South Korean alternative pop singer-producer WILDBERRY explores the magic of nature, its connection to the extraterrestrial, and the importance of letting love guide us with Atwood Magazine.

Stream: ‘AGAPE’ – Wildberry

“I feel a lot of chaotic feelings, sometimes sad, and sometimes happy,” alternative pop singer/songwriter WILDBERRY says, looking offscreen and briefly pausing.

“It was a challenge to learn this emotion and be built as a human. In the future, I want to be a good person, and that means learning this emotion. I really want to express what this AGAPE love means.”

WILDBERRY joins us over Zoom from the heart of South Korea at noon, donning a leather jacket and chunky silver necklace, sleek platinum blonde hair framing the sides of her face. Contrasting her bold presence, she’s shy and soft-spoken, nervously counting the minutes down until her debut album AGAPE (pronounced AH-gah-peh) hits streaming platforms worldwide.

Born Heo Eunkyung, brought up in South Korea and attending university abroad at SUNY Oswego, the singer has nurtured her musical inclinations for as long as she can remember, exploring a number of instruments, production programs, and vocal styles before venturing into creative projects of her own. Classically trained as a pianist and breaking out into the industry as half of an EDM duo in 2017, her breadth of tastes and experiences reflects the essence of her creative universe.

“I often think about the nature and environment of the universe,” she says. “I draw a lot of inspiration from it, and I live in the energy of love and how it transcends time and space. My last single was ‘Timescape,’ which surrounded the topic of transcending love and remembering the love we received, whether it’s from our love, family, or friends.”

Love: It was the concept most frequently revisited throughout my conversation with the up-and-coming artist. A joint effort between her and her boyfriend of one year and collaborator of six, AGAPE sees WILDBERRY channeling humanity’s basal nature and fusing its energy into her art. Across eleven tracks informed by electronic, rock, folk, and pop sensibilities, the singer captures and expresses in all the forms it arrives, carrying listeners through a transcendental experience with smooth melodies and mystical atmospheres.

We couldn’t go without mentioning her equally otherworldly concept photos and visuals; when asked about the intent behind such, WILDBERRY articulates the power of visual and sonic mediums in conveying both individuality and universal interconnectedness.

“[My team and I] believe that positive values can be promoted through the art. I believe that within the universe and nature, we are like small thoughts that are different from one another, but are ultimately connected in one world. We wanted to express this thought through the visuals.”

WILDBERRY sat down with Atwood Magazine mere minutes ahead of her album release, baring her heart on musical sensibilities and the inherent value in romanticizing the process – we had the pleasure of being the first to congratulate her for the project launch.

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:: stream/purchase AGAPE here ::

:: connect with WILDBERRY here ::

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“Castaway” – Wildberry

A CONVERSATION WITH WILDBERRY

Atwood Magazine: WHAT WAS THE CONCEPT YOU HAD IN MIND WHEN YOU WERE GOING INTO MAKING AGAPE? DID YOU HAVE AN IMAGE IN MIND OR WERE YOU JUST LIKE, “I WANT TO MAKE AN ALBUM?”

WILDBERRY: Actually, my producer is Chillin Boi G, who is my boyfriend. When we were dating, he gave me all these tracks. When we kept dating, we naturally added to the songs and kept every sketch. It just came out really fast and neat. After that, I thought about the concept as a form of love.

I SAW ON YOUR INSTAGRAM STORY THAT YOU WORKED WITH HIM ON THIS PROJECT. I THINK IT’S REALLY COOL THAT YOU’RE WITH YOUR PARTNER BOTH CREATIVELY AND ROMANTICALLY. WHAT’S IT LIKE HAVING SOMEONE THAT YOU CAN WORK WITH AND COME HOME TO ALL IN ONE?

WILDBERRY: It makes it really easy. He cares about me so much. Before that, I was working with a lot of engineers and producers, so it was hard to feel naturally connected, but he made all the tracks, so it was really easy to mix. While I was recording, he supported me well. We’ve known each other for six years, and we’ve been dating for one. Once we were dating, we built this album together, so it was a really special experience.

WHEN YOU WERE MAKING THE ALBUM WITH HIM, DID YOU EVER CLASH BECAUSE OF CREATIVE DIFFERENCES?

WILDBERRY: The mixes. When I mixed the last track, it was really hard to make the melody. He wanted to put in his opinion, so we were making the top line for 14 hours. We got no sleep and we kept working. I cried, but it came out really great, so I’m satisfied.

WOULD YOU SAY THAT’S ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS? WHICH SONG STANDS OUT THE MOST TO YOU IN TERMS OF BEST REPRESENTING THE ALBUM?

WILDBERRY: “Fantasize.”

I’M GOING TO MOVE ON FROM ALBUM QUESTIONS FOR A MINUTE AND ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON. WHO IS WILDBERRY AND WHAT MAKES HER DIFFERENT FROM EUNKYUNG?

WILDBERRY: Actually, there’s no difference between WILDBERRY and Eunkyung, because I can’t do things I don’t want to do and I’m a very honest person. Everything I feel simply gets impressed through my music. I see myself as a kind of messenger who has to communicate with the world.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME WILDBERRY? IT’S A REALLY DIFFERENT, UNIQUE NAME.

WILDBERRY: I was looking for a name in the colour chart. I really love red, and there was this burgundy-red colour named Wildberry. Starting with that, I kept thinking about wild berries. They grow in nature and spread all over the world, so maybe my songs and I can spread like wild berries.

I KNOW YOU WERE ALSO PART OF THE ELECTRONIC DUO, VIEW, WITH JADE KEY. DO YOU FEEL MORE CONFIDENT AS A SOLOIST THAN AS PART OF A DUO?

WILDBERRY: Definitely. I’ve been producing myself for five years. I was really struggling with the album cover and music video as an independent artist. I was struggling with working with many people, because I had to decide right away. Those experiences built me now.

I ALSO WANTED TO TALK ABOUT YOUR SCHOOLING, SINCE YOU WENT TO SUNY OSWEGO. WHAT DID YOU STUDY AND HOW WAS YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE?

WILDBERRY: I studied classic piano with an audio production minor. My professor in one class was a jazz pianist, but I can’t play jazz, so I played classic piano all the time. Sometimes for 15 hours in a day.

HOW DID YOU FORAY INTO ELECTRONIC MUSIC?

WILDBERRY: I’ve played piano since I was seven, but after that, I wanted to learn about composing for films or commercial music. I learned the MIDI and it was really naturally built up. Before I started music, I wanted to go into psychology, but after that, I had themes in my head that I had to express, so I went to make music.

AGAPE FEELS LIKE A REALLY PERFECT FOLLOW-UP TO ORB, WHICH I BELIEVE IS THE LAST EP YOU RELEASED. IT’S BEEN A LITTLE LESS THAN A YEAR, BUT I CAN REALLY HEAR HOW YOUR SOUND AND VOICE HAVE MATURED. WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS CHANGED THE MOST SINCE RELEASING ORB?

WILDBERRY: Musically, it was hard to have a deep voice. I didn’t sing like that before AGAPE; I always tried to sing cute and high. I used a high voice with a soft, mellow feeling. With this album, I tried to be stronger and put all my emotions into it. I wanted to capture a wide range of emotions, and I used different genres to capture those feelings. I worried that the flow of the album might be disrupted, but I carefully considered the track order and messages when creating everything. I hope that everyone listens to the album in sequence, from start to finish.

HOW WAS ORDERING THE TRACKLIST? DID YOU MAKE ALL THE SONGS IN THE ORDER THAT THEY APPEAR IF IT WAS SO INTENTIONAL?

WILDBERRY: No, not at all. We already had the tracks, so it wasn’t easy to write the lyrics into the order. We just kept building the emotions, relationships, and struggles, and finally, here we are.

BACK TO THE TOPIC OF LOVE, WERE THERE ANY EXPERIENCES THAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THE ALBUM CENTERED AROUND IT?

WILDBERRY: I often think about the nature and environment of the universe. I draw a lot of inspiration from it, and I live in the energy of love and how it transcends time and space. My last single was “timescape,” which surrounded the topic of transcending love and remembering the love we received, whether it’s from our love, family, or friends. The memory of love has power in us, and we must share the love to be stronger. I think these kinds of thoughts really helped in making the album.

“TIMESCAPE” IS ACTUALLY ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SONGS. I REALLY LIKE “SUGAR THRILLZ” AND “TIMESCAPE,” WITH THE MORE UPBEAT, Y2K, BUBBLEGUM POP ELEMENTS. THEY’RE PLACED RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER IN THE TRACKLIST, WHICH FELT VERY THOUGHTFUL AND INTENTIONAL. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THOSE TWO SONGS.

WILDBERRY: That was my sketch before working with Chillin Boi G. I put more of my style between the other tracks. I really love Y2K, danceable house tracks, and they came very cute and lovely. I really love those songs too!

WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR INSPIRATIONS WITH THIS PROJECT?

WILDBERRY: Before writing the lyrics, I read a lot of poems and watched a lot of sci-fi and fantasy jungle movies. My favourite was “Interstellar,” and I also really liked “Betty Blue,” which is a classic. I was listening to a lot of 070 Shake’s songs when making the music.

I WAS LISTENING TO DEAR HEART A LITTLE EARLIER TODAY, AND I NOTICED HOW DIFFERENT YOUR STYLE WAS BACK THEN. IT WAS SUPER EDM, BUT ALSO LO-FI R&B – “MARILYN” AND “POLAROID” ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SONGS BUT THEY WERE RELEASED IN THE SAME YEAR. HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT ALL THESE DIFFERENT TASTES AND SOUNDS IN THE MUSIC CREATION PROCESS?

WILDBERRY: At that point, I was just starting to make music. I didn’t even know how to make a beat well. At the time, I was just like, “Oh, I like this beat. I’ll just make and release an album.” It was really easy to make an album before, almost six years ago, and after that, I really explored myself and my taste. I needed to think about my image as an artist and message. It came out really naturally.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR IMAGE AS AN ARTIST? WHAT DO YOU WANT THE IMAGE OF WILDBERRY TO BE?

WILDBERRY: As WILDBERRY, I really put pure energy into my music. I want to share this energy with the world because everything I feel is so intense. I’m really inspired by nature, and expressing myself through my voice can help people feel the pure feeling. I’m just a really pure person.

BUT, THERE WERE A LOT OF EDGIER MOMENTS ON THE ALBUM TOO! I FEEL LIKE “SKIN” IS A VERY EDGY SONG. DESPITE BEING A PURE PERSON, YOUR VISUALS ARE QUITE DARK AND FUTURISTIC. I KNOW YOU USED TO BE A MODEL AND ARE A MUSICIAN FIRST AND FOREMOST, BUT YOU LITERALLY LOOK LIKE AI IN YOUR PHOTOS. WHAT ROLE DO YOU THINK THOSE VISUALS PLAY IN CONVEYING YOUR WORK?

WILDBERRY: All my visuals are created with Orb Haus. We believe that positive values can be promoted through the art. I believe that within the universe and nature, we are like small thoughts that are different from one another, but are ultimately connected in one world. We wanted to express this thought through the visuals.

It took almost two months to finish everything. We planned a lot, and there’s a really great VFX director in Orb Haus that helps us expand that universe.

THE VISUALS AND SOUND SORT OF REMINDS ME OF AESPA! WOULD YOU EVER COLLABORATE WITH THEM?

WILDBERRY: That would be my dream. I want to go out and get experiences with a variety of artists. There’s no limit. Karina is my favourite.

LAST, WHAT DOES AGAPE MEAN TO YOU?

WILDBERRY: AGAPE means the highest above love. It’s like a God. It’s unconditional love as a being, a human being. It’s really hard to love someone; I feel a lot of chaotic feelings, sometimes sad, and sometimes happy. It was a challenge to learn this emotion and be built as a human. In the future, I want to be a good person, and that means learning this emotion. I really want to express what this AGAPE love means.

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