Since HUNJIYA’s debut EP Lineage in 2017, she’s been the talk of the town in the alt-pop indie scene. Alice Kim, known by her artist name HUNJIYA, has captured the attention of not only British Vogue and Rolling Stone Korea (to name a few) but also us and our hive! She’s known for creating songs that feel like conversations with friends, and her songs have everything from modern productions to tender harmonies and heartfelt lyrics. Now, she’s returned with her latest single, ‘tourguide,’ and it’s literally a tour of the dating scene in Seoul from HUNJIYA’s experience, and we’re diving into a few of our favorite things about the new track.
The song is based on HUNJIYA’s personal experiences
Within this modern love story, HUNJIYA acts as the ‘tourguide’, navigating us through her personal dating experiences in Seoul. It explores those almost-romances we always romanticize in our heads but ultimately reveals a hard truth to swallow. We truly admire her ability to portray her own feelings of exploitation and turn them into a beautiful track about self-empowerment and agency.
“This track was born after moving to Korea and finding myself on a dating spree where most of the men I met were tourists looking for recommendations from someone who was also still unfamiliar with the city.” – HUNJIYA
Bossa nova sounds
Through the bossa-nova sound of ‘tourguide,’ we can truly appreciate HUNJIYA’s vocals. That bossa-nova percussion that flows across the entire song infuses those feelings of a perfect spring afternoon in the city.
The exciting electric twist
Just when you think the overall sound is soft and soothing, HUNJIYA surprises us with moments of electric guitar crescendos in the chorus. It adds such a dynamic contrast to the overall delicate song, and it’s safe to say we’re obsessed! Those moments where the tone and volume of HUNJIYA’s voice gets louder perfectly mirror those introspective lyrics, blending tenderness with frustration.
‘tourguide’ sets the stage for HUNJIYA’s upcoming visual EP, Dandelion, later this year. Let us know what you love about ‘tourguide’ by HUNJIYA in the comments, or find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HUNJIYA:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SOUNDCLOUD | WEBSITE
