Kevin Jeong is an accomplished independent electronic music composer and producer from South Korea. He made his professional solo recording debut in 2013 with the single “To Lose Disguise”. That track introduced a talented young DJ with a unique and finely crafted sound.
In the decade since his debut, Kevin Jeong has connected with EDM fans worldwide. He has collaborated with an international cast of high-profile artists and producers. The classically trained artist composes with a musical sophistication that is not often heard in modern electronic dance music.
“Painful” is the brand new single from Kevin Jeong, released worldwide via all major streaming services on September 22, 2022. Ambient synths and a minimal beat introduce the track. Percussive arpeggios paint the edges of the mix as the singer steps to the mic with a soulful and heartbroken look back at a failed love. With each progressively bigger bass drop, the track transforms from a melancholy breakup song into an upbeat club banger.
Check out “Painful” below. You can also hear the song on the Deep Indie Dance playlist, or listen on your favorite streaming service. We had the chance to chat with Kevin Jeong. Check out his answers to our 8 questions. And follow the links at the end of this article to connect with Kevin Jeong.
8 Questions with Kevin Jeong
Where are you from?
I’m 32 years old and was born and raised in South Korea.Â
How long have you been making music?
I first started making music as a teenager when my brother installed Cubase on my computer. It was a more productive use of my time than gaming. My interest grew when he gave me a mic and showed me how to record.Â
When I was 22, a Hongdae club owner called “Mama” hired me as a light operator and bartender. The club allowed me to apprentice with the DJ until I was skilled enough to spin my own playlists. Eventually I had to spend two years in the military. That is when I transitioned from being a club DJ to a studio producer.
Who are the musicians involved in your project?
I have been lucky enough to work with a number of talented musicians over the years. In my early days I worked with artists like Romy Harmony and Invader! (dubstep producer), and renowned visual artist Viktor Kilbo.
Later, through my work with Mozart And Friends Record Label I had a chance to collaborate with famous rappers such as Sean Price (R.I.P), Lil Wayne, and more. I worked there for a year and then moved on to build more on my own production.Â
I’ve worked with artists from Russia to South Africa. Popular Dutch producer, DJ Maryn handled the mixing and mastering on the new single, and US vocalist Joey Law in singing. The superb cover art was made by Aymeric from France. Working with them was very smooth and easy.Â
Who are your biggest musical influences?
In high school I got hooked on remixes by producers like Benny Benassi, Tiesto, David Guetta, ATB and many more. I was blown away by how crazy they were making beats to pump my chest to the level where I could almost explode.Â
What is your greatest non-musical influence?
I do not have one! I believe I can learn creativity from anything.Â
What inspired you to create this project?Â
In Korea, we have the concept of Jung. It means attachment, sentimental, affection, emotional bond, etc. The person who has Jung might have encountered lots of hardships after a breakup because they often sacrifice and devote themselves to the relationship. So the pain and frustration come after the feeling of betrayal.
The inspiration for creating this track is to show the feeling of complexity in our minds. The moment of chaos. The transition moment of being traumatized. I thought showing those moments would help listeners to pre-visualize their own path and learn from it. So It can be helpful to untangle the complexity. Just willing to give them the possibility of a solution to what they are currently going through because I’m sure even at this moment, there are people going through a similar situation as the song mimics the moment.
What are your plans for the future (musically)?
Musically, I will try to make more music videos and songs. I want to collaborate with as many artists as possible. What I enjoy the most is meeting or working with new artists, but not at random. I choose them or scout them first by doing research then I make my decision to reach out to them.Â
As a side note, I’ve been working on my new tracks called ‘One more chance sung by Adler from Ukraine , ‘Beautiful sung by Mr Maph from Spain, Mannie Tseayo from Nigeria’. ‘Milko sung by Stereo from Kazakhstan’. ‘ Forgive me ‘ sung by Lisa from Russia.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I hope potential fans will be interested in my future music and support my YouTube channel. I will pay them back with content. Thanks for reading!
