{"id":1817645,"date":"2026-03-10T10:58:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T07:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1817645"},"modified":"2026-03-10T10:58:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T07:58:00","slug":"k-pop-disruptor-effie-conservatives-usually-hate-my-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1817645","title":{"rendered":"K-pop disruptor Effie: \u2018Conservatives usually hate my music\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-0-1350-900\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440602.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article longread\">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/music\/article\/69841\/1\/effie-south-korea-hyperpop-rap-k-pop\" data-article-id=\"69841\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.22\" data-template=\"Longread Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_P2_DasomHan_YumiChoi_03\" class=\"img\" height=\"1110\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1350\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440602.jpg\" width=\"1350\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Dasom Han, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Yumi Choi<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-10T10:58:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"10 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">DateInMeta<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"10\">10,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical vertical - music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>K-pop disruptor Effie: \u2018Conservatives usually hate <span class=\"nowrap\">my music\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>Pushing back against the K-pop industrial complex, Effie is the &#8216;fresh and wild&#8217; underground rap star deferring <span class=\"nowrap\">to no-one<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-10T10:58:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"10 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"10\">10,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-10T10:58:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"10 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"10\">10,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/IsaacMuk\">Isaac Muk<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><em>This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed. Buy a copy of the magazine<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.boutiquemags.com\/dpa\/add\/tocart\/id\/14592\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span>In Korea, it\u2019s rare to refer to older acquaintances by their names. Boys traditionally address older males as hyung (elder brother) and older females as noona (elder sister), while girls are expected to use oppa and unnie respectively. Used as a way of showing respect to those with more life experience, the titles are spoken in public spaces, social gatherings and even school hallways, where the younger person is expected to bow in greeting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This kind of deference never came naturally to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/effi3e\/\">Effie<\/a>, the 23-year-old Seoul-based singer and rapper who stands at the vanguard of Korea\u2019s underground music scene. \u201cFuck that culture, it\u2019s too outdated,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the reasons I dropped out of school and couldn\u2019t relate to people there. Me and my friends don\u2019t care about that culture \u2013 we don\u2019t have that hierarchy.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Referring to her friends simply by their names may be a minor act of rebellion against mainstream Korean society, but it\u2019s one that swathes of the country\u2019s younger generations <\/span><span>increasingly subscribe to. And challenging the status quo is a recurring theme in Effie\u2019s musical output, which has been prolific over the past year. \u201cTapped-in young people know how other countries are, and how other people are free to do what they want and be freer in their relationships with each other,\u201d she continues. \u201cWe still have conservative young people \u2013 but usually they hate my music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>We still have conservative young people [in South Korea] \u2013 but usually they hate my music.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Her latest EP, <\/span><em><span>pullup to busan 4 morE hypEr summEr it\u2019s gonna bE a fuckin moviE<\/span><\/em><span>, is a carefree and confident celebration of the freedom of youth. There\u2019s the raged chaos of \u201c2025\ub2f4\ubc30\u201d, the melody-maxxing rush of \u201cMORE HYPER\u201d, and the crunched-out bass of \u201cCAN I SIP \ub2f4\ubc30\u201d. Standout \u201cMAKGEOLLI BANGER\u201d is a feel-great anthem for hazy, laughter-filled evenings surrounded by friends. The tracks\u00a0\u2013 all produced by her close friend and collaborator, kimj \u2013 are wild and unapologetically hyper-digital. But what ties them together are Effie\u2019s diverse deliveries, which float between urgent and ethereal, see-sawing between Korean and English to create a vocal vernacular that is entirely her own.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"sZxLJLj9o38\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"900\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sZxLJLj9o38\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"1600\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Yet finding the full, expressive range of her voice has been a turbulent path for the young star. After her family moved to a Seoul suburb from Busan when she was 11, she struggled to fit in at school, mostly finding solace in her own company. Instead of going to the mall with friends, Effie spent countless out-of-class hours immersed in the internet, like many outsiders across the world. She binged <\/span><em><span>Skins<\/span><\/em><span>, played [Japanese rhythm game] <\/span><em><span>BanG Dream!<\/span><\/em><span> and sought refuge in the cloud-rap discographies of Drain Gang and Yung Lean\u2019s Sad Boys crew.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In 2018, Effie started experimenting with making music herself, recording vocals on FL Studio and splicing together samples she\u2019d downloaded online. \u201cI just typed in a random-<\/span><span>type beat into YouTube, made two songs and then released them on Spotify,\u201d she recalls. \u201cThen I started making music videos by myself and had my first official release in 2021.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That official debut, named \u201cNeon Genesis\u201d after the classic Japanese anime, saw her labelled as a rising figurehead of Korean sad-girl music. When we speak, she\u2019s wearing a red hoodie printed with Rei Ayanami on the front \u2013 one of <\/span><em><span>Neon Genesis Evangelion\u2019s<\/span><\/em><span> main characters \u2013and red sunglasses to match. \u201cIt feels like Japanese anime culture was at its peak in 2010 to 2020,\u201d she says. \u201dAfter that it got too commercial, and it\u2019s not really artistic any more.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This comment offers a glimpse into Effie\u2019s creative psyche, and what she values in art and music. In Korea, the country\u2019s music scene and cultural exports (as fans of 2025 animated <\/span><span>sensation <\/span><em><span>KPop Demon Hunters<\/span><\/em><span> will know) are dominated by the K-pop industrial complex. Young artists are often assembled into groups via auditions and scouts, then put\u00a0<\/span><span>through intense training regimes designed to produce commercial success, working alongside sprawling teams of expert songwriters, musicians, producers, choreographers <\/span><span>and creative directors.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"fa0791ca-fd63-4218-be0d-b40500ee4153\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1350\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440603.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.53\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Effie\" class=\"img\" height=\"880\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1350\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440603.jpg\" width=\"1350\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Dasom Han, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Yumi Choi<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>It means that, at the top of the charts, millions of pounds are poured into producing highly polished songs, music videos and perfectly synced dances on stage. Meanwhile, <\/span><span>Effie recorded the video for her hit down entirely on a MacBook webcam. \u201cThat was all with Photobooth, and I use an old iPhone and this iPhone 15 Pro [for my other videos],\u201d <\/span><span>she says, lifting up the device in question. Effie\u2019s music videos give off the vibe of a teenager vlogging fun days out during the early YouTube and Tumblr heydays, harking back to a less-curated era of the internet. \u201cMAKGEOLLI BANGER\u201d, for example, sees her sing into a <\/span><span>camera at the seaside, with a portable JBL speaker clipped onto her jeans.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>We don\u2019t need to be polished. We don\u2019t have good gear, or a good studio \u2013 we just made a whole record in this messy room.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cWe don\u2019t need to be polished. We don\u2019t have good gear, or a good studio \u2013 we just made a whole record in this messy room,\u201d she explains, briefly showing Dazed her apartment\u2019s living room, which has the organised chaos typical of someone in their early 20s. Bags and hats hang off a coat rack, a jumper sits crumpled on the floor, and a pair of headphones lie discarded on the seat of a chair. Her recording setup is suitably minimal, fitted with a laptop, monitors and condenser microphone. \u201cSometimes we master without good headphones or good speakers and just use the laptop speaker. I don\u2019t like to spend too much time on one song, because I don\u2019t want to ruin the fresh and wild vibe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Suffice to say, Effie\u2019s creative process is a far cry from K-pop\u2019s usual mode of operations, and the same goes for how she releases her music. \u201cIn Korea, it\u2019s usual for artists to sign with a label early on in their careers, and then get fans after that,\u201d she says. \u201cSo this underground scene is a whole new thing in Korea. We have a big music scene because of K-pop, but almost every small artist has a record deal or a label, and it goes with them everywhere. I didn\u2019t sign with any label or company.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In doing so, Effie is reframing what artistry in her country can look like from the ground up. A growing fanbase has followed, while her personal journey has seen her come out of <\/span><span>her shell, forming a close circle of friends and collaborators. In turn, working with the likes of Korean-American producer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/youngkimj\/?hl=en\">kimj<\/a> has helped evolve her sound from the blog rap-derived <\/span><span>sonics of her self-produced days to the daring, futuristic pop of her newer releases. \u201cMy personality changed after I started doing music,\u201d Effie explains. \u201cI\u2019ve met really good friends like kimj, [fellow K-pop singer] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thedeeeep\/?hl=en\">The Deep<\/a>, [Korean producer] SOUP and [Chinese producer] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sebseb122\/\">SEBii<\/a>. I never had friends before, so it changed my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"f530b490-b4b3-443c-9831-b40500ee518c\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440604.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Effie\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440604.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Dasom Han, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Yumi Choi<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>A vibrant underground scene is forming around them. While social media followers and streams spiked online, Effie has started to really feel its effects IRL over the past 18 months \u2013 most notably when she supported Dazed cover star 2hollis in August for the Seoul leg of his Asia tour. Dressed in traditional Korean clothing and wielding a red-and-blue sword, she ran through a medley of her recent hits, while the crowd responded as though she was headlining. \u201cThat was my first big indoor concert with lighting and production, and there were a lot of people, all singing my lyrics,\u201d she recalls. \u201cIt was crazy \u2013 the whole set went super fast, even Hollis was surprised that so many people knew all my lyrics for the full 30 minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>I see hyperpop and underground hip-hop getting bigger and bigger \u2013 it\u2019s a really peak time for me and my friends right now.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Another eye-opening moment came when a joint show with SEBii in a Seoul nightclub drew such a large crowd that the police had to shut it down. \u201cToo many people came to that party,\u201d she remembers. Along with SEBii, Effie has also collaborated with nu-China rap sensation Billionhappy, as well as Japanese artists Manaka and keg\u00f8n. East Asia\u2019s underground is bulging beyond its borders \u2013 and the west is starting to notice. \u201cWhen I was in LA for a show with kimj, I met a fan in Target who wanted to take a photo with me \u2013 in a country on <\/span><span>the opposite side of the earth, it was crazy,\u201d says Effie. \u201cI see hyperpop and underground hip-hop getting bigger and bigger \u2013 it\u2019s a really peak time for me and my friends right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If 2025 was her breakout year, 2026 is set to be even more explosive. The album she recorded in her room is due to be released, along with a slew of collabs with new friends she has made along the way. But while Effie is looking ahead to the future, she\u2019s not losing sight of why she began making music in the first place. <\/span><span>\u201cI was super shy, I couldn\u2019t even sing in front of people, but I wanted to make something and to show it to people,\u201d she concludes. \u201cI never wanted to be famous, I just want to make fun music with my friends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Hair Oh Seongseok, make-up Semin Park, photographic assistant Taewon Choi, styling assistant Doyeon Kim, hair assistant Minjeong Kim, production Starch Haus, executive producer Min Kim, production assistant Yujin Jung.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally now. Order a copy of the magazine<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.boutiquemags.com\/dpa\/add\/tocart\/id\/14592\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series header article-series tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-spring-2026-issue\">The Spring 2026 Issue<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/south-korea\">South-Korea<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/k-pop\">K-pop<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/rap\">rap<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-navigation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/news\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img one\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">News<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img two\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Fashion<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img three\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Music<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img four\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Film &amp; TV<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69841\/1\/effie-south-korea-hyperpop-rap-k-pop#features\" class=\"image-navigation__img five\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Features<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img six\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Beauty<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img seven\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Life &amp; Culture<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img eight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Art &amp; Photography<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><em>This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed. Buy a copy of the magazine<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.boutiquemags.com\/dpa\/add\/tocart\/id\/14592\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span>In Korea, it\u2019s rare to refer to older acquaintances by their names. Boys traditionally address older males as hyung (elder brother) and older females as noona (elder sister), while girls are expected to use oppa and unnie respectively. Used as a way of showing respect to those with more life experience, the titles are spoken in public spaces, social gatherings and even school hallways, where the younger person is expected to bow in greeting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This kind of deference never came naturally to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/effi3e\/\">Effie<\/a>, the 23-year-old Seoul-based singer and rapper who stands at the vanguard of Korea\u2019s underground music scene. \u201cFuck that culture, it\u2019s too outdated,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the reasons I dropped out of school and couldn\u2019t relate to people there. Me and my friends don\u2019t care about that culture \u2013 we don\u2019t have that hierarchy.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Referring to her friends simply by their names may be a minor act of rebellion against mainstream Korean society, but it\u2019s one that swathes of the country\u2019s younger generations <\/span><span>increasingly subscribe to. And challenging the status quo is a recurring theme in Effie\u2019s musical output, which has been prolific over the past year. \u201cTapped-in young people know how other countries are, and how other people are free to do what they want and be freer in their relationships with each other,\u201d she continues. \u201cWe still have conservative young people \u2013 but usually they hate my music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>We still have conservative young people [in South Korea] \u2013 but usually they hate my music.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Her latest EP, <\/span><em><span>pullup to busan 4 morE hypEr summEr it\u2019s gonna bE a fuckin moviE<\/span><\/em><span>, is a carefree and confident celebration of the freedom of youth. There\u2019s the raged chaos of \u201c2025\ub2f4\ubc30\u201d, the melody-maxxing rush of \u201cMORE HYPER\u201d, and the crunched-out bass of \u201cCAN I SIP \ub2f4\ubc30\u201d. Standout \u201cMAKGEOLLI BANGER\u201d is a feel-great anthem for hazy, laughter-filled evenings surrounded by friends. The tracks\u00a0\u2013 all produced by her close friend and collaborator, kimj \u2013 are wild and unapologetically hyper-digital. But what ties them together are Effie\u2019s diverse deliveries, which float between urgent and ethereal, see-sawing between Korean and English to create a vocal vernacular that is entirely her own.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"sZxLJLj9o38\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"900\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sZxLJLj9o38\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"1600\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Yet finding the full, expressive range of her voice has been a turbulent path for the young star. After her family moved to a Seoul suburb from Busan when she was 11, she struggled to fit in at school, mostly finding solace in her own company. Instead of going to the mall with friends, Effie spent countless out-of-class hours immersed in the internet, like many outsiders across the world. She binged <\/span><em><span>Skins<\/span><\/em><span>, played [Japanese rhythm game] <\/span><em><span>BanG Dream!<\/span><\/em><span> and sought refuge in the cloud-rap discographies of Drain Gang and Yung Lean\u2019s Sad Boys crew.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In 2018, Effie started experimenting with making music herself, recording vocals on FL Studio and splicing together samples she\u2019d downloaded online. \u201cI just typed in a random-<\/span><span>type beat into YouTube, made two songs and then released them on Spotify,\u201d she recalls. \u201cThen I started making music videos by myself and had my first official release in 2021.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That official debut, named \u201cNeon Genesis\u201d after the classic Japanese anime, saw her labelled as a rising figurehead of Korean sad-girl music. When we speak, she\u2019s wearing a red hoodie printed with Rei Ayanami on the front \u2013 one of <\/span><em><span>Neon Genesis Evangelion\u2019s<\/span><\/em><span> main characters \u2013and red sunglasses to match. \u201cIt feels like Japanese anime culture was at its peak in 2010 to 2020,\u201d she says. \u201dAfter that it got too commercial, and it\u2019s not really artistic any more.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This comment offers a glimpse into Effie\u2019s creative psyche, and what she values in art and music. In Korea, the country\u2019s music scene and cultural exports (as fans of 2025 animated <\/span><span>sensation <\/span><em><span>KPop Demon Hunters<\/span><\/em><span> will know) are dominated by the K-pop industrial complex. Young artists are often assembled into groups via auditions and scouts, then put\u00a0<\/span><span>through intense training regimes designed to produce commercial success, working alongside sprawling teams of expert songwriters, musicians, producers, choreographers <\/span><span>and creative directors.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"fa0791ca-fd63-4218-be0d-b40500ee4153\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1350\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440603.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.53\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Effie\" class=\"img\" height=\"880\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1350\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440603.jpg\" width=\"1350\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Dasom Han, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Yumi Choi<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>It means that, at the top of the charts, millions of pounds are poured into producing highly polished songs, music videos and perfectly synced dances on stage. Meanwhile, <\/span><span>Effie recorded the video for her hit down entirely on a MacBook webcam. \u201cThat was all with Photobooth, and I use an old iPhone and this iPhone 15 Pro [for my other videos],\u201d <\/span><span>she says, lifting up the device in question. Effie\u2019s music videos give off the vibe of a teenager vlogging fun days out during the early YouTube and Tumblr heydays, harking back to a less-curated era of the internet. \u201cMAKGEOLLI BANGER\u201d, for example, sees her sing into a <\/span><span>camera at the seaside, with a portable JBL speaker clipped onto her jeans.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>We don\u2019t need to be polished. We don\u2019t have good gear, or a good studio \u2013 we just made a whole record in this messy room.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cWe don\u2019t need to be polished. We don\u2019t have good gear, or a good studio \u2013 we just made a whole record in this messy room,\u201d she explains, briefly showing Dazed her apartment\u2019s living room, which has the organised chaos typical of someone in their early 20s. Bags and hats hang off a coat rack, a jumper sits crumpled on the floor, and a pair of headphones lie discarded on the seat of a chair. Her recording setup is suitably minimal, fitted with a laptop, monitors and condenser microphone. \u201cSometimes we master without good headphones or good speakers and just use the laptop speaker. I don\u2019t like to spend too much time on one song, because I don\u2019t want to ruin the fresh and wild vibe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Suffice to say, Effie\u2019s creative process is a far cry from K-pop\u2019s usual mode of operations, and the same goes for how she releases her music. \u201cIn Korea, it\u2019s usual for artists to sign with a label early on in their careers, and then get fans after that,\u201d she says. \u201cSo this underground scene is a whole new thing in Korea. We have a big music scene because of K-pop, but almost every small artist has a record deal or a label, and it goes with them everywhere. I didn\u2019t sign with any label or company.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In doing so, Effie is reframing what artistry in her country can look like from the ground up. A growing fanbase has followed, while her personal journey has seen her come out of <\/span><span>her shell, forming a close circle of friends and collaborators. In turn, working with the likes of Korean-American producer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/youngkimj\/?hl=en\">kimj<\/a> has helped evolve her sound from the blog rap-derived <\/span><span>sonics of her self-produced days to the daring, futuristic pop of her newer releases. \u201cMy personality changed after I started doing music,\u201d Effie explains. \u201cI\u2019ve met really good friends like kimj, [fellow K-pop singer] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thedeeeep\/?hl=en\">The Deep<\/a>, [Korean producer] SOUP and [Chinese producer] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sebseb122\/\">SEBii<\/a>. I never had friends before, so it changed my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"f530b490-b4b3-443c-9831-b40500ee518c\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440604.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Effie\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440604.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Dasom Han, Styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Yumi Choi<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>A vibrant underground scene is forming around them. While social media followers and streams spiked online, Effie has started to really feel its effects IRL over the past 18 months \u2013 most notably when she supported Dazed cover star 2hollis in August for the Seoul leg of his Asia tour. Dressed in traditional Korean clothing and wielding a red-and-blue sword, she ran through a medley of her recent hits, while the crowd responded as though she was headlining. \u201cThat was my first big indoor concert with lighting and production, and there were a lot of people, all singing my lyrics,\u201d she recalls. \u201cIt was crazy \u2013 the whole set went super fast, even Hollis was surprised that so many people knew all my lyrics for the full 30 minutes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>I see hyperpop and underground hip-hop getting bigger and bigger \u2013 it\u2019s a really peak time for me and my friends right now.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Another eye-opening moment came when a joint show with SEBii in a Seoul nightclub drew such a large crowd that the police had to shut it down. \u201cToo many people came to that party,\u201d she remembers. Along with SEBii, Effie has also collaborated with nu-China rap sensation Billionhappy, as well as Japanese artists Manaka and keg\u00f8n. East Asia\u2019s underground is bulging beyond its borders \u2013 and the west is starting to notice. \u201cWhen I was in LA for a show with kimj, I met a fan in Target who wanted to take a photo with me \u2013 in a country on <\/span><span>the opposite side of the earth, it was crazy,\u201d says Effie. \u201cI see hyperpop and underground hip-hop getting bigger and bigger \u2013 it\u2019s a really peak time for me and my friends right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If 2025 was her breakout year, 2026 is set to be even more explosive. The album she recorded in her room is due to be released, along with a slew of collabs with new friends she has made along the way. But while Effie is looking ahead to the future, she\u2019s not losing sight of why she began making music in the first place. <\/span><span>\u201cI was super shy, I couldn\u2019t even sing in front of people, but I wanted to make something and to show it to people,\u201d she concludes. \u201cI never wanted to be famous, I just want to make fun music with my friends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Hair Oh Seongseok, make-up Semin Park, photographic assistant Taewon Choi, styling assistant Doyeon Kim, hair assistant Minjeong Kim, production Starch Haus, executive producer Min Kim, production assistant Yujin Jung.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally now. Order a copy of the magazine<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.boutiquemags.com\/dpa\/add\/tocart\/id\/14592\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series header article-series tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-spring-2026-issue\">The Spring 2026 Issue<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/south-korea\">South-Korea<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/k-pop\">K-pop<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/rap\">rap<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69841\/1\/effie-south-korea-hyperpop-rap-k-pop&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-0-1350-900\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440602.jpg&#8221;] Photography Dasom Han, Styling Yumi Choi DateInMeta\u00a0 10,\u00a0 2026 Music \/ Feature K-pop disruptor Effie: \u2018Conservatives usually hate my music\u2019 Pushing back against the K-pop industrial complex, Effie is the &#8216;fresh and wild&#8217; underground rap star deferring to no-one March\u00a0 10,\u00a0 2026 MusicFeature March\u00a0 10,\u00a0 2026 TextIsaac Muk This story is taken [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1817645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1817645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1817645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1817645\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1817645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1817645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1817645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}