For the first time in his musical career, DOCSKIM is learning to be vulnerable with himself and his music.

"I wanted to embrace imperfection for the first time as a musician," the talented multi-hyphenate shares. Sitting down at the piano aimlessly and "playing some notes," the musician came up with a song that allows one to chase after their dreams, even just for a fleeting moment. 'Breather' is his first solo official release as "mikscod," a new musical persona that gives DOCSKIM a clean slate, merging his ideals as a producer and musician.

An accomplished producer and keyboardist who has worked with the likes of BTS, Epik High, and Seo Taiji, DOCSKIM has always strived for perfection and excellence in his work. This time, he allows his music to reflect his flaws and imperfections, and uses his experiences to grow and learn as both a person and a musician.

It's been awhile since our last conversation with the multi-instrumentalist, and a lot has happened since then. In this email interview, we catch up with the Korean-American keyboardist, music producer, and songwriter as he talks about reigniting his passion for music as BTS RM's "craftsman," fulfillling his decade-old dream of releasing his debut album, and taking on his most important role yet – being a father.

Hi, DOCSKIM! How have you been since the last time we talked? It’s been almost two years since your last interview with Bandwagon.

I’m feeling good, thanks. Last time we talked was during a long period of preparation. As of now, I’m just really happy and still in disbelief that all of the music is finally finished and released!

What has changed and what has remained the same for you - as a person? As an artist?

The last two years were a really difficult and emotional time for me so I thought life would instantly get better the moment I finished everything I was working on. Now that I’m here though, life doesn’t feel like it’s changed too much. Although, I feel like a seasoned veteran now and I know I’m just scratching the surface of what’s to come. For now, I’m just trying to enjoy the ride and avoid burnout along the way.

You've also recently become a father. How has being a dad also influenced the way you approach songwriting and making music? Has your child influenced the music you make and listen to now?

 

 

 

 

 

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My baby daughter is really amazing. I'm so blessed. After becoming a dad, I’m trying to handle business more efficiently now. I used to just throw myself out there and wish for the best. These last two years were the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life; being responsible for my family definitely pressured me to do the best I could. My musical tastes have become a bit more simple but if my daughter starts dancing, I know it’s a winner. Recently, we started watching all of the Studio Ghibli movies together so those soundtracks are definitely fresh in my mind.

You’ve shared that "mikscod" is the solo project of DOCSKIM. How does this artist persona differ from DOCSKIM as a producer? A keyboardist? 

There’s a lot of history and baggage tied to the name, “DOCSKIM”. My one goal since I was young was to just get my name out there and let people know who I was. It ended up happening, but not exactly the way I envisioned. There were a lot of misconceived expectations and I always felt pressured to cater to someone else while hiding away parts of myself.

“mikscod” is my clean slate from my career and it’s my project to bring together my ideals as a producer and musician; basically music made for myself.

I’m blending everything that I like musically. Each song will showcase a different period and in my life and what I was into musically at that time.

For the first time, I think I’ll be able to show a very natural side of myself (flaws and imperfections included) as "mikscod".

In our last interview, you mentioned some stuff you wanted to try out like creating music for video games, scoring films, and producing for artists you’re a fan of. You collaborated with Eric Nam on a reimagined take of his album ‘There and Back Again’ and you’ve also worked with BTS’ RM for his title track ‘Wild Flower’. Can you tell us more about these experiences as a collaborating artist and as a producer?

Working on Eric’s reimagined album was fun as I got to interpret each of his original songs in the styles that I heard them. I like folk, pop/rock, ballads, etc, but haven’t released anything officially in those genres so it was cool to showcase some of my different musical identities. It was also my first time rearranging an entire album so definitely learned some key points from the process.

As for 'Wild Flower,' RM and I had been sending different demos back and forth for his solo album, even before the idea of Indigo came to be. When RM finally brought me his vision for 'Wild Flower,' he explained his story behind it and asked me to start a new track from scratch. I tried to incorporate both keywords, “wildflower” and “fireworks” and came up with the first half of the song. When I showed RM the first draft, he told me it was the sound he was searching for and right there and then, talked about having Cherry Filter’s Youjeen as the guest vocalist.

BTS’ RM mentioned that you intended ‘Wild Flower’ to be the last song you produced, but you ended up changing your mind while working on the track. You also shared how you found your passion for making music again. Can you tell us more about what led to this moment in your musical career?

I went through a really emotional two years and was at the verge of giving up on everything. I made up my mind about 'Wild Flower' being my last production and just really honed in on it. I ended up working on and editing 'Wild Flower' every day for at least a year and a half. RM would call me ‘craftsman‘ due to the sheer amount of effort I was putting in.

Get to know the producers and co-writers of BTS RM's 'Indigo' – HONNE, john eun, DOCSKIM, Pdogg, and more

I’ve never worked this hard nor this long on anything in my life but promised RM I'd give everything I had for this song. Me being someone who really obsesses over my craft, 'Wild Flower' slowly but surely reignited my passion and I felt a significant growth in all aspects of life when the song was finished. I’m really thankful to RM for trusting me throughout all those years and helping me to become mentally healthier.

You also shared how you’ve been working on your solo debut record for the past decade and that you “just want to release the perfect album” that you would want to listen to.

Now, you’re here with your first official solo release, ‘Breather’. Tell us about your new single. What inspired this song and what made you decide to “launch” your solo project with this song?

'Breather' is, as the title implies, me getting away from everything around me for a bit. At the end of 2020, I was completely overwhelmed and wanted to run away from life. I never sit down at the piano aimlessly, but one day I just started playing some notes and the simple piano melody of 'Breather' came to be. It happened around the same time I started working on RM’s 'Wild Flower' and I feel their influence on one another. Whereas I feel 'Wild Flower' has a bittersweet ending, 'Breather' is meant to be hopeless, yet realistic.

I wanted to show me in retrospect – the damaged, unrefined, and rough version of me, which is why I decided on 'Breather' as my first single.
The piano was recorded in one take and is unedited, as well as the guitars. I wanted to embrace imperfection for the first time as a musician.

The basis for the song and the music video is a real-time panic attack and maladaptive daydreaming. Some may find peace while some may find discomfort; I feel that both reactions are right.

Will this be the first taste of the debut album we’ve all been looking forward to? What’s next for "mikscod"? For DOCSKIM?

'Breather' has it’s own sound and vibe; the other songs will all be different! My second single will be released in spring. It’s the opposite of 'Breather,' it will symbolize renewal and rebirth.

 

 

 

 

 

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My debut album is what I would personally want to hear in a modern movie soundtrack. The ultimate goal for "mikscod" is to perform these songs live in different countries around the world and keep releasing new music!

As for DOCSKIM's next move... who knows?

Listen to 'Breather' here.