Aanchal Tekriwal, Godda, Jharkhand

Independent artists are the ones who pour their heart and soul into their music, making it more meaningful and prevalent. We introduce you to an exceptionally hardworking and talented artist, Jade who is a Korean singer-songwriter and producer based in Seoul. She has been actively releasing music since 2017, but on July 6, 2020, she debuted with her EP, Violet Dreamer which performed astoundingly well. She actively participates in all aspects of her music, bringing forth some of the most melancholic songs ever. Her latest release, If We Weren’t Everything to Each Other is out now! So make sure to give it a listen, and also check out her creative process for the same in the interview. At Hallyuism, we had an amazing opportunity to interview Jade where she shared about her musical journey and life as an indie artist. With no further ado, let’s dive into the interview!

Could you please introduce yourself to the readers to get started? 

Hi, everybody! My name is Jade. I’m a Korean singer-songwriter and a producer.

Tell us about your musical journey. When did you start making music? What was the primary inspiration for the same?

I started to make music when I was in high school. One day, in music class, I was given to do a songwriting assignment. I didn’t know why but since then, I got interested in how to write songs. So, I learned how to play the guitar and piano through YouTube. There, I saw some singer-songwriters like Taylor Swift and Corinne Bailey Rae, singing their songs. It was fascinating. I think telling my stories and expressing my feelings through music was something to me.

Your first EP, Violet Dreamer, was released in 2020. It has a sentimental tone that offers a sense of hope. Our favourite song from the EP is Youth. What stories and messages were you trying to convey through your music in your debut EP?

I tried to convey my thoughts about youth, courage, relationships, and depression in the songs. I worked on them when I was studying in the UK. At that time, I felt the reality was hard and my future was vague but nevertheless, I had to keep trying and chasing my dream. So, to me, reality felt like the colour, blue and my dream felt like red. Somewhere in between, like the colour, violet, I thought I had to admit both sides to keep moving forward. 

As an independent Korean artist, what struggles and dreams persist within you for your music career, and how far do you think you have come now?

As an indie artist, doing everything on your own is really hard. From making music to doing self-promotion, there is a lot of work. Nonetheless, my dream is to write great songs, try out different styles and genres, and develop my performing skills.

I think I’m still too far from my dream. There are lots of things that I have to improve. I’m trying my best to get better and better day by day.

How would you describe your music style? Can you share your creative process, considering your inclusion in songwriting and producing your music?

I’d say I’m doing folk, indie pop, and soft rock genres with a British, sentimental, and melancholy sense of feeling. For the songwriting side, I try to be inspired, compose melodies, and write lyrics in my daily life. For example, when I go for a walk and suddenly a great melody pops up in my head, I sing and record it using my phone. And then, I finish it by playing along with the piano at home. This step is my favourite. For the producing side, I usually work on arrangement, mixing, and mastering with my co-producer or an arranger. We talk a lot about what’s the best sound for the song and listen to many songs for reference.

In 2021, your single ‘All Again’ was featured as an OST in the drama ‘Adult Trainee’ in collaboration with Seungmin. Can you share some insights into the feature and how excited you were about it?

‘All Again’ was written a long time ago, in 2016. Seungmin sang the song beautifully and I kept it as one of my demos, hoping it could be used for something. Then, I got the offer for the drama Adult Trainee and got featured as one of its OSTs. I felt very grateful that it could be used for such a great romantic drama.

Who are some of your favourite artists you look up to? Also, with whom would you like to collaborate in the future?

Mostly British artists like Corinne Bailey Rae, Coldplay, and Radiohead. Recently my favourite artist is Matt Maltese. And if I could, I would like to collaborate with eAeon. His voice is amazing, I wish I could sing one of my songs with him.

Talking about your new single, ‘If We Weren’t Everything to Each Other’, is a blissful song with great vocals and gratifying composition. Please share the essence behind this composition and what this song means to you. 

It’s about a relationship that lost its spark. “If we didn’t love this much, would that be better for us?” That was how I thought in a relationship. By sharing my experience and feelings through this song, I wanted to comfort those who are in a long-term relationship.

We really enjoyed listening to If We Weren’t Everything to Each Other, a heartbreak ballad, escorted by a beautiful piano playing. Could you tell us more about how you came up with the theme and what was your creative process when writing this song? Also, is there a message you would like to share with your fans regarding your latest release?

I think it came out quite easily. The lyrics “Even if I got burned by you and turned into ashes, I thought I would be fine.” “Like water flowing from a broken tap, I didn’t mind being wasted by you.” wandered around my head for a while. And then, I wrote the melodies and lyrics in a day. After a few years, I got to work with Luca (@lucainthepark) and he made my song so much better by arranging it.

I want to thank my fans who love my music and always support my new attempt at music like my latest release. Without your support and love, I would have stopped making music!

Last November, you worked as a lyricist, along with ‘Chealee’ for the drama: My Dearest. How challenging and intriguing is your experience of working as a lyricist? Also, could you please let your fans know what they can expect from you in the near future?

Chealee worked on a track and I worked on melodies. I think it was a great collaboration.  I love to write this kind of sentimental pop ballad-style song. Since it was written three years ago, we were very glad that it could be used for a great K-drama, My Dearest last year.

I will write more songs for an OST for K-dramas or other Korean artists if I get a chance to do it. I love writing and singing my own songs but I’m also interested in composing songs for other artists.

Apart from your life as a singer, songwriter, and producer, what else do you find yourself in? How is your daily life for you as a Jade?

Apart from music, I don’t do many things really. I like coffee. I go to the gym. I love to eat delicious food. That’s literally all!

The popularity of Korean music is rapidly increasing, and India is no exception to this trend. We are big fans of Korean music and were wondering if you have plans to visit India soon. We are eagerly looking forward to your visit. Lastly, would you like to convey any message to your fans?

I would really love to visit India to perform if I get good opportunities someday. Hopefully, I will be able to do that in the future! Thank you for listening to my music and always giving me warm support even though I don’t release music quite often. Sometimes, I get doubts about myself and my music, thinking “Should I keep doing this?” However, whenever I feel that way, your warm messages give me the power to move forward. It means a lot to me.

Lastly, thank you for reading this interview! Also, I really enjoyed answering questions with Hallyuism team. It was an honor to interview with you!

On behalf of our entire team at Hallyuism, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude and thanks to Jade for taking out her valuable time for this interview. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours and lots of love from India!