YeJin Hong (22) aka Claire Hau is an independent singer and rapper who debuted as Hauzee in February 2020. She accepted to answer our questions about her career and her future in the industry.
@clairehaumeowWhen did you start making music and what motivated you to start?
I started music about 2 years ago and the motivation was from Crush. Actually, the time I started dreaming of becoming an artist was in middle school. That time I saw Crush on a radio (called ‘Double k’s killing radio’ maybe?) and he talked about his story, like how he became an artist and performed his song ‘crush on you’. I was so inspired and thought that if I start doing music, I want to be an artist like him; an artist who makes his own songs. That's how I started doing music 2 years ago. I officially debuted on February 25th, 2020.
Is there a specific distinction between Hauzee and Claire Hau? What was the reason behind the name change?
The specific distinction is that Hauzee is just like an R&B singer, but Claire Hau is an artist we can call Hip-Hop and R&B.
The reason I changed my name was actually because of Tommy Strate. He said that if I changed my name, I would be more successful because he thinks the name Hauzee is like a boy and amateur. So he suggested Claire, and we put Hau from Hauzee, so finally it became Claire Hau. And also I wanted to clarify my identity with my new name Claire Hau.
숙취 ? Hangover · Hauzee (하우지) How do you choose a producer that best fits the direction of your music?
First I see if the beat is unusual and find the producer’s past works to see if they fit me.
Talking about features… What is your dream collaboration and why?
My dream collab is with Crush, cause he made me do this stuff and I was inspired by him.
I personally like "Ride On" a lot. How important do you think it is for a Korean artist to have international features? Is the international market something you’d like to explore with your music?
It is of course good to have experience working with overseas artists. With "Ride on", I was able to have foreign people listen to my voice and I was overwhelmed by their support. I learned many things by working with international artists. I really want to have a career abroad, that’s one of my dreams.
Black Mattic - Ride On (Feat. Hauzee)The Hip-Hop and R&B scene lacks female representation. What do you think the industry needs to do in order to produce more female artists?
I think the industry should keep digging and support underground artists, not only female artists. That will help our Hip-Hop and R&B scene expand in a good way.
That being said, what was/is the biggest challenge as an independent female artist in Korea?
As I had no friends doing music when I first started music, it was a big challenge for me to make connections.
What was the creative process like for "SHMAMMERED" and what part of it you enjoyed the most?
I made "SHMAMMERED" when I was really shmammered, so drunk, so I had a lot of fun making the songs and designing the whole album. And since all of the songs are from my own experience, it was not that hard writing the lyrics.
What I enjoyed the most was rearranging my vocals with the producers. It is always a fun process.
I’ve seen that you are in a crew called "Rest On Memory" with Austn and SIM2 and you guys were planning on a concert last year. Can you tell me more about ROM?
ROM is a crew with really great artists. In ROM, besides me, there is Austn, OWLER, Holmsted, our one and only producer SIM2 and lastly, our great sound engineer Dong-chan Hwang. I was the last member to get in. We are making more group songs and always support and give feedback to each other so that we all can grow up.
REST ON MEMORY (Feat. Claire Hau, Holmsted, OWLER) (Prod. SIM2)Your music goes from R&B to Pop and Hip-Hop… Is there any genre, in particular, you want to focus on and grow with? Or you prefer to try different styles?
I am focusing more on Hip-Hop now. I surely love R&B, but I want to hear "Claire Hau is Hip-Hop" from now on.
What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?
I think I would be studying hard to get into the DEA, cause I always had an interest in drugs, and actually that is my second dream :)
Any fun memory/experience during your career?
I think every time when I release a project, I get really nervous on d-day and it's really funny to look at myself being nervous cause I am not that kind of person in real life.
What should we expect from Claire Hau this year?
From this year, I'm gonna release many albums, that will clarify who's Claire Hau to the public. You'll have more great songs and great news from me this year. Plus, I’m pretty sure that in 2 years' time my name will be recognized and loved by many people.
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