Music

MEMI REFLECTS ON FINDING HER VOICE AND EMBRACING CREATIVE FREEDOM

 

Rising Korean guitarist Memi is just getting started.

She’s carved out a massive global following through her fearless,

loud raw and emotionally playing and genre blurring sound.

She has build a devoted audience who are all drawn to her mix of

nu-metal, emo, and indie rock influences after uploading her

own self-produced guitar videos on social media apps such as TikTok and Instagram.

 

Text: Anagricel Duran

The former 24Hours and Seoulmoon member always knew she’d be on a different path, one that saw her stepping up and shredding in her own way. Her debut EP, 2025’s Paranoia // Nostalgia spotlighted her as new distinct voice: technically expressive and deeply personal. As she pushes forward and further into her identity as a solo artist, Memi is ready for new horizons. This April, Memi spoke with me via email about her self-expression via the guitar, growth through experience and independence, new music and playing in the UK for the first time.

AGD: Your EP, Paranoia // Nostalgia, feels like a “sonic diary.” When you revisit these songs now, do they still feel like reflections of who you are, or have they already become snapshots of a past version of yourself?

Memi: “I think it’s both. I did want the EP to feel like I was documenting and introducing my past self, but at the same time, that past is what made me who I am now. So in a way, it still reflects who I am today and feels really connected to me.”

AGD: Your early exposure to heavier guitar spaces shaped your sound in unexpected ways. How do you think that environment influenced not just your technique, but your emotional relationship with the instrument?

Memi: “Yes, I think it shaped me a lot. I still vividly remember the first day I went to take guitar lessons. I had just started high school, and back then in Korea, rock music wasn’t really mainstream, so the stuff I listened to was kind of seen as ‘weird.’

I had friends, but I didn’t really have anyone to talk to about the music I actually loved.

So one day I just decided to go take a guitar lesson. I was still in my school uniform, and it was this really old, run-down place with like ten adults all playing guitar in the same room at the same time… and honestly that changed everything for me.

Everyone there had their guitars slung super low, like down to their knees and that was the first time I really got into bands like Metallica. (Imagine three grown men playing ‘Master of Puppets’ together with no amps) They even took me to my first heavy metal show in Seoul, Megadeth’s guitarist was playing… and the sound was so loud it felt like my insides were gonna explode. It was intimidating at first but I loved it. If anything, it pulled me in even more.

Being around people who were into the same ‘weird’ music made me feel like I belonged, and the guitar just naturally became a huge part of my life after that. So I think that environment didn’t just shape how I play but how I feel about the instrument too. It stopped being just something I learn, and became something I connect to.”

AGD: You’ve said that identity and feeling matter more than technical perfection. Was there a specific moment when you consciously shifted from “learning guitar” to truly expressing yourself through it?

Memi: “I think it happened during college.I first picked up the guitar in high school, and when it was time to prepare for college, it was pretty much the only thing I could really do. I remember spending a few months just practicing jazz solo guitar like crazy because I had to audition with blues and jazz pieces to get into music college in Korea.

At first, I was just focused on getting better technically. I spent a lot of time practicing jazz and preparing for exams, but honestly, I started doubting myself a lot. I was excited to meet different musicians in college, but instead I started questioning if I was even meant to be a guitarist. I felt way behind compared to everyone else, and it wasn’t anything like what I had imagined.

Then things changed when I met some rock guitarist professors. One of them was known for super technical, fast playing like Steve Vai and the other was more into that ‘60s psychedelic rock sound, like The Beatles or Jimi Hendrix.

They showed me what it actually feels like to be on stage, playing in real clubs in Seoul. They took us into proper recording studios with vintage tube amps, let me use their guitars and pedals, and even brought in international artists when they came to Korea.

Through that, I started to realize what I actually enjoy, and what kind of music makes me feel something. And the biggest thing they told me was to make my own music.

I think that’s when it really shifted from just learning guitar to actually expressing myself through it.”

AGD: Tone is such a huge part of your identity as a guitarist. How do you approach shaping your sound? Are you chasing something specific in your head, or do you discover it through experimentation with gear and effects?

Memi: “I’m definitely the type who discovers things by experimenting with gear. I used to Google stuff like ‘Arctic Monkeys pedalboard.’ I started out collecting pedals one by one, and it kind of turned into a habit. Now I just naturally mix different gear and see what happens. It can be pretty time consuming, but I still have a lot of fun with it!”

AGD: As your career has grown, how has your relationship with practice and improvement changed? Are there specific techniques or styles you’re currently pushing yourself to explore or refine?

Memi: “Honestly I don’t think I practice as much as I did back in college. I was basically a guitar robot back then, I barely slept. But, the way I practice has changed a lot. Through posting my guitar videos on social media, I’ve been really lucky to get my name out there and I’ve had more chances to release music and play live.

I know those opportunities don’t come around easily, so I feel a stronger sense of responsibility now. Because of that, I’m always asking myself things like, ‘what do I want people to hear from me?’ And that kind of thinking shapes how I spend my time, not just practicing, but exploring a lot of different things creatively.

Technically and stylistically, I still love building simple riffs just using the low strings, like the 5th and 6th strings. But lately I’ve been obsessed with emo and shoegaze-style chord voicings. I’ve been trying to bring that into my music since last year, and I realized that enjoying those sounds and actually creating them yourself are two very different things.”