Hello and welcome back to HallyuTones – always focused on sound, stage and substance.
As a music fan, there are few things more exciting than discovering a new band or artist whose sound and style instantly captivate you. From the second I discovered Alice Syndrome in my YouTube recommendations, I was instantly hooked. Their pop-rock vocals, band instrumentation, and distinct ‘cool factor’ have drawn in both K-Pop and rock music fans from all over the world.
Interestingly, the band are also produced by hitmaker Vanilla Man, who is famous for his work as producer and composer for iconic act BOL4. His industry experience alongside the instrumental skills of the members created a standout debut album release.
HallyuTones is honoured to bring you this interview, exploring the group’s music, artistic inspirations, and their dream future stages. Alice Syndrome have a bright future ahead of them, and I hope this piece encourages you to take a ‘Deep Dive’ into their music!
Interview:
Q1. Hello and welcome to HallyuTones – Could you please introduce yourselves to our readers?
TAIRA:
Hello! I’m TAIRA, the vocalist of Alice Syndrome.
AWON:
Hi! I’m AWON, the guitarist.
SEBEEN:
Hello, I’m SEBEEN, the bassist.
JEONGMIN:
Hello! I’m JEONGMIN, the drummer.
ALL:
We are Alice Syndrome, a four-member band made up of vocals, guitar, bass and drums. We combine the energy of a live band with the visual and performance sensibilities of K-pop, and we hope more people around the world will discover our music and performances. Nice to meet you!
Q2. Alice Syndrome is a name that really stands out – Could you explain the inspiration behind the group name, and the reason for each member being represented by a different card suit?
“Alice” represents curiosity — the feeling of stepping outside of something familiar and discovering new music, experiences and sensations.
“Syndrome” represents our hope that once people discover us, they’ll keep wondering what Alice Syndrome will do next.
We didn’t originally give each card suit a complicated individual meaning. The card imagery felt naturally connected to the name “Alice,” so we chose the suit that we felt best matched each member’s image and personality.
Looking at it now, we also like the idea of four different suits belonging to the same deck. The four of us have very different personalities and tastes, but we think those differences are what make Alice Syndrome complete.
Q3. Congratulations on the release of your debut title track ‘Deep Dive’! Could you tell us some more about this single?
“Deep Dive” is the song we chose to properly introduce Alice Syndrome for the first time.
It has a melody and hook that are easy to get into from the first listen, but when the four of us play it together, the live-band energy becomes much stronger.
We think it represents something that is very important to us musically — making music that people can easily connect with at first, but that leaves an even stronger impression when they see us perform it live.
Q4. The music video for Deep Dive recently reached over 1 million views on YouTube. Alongside this, many of the comments on the original video are from international band fans who are not familiar with the Korean music scene. How did it feel to reach this milestone and receive such positive feedback from around the world?
Reaching one million views was amazing, but what made us even happier was seeing people from so many different countries discovering us for the first time.
Some people found us because they already enjoy K-pop, while others told us that they mainly listen to rock or bands and weren’t very familiar with the Korean music scene.
It was really interesting and exciting to see listeners from such different backgrounds meeting through Alice Syndrome.
We also read a lot of the comments. Whenever someone points out a specific vocal, guitar, bass or drum moment that they enjoyed, it gives us a lot of strength.
It was especially meaningful to realise that even people who didn’t know anything about us beforehand could connect with us first through the music and the way we play.
Q5. The second track on your debut single album is called ‘Play Girl’. Could you tell us some more about this B-side track?
“Play Girl” shows a slightly different side of Alice Syndrome from “Deep Dive.”
It has a more playful and energetic feeling, and when we perform it live, there are a lot of moments where the personalities of the individual instruments and members can really come through.
We actually like that “Deep Dive” and “Play Girl” feel quite different from each other.
From our very first release, we wanted to show that Alice Syndrome doesn’t have to stay within just one mood or one particular style.
Q6. For Sebeen: As the bassist of the group, your role is essential to help ground and connect a song together. How do you describe your playing style and which bassists inspire you?
SEBEEN:
I think groove and tone are the two things I care about the most.
I like bass playing that makes you think, “That sounds good” or “That feels good,” before you even start thinking about how technically difficult it is.
I enjoy both picking and slap bass, and these days I’m constantly working on developing a tone that feels more like my own.
Musicians such as H.J.Freaks and Ji Yoon-hae have influenced me, and I also enjoy artists and bands like Oriental Express and Bongjeingan.
Ultimately, I want to be the kind of bassist who genuinely looks like she’s having fun when she plays.
Q7. For Awon: You have previously released some solo tracks, which you also composed and wrote lyrics for. What do you feel is different between your solo projects compared to working within a band?
AWON:
When I work on solo music, I can follow my own emotions and ideas from beginning to end.
It’s very personal, and I can control all the little details in the direction that I imagine.
Working with Alice Syndrome is completely different. My idea is only one part of the final result, and sometimes another member will play something I never expected and suddenly make the song much more interesting.
I think that’s one of the things I love most about being in a band.
There are things I might never have tried on my own, but when I’m with the members, I feel like we can try almost anything.
Q8. You recently performed at Camp Humphrey’s for the Freedom Fest 250 Event. How did it feel to finally perform your tracks live in front of an audience for the first time?
Camp Humphreys wasn’t technically the first time we had performed our songs, but it was one of our earliest opportunities to show Alice Syndrome on a large live stage.
The songs felt completely different with a real audience in front of us compared to when we were rehearsing.
Even if you’ve played a song many times in rehearsal, the energy that comes back from the audience can completely change the atmosphere of a performance.
That show made us want to perform at more festivals and on even bigger stages. It also reminded us how much we enjoy exchanging that energy with an audience.
Q9. Alice Syndrome is already getting attention for the use of live instruments in performances. What do the members enjoy the most about live performance?
TAIRA:
I love the moments that can only happen on that particular stage. Even if we perform the same song, the atmosphere, expressions and energy are always a little different.
AWON:
For me, it’s the energy. When the members and the audience are all excited together, I genuinely feel like I can do anything.
SEBEEN:
I like the moments when the four of us naturally support each other. Sometimes something unexpected happens, but if we’re listening to each other while we play, even that can become part of the performance.
JEONGMIN:
I love the moments when the sound suddenly gets really big and you can feel the audience reacting at the same time. There’s a feeling of being overwhelmed in a really good way, and I love that feeling.
Q10. Many listeners have noticed your sound has similarities with the pop-rock bands of the 2000s. Who are your musical inspirations?
The four of us actually have very different musical tastes, and we think that difference is one of the most interesting things about being in Alice Syndrome.
TAIRA:
G-DRAGON and L’Arc-en-Ciel have influenced me a lot. I especially like artists who can create a really strong atmosphere of their own on stage.
AWON:
The Warning is one of the bands that has influenced me the most. I also really like artists such as ROSÉ and Sabrina Carpenter, because I’m attracted to voices and emotional expression that immediately grab your attention.
SEBEEN:
I’ve been influenced by musicians such as H.J.Freaks and Ji Yoon-hae, and I also enjoy Oriental Express and Bongjeingan. I pay a lot of attention to groove and tone, but also to how much the musician seems to genuinely enjoy playing.
JEONGMIN:
Seo Taiji has been a huge influence on me for a very long time. I love the music, the lyrics, the live performances and the relationship with the fans. I also really like My Chemical Romance, especially the dramatic emotions in their music.
Because all four of us listen to such different music, we’re also curious to see how all of those influences will mix together in future Alice Syndrome songs.
Q11. What are each of the member’s dream goals for Alice Syndrome?
TAIRA:
Tokyo Dome.
And someday, I’d love Alice Syndrome to become a group that younger women can look at and think, “They’re really cool,” or even, “I want to be like them.”
Even if the band grows much bigger, I hope we never lose the things we believe in or the things that make us feel like ourselves.
AWON:
Coachella! It’s definitely one of the stages I really want to perform on.
More than anything, I want us to keep trying new things. I hope we never lose the passion, dreams and willingness to work hard that we had when we first started making music.
SEBEEN:
I’d love for us to perform on a big year-end stage someday.
To me, being on a stage like that would feel like proof that we had spent a really exciting year.
But even if the band gets bigger, I hope we never lose the slightly chaotic and free side of ourselves.
JEONGMIN:
I really want to perform at Pentaport Rock Festival someday.
I went to a festival alone when I was younger, and seeing the bands on stage made my dream of making music even stronger.
In the long term, I hope Alice Syndrome becomes a band that people simply want to keep listening to and keep watching.
Q12. Many people are just discovering the members for the first time. Could each of the members share a fun fact about themselves that people may not know?
TAIRA:
I actually worry and overthink things much more than people might expect. But somehow, I usually end up turning those worries into jokes.
AWON:
I can get extremely obsessed with a particular food. I’d really love to do a mukbang with the members someday.
SEBEEN:
I really enjoy riding my bicycle and then getting a good coffee afterwards. A fast ride followed by a delicious coffee makes me happy.
JEONGMIN:
I’ve been a fan of Seo Taiji for about 12 years. One of my little dreams is that someday he’ll know Alice Syndrome — and maybe even know who I am!
Q13. Lastly, do you have any messages for your fans or any new listeners?
TAIRA:
Thank you so much to everyone who listens to our music and watches our performances. We hope we can meet you in many more places around the world!
AWON:
There are still so many things we want to try!!! Please look forward to all the music and performances we’ll show you next!
SEBEEN:
I hope we can stay together for a long time with everyone who is supporting us now. Thank you.
JEONGMIN:
I read a lot of your comments and messages. Every time someone tells us they enjoy our music, or mentions something about my drumming, it gives me more strength than you might imagine.
We’ll keep showing you better music and better performances. Thank you!
Thank you so much to the Alice Syndrome members and staff team at D-Nation Enterainment for this opportunity! The past few years have seen a huge growth in the Korean band scene, and I am so excited to see what sounds and styles Alice Syndrome try next!
To support Alice Syndrome and the members, please follow them at the links below:
Alice Syndrome Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7fNeWBcx24ttY7l6TxFDJx
Alice Syndrome Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/alice-syndrome/6793853070
Alice Syndrome YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@alice_syndrome4
Alice Syndrome Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alice__syndrome/
TAIRA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tairamissu/
AWON Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awon0mv/
SEBEEN Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e2sb/
JEONGMIN Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sol_minnn/
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