When Yaeji dropped “Rain Girl” I was immediately a fan, because of my affinity for house music. The track was impeccably produced with a catchy hook and bouncy melody. It was an added bonus that the producer was a Korean American woman.
Upon a little bit more research, I found that I had more in common with Yaeji in terms of her Korean American-ness. That is to say that both Yaeji and I are somewhat “third-culture kids” having spent time in various countries, both America and Korea. She is also the product of that amazing educational product, the international school. This cross-cultural upbringing attributes, in my opinion, to Yaeji’s unique stamp on Korean-ness in the age of K-pop.
Let me dissect what I mean by that. Yaeji is confident in her Korean identity and comfortable in Korea and America. She doesn’t seem to possess that generational trauma that many Korean Americans have (of course, I think this feeling is very different now with the rising prominence of Korean culture). Seeing her fluidly collaborate with Korean artists like Hyukoh, she also feels comfortable in being able to manuever Korean culture without shame or shyness. Of course, aspects of this are unique to Yaeji’s personality and confidence, but her background probably prepared her for such fluidity.
As a counter to this, David Chang of Momofuku fame, expressed how uncomfortable he was during his time in Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Korean Americans feel uncomfortable in their motherland, because of a complicated relationship and somewhat overt rejection of their Koreanness by themselves and Korean natives.
But returning to Yaeji, there are several conscious image-related expressions of her Korean identity that I find truly brave and inspiring. First, let’s begin with her name. Like myself, she was given an “American” name. Kathy Yaeji Lee chose not to bring “Kathy” into her musical identity. At the same time, she did not don another name and chose her “Korean” name Yaeji.
Second, the more obvious aspect of her musical identity is that she writes and sings lyrics in both Korean and English. She is not shy with the language and bends both to her own will in a whispery manner that shows comfort in both.
Third, the less subtle image-related aspect to Yaeji’s identity is her styling. Yaeji does not seem to desire to conform to Korean beauty standards. At the same time, she doesn’t bend to American stylings, seen by other Korean artists of similar ilk such as Bibi or Jessi. Yaeji’s style actually is quite a common figure in Korea. She wears glasses, has a roundish face and doesn’t have a body that’s been manipulated by plastic surgery and pilates (a popular aspirational Instagram look in Korea).
Even in this press photo, Yaeji could seriously look like a Korean American lawyer. She doesn’t overtly express her femininity or even Asian-ness. I’m not a woman so I can only view things from a male gaze, but she presents a Korean image that is both familiar and comfortable. She could be a hip and adorable “dongseng” or younger sister.
Admittedly, I haven’t kept up with much enthusiasm on her recent musical output, but upon listening to her latest full-length release “With A Hammer” I’m happy to hear a sense of maturity in her ability to collage her influences.
Looking forward to hearing more from Yaeji.
Signing off..