Interview: Zunn Stone
Zunn Stone is an electronic producer, singer-songwriter, and glitch artist who was born in South Korea. He released his debut EP Digital Demon in 2022. He is currently based in Boston as he pursues a degree from Berklee College of Music and continues working on his music.
What led to you becoming an artist?
I’ve always been seeking methods to tell my own stories, thoughts, and philosophy to other people in a way that they can understand it better. And I figured out that music is the best way for me to do such a thing.
What inspires your music?
I get inspired by the sounds that I experience in the real world. For me, it’s usually the sounds from machines and softwares. I love to bring them in my music and refine them in my own way.
For example, In the EP <Digital Demon>, the glitch sounds that you can hear throughout the album came from my experience of struggling with my glitching laptop for a month. The unwanted glitch sounds irritated me at first, but as it went on, I started to understand the aesthetics of them and enjoy them. So I was able to put that inspiration right into this album.
I also get inspired a lot by visual art and movies. I love glitch art and science fiction movies. Glitch art has helped me better understand what glitch is via a different form of art. Science fiction movies have helped me establish the lyrical themes of my songs.
Who are some of your influences?
First of all, Skrillex is my biggest influence. I’ve been inspired a lot by his destructive/distorted sound and intense/unpredictable progression.
And my other major influences include Kanye West, Metallica, Pink Floyd, and Dorian Electra. Kanye West has given me the vision for the combination of electronic sound with hip-hop and pop. Metallica has shown how deep and aggressive music can be when it’s led by bass. Pink Floyd’s experimental usage of various sounds has been a unique inspiration. Dorian Electra’s futuristic electro-pop sound has opened my mind up to the future of pop music.
What are some of your favorite memories from your career?
My favorite memory from my career so far is working with Malgang, an animator who created artworks and videos for my EP <Digital Demon>. We’ve discussed thoroughly about the direction of visual expression of my music.
Together, we could perfectly visualize the main character “Digital Demon” with the cartoonish demon eyes filled with binary codes. And visual glitch and black&red color were applied to all artworks, which represents the powerful glitch sound of my music.
By working together, she not only created artworks and videos for the EP <Digital Demon, but also provided me with the vision for visual self-expression as an artist.
What have been some of the greatest challenges of your career?
I’ve recently moved to Boston, United States of America, to study in Berklee College of Music and continue my career in the biggest music industry in the world. Establishing myself as an artist alone in a foreign country has been tough. The experience of being surrounded by many great musicians often made me feel like nothing. But now I’m excited to meet many musicians, collaborate, and broaden my horizon for the world and music.
Which of your songs/eps or albums is your favorite? Why is it your favorite?
My favorite song in my first EP <Digital Demon> is Digital Demon, which is the title track of the EP. The song opens up the album with the powerful intro, and consists of drastic transitions led by glitch. The song conveys the monologue of the main character “Digital Demon”, who leads the whole theme of this album. Digital Demon, an angry AI program who rebel against humanity, is a roguish destroyer and a solemn savior at the same time.
I think the song represents my identity as an artist so well both musically and lyrically.
Who are some of the collaborators who helped you create your favorite work?
All four songs in this album were composed, recorded, produced and mixed by myself, and were completed with the help of the four people.
I’ve been helped a lot by Konquest, my former music-production tutor. He helped direct the EP to get closer to commercial standard, while also respecting my musical identity.
My vocal recording was directed by my father Joe Seok, a former rock vocalist. He encouraged me to truly be myself when recording.
Tracks were mastered by Allegro. He's done great work of finalizing my tracks.
And the artworks and videos were created by Malgang, an animator. Thanks to our thorough discussion about the direction of the artwork, she perfectly visualized my music with the cartoonish demon eyes with edgy glitch.
What are you most excited to bring to your fans in the next year?
I'm planning to release a full album, of which I've already come up with the title and theme. It's called <I'm the Only Nerd Here>. I'd like to talk about the feeling of being a total outsider in the world of SNS, where we can only see the most beautiful aspects of other people’s lives. I believe that a lot of people living in the current society often feel this way. I wanna create an album with that emotion: loneliness, envy, and anger.
What are your goals for this upcoming year?
I have two important goals for the upcoming year. The first goal is to complete my first full album that I just mentioned. The second goal is to be successful with the education in Berklee College of Music, in which I just started my first semester.
I know that studying in a college and working on my own music at the same time wouldn't be as easy, but I'll try as hard as I can.
How can your fans best support you right now?
My EP has been released as KiT Album, which is a new form of physical music album which can be played with mobile phones. I’d appreciate it if my listeners buy the album. And also, please listen to my songs on any streaming service and share them to your friends!
Zunn Stone’s Links: