Singer-songwriter Jo Lee-min who adds color to music

His music is expressed through color. He communicates with nature and melts his philosophy of life into his music. He doesn’t miss even the smallest emotion of every moment. He tells his own story with a sensuous and lyrical narrative. At the end of summer, he returned with a new story called ‘Isang Meadow’. On the 11th of last month, I met singer-songwriter Jo Lee-min in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul.

He first debuted as a child actor when he was very young. She was around 5 years old. He mainly appeared in dramas, acting in one-act plays and historical dramas. Perhaps because of his experience as a child actor, I was naturally interested in his activities in the entertainment industry. As he grew up, he dreamed of becoming a dance singer. While watching singer G.O.D., he thought that he wanted to live as a dance singer who brings happiness to the public. It was in middle school that his thoughts changed from a dance singer to a singer-songwriter.

I first picked up the guitar in a school band called ‘Youngdong Sound’ when I was in my first year of middle school. He was new to everything about making and performing music. He said, “I learned how to make music through solidarity while being in a band.” Yeongdong Sound was like the opportunity that made Jo Lee Min decide to pursue band music.

The first band I formed as an adult was ‘Space Papa’. It was a team made up of seniors and juniors who had been with him during his school days, a challenging and ambitious team. I continued my activities and started working in another band when I was in my mid-20s. It was a band called ‘Kadin’. I mostly spent time with friends I met while pursuing music activities in Hongdae. Currently, he is active in the band ‘Igloo Bay’. Igloo Bay also has an old friend, Koo Young-young, who was with him during his Space Papa days. We developed a friendship by playing music together at Yeongdong Sound.

Jo Lee Min released her new solo album Lee Sang Meadow on the 13th of last month. This album was introduced as an album containing a story that unfolds while observing the main character who enters the grassland. He said, “The solo album contains more of myself.” He considered the album’s narrative important and tried to explain the abstract parts in detail. The way he tells stories and adds color to music is his attitude toward music.

The main character in Lee Sang Meadow faces emotional changes due to unexpected events that occur in the grassland, a place of rest. This emotional narrative is the keyword of this album. The narrative unfolds through five tracks: ‘Wave’, ‘Pyo-ryun’, ‘Gureme’, ‘Quiet’, and ‘Wave (outro)’. He said, “The process of starting from hope, expressing frustration, despair, longing and loneliness, and then returning to the ‘wave’ track talks about returning to life.” The title Lee Sang Meadow contains an ambiguous meaning. He said, “I tried to express a narrative of feeling heterogeneous emotions in an ‘ideal’ grassland.”

‘Color’ was revealed in all of Jo Lee Min’s solo albums. He expressed his own world of music by projecting colors ranging from ‘Blue’, which expresses the color of blue, ‘The man in grey’, which expresses the gray of the city, to ‘Faded Afternoon’, which expresses the faded color. This album Lee Sang Meadow also contained dark green.

“I like to hide, so I’m not the type of person to approach first.”

The charismatic appearance on stage was different from the human Jo Lee Min. He said that although he is not the type to come forward by nature, he tries to show off himself on stage. He also receives more inspiration for his songs from himself than from those around him. That’s why he enjoys the most moments when he can fully express himself through music. He is an emotional person, so he has an ingrained habit of recording bits and pieces of his thoughts, he said. He is inspired by small things, whether he is walking on the street or meeting someone. There are also study notes. These days, people use voice memos to recite musical ideas that come to mind.

When Jo Lee-min, who entered her 30s after her 20s, was asked if anything had changed, she answered, “I feel like I’m getting younger.” When he wanted to express something musically, he became an impatient person. But his sense of responsibility grew. He said, “I sometimes felt like I might be falling behind the changes in the surrounding environment.” Nevertheless, he said that he silently tries to find answers through music.

After going through a time full of ambition, it has naturally refined itself into its current form. As he got older, the process of broadening and deepening his horizons came to him positively. In addition to his band and solo career, he was also trying his hand at scoring films. Last year, he also served as music director for a short film. His work style of developing songs based on narrative shined. He was drawn to creating music that could immerse oneself into the story of a scene. Film music became another dream of Jo Lee Min.

“Rather than leaving me as a distinct person, I want to remain like a reverberation.”

Jo Lee Min wants to remain as a reverberant person rather than being certain and clear. His music is represented as a story about a life with no right answers. There is no set message framework or perfect outcome. He explores life as felt intuitively and strives to make music that is faithful to the emotions of the moment. “I will constantly challenge myself to convey my thoughts and emotions. Watch me”

Cookie Youth Reporter Jinjuyoung jijy85@naver.com