This interview is also available in Korean on the next page.
VOID is a new Korean band currently composed of two members: TOA and Robyn. Both of them are former members of the indie rock band RoaR who hasn’t been active recently. This new project started thanks to some good opportunities the members had. The band will officially debut with its 1st EP “Neo Decadence” which will be released on the 13th of July in Korea. It will be available in two different versions, the first one willl be composed of 7 tracks and the second one will contain 5 tracks but will only be available on streaming sites in September.
Constellation Version:
CD
01. Constellation : Prologue
02. Planetarium
03. Heresy Poem
04. Hidden Track
05. Panlogism : Epilogue
06. Planetarium (TOAless Ver)
07. Hidden Track (TOAless Ver)
Panlogism Version:
Streaming
01. Constellation : Prologue
02. Planetarium
03. Heresy Poem
04. Panlogism : Epilogue
05. Planetarium (TOAless Ver)
TOA and Robyn accepted to answer our questions for us to know a bit more about this new project and their motivations before the EP is released. You can read their answers below:
Could you present yourselves?
TOA: Hello, I’m TOA. I’m the lyricist and vocalist in the band VOID.
Robyn: Hello, I’m Robyn. I’m the composer, guitarist and director in the band VOID.
Could you present your new project? Why did you choose the name VOID and what does it mean?
VOID: We came up with a team name, VOID, to begin with ‘ZERO’. We also decided to name the team like this to show our emptiness and to show how it fills up.
You both are members of RoaR, why did you want to do this together?
VOID: We’ve been talking about forming a team for a long time. But the reason why this team was actually born was because of a number of factors. Like the Asia tour proposals, the discovery of a better recording environment and more…. At first, we were considering a light team focused on concerts, but after many good opportunities, we started to get a bigger team to work.
RoaR is not playing anymore, why did you stop doing music as a full band?
VOID: The members of the team are busy, and they have stopped working because it’s hard to adjust their schedules for the time being. The important thing is that VOID is also full-band. Technically, VOID is targeting to be a full-band. It’s the first time we talk about it in this interview, we already chose a bassist and information will be released soon. We want to give our fans the pleasure to see the band growing.
Will this project be something brand new? In what way will it be different from what you have done before in your musician career?
VOID: We will play music that is close to the very essence of what we thought. And it will grow into a team that gives fans a more special experience. We will widen our scope of activities not only in Seoul but also in other areas and countries.
What do you want to share through your music?
VOID: We want to prove that Korea’s Visual Rock is not cut off. We want to leave a legacy.
You will be having your first live in July, in Japan. Why are you going to start in Japan and not in Korea? Will you still sing in Korean there?
VOID: There was a proposal from a promoter that provided a decisive trigger for the team’s birth. She suggested that we have our first concert with Visual Kei bands in Japan. We agreed because we want to test the capacities of the new team.
It is quite difficult to make a living from doing music nowadays. Do you have another job?
VOID: Of course we both have different jobs. That’s what we’ve been doing since we were young. In Korea, very few bands can get enough money by only playing music, especially indies.
What is your point of view on the Korean music industry nowadays, and particularly about K-Pop?
VOID: K-Pop is a fascinating market. It is actively used in Korea and popular overseas. And actually, there are a lot of great songs. We are often impressed by K-Pop. But what worries us is that the direction in which it extends is so biased. I wish they would have a positive effect on other genres like the “drop water effect (Decline effect)”, but if they don’t, they’re not very good looking. It would be like a country with only one special product.
Indie bands can express more things through their music than K-Pop bands. Do you want to use this liberty you have to talk about sensitive topics in your music?
VOID: Of course there is a reason for that. But there are also practical reasons. Korean labels and agencies rarely want these kinds of artists. What we’re doing over here is a dying genre.
It is probably too soon to talk about a possible European tour to happen in the future, but does Europe attract you?
VOID: Europe! It is the best place to play music. Actually, a similar proposal came in. We are considering this carefully, and if there is a more concrete proposal, we will accept it without any problem.
Do you have something more to add, or to share with us and Europe?
VOID: Hello Europe! We are VOID. I was very influenced by the music of Glam-Rock, which was once popular in Europe. We hope you remember us as a mysterious and good image. I look forward to your kind cooperation.
