Michelle Zauner, the artist behind Japanese breakfastshared a Korean version of his song “Be Sweet”, the first single from his 2021 album Jubilee.
For the updated edit of the track, Zauner enlisted up-and-coming Korean indie artist So! Yoon!, a member of Seo So Neon. Electronic maestro Yaeji also contributed to the song, helping Zauner translate the lyrics of “Be Sweet” from English to Korean.
“We thought it would be fun to release a special Korean version of ‘Be nice’ leading up to our next performance in Seoul,” Zauner shared with Fork in a report. I am very grateful that Yaeji helped me with the translation over a year ago. So ! Yoon! is one of my favorite independent artists in Seoul right now and I’m so happy that we were able to collaborate.
Zauner will perform in South Korea on August 6 at the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival. A July 31 show at the Fuji Rock Festival in Niigata, Japan is Japanese Breakfast’s only other upcoming date in Asia.
In the video for the Korean version of “Be Sweet”, animated versions of So! Yoon and Zauner (whose avatar is accurate down to his tattooed sleeve on his arm) wander through a hazy purple-hued landscape. Zauner drives, hair blowing in victory, while So! Yoon relaxes in the passenger seat, shaking his head to the infectious, bubbly beat of the song.
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Using futuristic and moving imagery seems like new but natural territory for Zauner, whose recent work shows a clear interest in using different mediums to express himself. The musician provided the soundtrack for the indie exploration game Sableand also received critical acclaim for her early memoir Crying in H Martwhich explores Zauner’s food-centric quest to construct his own identity (and recognize himself in his Korean heritage) after the loss of his mother.
Read our 2021 interview with Japanese Breakfast here.
