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Photo: Sela Shiloni

When it comes to South-Korean musician Su Lee, “timid” is not a word that comes to mind. Although a self-proclaimed introvert, the singer-songwriter, visual artist, podcaster, and self-taught producer can best be described as “fearlessly goofy” or perhaps “unabashedly eccentric.” Her vibrant commitment to owning all the parts of herself that make her human—from the silly dancing on her homemade YouTube videos to her honesty about her struggles with mental health—is part of the reason why Lee has amassed a faithful community of fans over the last couple of years. 

After renouncing the 9 to 5 corporate life in 2019 to focus on pursuing a career in music (teaching herself everything from songwriting to producing to video editing in the process), she found her big break in 2020 with the bubbly and existential single “I’ll Just Dance.” Since then, she’s become known for candidly addressing heavy topics like depression and anxiety in bedroom pop tracks that are cheeky and contagiously peppy, reminding listeners that smiling and dancing through the pain is often better than wallowing in it. Using her songs and lyrics as a conduit for connection, rather than a vehicle for fame and fortune, her bright and honest music has become a form of sonic group therapy for her many listeners (just check any of her video’s YouTube comments). 

Now, Lee is back with the title track of her debut album, Messy Sexy, scheduled for an October 28 release. In “Messy Sexy,” she brings the same tongue-in-cheek authenticity she’s known for to a bubbly and upbeat track about embracing all of your imperfections, imbuing her usual DIY style with the sheen of studio production. We caught up with her to talk more about the inspiration behind the song and this new chapter in her musical career.

Ones To Watch: Tell me about this new single you came out with, “Messy Sexy.”

Su Lee: This single is about embracing the imperfections, the things that are deemed—societally speaking—unattractive and not really conforming to the norm. I wanted to make a song as a reminder to myself, more than anything, that it’s ok to feel conflicted between a lot of the things that I am, which is just natural. I can be messy, I can have a breakdown, I can be happy, I can be feeling myself, I can be sexy, but also at the same time the next moment I’ll be feeling like a potato sack. And when you really, truly start embracing it, that’s where I think the true beauty comes from.

Was there anything that inspired you to write this song?

I know that there was a point that really inspired this song, but it didn’t come from a particular person or another artist. It’s basically like a tattoo, a symbol that acts as a reminder [that] it’s ok to be messy, it’s ok to just own yourself, and that is sexy. I think I’ve been kind of mulling on this contrast of these two words, messy and sexy, and those two words don't mesh together really well, but there’s something beautiful about how it rhymes. So it started off with just two words, messy and sexy. I might get it tattooed. I’m a tattoo virgin, and I’m truly thinking about getting it tattooed. Maybe if it reaches a certain milestone in terms of the streams and the traction, maybe I’ll get it as a celebration

How were the creative and production processes different for this song compared to your past work?

The biggest distinction between this new chapter and my previous bedroom era is that I’m not afraid to branch out and work with new people. When it came to making this song, I wanted to reach out to certain producers who might be interested. I got in touch with Sweater Beats, who had previously remixed one of my songs “I’ll Just Dance,” and we ended up working on it [“Messy Sexy”] together. We’re good friends now, and it was definitely helpful that he’s not only a very talented producer, but also [regarding] the spirit of the song, we were on the same page. 

Is this one of the first times that you had a collaborative process in the production of a song?

“Messy, Sexy” was actually the first song I’d ever made with another person in the studio. I was definitely shitting myself, I was like, what do I do!

In this new chapter of your musical career, do you have different goals from before?

I think this goal might resonate with me for a long time and not just for this chapter, but I have this motto moving forward that I want my library of music to be an actual library. I want my archive of songs to be like that [a library] moving forward, I want some of my songs to have a jazzy feeling, some of them to have more of a poppy feeling, some more nostalgic and melancholy, some more upbeat and dance, I wanna make a hip-hop song, I don't know! That’s kind of how we are as humans, we’re not just one static being, and as a musician, I don’t feel the same way every time I’m making music, so I think it’s natural that I wanna make songs that are eclectic and can fit different tastes and needs.

It sounds like the music you make is very personal; you put yourself in the songs. Is that scary at all, now that more and more people are listening? 

It’s funny you should mention it because the way that I feel about it is the complete opposite of being scared. It’s actually quite cathartic. It’s very liberating to write about how I went to a dollar shop to get a pregnancy test the other day because I got a pregnancy scare! The song could be out somewhere and if somebody listens to it and is like, “What the fuck is this?” they can just skip the song, or it could be like, I really totally relate to this. So those are two extreme ways, but either way, I don’t think it really hurts me as long as I’m proud of it and it’s something I’m comfortable sharing, and I feel like I’ve gotten more and more comfortable being more unhinged and just like, I don’t care, I’ll talk about anything. I also have a massive fear of talking about these things to strangers, I wouldn’t talk about this with strangers. But when it’s a song, I have an excuse. It’s work, it’s a form of art.

So we’ve talked about how you’re getting into more of the business side of music, where you have a budget, a team, professional producers, and collaborative opportunities. How does that feel?

It’s a lot. I think I’m still trying to process it. I’m trying not to forget the fact that basically, I started this to have fun. So If I have the budget to have even more fun, like I shot this music video where I had feathers flying everywhere and [I was] trying on funky clothes and I got glammed up for the first time in my life, [that] kind of stuff I couldn’t do on my own. And I remember thinking when I would do everything on my own, “I would die to have this kind of experience.” So I try to remind myself that as long as I’m having fun I’m doing a good job.

Who are your Ones to Watch?

An artist named Miki Fiki, he’s actually opening for my first ever headlining show. I’m ashamed to even call him an opener, I’ve been such a huge fan of his music, and I’m just gonna be fangirling him while he’s playing live.