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Asia Spotlight: Korean singer-songwriter sogumm on challenging herself, finding her dream, and working on her "mysterious" album 'Precious'

Asia Spotlight: Korean singer-songwriter sogumm on challenging herself, finding her dream, and working on her "mysterious" album 'Precious'

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We’ve always heard that it just takes one decision to change your life, that one action can put you on an entirely new course. sogumm’s launch to musical acclaim is a testament to just that. 

From simply going about the mundanity of her 20s to becoming one of Korea’s most exciting acts, the singer-songwriter’s life did a complete 180 after joining the hip-hop audition show SignHere in 2019.

“I’d been living my life as it goes without much ambition, so I’ve never put all my energy into achieving something. After spending my 20s like that, I was introduced to the show. I thought it would be an opportunity to test how much effort I can put in, and I tried the best I could with all my heart into it,” sogumm tells Bandwagon. 

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Helmed by one of Asia’s renowned hip-hop labels AOMG – home to the likes of Jay Park, GRAY, Hoody and Loco, sogumm ended up winning SignHere and joining the label, becoming their second-ever female artist. And the rest, as they say, was history. 

Before her “big break”, sogumm – who is known in real life as Kwon So-Hee – had already found a great love for music. Serving as a haven during her toughest days, the singer spent a lot of time finding comfort in the tunes and melodies of her favourite tracks. 

“It might sound a bit cliché, but music was like a cure for me. When I listened to my favourite songs by myself, I was able to forget the hard times for a moment,” she shares.

sogumm started pursuing music in high school, admittedly to “skip [her] mandatory late-night study sessions” but also to share some of her innermost thoughts and musings with the world. Through the years, the 27-year-old released music independently on SoundCloud before joining the music collective Balming Tiger in 2018 and eventually signing to AOMG the following year.

Describing her music as “alternative K-pop”, sogumm’s music – while rooted in genres like soul and electro-pop – explores a wide soundscape that encompasses an array of sounds and styles.

“I began challenging myself to explore different genres that I’m not used to or confident in more easily, and now I am able to freely express myself in various genres,” she says. 

Lyrically, sogumm has always been recognised for her straightforward and vivid storytelling. Whether it’s painting a scene of deep love and intimacy (‘Encourage’) or relaying what it means to be human (‘My Taste’), the eclectic act has a way of immersing her listeners into a sea of emotions and thoughts through her lyrics.

“Acknowledging and observing things that I’m not confident in or am lacking inspires me, so I try to disclose such things out loud while learning them at the same time,” says sogumm.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by nobodycanequalme (@sogumm)

In her career thus far, the ‘Imagine’ act has released a collection of sonically diverse tracks, many of which include projects with some of the biggest names in Korean music. From her AOMG labelmates to coveted indie rock musicians, sogumm has quite the rolodex of collaborators under her belt. 

“I feel like nothing is impossible when people work hard together with the same purpose. I began looking forward to collaborating with people that I share the same ideas on bigger projects, which gave me confidence,” she says. 

Most recently, the ‘I wonder’ hitmaker worked with HYUKOH’s OHHYUK for ‘yayou hoi’, a catchy alt-pop track that speaks truth to the phrase, “music to my ears”. 

“Collaborating with OHHYUK was a remarkable moment in my musical career. ‘yayou hoi’ is a song that sits easy on the ears that makes you dance to the beat, so I worked on this song while dancing,” says sogumm. 

Following a string of collaborations and singles from the last year, the singer is finally ready to release a new album. In true sogumm fashion, news of her latest record Precious first broke to the public in the most unusual way possible – a photo of a ghost sighting. 

Positioned to be a mysterious enigma spotted in the wild, the album is very telling of who sogumm is as an artist: creative, eccentric, and incredibly memorable. 

Precious spans nine tracks including her lead singles ‘Complex’ and ‘Prescription’, as well as a collaborative song with fellow Balming Tiger member, Omega Sapien titled ‘My Time Is Gold’. 

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“I think this album will be the most memorable one. It was my first time producing an entire album, and I realized that there’s a lot of room for improvement. Nevertheless, the people who stood by my side until the end to help find out what I want, and the works we made together, made this album more meaningful,” says sogumm.

Speaking on the album’s unique creative direction, the ‘Fairytale’ act shares, “I focused on popularity for the music, and artistry for the visuals. I thought the gap between music and visuals would express the confusion that I’m going through, and such imbalance has impacted not only my music but also my relationship with people. I thought it’s important to explain and express what I want.”

Bringing on the help of talented producers glowingdog and JNKYRD, the album features a wide range of colours to sogumm’s artistry, both on the tracks and on the soundboard. 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by nobodycanequalme (@sogumm)

“In this album, I gathered various sounds that I thought would sound interesting when mixed with my vocals. glowingdog helped me balance popular pop sounds so that my music could be shared with the public more easily, and JNKYRD, who joined in the middle of the process, handled the detailing of sounds so that the songs could be loved for a long time,” she shares. 

“This album is a collection of different genres, and I wanted to pay attention to every little detail. I couldn’t have completed the album without them.”

Precious is the singer’s biggest project to date, and considerably one of the most memorable ones. Challenging herself in more ways than one, the record signifies everything sogumm hopes to do in her career, and marks the beginning of a long journey riddled with relentless musical experimentation and undying creativity.

“My dream is to never lose the mindset of challenging myself to find my dream while working on fun projects with people that I share the same ideas.”

Listen to sogumm's Precious here. 

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