While you may know him for his work with BLACKPINK, LØREN is here to make a name for himself with his brand of rock music.
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Music that serves as a comfort blanket throughout your childhood is something that never goes away, even as an adult. It’s that kind of magic that fuels LØREN’s purpose in life to do music. And more importantly, making music that satisfies the soul. “The least I can do is to give back to the world,” he shares as immersing himself in music made him feel less lonely.
Born as Lee Seung-Joo, LØREN, whose stage name is a play on the word loner, he began his music career as a producer and lyricist for artists in YG Entertainment. Most may know him for his appearance in BLACKPINK’s Lovesick Girls music video as well as his lyrical work on Pretty Savage and You Never Know. But LØREN is also a recording artist with THEBLACKLABEL and 88rising.
While he does have a few singles under his belt, 2023 proved to be a major moment for the artist with the release of his debut EP, Put Up A Fight. Following an appearance at Balming Tiger’s Tiger Den, the first all-Asian festival of SXSW, and a slated performance at Head In The Clouds NYC later this year, LØREN is ready to share his brand of rock with the world.
MUSIC AS A FRIEND
After moving to Singapore in his preteens, LØREN wasn’t exactly the most popular kid in school. Instead, he found solace in music. He started listening to rock and picked up several instruments along the way. “The day one whom I considered my first friend is my guitar,” he says. Whether it’s emo or punk rock music, he always felt he had a connection between the artist and himself. “It dives into the fact that it’s going to be okay or we’re in the same spot as you are,” the singer-songwriter explains as the rock genre is known to tackle subjects on rebelliousness, mental health, and attitudes towards crucial issues.
It’s this kind of energy LØREN puts into his music. In the music video of Folks, which is the title track of Put Up A Fight, the depiction is that it’s so easy to judge others but not know what goes beneath them. He wanted to keep the concept vague as it’s a similar approach when he writes songs. “Whatever [the listeners] take away from me, that’s correct to me.” He’s set to drop the music video for his song, Panic, on April 7 that is sure to arouse the same feelings as well.
Like most artists, he turns to a creative outlet to inspire him for his music. That comes in the form of a journal of his creativity for music on a private Instagram account. With over 1,300 posts and no followers, it’s another artistic medium for LØREN to express his feelings and thoughts. He often goes back to his journal and calls the process “rolling the dice.” What he means by that is you never know when or how you’re going to get a good song out of it. This is a similar idea of going to a studio session and trying to create something, you’ll be surprised to find those magical moments.
THE UNEXPECTED
On the topic of discussing albums LØREN has an emotional connection to, he conveys it’s the first three albums by his favorite band, The Strokes. Going back to those albums makes him feel nostalgic, and, in a way, that’s the direction of where he wants his music to go. Feeling nostalgic for your past is not necessarily a bad thing. “Even the misery that I went through as a high school kid,” LØREN reveals. It unlocks memories that he didn’t know he had, but appreciates the beauty of how music does that.
LØREN pays homage to the 90s and 2000s rock, which still has its way to go to be widely recognized in Korea. He sees rock as a way to get in touch with struggles, both personal and relatable.
KEEP FIGHTING
From having a rough time as a teenager to being signed to one of the biggest K-pop companies in the world and making a name for himself as a rising rockstar, LØREN can firmly say he’s living in a way that reflects the person he wants to be. “Doing music is the way I can ever imagine my life to be.” He’s been working in music for almost a decade now, and the journey proves to him that his life has meaning. “I’ve been very happy recently and it’s an amazing feeling.”
About his EP, LØREN will Put Up A Fight no matter what it takes and the courage to do it. His music goes above the noise to speak to a deeper sense. For LØREN to have persistence and patience to reach his dreams is proof that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. While LØREN’s name may speak to a sense of isolation, his music is helping people feel seen and heard.
Lead Photo Courtesy of 88RISING and THEBLACKLABEL
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