박혜진 Park Hye Jin Electrifies Seoul’s Underground Music Scene

Once an outsider to Seoul’s hottest underground clubs, Park Hye Jin now leads the scene with electrifying music.

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Long before the pandemic, live music was a tried-and-true foothold for young artists seeking exposure. Even in the age of Club Quarantine, electronic thus musicians seem at a special disadvantage, so linked is electro to dim, tight venues. But 25-year-old Park Hye Jin has had little trouble proving her cred in the U.S., having played just a handful of shows here shortly before lockdown.

Hye Jin wears coast MSGM, shirt Calvin Klein, and earrings Guess.
Hye Jin wears coast MSGM, shirt Calvin Klein, and earrings Guess.

Retracing her rise through Seoul’s underground illustrates that Park was always bound to get noticed: “I wanted to play music so badly that I went to the clubs [by] myself, and told them that if I could not play music, I would be a cleaner in the club,” she recalls. “Of course, I’d prepared a lot with mix sets. I realized I wouldn’t have a chance without [the support] of the community. So I didn’t give up. Finally, after going to the clubs every [week] and acquainting myself with the staff, I got a residency as the DJ every Thursday.” To any lingering doubt of her self- assurance, Park’s breakout track, the coolly laconic “I Don’t Care,” is a killshot: “That song was to all those who ignored or laughed at [me]. They’re just jealous, and that only stimulates me more.”

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