In celebration of Pride Month, KOCOWA is looking back at one of our favorite Electronic music producer/performer from Korea, KIRARA (키라라), who has released 5 EPs and three full-length records so far. KIRARA’s musical journey extended over the country after receiving the award for the Best Electronic & Dance Album for her 2nd LP [moves] at the Korean Music Awards 2016 . KIRARA has also actively performed on various stages including overseas tours, such as Nuits Sonores 2016, Trans Musicales 2017 and UMF Korea 2018. KIRARA has released her third album, [Sarah] and is ready to continue her journey worldwide.
The night before her performance at Korea Spotlight during SXSW in 2019, KIRARA was kind enough to sit down with KOCOWA to discuss her music and the thought process behind it.
KOCOWA: When did you start making music?
K: I first started at age 14 playing around with my computer up until now, so in total, I’ve been making music for 12 years.
KOCOWA: Where do you get your inspiration from?
K: I tend to get my inspiration depending on the weather and other music. I tend to make a lot of my music during the winter months when there’s more emotion in the air. Musicians that inspire me and help me with that process include: Cornelius [pop-noise savant from Japan], Shinichi Osawa, and The Chemical Brothers.
KOCOWA: What’s your most favorite track you’ve created?
K: I think my best track is called “BLIZZARD.” When I make dance music, I always put my wishes and hopes for LGBT issues in my music. Since it’s hard for queer people to live safely in Korea, I hope to create a better understanding for this community through the music I make. It gives me a sense of passion when I perform. “BLIZZARD” is a track that shows that passion the most. So, it’s my favorite.
KOCOWA: What would you like to say to your fans or new listeners of your music?
K: I want to let them know that there’s a transgender musician like me in Korea. I think K-pop is a very dichotomous industry. As you know, there’s a lot of things going astray in Korean Entertainment at the moment …. actually I don’t know how, but I hope to make a difference in Korea’s music industry.
KOCOWA: Are you nervous about performing tomorrow?
K: Although I’ve performed over 200 times in Korea over the past 5 years, I’m still a little nervous about the showcase since it will be my first time performing in the States, but I’m glad that people here are very energetic.
It is said that the album release of <Sarah> was the first album dedicated to her friend who passed away and was part of the LGBQI+ community. The image of death was highlighted, such as a photo of a chrysanthemum flower on the album cover, but she also revealed that she wanted to convey the message of ‘Let’s live nonetheless’ compared to her previous work <moves>. As she was nominated for Best Dance & Electronic Album at the 16th Korean Popular Music Awards in 2019, she set a record of three consecutive nominations following <moves> and <KM>, receiving overwhelming praise from critics at home and abroad. During the pandemic, the remix album <KM2> of her most popular songs was made.
Make sure to check out her music below!
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/p/B_hv5Ful8zJ/
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/stqpkiraradongjae
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/kirararararararara
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3 Comments
Hello. And Bye.
Hello :))
I enjoyed this interview, Edgard. KIRARA is immensely talented!