Exclusive Interview: Saenabi Discusses ‘I Hate Being Hated’ Project, K-Pop Artists She Wants to Collab With, and More
On June 13, Joy Ruckus Club dropped an original group song, titled "I Hate Being Hated," intending to raise awareness and combat Asian hate. This song features 14 artists including Korean-American singer, Saenabi.
KpopStarz recently had the opportunity to talk with the singer-songwriter and rapper, Saenabi, who shared her experience working on the "I Hate Being Hated" project, revealed her inspiration in writing songs, and more.
Exclusive Interview with Saenabi on 'I Hate Being Hated' Project, How She Writes Songs, Dream Collaborations, and More
During the interview, Saenabi was asked to tell more about "I Hate Being Hated," and how she feels about being part of the project.
RELATED: Joy Ruckus Club Drops 'I Hate Being Hated'; Raises Awareness Toward Anti-Asian Hate [STREAM]
Saenabi shared, "The idea was simple enough for 'I Hate Being Hated'; we got a track and then a prompt to write about anti-Asian racism. At first, when I said I'd do it, I thought it would be straightforward."
The female singer added that she was the one who wrote her verse on "I Hate Being Hated," and expressed her gratitude to be part of the project.
"And then hearing everyone else on the track was powerful and affirming, in that, we were all trying to understand ourselves and the world and we were all swimming in heavy emotions," Saenabi unveiled.
KpopStarz also asked the Korean American singer to share what the song, "I Hate Being Hated," is for her.
Saenabi disclosed that the track is a "reminder of how I process through creating something."
She added, "I don't instinctively reach to make something when disaster happens," but instead, she typically talks to her friends and try to write in her journal.
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Saenabi went on to say that by combining the chaos of her thoughts with her creativity, a deeper and better sense of solution on the topic would be created.
When asked to give words of encouragement and a message of hope to members of the Asian community who experience racial discrimination, Saenabi stated, "If you need to cry, scream, punch a pillow in response to everything, please do it!"
"These emotions and fears are a lot, but I promise it's better if you stare at them and deal with them rather than act like they aren't there," she continued.
KpopStarz later touched on the song "Main Character," which she co-wrote with Chronos Music. We asked her on how she gets inspired when writing songs. We asked the singer-songwriter if she has a specific habit or routine.
Saenabi stated that "Main Character" is a spin-off of a trend on TikTok - this is where someone would act as if they are the main character: dramatic music, exaggerated facial expressions, large gestures.
She continued that she has does have specific habits when writing songs. "It depends on when a song comes to me. Usually it'll start with a voice note, then grow into something with some instrument (guitar, ukulele, or piano), then I'll add little things and send it to my music friends for feedback," she detailed.
Here are Additional Questions during the Interview with Saenabi:
Q: We're loving your K-pop song covers! Any song you fancy doing your own rendition soon? Do you have any K-pop artists you want to collab with?
A: Thank you for checking out my covers!
I have a list of songs that I want to cover and flip, as in reimagine in a different way. For example, what if TWICE's "What is Love" was a bossa nova song? Or what if Girls' Generation "Gee" was a modern k-indie style song? How would that change the experience?
I want to both collab and write for K-pop artists. I guess I lean more towards writing for them because I'd be so intimidated to sing alongside them, haha.
That being said, I'd love to also collab with any of the idols that also produce, because it'd be fun to both write and perform the song we worked on together (IU, RM, Suga, Woozi of Seventeen, Taeyong of NCT, Kun of WayV, Soyeon of (G)I-DLE, DAY6, Bang Chan of Stray Kids).
Q: Will you be releasing new music soon, or do you have something in the works right now?
A: As for solo work as Saenabi, I'm aiming to have a single out (at least) before the end of this year. I've been pretty busy because I'll be moving to Seoul for grad school this August so I haven't had time to flesh out and develop both a song and its marketing.
I also have a collab coming out most likely tail end of August with Wind Meets West and MTLano of Molly, for Now. It's a song that reflects on growth and both celebrates being better while acknowledging that there were some hard parts in the past. We hope that it'll be something that feels warm and encouraging for everyone while also giving people a chance to remember the past year.
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Written by Mhaliya Scott
