Yaeji Brings Korean To the Forefront in Her Dreamy Electronic Club Mixes
I was first introduced to Yaeji from a TikTok, displaying underrated artists that deserve some streams. Playing a clip of her “Raingurl” house single with wobbly synths, I immediately ran to Apple Music to give it a listen; half because of my current fixation on house music, and half because the blend of English and Korean in this genre was so interesting. It slowly became my hype song that I played on repeat when with friends, or alone running errands.
The Korean American-born DJ and singer/songwriter solidified a fan with that one song, making me beg for the pandemic to be over so I could dance to it in London’s infamous club, Boiler Room. Despite being hooked on her 2017 single, I never listened to any of her other songs. I don’t know if I was intimidated by her bilingual mixes, or fear of not liking her other music, but I carried on for months only knowing one song, protecting it.
Kathy Yaeji Lee, professionally known just as Yaeji has a unique sound that is quite literally addicting with her style that blends the lines between dreamy bedroom pop vocals and futuristic-electronic melodies. She’s gained international fame and a spot on many music festivals for her sounds, even collaborating with other popular artists like Charli XCX, Clairo and Viers.
Yaeji’s full-length album “WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던” on the first listen, I felt my fears come true. The opening three songs which includes the title track, were so unlike the tunes I heard before and expected, that I almost felt let down. They were so mellow, not exciting and bold like I knew her music to be and my body didn’t connect with it. It felt like waiting for a song to get good, but the time runs out before it can. I thought maybe this album was a pivot from her usual sound, exploring a different extension of the world her music lives in.
Track four titled “WHEN I GROW UP” melted away the doubt the beginning of her album gave, giving me more than just “Raingurl” to have on my playlist. The album continues to bop in and out inconsistently, being good until track nine “IN THE MIRROR”, and then tuning out again during the album’s final 3 songs. The bonus track “When in Summer, I Forget About the Winter” saves the project from ending on a sour note, bringing chilled out dreamy lyrics over a head-bopping drum and bass line intertwined with long-winded synths.
So am I still a fan of the Queens, New York-based artist? In one simple word: Yes. I think her album lost me because it doesn’t feel cohesive, placing songs that sound completely different next to each other. The song placing doesn’t feel thoughtful in creating breaks in between the dance hits. When listening to the songs broken up and with her other singles, they fit better together, prompting a second listen to her album; but ultimately the tracks initially get tainted by the uneven placement in “WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던”.
Yaeji is an exciting artist with a masterful talent to create dance mixes that are unlike anything you’ve heard.
The layer of Korean appearing throughout her discography gives an edge that only she could have. Popular with many house and neo-EDM listeners and club kids, will be a deliciously-sounding dessert that will get played at any party. She proves to be an artist that’s crossed over into the American musical sphere, and she’s here to stay. As for me, I have a collection of new songs that I’m ashamed it took me this long to listen to, but I will be eagerly grooving to them until her post-pandemic set at Bonnaroo this September.
