Interview: Juuice

We quiz our BA Songwriting alumnus on musical adventures within the world of K-Pop...

juuice_icmp_blog_2021

Our talented BA Songwriting alumnus Juuice is a songwriter on the up and up.

Having spent some time steadily crafting a career, Juuice has recently just signed a deal with music publisher DWB Music as a topliner and songwriter within the world of K-Pop. 

We caught up with Juuice to find out more about his musical career to date and advice for writers wanting to tap into this musical world...

How did you start your musical journey? Was there a person or record who first inspired you?

I think it just came from my family, my family isn’t musical but they love music and always played music around the house growing up.

My mum loves ABBA, Tina Turner, Heart, Shania Twain, The Supremes... just a huge range of music. My brother is a big fan of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Metallica and then me and my sister listened to the chart pop that was around growing up: Sugababes, Liberty X, Atomic Kitten, Christina Aguilera, Britney etc. So I was always exposed to music. Then somehow I ended up falling in love with classical music and went to study that as well as music theory and production in college. 

What led you to ICMP?

ICMP always stood out to me as a hub of diversity and experience when it came to popular music.

ICMP felt like a place where you were able to experiment and freely go on your musical journey, but then also acess the necessary knowledge to protect yourself in a very cut-throat industry."

How did you find your time with us? What was the key thing you learned? 

My time at ICMP was life-changing and provided me with a great foundation for my career.

The facilities and knowledge available at ICMP are something that I never took for granted and I believe I used fully to my advantage while being a student (and alumnus!). The lecturers and the Careers and Industry Hub were extremely supportive and I became close with a lot of them. I think it’s essential that when you’re in a place like ICMP, where creativity and opportunity are everywhere, you make the most of your time and don’t be afraid to build relationships with tutors, the hub and guest speakers.  

What led you to the world of K-Pop? Are there any particular songwriting inspirations from this musical world? 

My journey to K-Pop was completely by accident to be honest! I have been working in Western pop music since I began my professional career five years ago. I first became interested in the genre when I heard ‘Boombayah’ by Blackpink, and I just fell in love with it.

The structure of K-Pop songs to a Western listener may seem kind of messy and random, but once you absorb enough of it and analyse it, patterns and formulas begin to emerge that you can implement into your own writing. I have too many inspirations to list. They say the music industry is small, but the K-Pop music industry is even smaller and I’m so grateful that I’ve already worked with almost all of my songwriting inspirations!

Congratulations on your deal with DWB Music Publishing - how has this come about? And what does this mean for you as a songwriter? 

Thank you! I began developing a relationship with DWB around the end of 2020, particularly with co-founder Greig Watts, who has facilitated countless opportunities for me and my collective already. This means more opportunities for me as a writer and producer and a chance to build my career even further. I am also planning to travel to South Korea, Japan and China later this year to work with some very talented topliners and producers who I have been lucky enough to work with remotely already.  

You're also part of FadedPink - what is the project all about? 

FadedPink is a collective which includes me and three other ICMP alumni: Laura Amos, Prins Fimmers and Noah Horne. We founded FadedPink mid-2020, during the height of the pandemic and we have been working extremely hard on our songwriting and production portfolios. We have all had interest from publishers as a collective and individually, so we still do our own individual projects. However, FadedPink is like the family that we’re each building from!

Have you any advice for any aspiring songwriters? 

Try and write everyday, even when you don’t feel like it, particularly if you want to embark on a career as a professional songwriter/topliner. When you commit to professional obligations such as camps/sessions, it’s important to figure out how to creatively and mentally cope with the pressure, (preparation is also very useful). Also, do not underestimate or neglect the networking aspect of the music industry, networking is just as important as the music, you could write a hundred hits but if they’re in the wrong hands, no one will hear them!

Another important point is to network smart, don’t just send your demos out to everyone, do your research on who you’re sending your work to and think about how they can help you out. Adopt an attitude of consistent improvement and progress."

Be self-critical of your work and use references to ensure that what you are creating is on par with others’ work. Finally, make sure that you take care of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually. My schedule is gruelling most of the time and I have learned (the hard way!), to prioritise self-care and rest when it is possible to avoid burnout. 

What does the future have in store for you and your music? 

A lot of camps with some very talented people, more music and a lot of traveling (post-Covid) to meet and work with the collaborators I have had the pleasure of meeting online so far! 

Follow instagram.com/itsjuuice for more. 

Take the first steps in your music career with ICMP

We've been developing and delivering contemporary music education for over 30 years – longer than any other music school in the UK. With a proven track-record, countless music industry connections and unrivalled access to facilities, it's easy to see why hundreds of students choose ICMP each year. 

To completely immerse yourself in your music career, chat with our friendly Admissions Team via email enquiries@icmp.ac.uk or give them a call on 020 7328 0222.

Find your course
by ICMP staff writer
May 13, 2021
Back to Blog Home