korea at the time.” With a bit of a chuckle he says, “Otherwise I could maybe have used a famous vocalist, but they cost a lot of money. I didn’t have any budget.” So it comes as no surprise that a goal for him is to seek out and work with more vocalists. When asked who he has in mind, again he throws us all for a bit of loop: “Gallant and Jahkoy,” both of whom performed at SXSW. Knowing his musical upbringing, that he’d particularly want to work with artists who create soul-tinged experimental R&B really does make sense.
With his desire to work with like-minded artists, experiment with the genres that influenced him, and tour (“I always want to tour, but it’s not easy to come (to the States). I need a sponsor, but if I have opportunity to tour I really want to”) he must already be gearing up to release some new work. So it begs the question if he’s constantly in the studio. With his weapons of choice being his computer and Vista DAW programs like ProTools and Logic, he can create virtually anywhere. Turns out he can get just as distracted by the Internet as anyone who makes the computer their livelihood: “I do lot of dumb stuff. Like I want to write, but I find myself on the Internet. So I think I need to have a deadline. Deadline is good.” Of course, I call his bluff, only half-joking when I proclaim he’d get a deadline and some homework.
Unfortunately, at some point we have to part ways. As a final thought to fans and those who may be interested in his music, he says, “Thank you first. I’m glad there are people around the world who appreciate a little musician from South Korea.” His voice becomes earnest as he reflects, “The Internet is really a powerful thing. You can connect wherever you are, and whoever you are, and whatever you do. And I hope more people get to know me and like my music and support me and support other Korean musicians.” Before we go our separate ways he leaves us with a sentiment we all feel as music lovers: “I’m from Korea and categorized as Korean music, right? In the future I just want to just be called a musician. Because electronic music doesn’t have a nationality, a lot of music doesn’t have nationality. There aren’t many Korean musicians who are big in the electronic genres yet, so hopefully I want to be that person.”
If there’s one thing WYM has reinforced it’s the prevailing truth that music is infinite, the language without language. It has the power to redefine boundaries, and even make those boundaries obsolete. After all, who would’ve ever expected an electronic artist from South Korea to be familiar with let alone have an intimate knowledge of West Cost hip-hop and ’70s soul music, or for that matter a black girl brought up on Motown and Stax to have a love of house and electronica from Korea?
What he expressed and what became abundantly clear as the festival went on is a very simple truth: At the heart of the matter it boils down to a collective soul we all share, a oneness that we’re all subconsciously trying to grasp onto. That’s the power of music. As he said, it has no nationality. What it does have is the strength to reach us at our collective core, giving us room to connect without discrimination, fear, or hatred. It’s this thought that would frame my entire SXSW experience.
To learn more about WYM, check him out on Facebook and Twitter. Please purchase his KMA award-nominated album After Moon on iTunes, Synnara, and YesAsia.
