Exploring the music of the world can uncover some interesting musicians. If you can overcome the boundary of language, in which music has none, then your ears will be blessed with knowledge and feeling. This is how I see the world of music.
One of these feelings is to escape. Music is known to help in healing but also be relatable while telling a story from the artist. Nijuu, a Korean musician, is one I discovered through the drummer of the now broken up Indigo Husk and host of Fruit Salad Radio, Joe Taylor.
Nijuu’s sound is that of a gentle but surreal voice, almost angelic. Yet the lyrics she delivers are that of a painful soul, someone who has been through hardships and yet attempts to keep moving forward. 가자 내일로 새로운 길로(Let’s go. Tomorrow. a new road.), through her ‘lonely secrets’ in Green Forest, Nijuu decides to move forward, in sense saying as time goes on we will heal like the forest around her and become stronger.
Yet, one of her latest releases ‘hometown’ delivers the dream that is present through a lot her work. The song follows her troubles about the past, memories of her hometown if you will, ending with 내가 사랑한 그 품에 안겨서오늘은 잠이 들래요 (In the arms of my love, I’m going to fall asleep today.) Her older music explores the heartbreak and dreams of love, attempting to remember a dream where she held her lover’s hand. Being scared of waking up and the dream breaking, or wanting to be strong. Nijuu’s songs echo a sad narrative of travelling through love, being hopeful and dreaming, to the pain of it being unrequited and then attempting to move on.
I can’t say what truly draws me to her, maybe it is her sound, the minimal tone of the production or even the innocent gentle voice that talks to the listener of its troubles. Even beyond the minimal production, Nijuu released a Christmas song which harbours a different style while also sticking to her roots. The song following the love during the holiday period, with a whole section being her friends saying ‘I love you’ in Korean, warming the piece.
The theme of love and the pain that comes with it is a topic very prevalent in the youth of today’s world. With emo rap, sad lo-fi bring in huge amounts of listeners and yet there seems to be a uniqueness about every artist who talks about their experience with the fire that we call love. Truly I recommend Nijuu to anyone who is looking for music in general, there is a song for everyone you just have to find it.
All of Nijuu’s work & social media can be found here;
