Korean rock band SE SO NEON’s frontwoman Soyoon Hwang talks the process of creating their new record <NOW>, and what she wants you to take away from it.

In conversation, Soyoon Hwang speaks with the same unguarded honesty that defines her music. The SE SO NEON frontwoman admits she’s been crying more lately – not out of sorrow, but from moments of pure joy, beauty, or overwhelm. These days, she says, she’s learning to rejoice with her whole heart when she’s happy and to grieve fully when she’s sad, a kind of emotional openness she feels many people have grown closed off to. That willingness to feel in full has become the anchor for <NOW>, SE SO NEON’s long-awaited debut full-length.

Helmed by Soyoon’s instinctive guitar work and rich, multilingual songwriting, <NOW> distills the band’s genre-blurring style into its most vivid form yet. The record was born from a creative crossroads, after a period of self-doubt sent Soyoon to New York for a reset. Ten-hour days in the studio reawakened her sense of possibility, inspiring an album steeped in imagery of sky and sunshine, rooted in the raw textures of nature, and unafraid to wander between blues, psychedelic rock, new wave, and synth pop. Like its title, it insists on living fully in the moment.

For Soyoon, <NOW> is both a turning point and an enduring philosophy. “Paradoxically,” she tells us, “the songs that hold my most personal moments feel like they exist most fully in their rightful place, beyond past and future.” That timelessness is paired with what she calls her “animalistic” guitar style – playing not as a display of technique, but as an extension of her own voice. The process, she says, often borders on unconscious creation, in contrast to the more deliberate, film-director approach of her So!YoON! solo work.

That unfiltered quality runs through the title track, a song she’s curious to see take on new life on stage. For Soyoon, live performance is as much about sensory detail as it is about sound; even the distinct smell of a venue becomes part of its atmosphere. Eight years after SE SO NEON’s debut, she still resists defining the band’s place in Korea’s expanding indie scene. “I’ve always wanted to feel part of something, but here I am again, having suddenly flown off to America,” she reflects. Instead, she sees <NOW> as a “bookmark” – a point listeners can return to in memory, carrying with them the comfort of her most natural, unfiltered self.

We caught up with the South Korean talent to discuss the process of creating her new record, and what she wants you to take away from it.

Listen to the album…

Read the interview…

You’ve said the title <NOW> came from learning to live more in the present — what’s the most important moment you’ve had recently where you truly felt “in the now”?
In recent months, I’ve realized that I’ve been crying a lot more — not from sadness, but from joy, from being overwhelmed in the moment, from the beauty of what I was seeing. It still feels awkward and a little embarrassing to admit, but I think I’m learning how precious it is to rejoice with my whole heart when I’m happy and to grieve fully when I’m sad. These days, I feel like we’ve all become a bit closed off to experiencing emotions in their entirety. When I’m laughing a lot or loving deeply, that’s when I feel I’m truly living “in the now.”

The album moves between so many genres but still feels cohesive. How did you decide what “belonged” in the <NOW> world?

<NOW> isn’t just a new SE SO NEON album, it’s also been a deeply personal project spanning the past few years. Alongside my resolve to live in the present, I wanted to create music that wasn’t something you’d look back on later, but music to which the concept of time couldn’t easily be applied. Paradoxically, the songs that hold my most personal moments feel like they exist most fully in their rightful place, beyond past and future. I tried to respond honestly to each moment, and the tracks that stayed were the ones that carried that attitude.

Your guitar work is often described as unpredictable yet natural — how do you approach making something feel organic when it blends so many different sounds?

I’ve always described myself as an animalistic player. When I first started making music, I chose guitar over all the other instruments because it felt closest to my own voice. I try to make the rhythm, melody, and even the smallest changes in touch feel as close as possible to my voice and my soul. I sometimes joke that I’m not a very technical player, but I think that’s just part of my style.

Many artists talk about “capturing a moment” in their work. For you, does <NOW> feel like a snapshot of a period in your life or more like a philosophy?

It’s both. Through making <NOW>, it feels like I’ve turned a chapter in my life. But at the same time, I think it’s a theme that will continue to live inside me for years to come.

How does the way you write for SE SO NEON differ from the way you write for your So!YoON! solo project?

Writing for SE SO NEON feels like going deep into the most hidden corners of myself, to the point where it’s almost nonverbal and unconscious, as if I’m writing without realizing I’m writing. My So!YoON! solo work, on the other hand, feels more like directing a film with a clear script. They’re very different approaches, and I enjoy working on both at the same time.

You’ve said you’re “from nature” — if you could perform one of the <NOW> tracks outdoors in a natural setting, where would it be?

I’d want to perform the track “NOW” from somewhere very, very high up above the clouds.

Your North American tour includes venues like Brooklyn Steel and The Wiltern — what’s the first thing you notice about a venue when you walk in?

The smell of the place. Many venues share a similar mustiness, but they each have their own distinct scent. I always take a moment to notice it and let myself get used to it.

Is there a song from <NOW> that you’re most curious to see how fans respond to live?

The title track, “NOW.” I’ve already performed it on stage several times, but I imagine it’ll feel completely different performing it after the album is out.

The Korean indie scene has grown globally in recent years. How do you think SE SO NEON fits into that movement now compared to when you started?

Thankfully, since our debut, the Korean indie scene has steadily gained more recognition worldwide. Thanks to all the amazing musicians from Korea. It’s always been a hard question for me to answer, where exactly SE SO NEON fits within that scene. Maybe it’s because I’ve always felt like we don’t quite belong anywhere. I’ve always wanted to feel part of something, but here I am again, having suddenly flown off to America. I’m proud of my peers who’ve held their ground and grown steadily — they’re truly inspiring.

What do you hope listeners will carry with them after hearing <NOW> for the first time?

I hope it becomes a kind of bookmark in their life, something they can return to in memory. I also hope they can find comfort in the most natural parts of myself that are reflected in the album.

Photography – Bahno Jung

Words – Hasan Beyaz