There’s a sense of space and breath in OHYUNG’s music. The composer, musician and artist has made a name for themself through their ambient and experimental work, alongside their contributions to film and TV, scoring Julio Torres’s 2024 whimsical comedy Problemista and HBO series Fantasmas.
On their forthcoming project, You Are Always On My Mind, OHYUNG maintains their previous work’s roomy sense of feeling while adapting it to the more familiar structure of pop. “no good,” a single off their forthcoming project, features darkly desolate drums, trepidatious string drones and vocals that are delivered with both restraint and power. There is the recognizable presence of a chorus, but still the floaty uncertainty of ambience remains. OHYUNG’s new single, “i swear that i could die rn,” continues this musical thread, pairing looping drums with airy layers of strings to create space for OHYUNG’s steady vocals. “The song is inspired by the feeling of experiencing something so divine and good that if you died right then and there it would be A-Okay,” OHYUNG tells PAPER, connecting that feeling to the experience of dancing to an especially memorable set by DJ Goth Jafar at Paragon.
The video, created by taehee and featuring original animation, depicts a current and future OHYUNG uniting on the dance floor. Interspersed with footage from misty clubs and animated kaleidoscopes, the video reflects the deeply emotional, often ecstatic experience of New York City nightlife. “I hear OHYUNG’s ‘i swear that i could die rn’ as a song about queer euphoria in rave spaces,” Tahee shares. “It got me thinking about how we discuss transition timelines in the trans community often as a clean break between before and after. The music video’s concept is an ode to both my past self and my ideal future, guiding me to my queer euphoria.”
PAPER chatted with OHYUNG and taehee about creating this unique song and video, the joys of dancing and the deep feelings behind the song.
What was the inspiration behind the song?
Ohyung: The inspiration for the song is the feeling of experiencing something so divine and good that if you died right then and there it would be a-okay. I sometimes feel that way when I’m out dancing to music at raves. The song opens meeting a version of my future self in a dark foggy room, the two of us slowly moving to the overwhelming music.
How do you hope fans feel when they hear it?
Ohyung: The idea of having fans is still a new concept to me… I hope they feel transported. I tried to paint a specific feeling and atmosphere with the music and lyrics. I also name-dropped one of my favorite DJs, Goth Jafar, as I was recalling a beautiful night I had at Paragon dancing to one of her sets two years ago, a little gift for the Goth Jafar girlies.
How did you translate the song into the video?
taehee: I hear OHYUNG’s “i swear that i could die rn” as a song about queer euphoria in rave spaces. It got me thinking about how we discuss transition timelines in the trans community often as a clean break between before and after. The music video’s concept is an ode to both my past self and my ideal future, guiding me to my queer euphoria. I don’t see the transition as a binary experience; it feels more like a push and pull, like how the heart is shaped like a coil. Each end of the timeline is molding and shaping the other. What are some challenges and/or highlights from creating the music video?
What are some challenges and/or highlights from creating the music video?
taehee: The biggest challenge was conveying the music video’s concept — the nuanced dynamic between the past and future self — without using text, while still leaving it open to interpretation. Water, represented through the water suit and floating teardrops, became a key metaphor for this fluidity. It embodies both the overwhelming sensation of drowning and the cathartic release that comes with letting go.
Photography: Marion Aguas