Meet South Korean singer-songwriter and producer currently based in Germany, Saebyeok.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m an electronic singer-songwriter, composer, bassist, and producer.  I was born and raised in Changwon and started living in Seoul for my Bachelor’s degree. I studied electric bass, pop/jazz composition for the Bachelor’s degree, film scoring, and multimedia composition for the Master’s degree.

Describe the city you’re living in and what it’s like to live there.

For now, I am living in Hamburg, and it is definitely an outstanding city for studying music. They have excellent programs for music and many opportunities for young composers. But for sure, living in a European country as an Asian woman is not easy.

For now, I am living in Hamburg, and it is definitely an outstanding city for studying music. They have excellent programs for music and many opportunities for young composers. But for sure, living in a European country as an Asian woman is not easy.

What is the best and worst thing about living in your city?

The best thing is, my University is located right in front of the beautiful huge lake. And Hamburg is a charming city. The worst thing is the long rainy winter. I am not really getting used to this northern European winter.

Give us 3 words that describe what it’s like to be a creative in your city.

Freedom, Opportunities, Experiment.

How did you start your career in music?

When I was 11, I got a huge crush on the band “Crying Nut.” I started playing bass guitar by myself from 14 cause I want to be like them. But I always wanted to be a frontman of the band, so I started writing songs from 16. I taught myself to use DAW from 18, get into the University in 19 and released the first single.

When I was 11, I got a huge crush on the band “Crying Nut.” I started playing bass guitar by myself from 14 cause I want to be like them.

Were the people around you supportive of your decision on working as a creative?

My family was not really supportive. They wanted to be me a lawyer,  simultaneous interpreter or something really “proper”(Like the other Korean parents) until I got into German music University. My friends, of course, they were supportive, but nobody knew exactly how is life as a musician cause we all lived in a small city which is quite far from the capital.

What are some goals and ambitions you have for your future work?

Right now, I am finishing my Master’s degree and preparing the applications for doctorate programs in the USA. I am really interested in media music such as TV programs, Films, advertisement and so on but for now, I want to study about spatial cognition and Wave Field Sound system. I am planning to write the Master’s thesis about the mind gap of Virtual Reality and spatial perception for real life with WFS system. Since I am in the academic field, I am not sure if I can continue the work as Saebyeok, but I want to keep a balance among every area that I can work on in the future.

Since I am in the academic field, I am not sure if I can continue the work as Saebyeok, but I want to keep a balance among every area that I can work on in the future.

If you could collaborate with any person in the world who would it be?

For the visual, I worked with Okie and Fantastic Rinrin. I wish I could keep work with them. For the musical part, I don’t really have someone in my mind but will be grateful if I can work with other Asian female producers based on Europe.

How would you describe the women around you?

Whether I live in Korea or out of Korea, I think it is quite essential to have womanhood. We are friends, colleagues, rivals, and everything.  We share not only feedbacks but also feelings about our lives and works. When I had no women artists around me, it was much harder to bear.

Whether I live in Korea or out of Korea, I think it is quite essential to have womanhood. We are friends, colleagues, rivals, and everything.

Were there any local female creatives that you looked up to when you were growing up?

Not at all. As I mentioned before, my hometown is a small city and people were not really friendly towards to creative area.

Are there any challenging aspects of being a female in your industry?

Sure. When I studied film scoring, I heard that I can’t be a female film music director cause nobody in that industry wants. But I still want to work on the film field, so I just work with my friends out of Korea and keep my finger crossed that they become a bigger deal in the industry haha. And this is only a little part of the iceberg.

You will meet many insane people, but that doesn’t mean you are insane.

Do you have any advice to young women who are aspiring to work in your field?

You will meet many insane people, but that doesn’t mean you are insane.

Photos courtesy of Saebyeok.