AnSo’s “ANSOIE”
A dynamic and ever-evolving song of perseverance, AnSo’s “ANSOIE” is out now.
“나는 안소이 (I am ANSOIE) you can call me
But I won’t be picking up my phone I’m too busy”
A self described sculptor of sound existing and creating on Gadigal land, South Korean artist, AnSo’s ever-evolving music lies in the experimental electronic realm, building worlds with field recording manipulations and vocal experimentation.
‘ANSOIE’ is the next release after their previous singles ‘MOLLAH’, 'Come Find Me' and 'So Damn Loud'. It tells a story of the constant battle between confidence and anxiety, success and failure. The back and forth interweaving of Korean and English lyrics represents the way AnSo’s thoughts sound in their head; certain emotions and experiences that seem to fit a particular language. The song expresses the tedious repetitiveness of everyday life but also, the feeling of running out of time; the constant battle faced by independent emerging artists.
AnSo explains some of their feelings behind the song, “I think I’ve become a little bit bitter over the past few years as an artist and musician and feeling like I’ve been stuck at the same place and not moving forward.”
“Of course if I really look back there are alot of things I have achieved, but I think a part of being human is the inescapable act of comparing. It’s so important to surround yourself with people that challenge you to be better but at times it can also feel like you’re getting left behind.”
“I think I really tried to mask these feelings and this insecurity in verse 1, but the truth can’t always be hidden and reveals itself in verse 2. Verse 1 is all about confidence and saying “따라 하지 않아 내가 더 잘하니 날 따라해 봐 넌 웃음거리” ("I don't imitate, because I do it better. Try to imitate me, you're just a laughingstock"). It just exudes cocky confidence. But then we go into verse 2 and the self-doubt starts kicking in “위로 저 위로 가야 돼 저기로 시간이 없어 I’m running out of time 뒤로 저 뒤로 밀려 가 저 뒤로아무리 버텨도 밀려가 but it’s mine” (“Upwards, I have to go upwards, I’m running out of time. Backwards, I keep going backwards, no matter how much I hold on, but it's mine”). I think my days switch between verse 1 and 2, the ad nauseam of it all.”
‘ANSOIE’ is available on all streaming platforms now.
Photo credit: Estelle Yoon