EJAE-Writer's Demos and Deep Study ('Rumi' from K-POP Demon Hunters)

I am not done with the video yet, but I think a nice demo to check out would be probably the song she did for red velvet. The song psycho. Can't remember right now if you reacted to it yet or not. If not would be a nice opportunity to do a dive into red velvet (especially Wendy is an awesome singer in the group, but the others too). Also red velvets killing voice is one of the best out there, in my opinion. Edit: lol nvm you just talked about it later on 😂 and somehow missed that reaction to psycho. Will watch after this vid xD

Last week EJAE was a guest on the Korean show You Quiz On The Block. She gave an example how SM would have her/their idols sing songs by singing the first line of Alicia Key's 'If I Ain't Got You', for those, who don't know, what song she was singing. 😉 https://youtu.be/f3xmUma8Vfk?si=_AjPuVYTb5nClfy0 The whole interview is on different YouTube channels, but unfortunately I found none with English subtitles. 🫤 https://youtu.be/nT79zkiSO_4?si=-Wz_8gixIQ5lM-4t It is at the 7:19 min. time mark.

I compiled a playlist with all her singing work out side of KPDH a couple months ago (i keep it updated) if anyone wants to listen to her stuff in one area https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLONlNV9UoiMFM271U9LugWIfOHVQ5L_sY its annoying her video game work and her k drama work are not on Spotify and you need a melon account to download her k drama stuff also fun fact the song Midnight Cinderella from Dinner mate ost (a kdrama) is cowritten with Andrew choi who is jinus singer and also cowriten by minGtion who was one of the writers worked with ejae on birthday from red velvet

Oh, one more thing. You mentioned that you want to celebrate the human part in singing and singing doesn't have to be perfect. Recently TWICE performed two songs at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show with four members. https://youtu.be/xMJ45IzhSzg?si=18wPFpjRl6Dc3zR8 All four were heavily criticized for their weak vocals. Like "They are ten years in the business, but still can't hit one note!" Especially Tzuyu was slammed and in the end apologized for her poor performance and commented her throat was sore that day and it was ok during rehearsal, but worsened. Since I am biased, I don't care about them not hitting every note perfectly. Now I would like to know, what you think of their performance. Especially since you reacted to 'Strategy', which they performed together with their latest release 'This Is For'.

Adding if no one has suggested this yet. Not a demo, but EJAE's voice really shines in the song "Rebirth" for the game League of Legends. Very different, and it was nominated for best original song in a video game. I imagine the "concept" was probably along the lines of "epic." Some of the lyrics even work well for Kpop Demon Hunters, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33qCvXyWHJc

Reposting this link here as you were requesting other songs from her 😊This one isn’t a demo, but is from the soundtrack for the KDrama Bokjeingan and is titled Once Again. https://youtu.be/0dX3s3Or0g4?si=-8vZxWKs9e8qzsPx

Hey Tim, I watched your reaction to her new song on YouTube and wanted to double back here to share my thoughts on why EJAE wasn't able to debut in SM. I personally don't think it was only her voice that prevented her from debuting. If anything, it is probably her voice that got her into SM and kept her in as a trainee for those long years, as there is no mention of her dancing skills. She said in multiple interviews that during her training years, she was told her voice needed to sound cleaner, which made her insecure, but I do think she managed to adjust her singing to match what they wanted. In one of her Korean interviews, they asked her point-blank why SM didn't debut her. She mentioned that she almost debuted but prioritized going to college and graduating first because education was valued in her family. She also mentioned her height as being tall (she is 5'9", so you can imagine her in heels would be taller), and being in a K-pop group is about creating a full package of singing, visuals, and their concept that has to match. She didn't fit into the groups being debuted. Then she mentions that during college, she found her sound, but it didn't align with SM, and by the time she graduated, she was also too old. So I do think it is much more than just her voice being different that explains why she didn't debut, and there are so many other trainees in the system who go through this and, unfortunately, couldn't even get their big break like EJAE did.

Her Armageddon demo is such a different vibe, I hope you get the chance to listen to it soon! She also sings the full version of the Mantra in the Jacki Jing interview with Mark :) you'd love that too

I loved this deep dive. I am also a big fan of Ejae after the movie. It's amazing how she came full circle, from being a trainee at SM Entertainment for so long to becoming a songwriter for SM, writing for Red Velvet and Aespa (both SM girl groups). Ejae did write Psycho during a fight with her then-boyfriend, now fiancé. She says they were doing long distance, which led to the fights, and that songwriting was very healing for her. Aespa is pronounced with the A silent, so it sounds like espa. Looking forward to you hearing their songs!