Hyukoh interview: approaching life “through love”
Not only their fans miss them, but also Hyukoh miss performing and they can’t wait to come back together on stage! For now we had a talk about their music, their thoughts and their next projects
Introduction
Hyukoh(혁오) is a South Korean band which was formed in 2014. The group, whose members are all class of 93′, is formed by singer and frontman Oh Hyuk, guitarist Lim Hyun-jae, bassist Im Dong-geon and drummer Lee In-woo.
It is difficult to classify their music into one genre; in fact, Hyukoh’s sound is “contaminated” by indie, rock, but also by more sophisticated and alternative styles that result as timeless. A perfect example that represents this can be the “Wanli 万里” from the album “23”; the song is majestically introduced by the guitar, then followed by bass and drums, and by the voice of the frontman singing a lyrics written in Chinese, flowing in a refrain which, with a guttural voice, recalls the traditional songs of Mongolia.
In addition to a variety of sounds, Hyukoh address different themes and emotions through their poetic lyrics such as love, pain, loneliness, confusion or nostalgia in all their different facets.
Hello HYUKOH, my name is Morena, welcome to The Soundcheck! I feel very honoured to hold this interview. You guys are so talented, and each one of your songs can be very addicting! My first question is, what is your creative process and how do you work on your music?
DONGGUN: They are created through jam sessions in the studio, or by adding ideas to a simple theme played by someone.
HYUNJAE: In the case of the most recent release of “through love”, everybody gathered in the studio and worked on songs together based on voice memos OHHYUK had recorded.
INWOO: We made them either based on the demos OHHYUK brought or just through jam sessions.
OHHYUK: Thank you for having us. I usually make lots of demos, and based on that, we arrange and record together. The first two albums were made in Korea, and subsequent albums were produced in Berlin and Bath.
Most of your EP/album are named after the age you were at the time, becoming diaries shaped into music. What is the difference between Hyukoh in their “20” era, and Hyukoh in their “through love” era? Also, is there any particular reason you did not name your last EP with an age number?
DONGGUN: As people go through life, they often come up with new thoughts and may even change their existing beliefs. I feel that this process naturally affects my approach to music, which is a part of my life. It’s difficult to describe precisely what differences it brings, but I find that I am able to concentrate more and immerse myself in things.
HYUNJAE: It seems that more and more things are seen in life.
INWOO: I consider it to be maturing as time passes, which encompasses the thoughts and emotions I accumulate as I gain experiences.
OHHYUK: From ’20’ to ’23,’ we titled our album with numbers that reflected our thoughts and experiences at the time, like a journal. When making ’24,’ We considered the theme of true love and happiness and added it as a subtitle. And for our next album, we wanted to convey the specific theme of the attitude to love everything, so we titled it ‘through love.’
Within your musical project it emerges that there is ample space for aesthetic and visual creativity, which can be seen in the covers of your albums and your music videos: what or who inspired the most both your musical and artistic expression?
DONGGUN: When it comes to musical expression, I personally think the most important thing is the natural changes or the moment that occurs in life and just what happens in everyday life.
HYUNJAE: Thom Yorke…?
INWOO: I think Thom Yorke is an artist that all the members have in common.
OHHYUK: There are so many people who I have been affected by that it makes no sense to list them one by one. Because of these people, I think I can make music and put out my work. My head is always full of thoughts. I enjoy categorizing and analyzing information that I have seen as I keep my head in the clouds. When these ideas come to some conclusion, that seems to be the beginning of the work.
What do you think is the moment which most impacted your music career?
DONGGUN: The times when the performance schedule was too packed, and we were tired due to the busy schedule but still had fun, are the most memorable. Such times seem to be more memorable than any other big events.
HYUNJAE: The clatters that occurred while making ‘through love.’
INWOO: Coachella…?
OHHYUK: It’s hard to choose one. There is nothing more fun than meeting various people who love our music in person at the venue. These days, there are times when I suddenly miss the performances I did before.
Your last music video “LOVE YA!” always makes me emotional because it beautifully and simply represents love in all of its forms, regardless of age, ethnicity, and gender. Your songs can give pure happiness to those who listens to it, so my question is: what is the message that you want to share with your music, and the impact you want to have?
DONGGUN: I think that the vibe and emotions that people feel when they listen to our music could actually be the message we want to share. Music is difficult to describe in words. Even when I listen to music, I interpret it based on my personal feelings rather than trying to figure out the intention of the writer, so I believe that it’s okay for anyone who listens to our music to interpret it in their own ways, as long as they enjoy it.
HYUNJAE: To capture the meaning of every moment.
INWOO: Love and happiness!
OHHYUK: Despite all that goes on in our busy daily lives, I wish people could take time to think about the approach of trying to see everything through love.
Reminiscing the title your of EP, can you tell us “How to find true love and happiness”?
DONGGUN: If the question is literally about ‘how to find true love and happiness,’ it seems to be hiding somewhere in everyday life. There are so many ways to find it, and it seems that you can know at the moment whether it is easy or difficult, or you can realize it only after a long time has passed. It seems there is no right answer.
HYUNJAE: Staying and leaving, and staying and leaving.
INWOO: Seeing, hearing, and experiencing a lot of good things.
OHHYUK: The harder I worked as we released 22 and prepared 23, the more I felt like I was getting farther away from the happiness I had vaguely imagined. So I thought I should explore a discourse on true love and happiness in detail. Furthermore, I wanted to ask the same question to the listeners and think about it together.
During these years you collaborated with many artists, which one of these experiences was the most meaningful to you and why?
DONGGUN: It’s hard to choose one.
HYUNJAE: Although I have fond memories of all the collaborations, I think it would be appropriate to mention ‘through love REMIX,’ as it was the first remix album released as HYUKOH.
INWOO: It’s hard to choose one because the mix of our colors and the diverse colors of the other artists creates a variety of different vibes.
OHHYUK: All the projects we collaborated on left good memories, each different in their own way, making it difficult to pick just one. However, the most recent project stands out in my mind. We worked on the ‘through love remix’, and I was particularly impressed by ‘Help’ by Sunset Rollercoaster. The way they transformed the song was incredible, and it made me really happy when I first heard it.
In 2021 you performed in a beautiful pine tree forest in Gyeongju, Korea. Visually speaking it was really cool and suggestive to see, but for you it must have been a very different experience compared to the usual concerts venues, how did you feel?
DONGGUN: It was very different from my usual stage performances since it was not in front of some audience, but rather filmed. I felt a bit tired as the schedule was tight due to lighting and production, but it was still enjoyable.
HYUNJAE: Since it was an outdoor venue, there was no reflection, making it challenging to monitor and perform. However, I feel fortunate to have had the rare experience playing in nature.
INWOO: I couldn’t be there, so I just saw it on the video.
OHHYUK: Thank you. It was drizzling during the performance, and I actually felt good. I believe the shoot took about 7 hours.
Do you guys feel connected to your musical instruments, and technically speaking which ones are your favourite and why?
DONGGUN: Sometimes when I focus on playing, there are times when I play without thinking, and suddenly realize my hands are moving. When I think about those moments, I guess I can say that I feel connected. My favorite instruments are bass and guitar.
HYUNJAE: I like the guitar the most because I feel like there are still many reasons why I need to become closer to it.
INWOO: I feel like I become a whole with the drums, especially when performing! Since I started drumming, I’ve believed that drum sounds contain emotions, and I want to move and touch people with them.
OHHYUK: I don’t think I really feel like that. If I don’t play an instrument for a while, my hands and mind start to work separately. These days, I’ve been using modular synths a lot.
Nowadays South Korea’s pop culture is known worldwide. But Hyukoh does not fit into this genre and I’m curious to know, how do you feel about K-pop? And what do you think about the “K-“ letter which is put in front of every Korean artistic form?
DONGGUN: There are many different types of music in the world, and each person’s music is unique. Therefore, it is natural that someone’s music does not fit into another. I wonder if it’s a little too much for all the Korean art forms to have a “K-“ in front of them.
HYUNJAE: I think it’s a fun and interesting phenomenon.
INWOO: It’s good that there are more and more fun things in various fields!
OHHYUK: With the rise of K-pop and various other content, the barriers to Asian content seem to have lowered, which is a positive improvement in my opinion. Prefixing “K-“ to all Korean content seems to be similar to classifying pop music from Japan as J-pop. Like J-pop in the past, K-pop seems to be occupying a sub-genre position in the global market, as it is still in the process of establishing its market size. If someday the perception of global listeners towards Asian Music as “Pop” becomes more widespread, more colorful sub-genres may emerge without certain prefixes in the future.
Is there anything you would change about the music industry?
DONGGUN: No.
HYUNJAE: Nothing.
INWOO: No, I think, nothing.
OHHYUK: I hope there will be a lot of good and various content, and more people who enjoy that type of content.
As someone who was born and raised in Italy, with an Albanian cultural background, I always find myself questioning in which one of the two countries I belong more to. As humans we all feel the need to find our place, so I’d like to know if you, OHHYUK, also have these kind of “existential” questions due to your past in China, and if so, did you find any answer to these doubts?
OHHYUK: There has always been identity confusion. I’ve felt like I don’t belong anywhere. But now I know the experience of being exposed to different environments helps me a lot.
Can you tell us what’s next for HYUKOH?
DONGGUN: I bet we will be doing something fun.
HYUNJAE: I want to meet with our fans again with better music and better opportunities.
INWOO: As we have done so far, I think we will continue to do fun, good, and enjoyable things.
OHHYUK: We’re preparing a really good full-length album.
One last question: do you have any message for your fans which are (im)patiently waiting for your return as a group?
DONGGUN: I want to go to the fans and perform as soon as possible. Thank you.
HYUNJAE: I want to see you in a hurry, but I also think there is beauty in waiting.
INWOO: I miss you so much and I want to make good memories together on stages again!
OHHYUK: Thank you as always. I sincerely hope to see you soon.
curated by
Morena Kercuku
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