Today we’d like to introduce you to Jihoon Woo (Unjibbed).
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in a small suburb in New Jersey. I started out doing graffiti, painting, and film making, trying to use these practices as a means of escape from a rather dry and uninspiring environment. During one film project I was working on, I remember I had to edit audio and I opened up Garageband for the first time. As soon as I realized, I could record and edit my own sounds, I was hooked and there was no way of getting me out. I quietly, but quickly forgot all of my focus and ambitions for painting and film.
I enrolled in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago using my painting and film portfolio, but quickly finalized my love for music and graduated with a concentration in sound.
Since I have arrived in Chicago, I have met so many amazing friends and fellow artists such as Armani Howard, Landon Tate, Young Kim, Taylor Cleveland, and so many more. I am currently working with several artists from Chicago, New Jersey, and New York, in an effort to turn my obsession into my profession.
I hope that I continue to push and inspire my friends and collaborators, just as they continue to do so for me.
Please tell us about your art.
I am a music producer, and I make Hip Hop and RnB based music.
Even when I was practicing graffiti and film, I was using the arts as a means of escape. With music, however, I realized that I could create an active world to escape to. Through time, I’ve realized that the space that I create with my music is very indicative of speed and motion. I believe this derives both from my background in film making and my mother’s passion for dance.
Since I was a child, my mother would always take me to watch performances since she would need to write papers and reviews about the shows for magazines. To this day, she continues to expose me to new pieces and still teaches me about choreography and movements in such colorful and rich ways that it can’t help but influence my music.
I have also absorbed my training as a filmmaker as I can hear and envision my music as a series of cinematic shots. Whether it is the rhythm or a certain selection of instruments, I am inclined to associate elements of my music with those of cinematography, which include camera movement, angles, composition, etc.
Using these influences, I am constantly developing dynamically sonic worlds, in which my listeners are welcome to escape to, dance, and of course enjoy themselves in.
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
My personal terms for success, not just as an artist, are defined by three things:
The first would be to never stop learning and to remain a student of the subject. I believe there is always room for improvement for anyone at any point in their career. While mastery can definitely be achieved and should be applauded, there will always be new directions to be searched and experimented on, even at a plateau. Not to mention, any form of creative practice should always remain enjoyable or in the very least redeeming.
The second would be to make my mother proud. Her work ethic and hustle inspire me so much even now, it almost seems like she has more energy than before. I know that in the past, she has sacrificed her career for my interests and well-being, so I believe the very least I can do is follow my ambitions, keep advancing as an artist, and make her proud to be my mother.
Lastly, I would not consider success without considering self-pride. I wish to continuously make work that I can look back at in the future, and still be confident that I was 200% honest to myself.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I am still working on a website, but for now, my work can be found on Instagram, Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music.
Contact Info:
- Email: cpyb.mgmt@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unjibbed/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Unjibbed/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/unjibbed
- Other: soundcloud.com/unjibbed
Image Credit:
All designs by: Patricia Hutabarat, Passing Through picture taken by: Rod Sawyer
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