 |
| Photo by Chingu Design, Make Up & Foto |
 |
| Chingu Design, Make Up & Foto |
Hello, guys. This is
Heezy Yang. I am a Seoul-born, Seoul-based queer artist. I’ve been active
at pride events and in queer scenes all around Korea since I came out in 2013.
As an artist, I have been illustrating, photographing, performing, protesting,
writing books, and more. Also, I am drag
queen Hurricane Kimchi, and the founder of the annual Seoul Drag Parade. As
a drag performer, I have been mainly singing live, covering songs of all
genres, from musical, to grunge. Currently I am performing as a duo with my
musician friend Jinho, who plays the guitar and bass.
 |
| Photo by 강조새 |
 |
| Photo by Blair Kitchener |
Covering great songs and famous songs that I like is always
fun, however, this year I am determined to finally release my original songs
and go further into the music scene. With my identity that is a queer Korean
drag artist, I am certain that there are things that I can address better and I
can express myself better when I am singing the songs with the lyrics I wrote
and melodies I made. To achieve artistic integrity, I had been very focused on
writing songs while social distancing (due to the virus situation) and I
finished writing a few songs that I feel are mine and real.
My goal is to produce and release two of these original songs of mine, with at least one music video, this summer. The first song I would like to release is called ‘있잖아 난 말야’, which translates as ‘guess what’ or ‘hey, listen to me’. The song is about wondering if there’s place for you in this world you live in, and finding your inner strength and your worth. The second song to be released is going to be called ‘Seoul’. It describes my home city Seoul as I see it, and how I feel about it. Lyrics and melodies are already ready and now I’m working on the arrangement of instruments with the help of Jinho. You can hear the demos of the two songs in the video below. In the video, we only used guitar but there will be more instruments being used in the final recordings.
I need your help. Producing and releasing two songs and a
video cost a lot of money as you need to cover fees for studios for practices
and recording, cost of mixing, mastering, the videographer, and the
photographer. On top of that, I need to go through a lot of paper work as this
is the first time I am releasing music and walking into the music industry, and
that also cost quite a lot of money. For all of this, I need at least 1600 USD,
but if I could raise 60% of it through crowdfuning, I can manage to cover the
rest myself!
You can see the types of rewards
below.
(NOTE) Delivery of
rewards will start on July 7. Shipping fee within Korea is 3,000won (or 3USD).
International shipping fee is usually 5-10 USD, depending on the country, but
right now international shipping is unavailable for a lot of countries, and
some countries are only accepting express mailing service, which is about 20-30USD, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Demos’ would be the only option
in the list below that won’t be affected by the current international shipping
situation as they will be provided digitally.
▶Merch Set
(Postcards and stickers with album cover art, behind the scenes photographs,
and the song lyrics) = 10,000won or 9USD
▶Queer Art Set (Postcards
and stickers with queer artworks created by me) = 10,000won or 9USD
▶Ticket to Release
Party + Drag Show (The release party will take place in Seoul, and consist
of music video screening and live music performances, that will be followed by
a drag show that features myself and guest drag artists. Minors are allowed in
as well.) = 15,000won or 13USD
(NOTE) There will be no physical ticket shipped to you.
Names will be checked at the door of the venue when entering. You can give your
ticket to someone else if you cannot make it to the event. The event will take
place on Friday, July 3, at 9PM. The venue is Phillies Basement in Haebangchon (Noksapyeong).
The line-up, timetable, and address will be announced before July.
▶(Limited) Drag Show
That Comes To You (Hurricane Kimchi comes to an event/occasion of yours in
Seoul, to perform. The size and the type of event don’t matter as long as the
event’s purpose doesn’t go against my political and personal beliefs. The
maximum length of performance itself is 25 minutes but MCing or hosting can be
added to it. You can book a date between July 5 and December 31 of 2020.) = 180,000won
or 150USD
▶Demos (Vocal only
demos & practice session demos of the two songs will be provided digitally.)
= 10,000won or 9USD
Payment Method
1. If you speak Korean and can use a Korean payment method,
try using Korean crowdfunding site
Tumblbug at www.tumblbug.com/hurricanekimchi
2. You can make a transfer via PayPal. My PayPal account is heezyyang@gmail.com.
Email me to confirm your transfer and tell me your choice of reward(s) also at heezyyang@gmail.com. (Include your
address for shipping!)
3. If you have any inquiries,
or if you have trouble using the site mentioned at 1., contact me at heezyyang@gmail.com.
Schedule
- Release Party + Drag Show will take place on Friday, July
3, in Seoul.
- Delivery of rewards will start on July 7.
- The first single album and the music video will be
released sometime in July.
- The release date of the second single album has not been decided
yet.