In Korean, the attaching of “ya” at the end of someone’s name is a mark of closeness. It would never be used to refer to new friends and acquaintances, but can be attached to the names of siblings, old friends, and familiar faces. For Hunjiya, the artist name of singer, producer, and songwriter Alice Kim, it feels fitting. Her modern production and lush vocal layering frames confessional lyrics full of the sort of personal reflections one would expect to hear from a best friend. Her songs spill intimate secrets, buoyed by a lightness in musicality that maintains balance.
Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in a small town in upstate New York, the songstress got her start in the arts by observing her mother, a visual artist. Inspired by the DIY ethos and strong Asian American representation among singer-songwriters on YouTube in high school, Hunjiya purchased a $20 ukulele online and began making her own videos posted in secret. When classmates found out and praised her voice, she gained the confidence to pursue music more seriously, winning accolades through programs like YoungArts and the Johnny Mercer Songwriting Project. Her music study at University of Miami rounded out her skillset as a musician and introduced her to a new network of collaborators.
Hunjiya released her debut EP Lineage in 2017, a gift for her grandparents who had never heard her music prior to its release. Stripped down and featuring voice notes of her grandparents in their native Korean, it retells the story of how they fell in love. Two years later, Hunjiya released her second project and full length album, Look After August which explores the concepts of self-identity and self-care in one’s early twenties. In 2020, Hunjiya released the electronic-pop EP Fold as a duo, indigoworld, with producer Justin Trout. This EP saw an evolution in Hunjiya’s vocal production and style, a change she carries into her forthcoming album KHAMAI.
Hunjiya has performed at events such as Art Basel, Okeechobee Music Festival, and Sofar Sounds Seoul. Her music has been used and recognized by the likes of British Vogue, H&M, Them., Line of Best Fit, Lyrical Lemonade, and Desigual.
Now, Hunjiya is beginning a new era in her musical career. After relocating to Korea for a promising opportunity to work with producer Millic’s independent label Paix Per Mil, she has opened up a new door to discovering her own identity, both as a musician and an individual. KHAMAI is the result of that exploration, an album named for the chameleon-like nature of finding yourself through ever-shifting identities. If it is a response to the age-old advice, “be yourself”, it is one that embraces self-acceptance but also challenges its simplicity. Hunjiya squarely refuses to exist in only one facet of her kaleidoscopic identity. KHAMAI will be released on July 6, 2022.
Written by Abi Raymaker