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You want funky, post academic dreamscape stream of consciousness pop rap, then you landed on the very rare and capable artist without boundaries Jacqui. Convulsing between banter, rap and sweet singing, the sound is near indescribable, a mash of skill sets equally wide as imaginative, a stew of sounds and sonic spices impossible to guess at until you’ve tried. Instead of risking penalizing this wonderful Seoul based artist with the limits of music descriptions, we reached out to have her describe them herself, and glad we did:  

OnesToWatch: Who is Jacqui?  

Jacqui is a singer-songwriter from Seoul.

What is ‘Mmm !’ all about? 

‘Mmm !’ is an acronym for ‘Mama’s Masterpiece’. “Mom’s masterpiece” that I am talking about here is myself. I wrote this song when I was going through ups and downs being in love and out of love. At times, I often caught myself being scared, wondering if I would always be stuck in this neverending, miserable - it really did feel like it in the moment - cycle of LOVE. What is love anyway? When I asked myself that question, everything suddenly became so unserious.

Any collaborations on the track? Who produced it? 

It is just me and my producer glowingdog on this track. When I reached out to him to be the core part of my album, I had already been acquainted with him for a while through Instagram and we had also run into each other a couple of times here and there in the music scene. I think highly of his productions for many K-pop artists, but besides that, what really caught my ears at first sight was his most recent EP ‘Mixture’. The synergy we create together feels great and satisfying. I very much enjoyed navigating the path to the album with him.

You have a captivating original sound, almost neurodivergent, how do you describe it?

I would say the keyword that describes my sound is “two-faced”. I believe everything in life has double sides to it, like yin and yang energy. Something can feel heavy and light at the same time, just like how love can be so serious but so unserious in my upcoming single ‘Mmm !’. I love honoring the double-sided quality of life. I think that is what makes something attractive.

How long did it take to settle on your sound?

I am 29 years old, so 29 years.

Can we expect more of this style in the future? Or is evolution constant for you?

Maybe, but evolution is inevitable. 

Besides this excellent single what else should we be on the lookout for?

‘Mmm !’ is a pre-release single for my first studio album dropping on November 28th of this year. Watch out.

What’s inspiring you outside of music currently?

I used to refuse to bring my deep personal life and connect it to my music. I guess the reason why was rooted in fear of having to face all the things that I have been hiding deep down. It was a very healing process for me to work on this album while being and facing myself as I am. It is inspiring to see a healthy relationship to self being built.

One day in Korea, what’s a must-do?

I would say take a walk around Gyeongbokgung area. It is one of my favorites in Seoul. I like this place because it is rare to experience a spacious part of Seoul. Seoul can be very busy and crowded, but Gyeongbokgung reminds me that it could also be relaxing with its big, wide streets and an energy-clearing mountain in the back(my favorite part!). It also has a lot of museums nearby. Plus, I know a couple of great tea spots.

Musically who is new but making all the right moves? Who are your current OnesToWatch?

Remi Wolf. She has been around but I was recently introduced to her music by my friend and got a chance to cover one of her songs, ‘Motorcycle’. Her voice is so delicate and smooth yet holding something strong, which works like magic.