Ever wonder what a Korea-born, Malaysian based sound of wonder would sound like? Well today you get your chance to find out first hand! Join us as we introduce a budding independent talent we discovered through Soundcloud – Summer Soul!

Jang Eunsung (born June 5, 1999 in Gimpo, South Korea), better known by her artist alias Summer Soul, is a Korean-born and Malaysian-based independent singer and producer. Having only been active musically for the last two years, this talented artist is gaining lots of traction through online platforms like YouTube and Soundcloud. A member of the Liveoffmind crew from Korea, Summer Soul is currently studying at International College of Music in Kuala Lumpur. She took some time to answer some questions for us!

For those who aren’t familiar with who you are, please briefly introduce yourself.

I’m an independent/underground singer-songwriter from South Korea. I both produce and sing and do lots of vocal featuring work with other producers. If I had to describe the genre of my music, it’s hard for me to define as I was influenced by all kinds of music.

So I have to know, you’re originally from Gimpo in South Korea but you live in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia now. How did you end up all the way out there?

At first my whole family followed my father to Malaysia because he currently works in Malaysia. My father wanted me to experience new things but never knew I would start my music here and I’m so glad that I’ve found what I really love to do and what I’m really passionate about.

How long have you been doing music for?

It’s been 2 years since I started doing my music. What brought me to do music was lonesomeness. When I came to Malaysia, I barely had friends and spent most of my time alone at home. The only thing that gives me comfort at that time was music. I often listened to music and started writing lyrics and composing melodies on free beats and that was the very beginning of how I started to do music.

What kind of artist/producer do you consider yourself?

It’s always been a hard question. I think, if I was an animal, I would have been a chameleon, so, an artist like a chameleon. I’m pretty sure that I did a lot of featuring work among all the underground artists from South Korea. Many people were quite surprised at me being everywhere for featuring and if you’ve already noticed, they are all different kind of songs that I’ve featured on. During the featuring work, I realised that I’m okay with most of the genres I was requested for. In fact, I love trying new stuff. Regardless of the featuring work, I would define myself as an artist who lives in summer. I found my music very chill and relaxed and mostly with a warm tone. Coincidentally, that was my intention. 🙂

You’re a member of the Liveoffmind crew. How did you get connected with them initially?

So, Liveoffmind’s group members are IOAH (producer), K.vsh (rap vocal) and I. I met IOAH for the first time in 2016, and then K.vsh. Both of them hit me up for collaboration work and I really loved their work…I was so hooked. The interesting fact was, at that time, all of us had less than 400 followers. We all were not as good as now but feel really proud we all are doing great. We will also try to boost Liveoffmind’s collaboration work, beside our individual work.

What do you feel most comfortable as – a singer or producer? And why?

I feel more comfortable as a singer rather than a producer as I started music with my vocals and then producing. Both vocal and producing are self-taught but for producing, I always need to depend on my imagination rather than techniques so I kind of feeling risky when I’m producing. It’s always unpredictable.

Can fans expect any new releases from you soon?

I am really busy nowadays that I hardly get time to do my own stuff. I actually planned to make a six-track mini-tape but it isn’t easy. I think I’ll drop a remix track soon soon. Sorry for making you all wait!

You have a significant following on Soundcloud and therefore have had the chance to work with many different underground artists. Would you say platforms like Soundcloud have awarded you opportunities you might not have had otherwise?

Absolutely. Soundcloud contributes a lot to my music. It’s like a perfect medium for introducing myself to people everywhere. I wouldn’t have much followers if it was on different platforms. I think Soundcloud is optimized for underground artists like me. I found lots of similar musicians from there and that gave me lots of opportunities to collaborate with different artists; however, I still hope Soundcloud to be more active and help more undiscovered artists full of potential.

For all the technophiles out there, what software/hardware do you generally use when producing music?

Since I use a Macbook to work on my music, I use Logic Pro for everything (producing, mixing and mastering). Before that I’ve tried GarageBand, Adobe Audition and Cubase but for me Logic Pro is the best choice.

If you had the chance to collaborate with a certain artist, who would it be and why?

It is really hard to choose one out of so many artists I wanna collaborate with. Hmm it is gonna be Oh Hyuk and his band Hyukoh. He’s got the unique style people can never imitate as he sings like he’s talking. Sometimes, listening to his music is like listening to him talking and feel like I’m not the only one. They are very straightforward and that makes it really attractive. I could relate to him somehow with the lyrics and the style. I hope one day I can work with him.

What are your five most played songs right now?

Right now, my 5 most played songs are: alright – Jordan Rakei, Shoes and booze – Roos Jonker, ah yeah – Robert glassier, weak – Gretchen Parlato, and Hooka – hyukoh

What is your current guilty pleasure?

I don’t really have a guilty pleasure but back then I think I had one. It was K-pop songs I guess, especially trendy idol dance tracks. People tend to look down on those who like this kind of music so there was a time where I acted like I don’t like it at all. However, now I think I don’t need to feel shame about this. It’s my taste so who cares. It’s true I don’t really like dance K-pop music but certain songs are really great.

When you have spare time, what do you do to relax?

I love watching outdated movies at home but I barely get time to watch. When I watch a movie, I often try to stand in the main characters’ shoes and I focus on their feelings. It is not only entertaining but every scene can be the source of inspiration. So even when I’m watching a movie, I would be very sensitive to every single scene.

Name something fans might not already know about you.

I’m actually a jazz lover. I’m pretty sure that my fans do not know about it as my own songs do not contain jazzy components; however, as you see my recent most played songs, you can see lots of jazz music and that’s my future goal for my musical sound. The other interesting fact about me is that most of my tracks are done at once. I have a stubborn personality so I must finish a track once I sit down in front of keyboards. Sometimes it makes me really tired and I would be scolded by my mom for hiding myself in my room for several hours.

Any advice for aspiring artists/producers?

The only thing I really want to say is never forget your first time. I’ve seen lots of artists who easily forget their first time and how could they get there. Most of them became so conceited and arrogant. It just looks so ugly. Plus, I think those people who always have appreciation and modesty last long. So I hope they don’t forget it.

Any additional words for the readers?

I always wanted to show my appreciation to the readers and listeners. You don’t know how grateful I am to have many worldwide listeners. I still have a long long way to go but I wouldn’t have progressed if you guys weren’t there. Thank you so much again and I hope to see you soon with my new releases!

Thank you again to Summer Soul for answering questions – be sure to check her work out at https://soundcloud.com/summersoul168. Until next time, this has been a rhythm.connection exclusive!