Madison Park is a DJ and producer whose last three tracks have collectively garnered over 100k stream on Spotify.
Close-up Culture’s James Prestridge caught up with Seoul-based rising star to chat about her recent success, teaching herself using YouTube videos, and performing at this year’s KCON.
Q: What has been your reaction to the incredible response your work has received in the last few months?
A: I still remember the first time that I found out that my second single better w/o you was added to Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist (the biggest Spotify’s editorial playlist) in eight different countries. And after a few days, I started to see my track being added on hundreds of independent playlists with big followings, and I am still very grateful for the love that I received on my latest releases.
Q: I loved hearing the story about you learning English, music production and various other things on YouTube as a 12-year-old. How do you feel this unique and modern background has shaped you as an artist and a person?
A: It shaped me to become a fast learner, and I am able to teach myself pretty much anything without any help from others. Being able to do this has played such a huge role in my everyday life, and my career, since it’s all about constantly learning and growing as a person and an artist.
Q: I understand one of the interests you picked up on YouTube was film scoring. Can you tell us about that and some of your favorite film scores?
A: I get inspired the most when I’m listening to different film scores, and this has not changed since day one. Even when I’m making EDM tracks, I get a lot of ideas and inspirations from film music, especially when it comes to melodies.
Q: Would you like an opportunity to score a film in the future?
A: Absolutely. I love making lush and sweeping scores with a futuristic vibe, so I’d love to work on sci-fi, superhero or drama films. It’s my goal to work on a film with John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Brian Tyler and James Horner.
Q: You recently dropped an awesome music video for ‘better w/o you’. Are you thinking about visuals for your songs when you are working on them or do the ideas for the music videos come once the song is finished?
A: I would start thinking about the visuals when I’m working on the lyrics, and this comes after most of the production and writing process is done.
Q: I strongly recommend people check out the behind the scenes video for ‘better w/o you’ on Youtube. How much fun did you have working with directors Jordan Tortorello and Ashley Wendt and the rest of the crew?
A: I actually was not physically present at the music video set, but we spent a lot of time preparing and planning things out for the video shoot and everybody worked together amazingly. I heard the energy was great and I think the final video shows that the crew were definitely having fun when shooting.
Q: You will be participating and DJing the opening ceremony at both KCON New York and KCON Los Angeles. How excited are you to be involved in the biggest K-Pop convention in the world?
A: A LOT. This is my first time performing at such big venues, and I am so excited not only about DJing in front of a big crowd, but also to represent Korean EDM along with other K-Pop artists who will also be performing at KCON this year.
Q: Can you talk about your interest in K-Pop and some of the acts you are excited to see at KCON?
A: I think K-Pop is a very interesting genre because it not only has its unique musical style, but also puts an equal amount of emphasis on the choreography and visuals.
I’m excited to see all the different K-Pop artists that are coming to KCON this year, but I’m especially looking forward to seeing Tomorrow x Together (TXT). They have such a solid music style that incorporates traditional K-Pop and American pop/hip-hop, and are also all amazing dancers.
Q: What is next for you? Any plans or ambitions to share with us?
A: Performing bigger headlining shows, performing at international festivals, releasing collabs with different artists with various backgrounds and keep pushing myself to release better and more inspirational music!