Kenji, as he likes to be called, is a Korean-American musician based in Atlanta doing an emo style of music. Even though he hasn’t been in the industry for long, the singer has a lot to say about his interests and the behind the scenes story of his way of living in the industry as an independent artist.
It is common knowledge that artistic careers within Asian societies have always been an issue. However, Kenji followed his heart and started making music… But how did he end up deciding to follow this career despite it all?
As a fan, I was always interested in how music was created. I would figure out who was producing my favorite songs and try to find interviews or videos of them in the studio. I eventually learned about FL Studio, downloaded it, and started making beats just for fun.
OKAY! KENJI STARTED DOING REGGETÓN BEATS
Although he is unknown in this neck of the woods, Kenji has now almost 40 songs under his name. With some beats inspired by various reggaetón beats.
Okay! Kenji confessed to us the song he would like people to pay a little more attention to is “THE FLOOR TURNED INTO LAVA!”
The musician said: “Obviously I’m biased but it’s lowkey perfect in my opinion… everything from the lyrics to the vocal melodies to the beat. I’m just so proud of that song and how it all came together”.
Okay! Kenji oficially debuted on January 27th, 2020 with a five-song EP titled ‘EST END EP‘. Hitting 300 thousands streams, the producer then released a second EP called ‘IF I DIE ALONE’, which became a big hit and era for him with the song “THESE DAYS“.
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The song reached 2,145,821 streams (counting until 2022) followed by the song “IF I DIE ALONE” with more than 1 million streams on Spotify. With these numbers, it made 2021 one of the best years so far in his career. Although the fame of the singles were tremendous, Kenji does not want to be recognized by them, but by the his songwriting. Just like in the song “If You Chase Two Rabbits”.
My favorite lyrics are from this song… “I’ve been thinking, will I be successful? Or just someone who really had potential. ‘Cause I’m so used to being overlooked, and tryna prove to people that I’m special”
said Okay! Kenji.
WHY NOT? THE LAST STEP OF OKAY KENJI’S MOST PERSONAL SONG
For a lot of musicians, it is hard not to say everything about themselves in their lyrics because there’s a point where there’s just too much of yourself out there for people to know and judge. But Kenji took that opportunity when he dropped “Chemical Imbalances”.
I started writing it last year when I was super depressed. I went back and forth about actually releasing it because of how personal and vulnerable the lyrics get. Ultimately I figured “why not?”… I’m going to die anyway so whatever lol. Making the song was therapeutic and helped me a lot. I hope it can help others now.
Even with 2023 entering in our lives, Okay! Kenji knows exactly what he wants for this year: fall in love and go on tour. And possibly meeting more fans just like when someone recognized him at a restaurant: It was a cool moment for me, said the singer-songwriter.
Let’s see where his career unfolds and wish him luck on his journey.
