Artist Hwang So-yoon is taking her first steps as a film music director.
Hwang will release the original soundtrack (OST) for the animated film "Why Don't the Pilgrims Return?" on global music platforms on the 14th. This marks her first project participating as a music director, featuring a total of 17 tracks, including the ending song that she sang herself.
The project began at the suggestion of Director Hur Pyung-kang. It was executed in collaboration with Milan Records, a label known for releasing OSTs 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 traditional animation music conventions to create diverse tracks that fit the film's atmosphere. Instead of translating the characters' narratives directly into the lyrics of the ending song, she connected the themes of love and longing portrayed in the movie with her own environment at the time of working. Centering around the guitar, the instrument she has played the longest, she incorporated janggu samples and analog synthesizers.
Hwang introduced the work, saying, "It is the most Hwang So-yoon-like music of any project I am currently doing," and added, "It is raw yet pure and warm." She continued, "Because the film asks heavy questions about what love is and what we should pursue, I wanted to create music that stays by the side of the film rather than flashy and stylish music."
Having started as a member of the band SE SO NEON and later promoting as a solo artist, Hwang is now expanding her scope of activities into music directing.
(Photo: Yonhap News / Reported by Kang Kyung-yoon, SBS Entertainment News)
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