Welcome back #SoundLover🎶! We are excited to share this next artist with you! K Fuse had the privilege of speaking with Kim Jinho -- more commonly known by his stage name dolphinonthewave! Read our interview with dolphinonthewave below to learn more about this unique and inspirational artist as he shares his passion for music, creative process, and discusses his recent album, 'Popstar Ready.'
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K Fuse: Good evening and thank you for taking the time to talk with us here at K Fuse and sharing your story with our readers. Could you please take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers?
dolphinonthewave: What’s up readers and followers of K Fuse, this is dolphinonthewave from South Korea. I make music, sing and am currently on the path of becoming a Popstar.
K Fuse: Could you tell us about your start in music?
dolphinonthewave: When I was young I studied in China. While I was there it was a huge trend to buy K-Pop artist’s physical albums among friends. However the only way to get the album was to ask my parents once they had to go to Korea.. My first physical album was [Heartbreaker] by G-dragon and that was when I got my first shock from the music and the foundation of me which was ‘I want to become an artist’. Also my mom majored in Korean traditional music so I guess musical path was in my genes.
K Fuse: Who / What has been your biggest inspiration?
dolphinonthewave: I guess it’s different all the time but mainly from my life and the lives of my favorite artists. I try to focus on the lyrics. From my newest album [Popstar Ready], the main theme was about the belief of reaching out to my dream and you also can reach to your dream. I tried to give out the positive energy from my songs and lyrics because that was the type of music that I really liked when I first started to listen to HipHop music.
K Fuse: How would you describe your sound to new listeners?
dolphinonthewave: I guess it’s based on hip-hop, but I wanted to add more Pop colors into my album. I also tried to put some trending sounds into my album that is why track 5 [dolphin VS. Seoul Freestyle] and track 6 [dolphin VS. Me Freestyle] was based on Jersey Club sound and UK Garage sound. The album is very good for easy listening but if you look into the lyrics I tried to write about my life and things I wanted to share with the world.
K Fuse: Could you walk us through your creative process when creating a new song?
dolphinonthewave: I listen to a lot of new releases from various artists and if there are some sounds that I want to try I try to make a track like that right away. I am new to the music industry, I want to try a lot of different sounds, different genres to learn more. For lyrics I stay with my thoughts at that moment, the things that I've been thinking about and my life. Once the beat is ready, I record it and mix it as the mood and energy that I want it to be.
K Fuse: Are there any genres you are currently exploring, or would like to explore?
dolphinonthewave: As I said beforehand, I want to try many different genres and experience the energy behind all of those genres. I plan to make a R&B album and also dance tracks too. I will definitely be going to keep on making HipHop tracks too. For now, I want to make music on simple tracks and make my voice and message stand out more!
K Fuse: How are you currently promoting your music?
dolphinonthewave: Right now, I’m just doing the best I can in my position, pitching songs, doing some interviews, also filming lots of content such as live clips and I have some show plans that are coming up soon. Also just meeting a lot of people and artists to promote my song because that is like the social life that I need to promote my songs. I’m always thinking of ways to promote it more.
K Fuse: How do you balance your passion for music with other aspects of your life?
dolphinonthewave: I don’t really try to balance because now music is already a huge part of my life. Also, my life is where I get my inspirations for my music so I try to live it the best I can in every moment possible. Also, as I said in the last question, now I have to go out to meet people to promote my music because that’s more efficient than staying at home doing nothing, so I have to live my life outside the studio too. I don’t think it really had been a huge conflict to balance my life outside of music and my life as a musician.
K Fuse: You just recently released an album on November 4th title ‘Popstar Ready.’ Is there a special meaning behind the title?
dolphinonthewave: When I was preparing this album I was recovering from my ACL injury. I was in the stage of my life where I had to make huge decisions which was a huge pressure and worries of my life. I just graduated from my university and got discharged from the Korean Army. After going through this stage, I eventually chose to become an artist. With all these reasons I wanted a bold title for my album which led to make this album as [Popstar Ready]. Behind all those worries and confusion in my life I still wanted to show that I am ambitious and truly ready to become a Popstar. I think it was a great choice and after the album title was set, I think I stayed really strong to the fact that I believe I can make it.
K Fuse: What can you tell us about the tracks on the album?
dolphinonthewave: The first two tracks [Re-Surface], [Fly Like Me] are more of a dark trap and dancehall type of song. I wanted to show my ambition as an artist and also give a strong impression to people as an artist. Tracks 3, 4 [My Team My Gang], [So Far So Slow] were more of a pop and brighter type of songs with my ambitions and my appreciation for my surroundings who gave me positive energy around me. I wanted to talk about what I wanted to say and also wanted to give out bright and positive energy to the listeners. Track 5, 6 [dolphin VS. Seoul Freestyle], [dolphin VS. Me Freestyle] as mentioned in the previous questions I wanted to make songs with trending sounds and also, I wanted to stay true to my life and talk about my beliefs as an artist and my current stage as both human and artist. Last but not least track 7, 8 [Promise 2], [Prayers 2] were songs that I remade from songs that my favorite brothers / Artists. The original song was by ì‹ ëª…ê·¼(Shin Mung Geun), Jeffery White from Okashii. It was a song from their Soundcloud years ago and one of my favorite tracks by them. So, I asked for permission and remade them with my colors and mood.
K Fuse: Which track on the album is your favorite and why?
dolphinonthewave: Honestly, I love all my tracks, and they are like my babies to me. However, if I have to choose, I think it is [dolphin VS. Me Freestyle] because once I was making this song, it was very fast and really fun. The lyrics were done in 30 minutes, and the beat was made in a day with my producer, C_on, and we basically just goofed around and had fun. So, because of that memory I think I like it the most.
K Fuse: Is there a message that you wanted to convey to listeners with this album?
dolphinonthewave: I think positivity is the big message and the energy I wanted to share with people. I hope my music could cheer people up and also give them hope. All my songs are about me and me wishing for the best of me. I hope people get that energy from my songs and get the same feeling that I felt as a listener when I first listened to HipHop. I had my troubles, and I had my downs, but I believed in myself and made it. You could do it too! I believe in you.
K Fuse: The album includes a variety of sounds. What inspired this unique creation?
dolphinonthewave: I listen to a lot of music, and I wanted to try a lot of sounds in the first place. Also, I hope to be an artist that fits well in any type of genre. I want to be myself in all different genres and show as an artist with no boundaries. Therefore, I want to try different sounds every time I have the chance.
K Fuse: What can fans expect from you going into the new year?
dolphinonthewave: My plan now is to promote my songs and hopefully sign with a music label. I also want to do a lot of shows and live with my album in many different places. After that, with more upcoming plans in music I want to release some singles and more EPs. My goal is to release my first Full length album (LP) near the end of next year with 14 to 16 tracks. I have a very high standards to a LP album, so I want to show more sides of me that people didn’t see yet, then make a LP album with the best of me in all the different sides that I’ve shown to people. I will be back shortly with more good music and interesting contents along with much more mature and good me so stay tuned to me.
K Fuse: Is there a message that you would like to leave for your fans, and our readers?
dolphinonthewave: This was dolphinonthewave. Thank you so much for listening and reading about me and K fuse for this opportunity. Stay tuned in for more of my music and career. I hope to see all of you in the near future. I promise to not let you down as an artist. Love all of you. Thanks ~ From. dolphinonthewave
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