Singer-songwriter’s are rare in the mainstream Korean music scene, but 18-year-old rocker Kris Leone is trying to make it big. As the daughter of one of Korea’s most legendary guitarists, Boohwal member Kim Tae Won, Kris Leone has a lot of talent under her belt. She began her career two years ago and has toured […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Untitled-design1.png7681024Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-03-16 17:05:462015-03-16 17:36:04Kris Leone Talks To KultScene About Being A Young Korean Singer-Songwriter
Life can get overwhelming real fast –that’s no surprise. But in the midst of it all, we shouldn’t forget to unwind, let loose, and live in the moment, you know, just say YOLO from time to time. That’s why for this week’s Playlist Sunday we’ve decided to carpe diem –seize the day– and compile a […]
Singer-songwriter’s are rare in the mainstream Korean music scene, but 18-year-old rocker Kris Leone is trying to make it big. As the daughter of one of Korea’s most legendary guitarists, Boohwal member Kim Tae Won, Kris Leone has a lot of talent under her belt. She began her career two years ago and has toured […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Untitled-design1.png7681024Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-03-16 17:05:462015-03-16 17:36:04Kris Leone Talks To KultScene About Being A Young Korean Singer-Songwriter
Life can get overwhelming real fast –that’s no surprise. But in the midst of it all, we shouldn’t forget to unwind, let loose, and live in the moment, you know, just say YOLO from time to time. That’s why for this week’s Playlist Sunday we’ve decided to carpe diem –seize the day– and compile a […]
Singer-songwriter’s are rare in the mainstream Korean music scene, but 18-year-old rocker Kris Leone is trying to make it big.
As the daughter of one of Korea’s most legendary guitarists, Boohwal member Kim Tae Won, Kris Leone has a lot of talent under her belt. She began her career two years ago and has toured with Boohwal, but also gained recognition for her own skills as a musician. Now, Kris Leone just released her latest album and gave KultScene an exclusive interview, where the singer introduced her music, inspiration, and the meaning behind her stage name.
“Hello, I am Kris Leone, currently a singer-songwriter in Korea. I have released a single, Into the Skies two years ago, and now have finally released a full album titled, The End. I am honored to be interviewed by KultScene, thank you for having me here.”
You released your single Into The Sky in 2013. How does it feel to come out with your first full-length album two years later?
“Having composed and written all the songs (in addition to directing the music video and designing the album itself), it was a long and stressful two year process, but I am very satisfied with the outcome.”
The album features your songs in both Korean and English. Was it very important to you to release songs in both languages?
“Originally, being more comfortable with English than Korean, I composed all my songs in English. However, being a singer in Korea, it seemed essential for me to release a few of them in Korean. Not being so fluent in Korean, a talented lyric-writer had to translate and fit in Korean lyrics to my songs.”
I read that you were sixteen when Into The Sky was released. How have you and your music changed in the past two years?
“Although I was sixteen when the songs Into The Skies and Goodbye were released, I had written them when I was younger. A few of the songs in the album recently released had also been written around at that time (6th grade to 9th). However, in the full-album, I had the songs fit my taste much more than I did with the previous single, and therefore more of my ‘true colors’ are shown in them.”
Can you tell us a little bit about your name?
“My real name is Seo Hyun Kim. I started music to create awareness and give hope to people who are having a hard time, thus my stage name consists of an ancient arab knife called Kris that was known as a weapon of art, and Leone, meaning lion in italian (symbolism of courage). I chose an English name because it is a dream of mine to become an international musician.”
[KultScene note: According to Wikipedia, kris knives originated in Indonesia.]
How large of a role do you have in creating your music?
“I compose, write, and sing my music.”
What musical styles do you get inspiration from/ Do you have some favorite bands or singers?
“I was inspired to start music when I watched the movie, The Phantom of the Opera, starring Gerard Butler (although subtle, the music video was themed with this movie to express the problems I had ‘music’). As I grew older, I grew closer to rock; My Chemical Romance, Asking Alexandria, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and X-Japan are a few of my favorite bands.”
You’re pretty young. Do you devote all your time to music? How do you unwind after a day of recording?
“To me, music is more of a hobby than a serious job. I think that’s what keeps me going night and day when I work on it. Although, I must confess that I become an obsessive perfectionist when it comes to it (haha), and coffee becomes my best friend during those times.”
A lot of KultScene’s audience are fans of K-pop and idols. Do you have any favorite K-pop acts?
“I love Yoon-Ha [KS-Younha]. Her originality and talent amazes me every time. Her song Set me Free helped me through a hard time when I was younger.”
What would you like fans to look forward to from you in the future?
“I plan to keep releasing songs and improve my skills as I go along. I can promise that the songs/albums in the future will mature and improve as time goes.”
Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?
“To the KultScene readers, thank you for your attention and please stay tuned! Kris Leone, signing off.”
Check out Kris Leone’s music video for her latest song, The End and her Facebook page!
What do you think of this solo-songwriter? Have a message for Kris Leone? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Untitled-design1.png7681024Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-03-16 17:05:462015-03-16 17:36:04Kris Leone Talks To KultScene About Being A Young Korean Singer-Songwriter
Life can get overwhelming real fast –that’s no surprise. But in the midst of it all, we shouldn’t forget to unwind, let loose, and live in the moment, you know, just say YOLO from time to time. That’s why for this week’s Playlist Sunday we’ve decided to carpe diem –seize the day– and compile a list of songs talking about exactly that.
2PM’s single Go Crazy! is the perfect example of living for the moment. The song is a party song accompanied by a party music video. Sometimes you just have to let go all of the stress and work and negativity and let loose. Their lyrics urge you to let it all go and enjoy yourself: “Go crazy, Tonight, We are determined to go nuts, Just for one night, go all out.” And if 2PM’s lyrics aren’t enough to get you in touch with your crazy side, then their music video will surely inspire you to have an unforgettable night complete with an arsenal of stories to tell for years to come. So go out and enjoy yourself and go crazy!
— Tara
JYJ’s In Heaven may seem a bit depressing, but along with being vocally beautiful, the message of the song and music video are really “live for the moment.” The music video is about a man, played by member Junsu, who is in love with a woman. But he is so wrapped up in his work that he doesn’t have time for her and doesn’t notice her enough, leading to her walking in front of a car and dying. But then time rewinds, and he is given a second chance. Things take an interesting turn, but at the end of the day, everyone is happy because they did what they wanted instead of what they did the first time around. We don’t all get second chances, so let’s learn the lesson from In Heaven and live our life to the fullest!
BEAST is a group that brings us the best heart-wrenching break up songs; it’s like their staple or something. So of course a party song by them is a bit odd, but absolutely fantastic. And there’s no better message for a party song than to let loose and live in the moment like in We Up. Sure, the song is directed at a specific girl, but still, we can just imagine the boys are singing this to us personally, telling us to go wherever without thinking of manners and etiquette and be the night’s heroine. Moreover, BEAST also performed this song during Good Luck promotions, and their performance was always fun and infectious; they even interacted with the dancers in a playful manner (I’m looking at you, Doojoon!). Groups mostly always look almost robotic when performing, but with this song, BEAST let loose and actually had fun with it, and what’s more YOLO than doing your own thing at a music show?
–Alexis
Having fun with your friends and going all out with no regrets is one of the best feelings in the world. There’s nothing better than the feeling of letting go, we only live once after all and we have to live our lives to the fullest. The perfect track to go crazy with is G-Dragon’sMichi Go. BIGBANG’s leader is the king of crazyness and knows how to belt out a perfect party song. The crazy beats in the track create a very chaotic sound that fits perfectly with the feeling of the song. And who can forget that, “Dirty nasty as f***” that he spits out subtly throughout the song. As soon as you press play to this song it will instantly make you want to get up and dance like crazy.
If you’re really going to go all out YOLO on a night, it is a priority to have some killer tracks at your disposal. Up and Down by Korean producer Smells is a perfect addition to this playlist. As was the trend last year Up and Down is a dance track by way of the British house scene in the 1990s. He mixes this with commercial synths, which sound straight out of Ibiza, to create an exciting, danceable, and euphoric track. Son Seung Yeon features to provide some typically generic but soulful, effective vocals. It all comes together to form something typically Korean in that it mixes old and new, west and east to create the ultimate modern club banger. As a bonus the video features a group of people in a bedroom, YOLOing it to the max, which you can take your cue from.
–Joe
What are your dreams and aspirations? Have you thought about how you’re going to go about making it happen or are you too nervous at the thought of possibly failing? B.A.P’s One Shot is a reminder to us all that even if the high walls try to block you, jump over it all, even if you fall every time. How will you ever know what the outcome might be like if you’re too scared to give it a try? This is the present, you’ve got to grab that opportunity right then and there and seize the moment!
–Tam
Share your favorite YOLO songs and moments with us in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
