INTERVIEW W/ NoSo: “I’ve learned how to take more risks!”

Korean- American artist NoSo truly showcases their versatility on sophomore album ‘When Are You Leaving?’, released late last year. Centring on self-discovery and identity, the album intimately explores the questions that we ask ourselves. Lyrically, it peels back layers to reveal the beautiful, yet vulnerable, truths that lie beneath self-discovery. Both emotionally and sonically expansive, the tracks combine disco grooves, saxophone, percussion and strings, undulating between soft and raw harmonies to create sounds that shimmer.

Photo Credit: Driely Carter

The intimate bedroom-pop of their debut album ‘Stay Proud of Me’ lingered in the uncertain phase before self-realization. This project reckons with what follows, even as the fear of being seen remains. Rare songwriting abilities and a sharp instinct for production reinforce NoSo as a generational talent. The album ranks amonst our favourites of the last year!

Lucky for us, they’ll be returning to the UK in February for a run of headline shows, kicking off in London on the 17^th and rounding out in Glasgow on the 20^th. We caught up with them to talk about the album, live production and their musical journey…

Q. This album differs sonically from your first, what influenced your choice to explore a new sound?

 A. “I just didn't really want to feel like I was doing the same thing. I've been writing music and playing music for a long time, and it's always been the most exciting to me when I feel like I'm still learning. With this record, there's a piano track where I'm playing piano the whole time and that was very different for me because I'm not a piano player, so I was learning piano for that. It's inspiring for me to always be trying different things, I think”.

Q. What does the album’s title ‘When Are You Leaving?’, mean to you? How does it relate to the themes of the album?

 A. “I was looking up Korean idioms and this one popped up and it just resonated with me. It's essentially something that I feel I ask myself in various situations. I would wonder when I’d have the courage to leave those situations and those dynamics that were a bit harmful. A lot of the songs across the record are about these layered dynamics where there are good and bad aspects and it's quite tumultuous, but in the end, most suitable for me to leave”.

 Q. How did the choice to mostly self-produce the album influenced the final product?

 A. “For me producing has become so synonymous with songwriting that when I finish a song just on one instrument, it seldom feels like that's going to be the main arrangement of the song. Like the first track, ‘A Believable Boy’, is a rock song, but was originally just me on piano as kind of a ballad. I think producing that song alone is what felt like songwriting to me, all the different sections, and it became a much different song because of that. It's just become an integral part of my sound”.

 Q. Were there lessons in the process of releasing your first album that influenced the making of your recent album?

 A. “I think when I did live shows for the first record and I saw, for myself and for the audience, which songs were exciting. I wrote definitely from the perspective for this record of just seeing what I ended up liking, but also a large part of it was creating a more interesting live show. I had never really done that in such depth before, so I think that was the largest part of it”.  

Q. The album explores personal themes of identity; did you have reservations about its vulnerability or was it a cathartic process?

 A. “I think it was more of a cathartic process. I feel like music is something that I feel the most comfortable in with expressing myself. Especially with this record, there were moments with certain lyrics. Like in ‘Nara’, it's a really vulnerable song and so I did have moments of being aware of just how vulnerable it is, but I think because I was proud of the song, that kind of superseded any feelings of how vulnerable it is”.

Q. What is the hardest emotion for you to translate into music when you're writing?

 A. “I think for me it's being explicitly happy.  A lot of my songs that are melancholy I've been told are still hopeful and optimistic, and I think that's a subliminal theme across them, but when I overtly try and be extremely optimistic or discuss joy, it's hard for me.  I typically resort to writing about things that are more personal because it's cathartic for me”.

Q. Which track best captures the spirit of the album?

 A. “I think the song ‘Nara’. It encapsulates a lot of feelings for me that are really complicated and difficult in kind of a pop song format. I haven't really heard, at least while I've been growing up, a song that addresses gender in this kind of way. I felt very proud of how it summarized something that I thought would be difficult to articulate”. 

Q. You are set to headline some shows in the UK; how does the energy of the crowd usually affect your performance?

 A. “The people who go to my shows, especially in the UK, are very attentive and respectful.  I always feel really lucky every time I play in the UK and especially in London. I'm really excited. I always look forward to it”.

 Q. The album is sonically diverse, what challenges have there been in the process of adapting the production to live performance?

 A. “I think a few of the songs, especially a house inspired track called ‘DAD MADE TOAST!’ , were interesting to try and translate live. ‘Nara’ was also very interesting because it's such a processed song and that required almost rearranging it. I really love both versions and I also have a version where I sing it just on piano. I think it's nice that a song can take on so many different forms”.

Q. Does the sequencing of the album reflect the stages of your personal journey, or did you base it on something else?

 A. “I think it was kind of based off of personal experiences as well as sonically what seemed the most adequate. Because there's so many different sounds and textures, it’s finding a way to keep it balanced. My manager helped me a lot with it, but I think the two that felt very obvious to me were ‘A Believable Boy’ as the first track and then ‘Let It Die’ as the ending track. Those were kind of written in mind of being opening and closing tracks”.

Q. What is your process for overcoming the feeling of being stuck when you’re writing?

 A. “For me it's usually a combination of making myself write regardless but also  trying other things that I find creative and fulfilling that I don't have to be good at. I think I feel a pressure to be good at music sometimes, so I'll do things like draw, or I'll write stories for fun that I don't have to. It’s just for me and I know that I don't have to become great at it, it’s just nice to do”.

Q. This album feels like your most confident work yet, what has helped you achieve that confidence? How do you see it progressing in the future?

 A. “On the first record, I was very much learning how to produce during it, and I had a lot of moments of questioning my own capabilities. From that record to this one, I think I’ve really instilled a lot of confidence. Seeing the reception of the first record kind of made me realize that I am a producer and that I can do this. I think for the second record, that expedited my process. I've learned how to take more risks and just believe in the choices that I make”.

 Q. Which song on the album has been your favourite to perform so far?

 A. “I think ‘Sugar’ has become the most fun, that one is always really exciting to play live. It's nice, I haven't really had a song before where I see people dance, so that one for sure”.

CATCH NOSO ON TOUR THIS FEBRUARY