You debuted during the pandemic. Has it been challenging?

Because of given circumstances, it was hard to directly interact with my fans and audiences. However, thankfully, there were some opportunities to virtually share my music and interact with my fans. I am also very excited about the upcoming concert that will be happening in a couple of months.

You’ve always been making your own music, even starting with singing on YouTube. How have things changed since?

When I was working on my very first album, I really did not know what to expect. I was wondering a lot of things such as who would listen to my music and how people would listen to my music and so on. But, over time, more and more people showed their interest in my music and that’s why I am here. I always appreciate my fans and they are the reason why I write songs and do music now.

Your first EP, ?depacse ohw was released last year. What was the experience writing and composing the songs? 

To be honest, producer Graphix and members of Atispaus helped me a lot when I was working on my first EP, ?depacse ohw. Whenever I was a bit indecisive or confused, they always had great suggestions for me. I think we make a great team together. 

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You mentioned that you’re heavily inspired by Paramore, Coldplay, G-dragon and Avril Lavigne when you were young. These days, where do you get inspiration from when making music?

Yes, but nowadays, I try to listen to various types of music and get exposed to different cultures and ideas. But, due to the pandemic, it is hard to go around and gain different types of experiences in person. That’s certainly a huge bummer. But, of course, I am not letting this disappointment get to my music.

Since you make your own music, how do you deal with roadblocks and lulls in inspiration?

Actually, a few days ago, I indeed encountered some roadblocks. I was a bit shocked because my mind went completely blank and no good idea came up. I normally have a lot of ideas in my mind and a lot of things that I want to say, but for some reason, recently couldn’t come up with a good idea and a few days went by like that.

And then, I realised something. I was not being true to myself and was trying to be somebody who I was not. After that realisation and after I became more true to myself, new ideas started to flow in again. I think every roadblock has a different way to deal with. So, each situation needs to be dealt with differently and accordingly. But, this time, I learned that the most important thing no matter what is that I gotta be true to myself.

You haven’t been able to perform live during the pandemic but your fans enjoyed your online concert, Seori Station. You must be excited for your upcoming performance at Head In the Clouds for the LA Music Festival. Tell us more!

To be honest, I am super excited about it! Head In The Clouds will be the very first concert that I would be performing in a different country other than South Korea. Just thinking about it makes me go nuts; I really can’t hide my emotions right now. At the same time, I am very grateful for this opportunity and I will make sure that my performance will be something that everyone at the concert would enjoy. 

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You’ve worked with eaJ, Tomorrow x Together (TXT), Giriboy and now signed with 88Rising, how has the experience been so far?

It’s been only just a year or so after I made my official debut, but during this short period of time, I got to meet so many talented artists to collaborate with. This is certainly a blessing.

As I worked together with them, I learned a lot from them. Doing music is so fun and in the future, if I get opportunities to do more collaborative works with other artists in the future, that would be amazing.

You often sing about loneliness and isolation and with this new song, you talk about passionate love. What other themes or things do you want to sing about in the future?

Maybe, jealousy, curiosity, disappointment, and so on. It would be fun if I could sing about these emotions in my own style. I might base some of my upcoming songs on my past experiences as well.

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Listen to Seori's Dive With You (feat. eaJ) on Spotify. She will be performing at Head In The Clouds on November 7, 2021 at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.