It’s Korean rockstar LØREN’s first time performing ever in the States and he’s casually twirling his vape in the 88rising offices in Los Angeles. “It’s kind of surreal that I’m sitting at a studio with records behind me,” he tells StyleCaster over Zoom, pointing at the two gold-plated disks hanging on the background wall. Over the past weekend, he announced that he was signing with the Asian-American-based label and played one of his first gigs—ever—at SXSW in Austin, Texas at Tiger’s Den, an event hosted by the Korean music collective Balming Tiger. The show itself showcased Asian artists—those from the region and those who are of the diaspora, like Singaporean bedroom pop artist Shye and Malaysian singer-songwriter Lunadira. “People found it interesting that a bunch of Asian kids showed up and took the crowd away.”
The 27-year-old musician never really performed in front of audiences, but he’s behind some of your favorite songs. He co-wrote BLACKPINK’s solitude banger “Lovesick Girls” and G-Dragon’s “개소리 (BULLSHIT)” with resident YG Entertainment producer Teddy Park. LØREN eventually signed to Teddy’s project THEBLACKLABEL within the big K-Pop company and has been redirecting his energy to making music that he enjoys immensely: rock.
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I wanted people to know that I’ve been doing this for a very long time. And it’s not a concept to take lightly. I’m hoping the musicality of it makes people relate and like it.
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His first EP Put Up A Fight perfectly encapsulates the feeling of thrashing and shredding. The lead single “Folks” eases in with a Gorillaz-like beat with the lyrics expressing and affirming throughout the steady song “’Cause I’m never gonna be alright.” LØREN recalled that the topic of the song came pretty easily when a lot of people were “talking shit” about him. The bridge swells with a triumphant and nihilistic approach, “We’re running out of time / So blast your radio / And bury me so I can grow/ ‘Cause I won’t leave alive.” In this exclusive interview, we caught up with him about his newest EP, growing up with music and performing in front of crowds for the first time.
You recently arrived to perform in the US for the first time, how did that feel for you?
It’s been phenomenal. I think I’m trying to get the most out of it, but I’ve stopped sleeping for like three days. The food’s amazing. Everyone’s just been great. I’ve had conversations with most people that were in Texas that was really good music talk that I haven’t had in years. So it’s been very refreshing.
I haven’t done many shows after becoming a rock artist or whatever. But I think people liked it, and the lineup wasn’t necessarily rock-based. The crowd was amazing. People just walked up to me after the show casually telling me, “Oh, that was a great set.” That actually means a lot to me to have that appreciation for my music. It’s very heartwarming.
What are you looking forward to when performing at 88rising’s Head In The Clouds NYC festival?
I’ve been watching tons of Head In The Clouds videos just to get an idea of how it’s gonna be. Months ago, I wouldn’t even dream about a show just in the States. I think a band, like a proper band from Asia, is just interesting in general. I like the fact that I can hopefully bring something new to the table.
My band is back in Korea and rehearsing literally every day. Because I’ve been telling them “You guys better be better and I hope I’m impressed.” At the same time, I keep telling them it’s a bigger crowd, and I’m kind of shitting myself that there’s going to be over 20,000 people watching. I can’t even picture it, it’s wild. But everything that I’ve worked towards has finally become something of worth and I’m grateful for all of that.
Photo Credit: Deanie Chen for Jaded (@deaniechen)
In terms of performance, what are your standards for yourself? How do you raise the bar?
I pretty much hate everything I make and do. But that helps because the satisfaction kind of drives you. If you sound like shit, that motivates you to try harder and rehearse. If I’m being honest, I don’t even listen to my music that much. Because all I can hear is “I should have done this better, I should have done that better.” If I hear a really good song or a really good production, I always go back to my music and then kind of hate it. I don’t think I necessarily raise the bar, but it’s just always been so far ahead in my head. And every time I get better, it moves with me and I’m glad that it does. It’s productive to be self-destructive.
I think you’re doing an amazing job reviving the rock genre and your songs feel incredibly relatable. How do you want your listeners to feel when they’re listening?
Part of the reason why I hate my stuff so much is that I write them then I want people to see the progression of how I changed. So the EP is all over the place. I don’t think there’s a specific like character to it even in terms of genre. There are five very different songs. I wanted people to know that I’ve been doing this for a very long time and it’s not a concept to take lightly. I’m hoping the musicality of it makes people relate and like it. I also hope it revives the culture of rock. I’m bad at advertising myself but I just want people to feel the genuineness of the stuff I do.
Is there a particular track that you would like fans to dig deep into and pay close attention to?
For all my songs, I like a certain bit but then I don’t like a certain bit. “Temporary” is the most recent track I made. It was written before this whole snowball started rolling. I couldn’t tell if what I was doing was worth it. It was more like “Are people going to hear this? Am I ever going to get the opportunity to do it?” I just wanted people to hear it. Period. I needed whatever to get it out there. So I’m attached to that track. I also think “Panic” is a track that not a lot of people dive into recently in terms of genre.
Photo Credit: Deanie Chen for Jaded (@deaniechen)
What was the reason that made you think that you wanted to do music for the rest of your life?
That just came naturally. I can’t really recall. It was always so natural, so of course, I’m going to do it. If not as a rock artist then something musically related. I wanted to be a producer or DJ for a while because I didn’t think rock was doable at the time. I used to tell my parents that I’m gonna do music and they thought it was a phase. I also thought I was going through a phase but the 13-year-old me was like “I wanna do music.” Same with the 18-year-old and 23-year-old me. So at this point, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna be here for a long time.
You had a big entrance to 2023— attending Paris Fashion Week with YSL and coming over here to perform. Do you have any other goals that you have for the rest of the year?
I really want to do shows. It’s been a dream to actually tour or do festivals. Like I said, I never imagined a scale like this. But even just like bar gigs or whatever, I really want to do more live shows.
I always want to write good music, and I’m pretty happy with the second album of songs that I made recently. So I’d like to release that as soon as possible because it does feel more personal to me than the first album. However, I want to experience putting stuff out that still feels very personal to me. Because when you write a song years ago, and then you release it later, you remember how you felt but it’s just not you in the moment in the present.
I never thought I’d go to a fashion show, let alone YSL. I’m exploring everything and realizing that I enjoy different aspects of art. I never saw myself as a fashion person. But it’s very fascinating to see it all. I’ve been doing research and the experiences are informative. It’s been fun. So far, this year has been the best year that I can recall in my lifetime. So if it just continues down this road, I’m gonna be very happy.
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