INTERVIEW: AZRA
Keeping in line with the status quo has never been something of priority to pop-rock goddess AZRA. The South Korean-born, Bay area-raised, now multidisciplinary Los Angeles-based independent artist is making waves with more than just her music. As an accomplished author, motivational speaker, dancer, model, and musician, AZRA has effectively established herself as a formidable force in music with a promise that any artistic expression she shares with the world will have substance, depth, and purpose behind them to uplift others along their life's journey.
Invigorated by an unshakeable boldness, empowering angst, and life-long affinity for performance, AZRA has learned the importance of never backing down regardless of what society deems acceptable. Breaking through the barriers of complacency and uniformity has allowed this powerhouse to embrace her crown, unapologetically.
Noisescape sat down with AZRA to chat as she sipped on her mug that read, “Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing,” a quote by her favorite celebrity, Optimus Prime. We were transported to the world of AZRA’s creation, the 6th Dimension, and learned about her influences, newest single, and upcoming EP, The Chronicles of Substance Pop: The Rebellion out on July 28th.
Photo by Joseph Cartright
When you started making music, what part came naturally? Was there anything challenging for you as you started your career?
The easiest part was going out and performing because I love to perform. I want to do that until I'm, like, 100 years old [laughs]. My mom was in a choir, so I was kind of born into music. Ever since I was little, as early as I can remember, I've been a creative soul. Even as a baby, I was always dancing and singing. Then I grew up doing musical theater, playing the piano, violin, and acting. So after doing that, meeting people, creating stories, concepts, and writing came naturally. I think the hardest part for me was finding my own voice. It took time to learn about who I am – figuring out what I like, what comes to me as an artist, and diving deep into myself when creating. The artist's journey is not easy, but it's been very fulfilling.
How did you develop your signature sound, ‘Substance Pop?’
Over the years, I’ve had different experiences that helped shape this idea. For example, I published The Cupcake Theory, an inspirational book on self-worth, healthy relationships, and dating, and that idea kind of sprouted from my experience with juvenile glaucoma, which I had when I was 19. I woke up one morning and couldn’t see out of my eye; it was crazy, and I had to stop pursuing music to heal and recover. But that forced me to seek other ways to find peace within myself. It opened me up to the world of self-help and motivational things because I had to – I was in such a dark place. And during that time, I was also going through a breakup. So all of those things made me realize it’s important to have substance and be your own self, not to let someone else define who you are, and to seek more than what meets the eye. So I promised myself that I would always live my life with substance, that I would always stick to my own truth and create art that had substance. That promise gave birth to Substance Pop.
You’ve worked with a few AAPI and women-focused organizations, which is amazing. Why is it important to you to use your platform to support these causes?
I'm so big on youth empowerment. I’m passionate about it because growing up, I felt like I had a lot of adults around me trying to tell me what to do and naysayers telling me that I couldn't do what I wanted to do. So I think it's important for me to work with youth and women’s organizations and embrace my advocacy side because, yes, I have that passion for singing, performing, and writing music – but my ultimate mission is to inspire other people to go after their dreams. And that led me to go speak at different schools and organizations. We live in a world filled with a lot of noise, and it’s important to let people know they are not alone in feeling that external pressure. We need more creatives to give assurance and comfort, share their stories, and embrace their hardships. Because over the years, I realized that seeing that from others inspired and motivated me. So now I feel that responsibility, as a creative, to use my platform and reach out to as many people as I can, especially young people. Ultimately, children are our future, as Whitney Houston says in her song “Greatest Love of All”.
Can you tell us about your latest single, “Bring Me The Crown”? What was the inspiration for the song?
“Bring Me The Crown” is about owning your path 100%. For years after college, I was in the corporate world while also making music. And I think that affected my psyche to make me feel like an imposter because I would see other artists doing music full-time, and I couldn’t. I think it’s difficult for many artists to accept that being an artist is your essence – it’s who you are – and that you can have a day job and still be a creative too. But at the time, even though I was doing great in my day gig, instead of owning that, I just saw it as something that helped fund my music instead of being proud and accepting it as another gift. During the pandemic, I confronted those insecurities and realized I was on my own unique path and needed to stop putting that guilt on myself. Every artist’s journey is unique, so we shouldn’t blame ourselves for not following a traditional path. We have to embrace all of our gifts, focus on our art, and nurture our community. So when I was writing “Bring Me The Crown,” I realized that I needed to claim my crown and power, own my hardships, insecurities, imperfections, and badassness. It’s about saying that if you’re not with me, then that’s okay – I’m still going to hustle and build my empire. And this song also ties into my recent success with the other single I recently released, “ALL OUT,” which was my first single to land on the radio. As an indie artist, having this song playing on KROQ for, like, two and a half months was such a huge accomplishment. I wasn’t striving for it, but it was validation that I was on the right path and to keep going. And so I think “Bring Me The Crown” and its message kind of ties that all together.
You have a strong visual aesthetic that pairs perfectly with your music. How important is the visual aspect of your music to you, and what inspires your style?
My aesthetic is a combination of all types of things. So definitely, modeling and fashion have inspired my looks. I’ve always been drawn to the androgynous and avant-garde styles and love playing with different textures and colors. And having walked in Fashion Week events in New York, Boston, and LA, those events inspired me to look at designers. But really, my aesthetic was inspired by the movies, fantasy video games, and nerdy stuff I did growing up. I’ve always been into cartoons, anime, and sci-fi. Like, I love Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, and all those vibes go with my whole 6th Dimension situation, too.
Can you explain what the 6th Dimension is? What’s the most important thing you want people to know about it?
So the 6th Dimension is a place – a shift in perspective. It's a world that you can tap into, and anybody can tap into it. It's a safe space where you can let go of all your inhibitions, be yourself, and go after your dreams. It’s a place to explore your emotions and experiences captured through the music I create and share. I want to help people embrace their uniqueness because I know what it feels like to be an outsider. Growing up, I was a little emo misfit girl. I never felt like I belonged and wondered why I was so different. In Korea, adults around me told me I was different and asked why I couldn’t be like the other kids. And they would say things like, “Oh, Clara belongs in the 6th Dimension.” At the time, I didn’t take that as a compliment. But then, as I discovered myself as an artist and created music, I realized it's better to be in the 6th Dimension. So yeah, I love that story; that whole experience just made me want to make an impact. It's better to be different, to push the envelope and poke a little bit. I want to promote and spread that because embracing who you are and all emotions, including the darkness, is better. Because the good and the bad have to exist for us to appreciate every moment and stay present, right? At the end of the day, I realized those adults probably said I belonged in the 6th Dimension because I'm sure they were speaking out of their own experiences and how they see the world. So my hope is that everything I create and share – my absurdities – helps people see things from a different perspective; it’s all about perspective. I want to open people’s hearts and minds to new possibilities. So I think that's the biggest part of the 6th Dimension. It’s not just my world – it’s ours. And now you’re in it too!
What inspired the title of your upcoming EP – The Chronicles of Substance Pop: The Rebellion? What does it mean to you?
I've always been a little rebel; I remember getting in trouble all the time as a kid. And I grew up thinking I knew how to be a “good kid” or whatever, but I realized, looking back at all my memories, I was a little rascal! I would sneak out of Sunday school – and convince other kids to come with me – and ditch my violin lessons to go to my hip-hip dance practice with my friends. So when I was creating this body of work and reflecting, I realized there are a lot of societal norms designed to put people in boxes, and I don’t like that. Even my first EP release, Freedom, shows I've always wanted to stand up for that freedom of being who you are and going outside conventional things. So this EP is a way for me to say, ‘Hey, it's time for us to own who we are, own our path, and be reckless when we need to. Don't worry about the judgments, and let's rebel.’
What was the creative process like for the new EP?
I have visions that help me come up with the stories I want to share. One night, after a hot yoga class, I felt really inspired and wanted to put all my ideas together. I sat down at my computer, typed the song titles, and filled it with ideas. The storyline came to me easily because it was based on my own experiences, feelings, and thoughts. And I wanted to incorporate different musical influences I grew up with into one cohesive project, so I pulled from my punk rock influence and put in a little pop, metal, and some hip hop with the heavy 808. And I wanted my song, “Soul Ties,” to have a K-Pop influence because I grew up listening to it. So that’s how it all kind of flowed together.
“Soul Ties” seems like it’s a special song for you. Can you tell us more about that one?
“Soul Ties” is – I don't know – it makes me emotional. It's a song that's half Korean and half English and my first bilingual work. I'm fluent in Korean and still talk to my parents in Korean, but for some reason, I never incorporated that into my songwriting. So with “Soul Ties,” I felt it was a perfect situation because the song is about community and belonging and the importance of nurturing those relationships. This song also helps to capture the feeling and experience of being an immigrant and trying to assimilate into a new culture. It was really hard for me to come to America at nine. I came here not knowing any English except for, like, half of the alphabet. So this song is also about finding your people who will be there for you forever and accepting that some friends and people only come for a season. When I hear that song and my writing and stuff, I have this image of me as a little kid. And if I were to say something to the little version of myself, I would tell her, ‘Don’t worry and just continue to be yourself and take care of the people in your corner.’ And just to be open to new people who want to enter your life too. So it's a very nurturing song. It’s got a lot of emotion, just like all the other songs, and I love that you can feel that it stood out for me.
Do you want to achieve any goals within the next year - personally or in your music career?
Yeah, so in addition to that EP release on July 28th, I'm also throwing an EP release show and celebration at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. So that's coming up, and I'm really excited about it. And then I will be going on tour after that. I'm putting together a tour in August; it’ll be on the West Coast for now. So I'm really looking forward to that, too. I've done tours and festival tours before, but this one is special because I’m putting it together by myself, with the help of my team, of course. But it’s a DIY tour which feels really empowering and badass. I’m also excited to continue releasing music and grow my 6th Dimension universe and community. I have a private Discord server channel called The 6th Dimension, and a lot of my listeners are part of it. It's growing, and I can't wait to get out and be able to perform and meet everyone!
Lastly, is there any advice or anything you’d like to leave your listeners with?
I’ve created a mantra I live by that I share after every show, so I'll share it with you and your audience. It's “Follow your passion, create your own show. The world is your stage, for anything you can imagine is possible.”
PRE-SAVE THE CHRONICLES OF SUBSTANCE POP: THE REBELLION HERE
WHERE TO FIND AZRA
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music