Published : Feb. 26, 2013 - 20:14
With today’s music scene flooded with discombobulating club beats, gaudy costumes and cutesy, throwaway lyrics, true musicianship is becoming increasingly hard to find.
The singers on TV are not typically the people who are behind the lyrics or the composition of the songs.
Singer, songwriter, musician and illustrator Ryu Sung-hee, who goes by the stage name RossyPP, is one of those rare talents who is truly deserving of the title “artist.” Not only does she sing, compose her own music and play guitar, but the all-around musician even created the arrangements to all the music in her past albums.
And as if it were necessary to add any more notches onto her creativity belt, RossyPP is also a budding illustrator who designed the cover art on the jackets of her last four albums.
Singer-songwriter RossyPP poses at the Sony Music office in Seocho-dong, Seoul. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)
“I strive to be a well-rounded artist,” she said. “The music I create is honest. All my songs are a reflection of me, both my real life experiences and my imagination.”
The stage name RossyPP is short for Rossy Punky Perfume ― “Punky” to represent the image of freedom and nonconformity and “Perfume” to convey creating music that people can breathe in like a scent. Her music has a pop-inspired, bossa nova-like sound and paired with her soft, soothing vocals and her self-composed lyrics, RossyPP’s songs have an air of maturity and authenticity to them that reflect greatly on her personality.
“I am actually a very nerdy person,” she said laughing. “Although I am introverted in many ways, most of the inspiration for my music stems from when I am at home and being alone with my thoughts.”
Although RossyPP has always had a passion for art and illustrations, it wasn’t until after she graduated high school that she found her passion for music and decided to join a band. It was then that she realized she wanted to live a life of music.
“I just couldn’t stop thinking about music,” she said. “I knew that this was something that I had to do.”
Illustrations on the “Romantica” cover done by RossyPP
The artist made her professional music debut in 2006 with her first album “The Demo” and has since released five other albums including her latest EP titled “Romantica,” which was released earlier this month.
“When I write my music, I concentrate a great deal on both the lyrics and the melody,” she said. “Unlike songs that just go with the flow of the current trends, I think of my songs as music that you could listen to and enjoy 10 or 20 years down the line.”
“Godspeed,” the title track of RossyPP’s latest album, is a mid-tempo pop ballad piece about realizing one’s feelings about a belated love, before it’s too late. Unlike in her previous albums, “Romantica” features her playing along with a band, giving her songs a fuller sound this time around.
“I really wish to contribute songs that make people think,” she said. “The image that I want to project is that of someone who is honest, who has depth and puts a lot of thought into their music.”
By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)