A Bite of Yaeji πͺ
A Bite of Yaeji πͺ
A Bronx-based skate collective led me to this dreamy musician
Fun facts about artists you know and donβt, readable in 3 minutes or less. By Grace Lilly.
π A top-read post
β’ 3 min read β’
βDance your soul out until sunriseβ
Yaeji says thatβs what her music will make you want to do. Sheβs right.
I first heard of her through Bronx-based skate collective Brujas in 2017, when she performed at their Anti-Prom alongside Cardi B. Iβd attended one of their previous events and the experience was so impactful that anyone they collaborated with automatically got my interest.
Sadly I couldnβt make it to Anti-Prom, but I spent that whole week listening to Yaejiβs music. Her absurdly catchy βRaingurlβ was stuck in my head every day.
Her music feels like a dream. Surreal and alluring, it gets in your blood.
Yaeji
The basics
π€ NYC-via-Seoul producer, DJ, and vocalist
π€ b. 1993 (Queens, NY)
π€ Blends elements of house music and hip hop with mellow vocals
Why you should know her: Named by Pitchfork as one of the β25 Artists Shaping the Future of Musicβ; has global appeal occupying a space all her own
If you like
β¨ Fred again..
β¨ Peggy Gou
β¨ James Blake
β¨ Caroline Polachek
β¨ Charli XCX
β¨ SOPHIE
Known for
π Introspective, dancefloor-ready tracks
π Singing in both English & Korean, creatively unbounded by language and geography
π Her singular, hybrid-sound that synthesizes influences of Korean indie rock and electronica, late β90s and early 2000s hip hop and R&B, and leftfield bass and techno
π Working with Dua Lipa, Robyn, and OHHYUK
Bite-sized facts
πͺ Born Kathy Yaeji Lee in Flushing, Queens as an only child in a Korean family; moved to Atlanta when she was 5, then to South Korea in the 3rd grade
πͺ While in South Korea, switched schools on a yearly basis, leading her to find friends on the Internet and discover music
πͺ Moved back to the US to study conceptual art, East Asian studies, and graphic design at Carnegie Mellon University
πͺ During her college years, started DJing at house parties; 2 years later, began writing & producing her own music
πͺ Featured at MoMA PS1; graced the cover of The Fader; partnerships with PAC-MAN & Marc Jacobs; featured on Charli XCXβs 2019 album Charli
πͺ Sold out two headlining worldwide tours
Songs & dates
β« 2016 Releases her first single, βNew York '93β referring to her year of birth
β« 2017 Breaks out with singles βRaingurlβ and βDrink Iβm Sippin Onβ off her 2017 debut EPs
β« 2020 Releases her critically-acclaimed mixtape WHAT WE DREW μ°λ¦¬κ° κ·Έλ €μλ
β« 2021 βYear to Yearβ and β29β are released, her first collaborative work with Korean Indie band front man Oh Hyuk of Hyukoh
β« 2023 Her debut album, With a Hammer, comes out featuring singles, βFor Grantedβ and βDone (Let's Get It)β
She said
On her artistic intentions
β βItβs very much a feeling, and language is so limiting. To limit those feelings into words is really hard, which is why it helps for me to use two languages, because I feel I have a larger spectrum of tools to work with to describe what Iβm trying to say, but itβs very much a feeling for me, too. Itβs hard for me to put it into words, which is why I often abstract a lot of my lyrics.β
My Yaeji Playlist
I gathered my fav Yaeji songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week π
Where to start
βDrink Iβm Sippin Onβ music video
Yaejiβs big break came in July 2017 when her single, βDrink Iβm Sippin Onβ was released on 88srisingβs Youtube channel. The video garnered over one million views in two weeks.
γ°οΈ
A day with Yaeji
Learn whatβs in her asian supermarket haul, the trinkets she likes to collect, and how her obsession with documentation formed the basis for her latest project in this 2023 Dazed Interview
γ°οΈ
Yaeji and Dua Lipa
The two talk about pet parenting, the process of remixing, and how language influences creative expression
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
Boiler Room New York DJ Set on Youtube
An hour of Yaeji making her magic. Watch here.
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Sources
thanks for this! an artist I don't know at all!