Artist Hwang So-yoon (So!YoON!) is taking her first steps as a film music director.
On October 14, Hwang is releasing the original soundtrack for the animated film "Pilgrims" across streaming platforms worldwide. Marking the first project she has joined as a music director, the release features a total of 17 tracks, including an ending song she performed herself.
The project began at the suggestion of director Heo Pyeong-gang. She collaborated with Milan Records, the label behind soundtrack releases for films such as "Midsommar," "Poor Things," "Challengers," and "Minari." Hwang relocated to the United States to immerse herself in the work.
According to her agency, Hwang focused on breaking away from conventional animated film music to create diverse tracks that match the film's atmosphere. Rather than translating the characters' narratives directly into lyrics, the ending track connects the love and longing spoken of in the film with her own environment during the creative process. Centered on the guitar, the instrument she has played the longest, she incorporated janggu samples and analog synthesizers.
Hwang described the music, saying, "More than any project I am currently working on, this music feels genuinely like Hwang So-yoon. It is unpolished yet pure and warm." She added, "Because this is a film that poses heavy questions about what love is and what we should pursue, I wanted to create music that stays by the film's side rather than something flashy and stylish."
Having worked as part of the band SE SO NEON and as a solo artist, Hwang has now expanded her creative horizons into film score directing.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
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