By Kevin Kim
Australian-Korean starlet BEBE YANA is back with her latest single “VROOM VROOM,” a tender drum and bass track that tells the story of Yana’s summer of love. The beat’s refreshing and dreamy feeling combined with the track’s playful lyrics, catchy melody, and BEBE YANA’s tantalizing voice, transport listeners to a place filled with wanderlust and discovery. Recorded in Paris, the track is produced by DJ/producer h4rdy, who previously collaborated with Yana on Side A of her recent double single “Vision Getting Blurred.”
The new single is accompanied by a music video filmed in Paris and gives fans a glimpse of her recent adventures overseas. The video depicts her travel diaries that range from behind the scenes of her live performance in Paris, participating in Paris Fashion Week as a model, to drifting in empty parking lots and strutting the streets at night with garments provided by ACNE STUDIOS. Listeners can hear the developing sound of BEBE YANA and see the flirty and playful side of her as they travel across Europe together through the video.
Debuting in 2012 as part of the K-pop group EvoL before going independent in 2017, BEBE YANA is the rising Seoul-based vocalist and artist carving out her own space between mainstream K-pop and her city’s electronic underground. Her unique color, strongly influenced by K-pop, new wave Pop, Drum & Bass, Jersey Club, and 90’s Pop, has garnered the attention of listeners worldwide. Fans are eager to learn more about this mysterious artist pushing different sounds within Korea. “Strawberry Kisses” and “Space Mulan” have garnered popularity, setting the foundations for BEBE YANA’s sonic trajectory. BEBE YANA’s clear voice paired with experimental beats, has allowed her to become the bridge between K-pop and underground; thus creating Underground K-pop. Australian-Korean starlet BEBE YANA signed with her current label A MASS CULTURE and continues to push herself artistically to experiment with different styles of music across cultures.
A MASS CULTURE is a record label, music production team, event management and creative agency based in Seoul, South Korea. The label fuses together commercial and underground music with the goal of amassing artists, creatives, and spaces through discovering, developing and distributing artists’ work. The corporate team members have an international background as well as a balanced mix of business and creativity. When scouting for artists, the label looks for originality, individuality, artistry, drive, and overall, a larger sonic vision. As a label, resources can be provided to help and develop the artists, but the artists themselves should also hold a strong sense of self and have a clear idea and mission regarding their music. BEBE YANA shares the mission and goals with the label to push for new global trends: changing the sonic landscape and building bridges with creatives internationally in the process.
After signing with the current label, YANA released the single “64” produced by German producer Ludwin Wandinger and underground Seoul DJ and producer KHYO, who has worked with mainstream Korean artists like Crush, Woo, Mokyo, and K-pop group WayV. Experimenting with ambient sounds, crisp highs, and deep bass, “64” was a futuristic down-tempo track that took listeners on a mystical ride. Inspired by angel numbers, “64” encourages listeners to trust the universe and rid themselves of negative thoughts, all while referencing the classic 64 Chevy Impala, the vehicle for this sonic journey.
YANA’s second single “CHEMISTRY” blurred K-pop, new wave pop, DnB, Jersey Club and 90’s pop. Collaborating with U.S. DJ/Producer AUS10, known for his Jersey, Afro, and Baltimore house sounds in the Korean DJ scene, producer cheno, known for his work with artists such as MXM, GEMINI, Hash Swan etc., and 19-year-old hyperpop producer chilloud. “CHEMISTRY” is the perfect club track with Jersey kicks, unique hyperpop textures, and bright playful lyrics. The song exemplifies the mission of merging K-pop and the underground scene.
Double single “Vision Getting Blurred,” features two versions of the same song along with contrasting characters in pursuit of love. SIDE A, is a soft DnB dream-like track produced by Boiler Room DJ / producer, h4rdy. This version of the song showcases a softer side to BEBE YANA that attracts the attention of listeners through the tracks’ angelic synths, soft adlibs and clear highs. SIDE B is a bold reggaeton and break-beats-inspired track produced by DJ/producer Kwakseungeun (mo’I) with compositional help from NYC DJ/producer Sammy, known for his work with artists like Shygirl and Eartheater. This version shows a more confident BEBE YANA that is assertive and desires control. The character’s confidence and bold personality are showcased through the tracks’ harsh kicks, crisp highs, and BEBE YANA’s tantalizing voice.
BEBE YANA continues to engage and expand within her field as she has been featured on Rolling Stone Korea, HYPEBEAST, HYPEBAE, marie claire, Mixmag, IGGY Mag, AVYSS Magazine etc. with the support of Spotify editorials like K-pop Fresh, TrenChill K-R&B, Fresh Finds Korea and more. In 2022, BeBE YANA was chosen among the Top 5 Female Rookie Artists by i-D Korea and her track “Satellite” was selected among The 100 Best Songs. Recently, she was featured on Apple Music’s UP NEXT KOREA.
Constantly growing, collaborating, experimenting, and evolving, BEBE YANA is pushing the boundaries of K-pop through her unique blend of crystalline vocals, edgy visuals and curation of production that fuses underground and mainstream. Her ability to connect with collaborators at both ends of the spectrum, from K-pop royalty to producers that dominate Seoul’s electronic clubs, has allowed her to cultivate her own space, Underground K-POP.
Kevin Kim (kevin.kim@routenote.com) works in the music industry as the head of Asia for the global music business company, RouteNote. He worked for YG PLUS and CJ E&M Mnet before joining RouteNote.
