Leevisa suddenly leaves for Canada, where she releases her first full-length album. [Metro Blue]announced. This album was quite different from her previous appearance at Itaewon’s club ‘Cake Shop’ where she wowed the audience under red lights. I guessed that two years in a secluded environment in Canada gave her music a new identity. Last October, I met Leviza again in Seoul, and even though she had become calmer, she still had strong passion. This diversity seems to represent Leviza’s flexible identity and unpredictable artistic exploration.
I returned to Seoul after a long time. How long has it been since you last visited and what did you do in Seoul?
This is my first visit in two years. The purpose of this visit was to meet my family, so I spent most of my time with my family and friends. It’s been a while since I visited Seoul. We had a private event at ‘Villa Mariana’ and also played a set for an hour at ‘Cake Shop’.
Are there any changes or atmosphere you felt compared to before in Seoul?
There seem to be more people and cars.
I left for Canada. Can you tell me why you left?
As I lived by prioritizing the values that were important to me, things naturally progressed that way. No comment on details.
I heard that Canada, where you currently live, is very quiet. What is daily life like there?
It’s quiet but compact. It runs almost consistently every week. I make a promise to myself to follow meal and bedtimes and to take a walk at least once a day. While walking, I interact with wild animals such as squirrels, geese, and skunks, and interact with local residents at the brunch shops and cafes I frequent. Everything we encounter in our daily lives is the subject matter of the album. There is a lot of good music playing at the supermarket near my house, so there is no need to go to the club.
If you were to immigrate to Canada alone, you might be scared. What were your concerns?
I didn’t worry or worry too much because I could always go back to Korea if I thought I couldn’t survive.
Has the quiet life in Canada brought about any changes in your musical style or creative process? If so, can you explain in detail?
Since I knew very few people in Canada, an environment was created where I could focus solely on my work. Because there was a well-established second-hand market and community where equipment could be purchased relatively cheaply, the studio setup was naturally upgraded, and as I adapted to the new equipment, new ideas arose and I naturally approached other genres of music. For example, if you start working with a drum machine, you will create more demos that emphasize rhythm, and if you start with a synthesizer or modular, you will create sketches that emphasize melody or sound texture. album [Metro Blue]When working on , I listened to a lot of Korean indie music from the 2000s that I loved as a child, and I thought that in order to capture the feel of this genre, I should use real instruments such as guitar and bass and sing the songs myself. It was a new attempt, and because I had my own standard of “this should be good enough,” I couldn’t make music using only the samples I had used previously. So, we upgraded the preamp and microphone and created minimal soundproofing to record dry vocals. At the same time, I continued to buy and sell guitar pedals and tried to find the texture I wanted. I received a lot of help from people around me, including co-producer Joel Eel, who created the album, as well as staff at a local musical instrument store and second-hand sellers. While making the album, I learned a lot as if I was going to school.
You may feel free when creating in a new environment, but there must also be limitations you face in the changed environment. Were there any limitations to your work in Toronto?
As I suddenly started living as a first-generation immigrant, I ended up experiencing confusion about my identity. There were times when I felt depressed because I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere.
In the past, he also produced music for a movie called “Deception.” What was the difference from your other work?
There was a difference in attitude and method of working. In the case of film music, I work with many people, so being able to listen carefully to other people’s stories was very helpful. Making my personal album involves going deep into my inner self, so my personality is very different.
Your album released in 2024 [Metro Blue]introduced it as an album expressing a cultural and emotional journey between Seoul and Canada. What did you hope the audience would feel through this album?
The emptiness of survival, the preciousness of life, and hope.
Your music is autobiographical and sometimes feels like a diary of your emotions. How are the records changing over time? Also, what is the link between you from the past to the present?
Now, rather than my emotions, I am more interested in writing down the things I experience for the first time in a new environment. The desire to create music to remember things that are being forgotten still remains.
Music can be a powerful tool for expressing emotions, but if you show too much, it can become personal, and if you suppress it too much, it can become inauthentic. How do you strike a balance between these?
I’m having trouble maintaining my balance. Since we are human, isn’t it okay to have some shortcomings? I always try to keep a good direction, but I believe that I will naturally find balance when the time comes.
What future are you planning?
I plan to add a spoonful of peanut butter to the oatmeal I will eat for breakfast tomorrow.
Editor │ Seonwoong Hwang
Photographer │ Yerim Han
