Due to pandemic-related travel restrictions since 2020, cross-oceanic artist exchanges faced interruptions, but signs of resumption are emerging. Notably, Korean singer-songwriter Ye Ram (예람) embarked on a Japan tour in October this year.
Active in Seoul’s indie scene, Ye Ram released “Castle” in 2020 and “End Of The World” in 2022. In 2017, she contributed to the compilation “New Folk Music Selection Vol. 1: Songs of Seosongri,” expressing solidarity with the civil movement in Soseongri, a village in Seongju County, Korea.
The tour, orchestrated by Hiroshima-based pianist Takeo Toyama, featured two Tokyo shows organized by singer-songwriter BUOY. At the first tour stop in a U.S. military house in Tachikawa, Yellam and BUOY engaged in a conversation touching upon songwriting, BUOY’s inaugural live performance in Korea, the Seoul indie scene, and travel. Impressively, Ye Ram answered all questions fluently in Japanese.
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Musical Homage: Ram’s Melodies Evoke BUOY’s Hometown Sentiment
– How did you decide on this tour with Ram?
Ye Ram: After we released our album (“End Of The World”) last year, we did a tour in Korea. When I was thinking that I wanted to go to Japan as well, I met Takeo Toyama, who was visiting Korea with his family, through a friend. When I came to Japan, I first consulted with Mr. Toyama and he introduced me to BUOY.
– So, this tour was truly made possible by the relationship between people.
Ye Ram: Yes, that’s right. I wanted to come to Japan just this year, so I think it is a very strange fate.
A singer-songwriter from Daejeon, Korea, Ye Ram began his career with the EP “Sailing At Dawn” in 2017, releasing his first album “Catsle” in 2020 and his second album “End Of The World” in 2022. She mixes various genres based on folk music, thinking and singing about “living together”.
– I guess you got to know each other’s music after Lam’s visit to Japan was decided. What was your impression of each other’s music?
BUOY： Your voice is very impressive, and it comes in easily like water. Also, you sing in Korean and Japanese, and I thought you have a broad perspective. When I listen to it, I feel that there is a “hometown” in my heart and I feel nostalgia. But I don’t know if that is Ram’s hometown or if I, the listener, find my hometown there and feel relieved.
Solo unit by Misa Yoneyama. started playing gut guitar and writing lyrics around 2018. released 1st album “Sanko mimi” in 2019 and 2nd album “Akarui kara” in 2022. He is also active in the unit “Yurei” with White and Eda and Ai Matsui.
Ye Ram: When I heard BUOY’s music, I also thought, “She has a beautiful voice. Also, I felt her kindness toward all things. I don’t think I understand 100% of the lyrics, but for example, the words “akarui” and “kurai” have more than one meaning. I felt there were many different points of view.
BUOY： That’s what I value. I try to sing words that are as simple as possible, without decoration, but I think that the meaning will differ depending on the timing and situation. Whether it is the listener or myself. I am glad that you were able to capture that.
– How do you write songs?
Ye Ram: In my case, the lyrics and melody often come out at the same time. I often start with one measure that came to me while playing the guitar and expand it from there.
– Do the lyrics often come to you first?
BUOY： Words come to me, and I think about how I want to sing them while playing the guitar. However, I often know the melody when the lyrics come to me. For example, if I hear the word “easy,” I want the intonation to be the same as when I speak. I want to sing as if I were speaking.
Ye Ram: You mean you look for a melody that matches the words. I really sympathize with you. I think there are melodies that can only be produced in a particular language.
– To my ears, your songs sound like you are “singing as if you were speaking. The words and melody are very naturally connected.
Ye Ram: I always look for words that go with the melody. I’m always looking for words that go well with the melody. When it fits perfectly, I am happy and say, “This is it! I’m happy. It’s like finding clothes that suit me. Sometimes I can find it right away, and sometimes it’s hard to find.
BUOY： Yes, I understand.
– It’s an interesting story. Sometimes you try clothes on quickly and it feels right, but sometimes you have a hard time finding the right combination.
Ye Ram: Oh, yes, that’s true!
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The Sea as a Dual Realm for Self-Discovery and National Parting
– By the way, the word “sea” often appears in your songs. Did you grow up near the sea?
Ye Ram: No, I was born and raised in a place called Daejeon, which has nothing to do with the sea. Earlier, you said that you felt “hometown” and “nostalgia” when you heard my song. The feeling of “nostalgia” has always been a part of me, and the sea is a representation of that. Growing up far from the sea, the ocean was not an everyday part of my life, and I guess that is why I feel nostalgia and longing for it. When I look at the ocean, I feel that there is a world out there. I look for my place there, and it gives me a chance to think about where I came from.
– The sea is not just an everyday landscape, but it is more fundamental, a place where life comes from.
Ye Ram: Yes, that’s right.
– You are from Chigasaki, but you grew up quite far from the sea.
BUOY： For me, too, the ocean was not something I did on a daily basis, but rather a place I would occasionally go to play. It was more of a place I longed to visit. It is a vague image, but I sometimes wonder if the ocean is the place I will eventually return to.
– I wonder if I feel nostalgia for Ram and BUOY’s songs because I have such an image of the sea somewhere in my mind.
BUOY： I feel something like that.
– I love your song “Over The Sea. The song is sung alternately in Korean and Japanese, and I was moved when she sings in Japanese, “We will meet again someday, on a day when autumn rains fall,” during the time when she could not see her Korean friends due to the Corona disaster.
Ye Ram: Thank you very much, I am very happy.
– Why did you sing “Umi Goe” in Korean and Japanese?
Ye Ram: The simple reason is that I don’t speak English. It was the foreign language I could speak the most, so I sang it in Japanese. I once participated in an exchange program called the East Asia Global Citizen Village, where people from China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan gathered to discuss education and history. At that time, I thought it was important for us to communicate with each other, so after returning to Korea, I made a song called “Umi koe. If I could speak Chinese, I would have sung it in Chinese as well.
In this song, I wanted to sing about the “connection of paths. However, as you said, I think it took on a different meaning after the Corona disaster. At first I was thinking about country to country, but now I sometimes sing while thinking about friends I can’t see.
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Reflecting on BUOY’s Inaugural Live Performance in Korea
– You performed in Korea for the first time the other day, didn’t you? How was it?
BUOY： The audience was very focused on the show and seemed to have their own way of enjoying the show. After the show, many people talked to us, expressing their impressions in Japanese. I felt that they were positive about listening to music and communicating with each other, and I received a very warm welcome.
– You held two live shows this time, didn’t you? Haegidong and Tangpyeongseon performed at the music space “New City” in Eulchiro, and Lee Ran also performed at the cafe “Rain or Sun Coffee Shop” in Hongdae. Did you talk to them both a lot?
BUOY： We did talk. I asked Tangpyeongseon and his band to play my song with me the day before. They practiced hard and sang with me right up to the last minute. Mr. Lee Ran was also an interesting person. Since Ame-No-Hi Coffee Shop is a small store, I thought it would be rare to have a chance to hear Mr. Lee Ran sing in such a close place, and as a fan, my heart was filled with excitement. I had the impression that Mr. Lee Ran was aloof, but when I actually talked with him and watched him sing, I could feel his kindness and passion, and he was a very nice person. Ram-san also came to the New City.
– Ram, what did you think of Uki’s live performance?
Ye Ram: The atmosphere of the live show itself was very nice. It was the first time for me to see Uki perform live, but I wanted to work with him soon, and my friend who went with me was also impressed. My friend who went with me was also impressed. She said she didn’t understand the meaning of the words, but she could feel what was being conveyed to her.
– The other day I went to Seoul for a visit for the first time in a while, and I saw a lot of redevelopment going on around Ulchiro. Tokyo’s cityscape is changing rapidly, but I was surprised to see the drastic changes in Seoul as well.
Ye Ram: Seoul has been changing for the past several years. Redevelopment has started in the town where I live. I think we should find a good way to develop old buildings while preserving them, rather than destroying them entirely. There are areas where redevelopment has resulted in a sudden decrease in the number of people, and the area has become a ghost town. Hongdae has also become full of chain stores, and I think there is a gentrification problem.
– What did you feel when you walked around Seoul?
BUOY： It was a very big city, but it was quiet when I went into a small street, and I never got tired of walking around. When I walked into a store, everyone was so kind. I went into a restaurant where they rolled kim-pa right in front of me, and when I told the man that it was delicious, he said (in Japanese), “I love you” (laughs).
Ye Ram: Seoul is small compared to Tokyo. Tokyo is so big, I was surprised to see how much of it is Tokyo. I was surprised.
– Yes, I was a bit surprised.
Ye Ram: Yes, I was a bit surprised. I didn’t know about this place because I was only familiar with tourist spots.
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The Korean Indie Scene’s Evolution After the Pandemic
– From a Japanese perspective, it seems that there are many attractive singer-songwriters of the younger generation in Seoul today. Lee Ran and Kim Sa-Wol are well known in Japan, and Suda (Xeuda) and Haepa (Haepa), with whom you have also been in contact with Lam, have released some great works.
Ye Ram: I think having a place to perform is a big part of it, but there are fewer and fewer places like that. There are many musicians and singers who perform. I think Corona has taken a toll, but I don’t think it’s just that.
– Is it partly because of the gentrification that rents have skyrocketed?
Ye Ram: Of course, that’s part of it. I also feel that the indie scene itself has fewer customers than before. Before I started my music career, Hondae used to be more lively, but it has lost some of its vitality. Also, the Korean music scene is very polarized. There are many unique and attractive artists in the indie scene, but the general public tends to have the impression that they are just not popular unless they appear on TV programs.
– I see. That may be the same in Japan.
Ye Ram: In the midst of this, I think the connection among fans who support us and our friends is important. We say to each other, “Let’s keep making music together for a long time,” as if greeting each other. Also, the festival is back on track, and the atmosphere after Corona seems to be recovering a little bit.
– Where are the places in Seoul where singer-songwriters of your generation gather?
Ye Ram: Around Cafe Unplugged in Hongdae and Jagunmul in Ulchiro. It’s a haven for us, or a place where people who are doing music or art gather.
