South Korean trio Sonny Zero, hevel & Dasu bring the R&B flair in their new single Afore pulled from their new EP, Places We Knew.
There’s something powerful about three distinctly unique artists and producers coming together to create something truly innovative. For producer Dasu and artists Sonny Zero and hevel, that’s what happened. After forming in South Korea last year, the trio has released a slew of euphoric and invigorating hits like Dew, Away From Here and Give It Up. Now they release Afore, pulled from their new EP Places We Knew.
1883 Magazine chats with the trio to discuss the single and EP, coming together as artists, and more.
You were formed in South Korea; how has the country shaped your artistry and sound?
Seoul is an incredibly homogeneous society, especially within the music industry, there is a set path for artists to follow and abide by. We as a group wanted to take some of the polished nature of Korean music while applying our own twist. Instead of massive studios, and multiple songwriters like what is typical for Korean music; we recorded in an intimate setting with the only writers being ourselves and whichever close friends were with us at the time.
The three of you come from different backgrounds within the industry. How did the three of you meet and when did you realize you wanted to form a collective trio together?
Hevel came to Korea in 2021, but before that, all interactions were completely online. We had worked with hevel through Instagram and Discord, but meeting with them, we quickly formed a good relationship being mainly english speakers surrounded by mostly native Korean speakers. Sonny and DASU have had a close relationship through a mutual friend and artist “Raemin” who passed away in 2020, which brought them closer together both personally and creatively.
What was the inspiration and creative process behind ‘Afore’?
We wanted a track that felt like a breath of fresh air. Even the demo for the track is called “Freshen Up” for most of the recording of the album. When DASU first lays down the guitar it was an immediate inspiration for everyone in the room and the track was completely almost as fast as it was conceptualised.
Was there anything that you did differently during the writing of ‘Afore’ that surprised you about yourselves?
Both Sonny and Hevel are artists who typically record by themselves or in a more private setting, while DASU, naturally as a producer is amazing at bringing the most out of the artists he works with. So with 2 typically reclusive artists, it was a difficult time but with DASU being able to guide conversation and ideas, it was an enlightening experience on how to work with other opinionated artists without bringing ego, and rather working on creating the best song possible.
It’s pulled from your new EP, Places We Knew. Including ‘Afore’, would you say there are some themes or throughlines in the EP that each song has?
The EP in its entirety is a love story between two lovers and it shows the process of falling in love and falling out of love. Each song explains a specific stage in the relationship.
‘Afore’ is described as the catalyst to finalizing the EP. What was it about the song that made you all realize it was complete?
Afore was the first song that we made for the EP, and it was the official start of our project. When we finished the song we knew that this project was officially a thing.
If you could manifest something for yourself this year, what would it be?
Hevel: I would like to manifest a finished solo project by the end of 2023.
Sonny Zero: Been really enjoying playing live shows in front of audiences, so I’d love to manifest a year full of opportunities to play live.
Lastly, what can we expect next from you?
Sonny Zero: 2 EP’s!
Hevel: I’m planning on releasing a solo project by the end of this year. Many singles to come as well.