INDEX
SIRUP’s Journey: A Turning Point at 30
-In your letter, you wrote, “Joining my current manager and my current agency was the biggest turning point in my career as an artist.
I remember a time when I thought everything might be falling apart,” SIRUP reflects. “Then out of the blue, my current agency reached out, and teaming up with my manager, who’d been there for me all along, became the pivotal moment in my journey as an artist.
Excerpt from SIRUP’s letter (“#WordsIWantToReachMyselfBackThen” presented by FRISK)
SIRUP: Before I joined an agency, I had to negotiate the cost of performing at live shows by myself, and I had to figure out how to use the money I earned from part-time jobs and live shows to cover living expenses and production costs. Of course, since I was new at the time, the office did not give me a lot of money, but it was a place that allowed me to do what I wanted to do, so I was able to do what I really wanted to do. My goal to expand my activities became clearer, and because the office already had connections that I didn’t have, I think it opened up a lot of possibilities.
SIRUP: There are things that one person alone can’t reach, but being in a large community or company can. But I also believe that it is just a tool to achieve one’s life purpose. I think it is important not only for musicians and expressive people, but also for people who work for some company, to be aware that this is a pathway to achieve their dreams and goals.
-When I was 30 years old, I changed my artist name to SIRUP and that was a big turning point for me.
It was a new experience for me, collaborating with individuals from a label or record company. Though I felt optimistic about a fresh beginning, deep down, I had faced numerous obstacles that had left me on the brink of giving up. By the time I hit 30, I felt like it was my final opportunity. I decided to give it my all, crafting music that resonated deeply with me, determined to move forward without any regrets. And so, with a renewed sense of purpose, I embraced a new identity as SIRUP.
Excerpt from SIRUP’s letter (“#WordsIWantToReachMyselfBackThen” presented by FRISK)
SIRUP: That’s right. I was approached by a major record company, which led me to change my artist name to SIRUP, but at the time, I was actually thinking that even if I couldn’t sing the songs I liked anymore, as long as I could make singing my job, that was fine. But at that time, I was told by a producer, “I want you to release a new album that you are confident in. Please do what you wanted to do most.” Those words made me change my mind. I changed my mind and decided to make a work that would make me feel that I could quit music if it didn’t lead me to my dream.
-I have the impression that the range of your activities as SIRUP has expanded, and the message you send through your music, on stage, and on SNS has become clearer over the past few years. How have your own feelings and views on society changed over the years, and how have they led you to where you are today?
SIRUP: Of course it is important to get along with society, but if I can’t express what I want to say about SIRUP, I think it is better not to do it. This feeling became stronger at the time when society changed drastically due to the Corona Disaster, and about two years after my debut as SIRUP, when I was about to sing in front of tens of thousands of people, I felt that the music industry had been very much disrespected by politics.
I had always felt strongly that there were many problems in the music industry, but in the end, it became clear to me that politics was the cause of many of our difficulties in life, and my actions and message gradually began to change.
