More Than an OST Queen: Elaine Kim Opens Up About Her Musical Journey (INTERVIEW)

You can find a Polish version of the article here: https://mysoseofundacja.org.pl/elaine-kim-wiecej-niz-krolowa-ost-o-muzyce-emocjach-i-marzeniach-wywiad/

This year, we had the pleasure of speaking with Elaine Kim, one of Korea’s most talented singer-songwriters, known for her soulful voice and unforgettable K-drama soundtracks. From her breakthrough with Mr. Sunshine to her latest album, Elaine opens up about her creative process, the emotions behind her music, and her dreams of connecting with fans around the world. In this exclusive interview, she shares stories from her journey, the inspirations behind her songs, and her excitement for bringing her music to Poland for the very first time.

Wiktoria: Hi, hello, nice to meet you! I’m really excited to talk to you. Can you please introduce yourself to the Polish audience?

Elaine Kim: My name is Elaine Kim. I’m a singer-songwriter based in Korea. I make songs that, hopefully, you can relate to.

Wiktoria: Your music – and I say this as a fan – blends pop, folk and R&B. Where do you find inspiration to create such unique sounds?

Elaine Kim: Well, I love all of those genres, so I try not to limit myself to one genre. I try to do everything that I like, so a little bit of that, a little bit of R&B, a little bit of folk. I try to do everything that I like.

Wiktoria: How has your vision for the music changed since your debut?

Elaine Kim: It’s been more than ten years now. So I think I’m learning to be more comfortable with the relationship I have with music. Ten years ago, I was just so passionate and wanting to do everything well, but that kind of fire can burn you out, right? So now I’ve learned to find the balance in it, to be comfortable at what I do. I think that’s what’s changed.

Wiktoria: Over those years you created songs for so many popular k-drama soundtracks, for example: „It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”. Do you have any behind the scenes story that stands out the most in your memory?

Elaine Kim: Actually, I have a story about how I got into the whole industry. So this professor of mine asked me to sing a guide vocal for a real singer. I was a student and they asked me to sing a vocal guide to give that song to another singer who can sing and listen to the melody and rhythm, and so I did. And her name was Nam Hye-seung, so the musical director who did „It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” and „Mr. Sunshine” and all of those. She listened to my guide, and she told me that she liked it as it is. So she just wanted me to be the singer of that song. So that’s how I got to sing the soundtrack for „Mr. Sunshine”, it was a breakthrough moment, you know.

Wiktoria: Which one of your OSTs for dramas is the most memorable to you, and why?

Elaine Kim: That would be the song that I just told you about. It’s „Sad March” in „Mr. Sunshine”, that, you know, got me into the whole industry. That’s what made me the OST queen.

Wiktoria: Congratulations on your new album!

Elaine Kim: Thank you!

Wiktoria: What was the most important to you, while you were creating the album?

Elaine Kim: I wanted to make an album that’s for myself. I wanted to let it be good music to listen to for the audience as well, but I wanted to put myself first. So I wanted to make an album that I would like, that I would want to listen to. That’s what I had in mind for this album.

Wiktoria: Okay, so how many times did you listen to your album already?

Elaine Kim: Well, more than a thousand! Because I had to work on it, right? So with the mixing and mastering, even with just a small difference, I would have to listen to it so many times. But now that it’s out, I think I’ve only listened to it for like three times. I think, because, you know, once you’ve done your homework, you don’t really go back and look at it.

Wiktoria: Yes, I understand. Is there a track of this album that is especially personal to you?

Elaine Kim: I like the song called „I Don’t Wanna Know” which is the ninth track of the album. I’ve said this so many times, so I’ll just tell you too, sure it’s the last track of the album, but it’s about me trying to find where I belong in this world. And every time I sing it, it makes me feel better just to say my worries out loud, my uncertainties. And actually, there’s a whole hopeful message in it. It’s saying that I want to find happiness. I hope that it comes to me.

Wiktoria: If your album could be a k-drama, what kind of journey or story would it have?

Elaine Kim: I think that’s a really cool question! If my album could be a drama, I would like it to be a youth genre. I don’t know if that’s what it’s called, but it could be a story of someone you know growing up, learning to love, learning about breakups and getting hurt. This kind of stuff. I think that would be great.

Wiktoria: Do you have a favourite drama for which you would like to compose a song? Or to be in?

Elaine Kim: Well, the one which took place on Jeju Island. I can’t remember the name, but it would have been great.

Wiktoria: Why?

Elaine Kim: Well, I like Park Bogum. He’s good looking.

Wiktoria: What kind of song would you like to make for that drama?

Elaine Kim: I think it might be cool to just use the Jeju dialect. Because Jeju has like a different language from Korean, so even Koreans can’t understand them when they speak fully in the dialect. It might be cool to use that. That exotic vibe.

Wiktoria: Do you speak any dialects?

Elaine Kim: Dialect… In Korean? It’s kinda different. Jeju has a totally different language, but other areas like Busan, it’s just intonation change, so it’s like a very cool, chic thing. Nonchalant. Makes you look cool.

Wiktoria: Yeah, nonchalant and, to add to that, you have a very unique vocal, as I said in the beginning. So I wanted to ask, how do you prepare your voice to convey those emotions to your audiences?

Elaine Kim: I’m someone who thinks that the basics are really important, so I actually spend a lot of time doing breathing exercises, the vocal exercises, and when I feel comfortable with all those techniques, then I go on to the emotions part. I try to be able to convince the audience with my feelings. I just really try to focus on the most important parts.

Wiktoria: Do you have a memory from a concert or maybe a fan meeting that was very meaningful to you?

Elaine Kim: I get compliments about my voice a lot, but I met this one student… She was actually a student who told me that she wondered why my music sounds so good, and she told me that after watching me perform last year, in spring, she found the reason. She said it’s because I am such a good person, and that impressed me. It made me really happy for a long time, because I get compliments about my voice and music a lot, but it’s not usual to get compliments about yourself, so it was really nice to see that she saw me as a good person, because I always want to be a good person.

Wiktoria: We, as a foundation, are preparing to host a K-Drama Festa, a drama-centered event in Poland. Have you ever been to k-drama events? Abroad or in Korea?

Elaine Kim: Not abroad, never abroad. But I was actually at a k-drama OST event in Busan a couple of months ago. So that was one, but I’ve never been abroad for dramas, so I’m really looking forward to it.

Wiktoria: So you said you’ve never been abroad for any k-drama events, but have you ever held a fan meeting or a concert abroad?

Elaine Kim: Not much. I’ve done a concert in Beijing once, but I think that’s about it. I was in a really small city in England, if that counts.

Wiktoria: Did you enjoy the vibe of the UK?

Elaine Kim: Yeah, it’s a very chill country, the weather was just insane, cloudy. I feel like I would make a lot of music staying there, because of the weather. It was gloomy…

Wiktoria: How does your music process look like?

Elaine Kim: I have two styles, one is where feelings overwhelm me and I have no choice but to write, and the other is when I sit down to write, so it’s more intentional. Both have pros, but I do prefer writing songs when it comes to me, because it’s very quick and natural. The words and the melody and the harmonies come at once when it happens and it feels closer to me. So I like making songs when I want to.

Wiktoria: It sounds like a good process, because you don’t pressure yourself to make music.

Elaine Kim: Yes, for me, it all comes at once. I’ll be playing with my guitar so that’s the harmony and then the melody and the words, it all comes at once. All at once.

Wiktoria: It almost seems to be difficult to control everything at once, manage all the words and the melodies.

Elaine Kim: I think it’s because for me music is a way to express myself, like talking with you right now. And it’s like my diary, so it’s really a natural process, like talking. I actually prefer it more than talking. I like having to be very intentional with the melodies I choose and with the words that I choose to express what I feel.

Wiktoria: K-drama soundtracks often have a way of connecting people across cultures. When you compose music, do you ever think about how an OST can inspire international audiences? Many people, including myself, became interested in Korean culture through K-dramas. Have you ever considered that your music might encourage people from countries like Poland to explore Korea and its culture more deeply?

Elaine Kim: That’s what I love about singing for K-dramas – I see myself not so much as a performer, but as a storyteller. So to be able to sing before a video, a show, I think that tells a different story, and it conveys more of the emotions. I think that’s what makes it possible for people who are not Korean to really feel it. So, you know, I’m just honored to be able to be part of a project like that.

Wiktoria: Do you have an artist who’s influenced you to take up music?

Elaine Kim: Do you know Damien Rice? He is actually the reason I became a singer-songwriter. Ever since I was young I liked singing so I always wanted to become a singer, but after listening to Damien Rice I wanted to become a singer-songwriter, and not just a singer. When I was listening to his music, his breath sounded like music to me. I thought: „I want to make something like that.”

Wiktoria: It’s amazing that you had a dream as a child and now you’re here. You should be proud of yourself.

Elaine Kim: Yes, I’ll be proud!

Wiktoria: You mentioned you play the guitar. Do you play any other instruments too?

Elaine Kim: I can play the piano but only the basic chords. But for this album actually… Well, my primary instrument is the guitar so all my songs in the first album and the second album are written for guitar. But before I made the third album, this album, I learned how to play the piano for one month. I learned just the basic chords, and then I just started writing the songs with piano and not just the guitar. Most of the songs on my third album are written on piano, but just basic chords.

Wiktoria: What other instruments would you like to try?

Elaine Kim: Actually I want to learn bass and drums as well. I want to play all the instruments in a band!

Wiktoria: You’ll be like a one person band! Except for that, what are your musical dreams for the coming years?

Elaine Kim: Well, I want to go to Poland. I want to meet fans overseas. That’s really my only goal right now.

Wiktoria: And of course, we are kindly inviting you! How do you imagine an event like K-Drama Festa? Do you have any expectations for your visit in Poland?

Elaine Kim: I actually don’t know what to expect, because I didn’t even know that Poland was so into k-dramas, so it was a surprise. I really can’t wait to go there and see what the audience is like in Poland.

Wiktoria: Do you have anything else you would like to know about Poland or Polish culture? Are you interested in any particular areas?

Elaine Kim: Well, I’m really interested in food. I love food. I’m a foodie. And it’s actually like watching a movie. When I’m going to watch a movie, I intentionally don’t watch the trailer, and it’s like a surprise. And when I go to a concert, I don’t listen to the albums before. I like surprises. So I actually want to go to Poland without knowing anything. I want to go there and experience the culture firsthand. What’s okay in Poland, what’s not okay in Poland? I want to learn by myself.

Wiktoria: Is there something you would like to say to the Polish fans who discovered your music through k-dramas?

Elaine Kim: I really want to thank them, because, like I said before, my music is not in front but it’s in the background of the drama, right? You’re supposed to be paying attention to the video on the show. You were listening to my voice, the music, and you discovered it, and you went on, searched for it, and put it in your playlist. I think that takes extra energy, so I really want to thank everyone who’s listening, who found me in k-dramas, and I hope to see you soon in person!

Wiktoria: We hope to see you too! Thank you so much for your time and guys – listen to Elaine’s new album!