If Soo Joo Park appears a little bit acquainted, it may be since you’ve seen her on the quilt of Vogue Italia. Or strolling the runway for Chanel, Moschino, and Fendi. Or in international advert campaigns for Tom Ford, L’Oreal, and Bvlgari. Over the previous decade and a half, the Korean-born (however primarily American-raised) mannequin has carved out a lane as somebody designers flip to when trying to lend a little bit edge to their collections: Together with her bleach-blonde hair, hanging 5’10” top, and razor-sharp cheekbones, she will make even a basic Chanel tweed go well with really feel someway renegade.
Together with her new EP No Ghost, nevertheless, Park is hoping to develop into not only a face you would possibly acknowledge, however a voice you would possibly acknowledge too—by bringing that rebellious streak from her runaway appearances into the recording studio. Whereas Park has made forays into music earlier than—whether or not by releasing a canopy of a ’60s Korean rock music in 2021, or performing dwell at a Chanel Métiers d’Artwork present underneath the moniker Ether—this time, she’s reintroducing herself underneath her personal title.
“After I first began making music, I actually didn’t wish to compromise in any means, and I needed to step away from what was ingrained, not less than in my thoughts, of who Soo Joo the mannequin is,” she says. “After which as I continued, I noticed that these are all simply components of who I’m. I overthink rather a lot, so I needed to say to myself, Okay, take a step again. It’s simply me. I’m making my very own music, and Soo Joo might be my title for that as properly.”
On No Ghost, Park takes an uncommon constellation of sonic references—every thing from ’50s nation pop to ambient Japanese music to shoegaze—and distills it into 5 luxurious slices of other pop, from the glitchy sensuality of “Kiss Me” to the thumping, ’90s-inflected membership banger “Take It Off.” What unites them is their sense of otherworldliness: the looping melody of “Operating Water” seems like a sort of historic chant, whereas on “Phuket,” the playful manufacturing and complex percussion (courtesy of experimental composer Eli Keszler) additionally options snatches of birdsong Park recorded within the jungle. “It’s a little bit little bit of forwards and backwards between one thing a little bit extra intimate to one thing a little bit extra daring… after which again to melancholy, which is just about my life,” she says, laughing.
