Audrey Nuna Talks ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ Mira, “Golden,” and Her Album 'TRENCH'

This is exciting. Hello, beautiful human. I am Zach. That is Zan. And today we welcome to the studio, the singing voice of Mira. Yes, Mira from the historic movie, K-pop Demon Hunters. Please say hello to Audrey Nuna. Hey, wow. Applause. That's so sweet. Thank you. First of all, you have a tooth on your leg. I do. Damn. It's peeking out. Yeah, it's staring at us. Yeah, she's out. I'm exposed. Oh, I want to talk K-pop Demon Hunters, but really quickly, why a tooth? So there's no reason. I just like teeth. That's cool. I think teeth are cool. Interesting. I, like when I meet people who have also tooth tattoo, I'm like, why did you get it? Cause let me steal your answer. Cause people always ask me and I don't have an answer. Someone, the most recent person I met who had tooth, um, teeth tattoos was like, it's like growth, you know, symbolizes growth, but also sturdiness. I was like, okay, I'm going to steal that. Okay. Yeah. Got it. Yeah. Cause teeth don't decay. They don't get removed. They don't get replaced. Definitely decay. But honestly for me, I think, um, I just wanted, I just felt like it one day. And I think teeth are really cool. Like there's like bones that protrude out of your face. It is an interesting concept. It's pretty crazy if you think about it. And they do shift like every, I think seven years or something like that. Oh, that's interesting. Yeah. So I just think they're fascinating. I think a lot of things are fascinating. But what do you find fascinating about the success you're having right now? Bro. So many things, so many things like I'm truly in a place right now where I'm in complete awe because I don't think any of us could have predicted that, you know, this was going to happen and it was going to be received in this way. So it's truly just incredible. I think just first and foremost, as a Korean American person, I'm just like, hell yeah. Cause just Korean culture on such a different level of platform than I've ever seen before. Um, I think there's so many mysterious things about it. You know, it's like my first time being on a billboard chart of any kind is through a animated pink hair, demon hunting, you know, character. And there's just something so childlike and beautiful about that to just be a, a part of that and to be a part of, I want to shout out Maggie Kang and Chris Applehands, the directors of the movie to be a part of their vision like that. It's just, I'm just humbled and inspired. Can you explain to us the process getting the singing role of one of the three? There's another thing that just leaves me in awe because honestly, it was really just like a homie. Yeah. Like I, there's this guy, Danny Chung, who has been involved in the black label. He's been an amazing songwriter on that label. And I've known him since I was like 18 years old because he used to game with my first manager's friend's brother at the PC bangs, which is like those computer rooms in like Fort Lee, New Jersey. Is that where you're from? I'm from New Jersey, but I'm not from Fort Lee, but I lived there for like three years. I'm from Wayne. Oh, get out. Yeah. Nice. William Patterson university. Yeah. I did a summer camp there once. Of course. That and the SATs are taken there. No way. A lot of people. They totally blocked that out of my memory. Uh, where are you from? I'm from an Alvin. Oh, cool. Yeah. You know what that is? Am I from New Jersey or am I from New Jersey? Honestly though, I'm, I guess I'm a bad Jersey and cause people always tell me where they're from in Jersey. I'm like, I've literally never heard of that place before, but I knew Wayne. Yeah. I knew Wayne. Allen's Wayne. I used to take voice lessons in that area. Baller. Yeah. Back to K-pop demon hunters. So you, you get this singing role through that's that's the universe. Yeah. It's definitely insane. You know? Um, so you get, can you explain like you get a call? Like what is it? So yeah, so I actually didn't even know it was through him cause I hadn't really caught up with him in a while, but it was so random. My manager at the time was just like, Hey, do you want to hop on a call with this guy who's executive producing this like little side project Sony animation is doing or Sony pictures is doing. Um, and I get pitched so many Korean Korean American K-pop projects, you know, think I in a sense have felt sometimes jaded just because it sometimes does feel like things are being thrown at you just because you are like the person that could play the role or, you know, I think I get pitched so many different things. This project in particular, I remember not going in with super any kind of expectation and when I got on the call with Ian, who's the producer for the music, he just played me the music and he explained the movie to me in a way that I felt was so relatable to my life. He was basically like, it's about, it's about these K-pop singers who, you know, they're all kind of different, but in each of them, there are these two like kind of opposing forces. And is this ultimately this movie about being your full self and embracing your full self and finding belonging in that. And for me, I was like, this is just so true to, I think the Korean American, I mean, Maggie's Korean Canadian, but same idea, this cross-cultural experience. And I just felt like I want to be a part of that message, you know? And I've also just always been interested in film and animation. So it's like, sure, I'll do it. They just asked me to do it and I did it. What did you learn about the process? The animation process? I mean, the moviemaking process. I learned that moviemaking is just on some other ----. She worked on the movie for seven years, you know? So I was at the very tail end of this process in a sense. Um, I think I just have an enormous respect for anyone in animation because animation's so cool because if you see things like, you know, Spirited Away or anything from the Ghibli, Studio Ghibli, or even like Adventure Time and just all cartoons and animation, I feel like there's a sense of endless possibility. And, you know, you don't necessarily need like crazy equipment to create this crazy camera movement. You just need a lot of time and a lot of dedication. So I would say I was really amazed by that process in terms of recording and recording for this project. I also make my own music and I write my own music. I'm involved in the production of my music. So I'm very much wearing so many hats when I make music usually, but this was strictly like, we just want you to deliver the lines. We just want you to be you and, and, and step into this character, you know? Um, and that was such a, such a learning experience. It was so cool to do that. Is that scary or freeing? Both. It was both because I'm, it's such a genre that I'm not super, you know, versed in, but I think what I did feel was such a deep connection to the character. So to really just come from a deep rooted place of story and storytelling and being of service to the story was really refreshing. Um, and to just kind of think only about that and not about the technicalities or not about the, you know, like, is the mix right? Is the, are the words right? No, it's just like exist on this and be a vessel for who this character is and a character who I find so inspiring. So it was really one of the most, what's the word? Serendipitous things. Yeah. Nice. That's a great word. Yeah. I just flexed on you guys. By the way, your own music is great. Thank you. Trench is great. Thank you. It is very liquid breakfast. Great. Very much. Not K-pop. What is your relationship with the genre before starting this project? Well, first things first, I fainted at a big band concert when I was 12. You're a real one. Yeah. So there's that drop that real quick. So, so you have cred. Yeah. So I have cred, you know? Like, I think it's always been such a part of my life because I'm Korean. So I'm one of my earliest memories of YouTube in general was the Wonder Girls Tell Me music video. Oh my God. Yes. And I remember thinking like, this is fire. This is so fire. They understood so much. They understood both past, present, and future all in one. Absolutely. And just, yeah, I think it was my first, in a way, my first true access to my own culture in a, in a music media sense, you know, you don't really see yourself growing up here represented so much, you know, Lucy Liu is fire. And, you know, you have your heroes, like Sandra Oh is fire, you know, but like, it's not very common to see your own face represented in the music and media. So in film. So I think seeing K-pop was like, especially like the early 2010s K-pop was what kind of drew me to it as a kid of like YG Entertainment, G-Dragon, 2NE1, Big Bang, like these very bold Asian faces, I guess. That really, um, it was really formative and inspiring for me. So that was my beginning of my relationship. And I think just over the years, seeing the way that it's just become so global is just, it's ******* wild. Even for me as a Korean person, cause I grew up, you know, hiding my stanky ass lunches and being like, no one look, no one look at my K-pop, you know? And now it's like, wow. To see the culture kind of, um, grow in that way is really cool. Yeah. What does that acceptance feel like? Such a good question. I'm emotionally constipated. Constantly. I take time. I really marinate to understand my own feelings. I think that's probably why I make music because I sometimes I really just don't even know how I feel. And that's why I find, you know, questions are always so great. How does it make me feel? It makes me feel proud. It makes me feel really proud. It makes me feel, um, yeah, I think that's. That's the biggest word I would say proud to be Korean. You know, I, I think in the cultural and like historic context too, of just knowing my lineage, knowing that. I come from a very resilient group of people who have, you know, survived a lot of different things. And even thinking about my ancestors as like a Korean American woman and just the amount of bullshit that they had to deal with for me to be here and like take up space in this way, I guess I just don't take for granted the fact that that has been not just a 10, it's not just the rise of K-pop, you know, it's like a very historical journey to arrive to this point and I guess I feel grateful to be alive in this era. Thank you for your honesty and very real. Do you feel like K-pop demon hunters has a responsibility in kind of keeping that cultural awareness alive? Because it's doing that, right? Like to see the amount of kids, like it's being described as like, like a six-year-old's version of Star Wars. Like this is their thing. It's CNN is doing like giant packages on it where they just. I saw that yesterday. I was low-key crying. It was so cute. The impact is being studied and really felt and it's kids from all different walks of life and they're young. Yeah. It's really surreal. I think beyond responsibility, you know, they're already doing it. Like it's been done. It has been done. You know, it's, it speaks for itself. I love that this movie is not just a, it is a kids movie, obviously, but the level of depth, the level of layers, the kind of veil that it pulls back on some unspoken parts of Korean culture, you know, Korean family dynamics. Like I've seen TikToks breaking down the psychology of, you know, the characters in this movie. I've seen some crazy ----, you know, and I'm just like this movie. I think the reason that it is resonating at this level, not just with the kids, but with the adults is because yes, it is so likable, so entertaining. It's so colorful, it's exciting. But at the same time, it just really speaks to yes, the Korean American and therefore like the human experience of just belonging and facing your fears and just like some really philosophical type ----. And that is just, to me, the biggest accomplishment for the team. What are the family dynamics that are being explored? I think this idea of perfectionism. I think with Korean culture, you know, because there has been so much struggle and so much, you know, so much, you know, just kind of, yeah, like struggle to get to the place that the country is in now. I think there is one excellence. Like, honestly, Koreans are just some crazy motherfuckers. Like they, if they're going to do something, they're going to do that ----. I saw this in this world record that was recently crushed by this Korean dude who did like some crazy ----, like 11,000 pull-ups in 24 hours. So just this level of like grit, you know, like if we're going to do this ----, we're going to do it right. And therefore, I think that is a beautiful part of the culture. I also think this, you know, sometimes this focus on perfectionism, it can leave very little room for mistakes, I guess. And again, with this movie, I think it's really talking about facing your vulnerabilities and facing the fact that we are all different. We're not perfect. So I believe that this movie was just such a poetic and fun and inspiring vessel to really talk about that. Because I think the director comes from that experience and she somehow translated into this thing that all the eight-year-olds are singing at recess. It's crazy. It's wild. How do you view Hendrix? Does it feel like just a role you're playing, or does it almost feel like a real K-pop group that you're a part of now? I would say it feels like a symbol. I think it just represents this very much cross-cultural thing because, you know, it is K-pop, but the songs are in English and they do speak to kind of a very like immigrant experience almost. So I think that it's kind of like a unconventional K-pop girl group. It draws so much inspiration, I think, from the K-pop of today. I think there is something different about it. You know, there is something that's very kind of walking this line between worlds. It's like, it's not fully Korean. It is obviously Korean, but it's not 100%, 100% only Korean because Maggie's Korean Canadian, you know, so her experience of both is there. Like the humor feels in some ways like American, but then they're stuffing animated Kimbap, you know. Do you have a lot of interaction with the other singers or was it very isolated? Yeah, we, oh, you mean during the process? Yeah. So during the process, it was pretty individual of a process. Like we would hear each other's parts in, you know, the headphones. But I would say I've known Ray for a while who plays Zoey. And I've also known EJ since I was like 16 years old from some random situation. Like I met her when I went to Korea when I was 16 doing, she was mentoring or she was being mentored by Andrew Choi, who's actually the voice of Chinoo. So I met both of them when I was 16 through a church friend. Yeah, it's wild. The world is so small. I mean, if you're Korean and you're doing music and you're really trying to do that ----, the community is, is tight knit, honestly. It's real. Yeah. And it's, by the way, like I gotta say, like all music is like, if you really think about it, the whole entire, like the music world is very small. It really is. Like it is a tinier universe than people think. Yeah, I would agree with that. Right? Yeah, I would agree with that. I think it's, it is pretty, there's a lot of like weird synchronicities when you're, especially if you live in LA for a while. A hundred percent. I'm sure you know. Yeah, I'm sure you know. Yeah. I heard about this project, like for my friend who works at Black Label, I don't know, like two and a half years ago. Wow. Yeah. Long time ago. I was like, oh, I wonder when that movie's going to come out. Yeah. Were you even attached two and a half years ago? Two and a half. No. It's something like that. I don't know. I heard about it a long time ago. Maybe two years ago. Yeah. That makes sense. How long ago did you record Golden? You know, my concept of time is like a four-year-old. So I'm gonna need like three seconds to compute. Okay. I think it was, what year is it? What month is it? It's, it's August. I was gonna say it's October. It's August. I think I recorded it last year. Yeah. Summer of last year. Do you have any idea when you go into that session, like what you're really signing up for? I mean, you do. Cause it's been described to you. Yeah. Um. You can't predict that it's going to top the Billboard charts though. No, can never predict that. Although there's a Korean saying that if you have a hit, you'll see a ghost in the studio. And EJ was telling us on FaceTime the other day that she's never told anyone this, but she saw a ghost the day that she recorded Golden. Yeah. And? And he was wearing a flannel. Yeah. I mean, I honestly believe her cause she was like, so spooked. She's like, I'm thinking about it now. And like, that was so crazy. But that studio was apparently haunted. People have seen this guy in the flannel. He's always in the flannel. Yeah, but he showed up. He showed up. He pulled up for the homies. Yo, it's a banger. When the right idea, the right concept was vesseled through. Yeah, I think, I think so. I mean, it's really special. It's a really special convergence of so many different things that I think was, I was going to say overdue, but I think the timing is just absolutely flawless. The meaning and message behind what it sounds like. What is it like when you first, like, I mean, are you reading the lyrics as they come? Like, you're just reading them, right? It was so fun because we got these binders with sheet music. And I grew up in musical theater. So this is something that was very nostalgic for me to have to read the harmonies and stacked in, like, these huge staves with, like, the soprano part, the alto part, you know, whatever. And that was fun. That was really fun. And they did, you know, give me an idea of what the music was going to sound like. So I definitely practiced before I went into these sessions because this is not in my comfort zone. The meaning and message behind what it sounds like. When you read it and you soak it in for the first time, how do you receive it? How do you internalize it? How do you make that your own? I really loved that song. Honestly, from the moment, even like, regardless of genre, I think what I understood was like, this is really good music. This is very catchy. I know this stuff from the moment that I hear it once I can sing it back. And I felt really emotional. Honestly, I'm not even gonna lie. I remember seeing the first drafts because when you're recording, you can see what they have of the animation. And it was kind of funny because obviously things are still being worked out. So, like, they weren't walking. They were just, like, floating, kind of. And, like, you know, all the people were, like, still. But regardless of all those details, when I first started singing the song with the animation in the background, I just kept getting chills. I was like, why do I keep getting chills? This is weird. And I think it's because that song is so powerful. That song is such a revelation. It's such a response to Golden, too. You know, it's like the full circle. And yeah, I actually remember I actually shed a tear, like, during seeing one of the more final versions of what it feels like with the animation of, like, the whole stadium and everything. And the girls floating into the air was, like, this is insane. What was it like watching this movie for the first time? I cried. And I want to just say I do not cry that often. Like I said, I'm emotionally constipated. So I cry, like, maybe two or two and a half times a year. But, like, most of the time when I cry, it's, like, it's bad. It's like sobbing for, like, 30 minutes straight because I kind of release in, like, spurts. But I was, I just, fat tears at the Netflix screening. And you know, it was weird. What got me, I know this is kind of going to be, like, my fourth time talking about kimbap in this interview. But what really got me was seeing Korean food animated. I was just like, that's just, like, it's the ---- I used to hide as a kid in second grade going to school thinking it's so embarrassing. And to see it just, like, in its animated form, just something about that tickled me in a different way. It's, like, this is a new era. Cultural acceptance, like, within media and movies like this, it's, like, it hits different. It hits the mainstream in a different way. But I got to say, like, Korean culture has been becoming mainstream for a few years now. Yeah. It's been a really cool thing to witness. Yeah. Yeah, I think we've all felt this kind of, like, it's been here, you know? Even 10 years ago when I fainted at that, or 13 years ago, when I fainted at that Big Bang concert, that was a sold-out concert at Prudential Center. Real. I fainted because that ---- was crowded and I was dehydrated. But regardless, it's, like, it's been here, you know? It's been here. But I think this is, like, a culmination of all those things. It does feel like a slightly different color spectrum. Like, the hues are just, like, deeper. And it's just a different world, it feels like, to me. By the way, I wasn't at that concert, but I was at the Wonder Girls in 2010. That's fire. Watching them open up for the Jonas Brothers. And yes, the Wonder Girls came on our show. They opened for the Jonas Brothers? A hundred percent. The **** out of you. A hundred percent. That's actually the most epic thing that I've heard. And I got them to come to my studio. It's pretty cool. I don't want to brag. It was in Jersey City, but whatever. Oh my god! It matters to me. That's so sick! I love the Wonder Girls. Dude! No, legendary. Truly legendary. Cultural bridge. Right? Yeah. I mean, like, that's so the right way to describe them. That was definitely also, I think that was also, like, one of those moments, you know, in its own way, where we just kind of, like, timeline skipped. And now we're here. And K-Pop Demon Hunters is just another portal to this, like, different world for me. How many times do you have to cut these songs while you're in the booth? And, like, what are the direction, like, what direction are you getting? It has to be so different than when you're cutting your own music. So different. Not even comparable. Actually opposite. Because I can picture it in my head. So different. I say it's different because it's, I think with my music, there's a level of capturing. And a lot of times with my music, I'd be caught up sometimes in, like, I like the demo the best, because the moment I conceived it was the best moment, you know, in my younger years. And something that this, I think, you know, working with Ian, seeing EJ, seeing Ray, and the whole process was kind of just, no, you can do it better. And you can be a performer. And you can struggle for it, you know, in a different way than, like, and I think both are so important. Both approaches are so important. But with Ian, it was like, I think, you know, like, Fitcheck from my Napalm era, that line in one of the songs, in How It's Done, I did that ---- so many times. I think I did that ----, like, I don't know, like, 37 times or something. Plus, I can't give you an exact number, but it was cool to work with someone so relentless about performance, because he was just that committed to making the story come to life. And we tried everything. He was like, try it like you're angry. And, you know, try it, now try it like you know you're the ----. Now try it like you, I don't know, all these different ways of trying it. It was a masterclass in being a recording artist. Very different than just being an artist, right? Very different. And very nostalgic, in a way. You know, I'm kind of used to, like, cutting the final vocals in, like, my friend's living room with rain pitter-pattering on the, pitter-patter, pitter-patter. Okay, that's all five. Pitter-pattering, like, on the window. And, oh, the rain's in there, but whatever. It's fine. I think that's cool. I think that's great. But this is like, I felt like I kind of teleported back to the past where making music is expensive. You know? It's like, every minute it's costing us. So you better, like, pull up and ---- on the floor, you know? It's a great way to put it. Yeah. How do you think this will affect you moving forward when it comes to your music and album number three? I think just really, just storytelling, honestly. I think I've always been, you know, I've always loved being creative. I've always loved aesthetic. I've always loved colors. I've always loved textures, palettes, all those things. But I think what this project really kind of drove home for me was the idea that those things are really important, but it really reinforced for me, because I've always loved artists who do this, but it reinforced for me in a very clear way the importance of the story and, like, the heartbeat is always the story as a human. And I think that's really important, especially nowadays, because there's, like, because everyone and their mom is making music, you know? Everyone and their mom is dropping mixtapes on SoundCloud, and everyone and their mom is, like, making, you know, 30-second TikTok reels to promote what they have to say. So sometimes I'm like, I really want to take up space in a way that is actually going to connect with people and connect different people. So yeah, that's what it taught me. You made a Google Slides presentation for your parents when you wanted to convince them to pursue this full-time? Yes. Has your why or desires, like, why you do this changed since that presentation? I don't, I think they've been tested. I don't think they've changed so much. I think when things are tested, you tend to come back from it and hold on to it even stronger. That's kind of, that's where I'm at right now. I feel very crystal clear on why I do this. I think when I first moved to LA, you know, LA's kind of a vortex. How long have you guys been out here? He'll remember. Going on 11 years. Ah, my favorite number. I have an 11 tattoo as well. But yeah, it's just, you know, we're close to the simulation core processor here and you can really get swept away in so much. I think that was a really a period when I first moved here of trial and testing. Now, having kind of gone through that tunnel, I do feel this unprecedented sense of just knowing why and why I do what I do and who I am and what I do want to say. So I'm very grateful for all the rough, tough experiences that the city has given me. What do you do it? What do you do what you do? I do what I do. Oh my God, I feel like I'm in therapy right now. This is great. Love this orange couch, by the way. Thank you. It's a great shade of orange. Personally, I do what I do because I think growing up as a Korean American, you know, in the suburbs of New Jersey, not really surrounded by a lot of people who look like myself. I think I grew up very feeling this sense of comfort in walking these two lines between these two worlds. And I think I've because of that, I've been very emboldened to go on this journey of embracing my full self and not denying any parts of myself and just being able to say, like, we're all unique, we're all different. And we can be our full selves, you know, and I think that's what the world needs is for us to all be our full selves. So in that vein, I think I would like to just send a rallying call to all the weirdos, loners, outsiders, and kind of just create a sense of reclaiming that, you know, reclaiming this idea that we should be our full selves. And, you know, I think embracing all your fears, your full self is really ultimately what allows you to be your best self. And I would just like to, you know, have that courage. And hopefully by me doing that, I can embolden some other people to do the same and just live your best ******* life. Do you have this courage at the beginning of your career? Or like, does it come from your career? Like in 2019, you do a song with Jack Harlow. Are you confident before creating Comic Sans? Are you confident after making Comic Sans? It's very cyclical. It's so cyclical. It's a journey for me too. I was confident before I made Comic Sans. You know, I think what really tested my confidence was honestly, like success. Like, you know, I think I was very blessed to be able to have my music resonate with people very early on in my career. Like I kind of started doing it. You know, it was a journey, but for the most part, I feel very blessed to have within a year of like really, really trying to make music, like being able to sign with a label and put out music, you know, the way I wanted to put it out. I think the thing that really tests your confidence is sometimes success. Weirdly, not the struggle. So real. Yeah. I think the struggle is what has- Because the quest, you're like blindly naive and like confidence out the ass because you're like kind of- Out the ass. You're really in pursuit of something. I just want to sit there. No, but it's like, it is kind of true. Like you are in pursuit of this thing. At all costs, because you also don't even know like the ramifications or ripple effects of any actions yet. I look up to my younger self so much. My younger self is, she is, she's just that bitch, you know? I think we all should look up to our younger selves. So real. You know? But it's just a cycle of life because you see things, you can't unsee them. And that's what causes people to be afraid. And I think that trying to send a message out to your younger self to give you some strength is very valid. How'd you link up with Jack Harlow? How'd that even happen? My manager at the time found his manager's personal email and just emailed them. And they responded after like four months. That's crazy. The fact that they even responded- It was like Hotmail or some ----. Yahoo or something. Yeah. But that was before What's Poppin' came out, wasn't it? It was. So how did you guys discover Jack Harlow? I just liked his music. I thought he was fire. Like Sundown and all like the kind of Clipse-inspired ---- that he was doing at the time. I found it on Spotify and I was like, this guy's kind of fire. I feel like he would sound really good on this song. That was it. And then, yeah. And he does. He pulled up, huh? I said, and he does. Yeah. He's sick. And he pulled up for the video shoot. He's a really nice guy. Nothing but nice things to say about him. I mean, at a point in the four-month period, you must think that it's never going to happen, right? And you move on to a second option or no? Against serendipitous, because I think I reached out to so many people and they all dubbed me. And the universe said, Jack Harlow's going to do this. He's the guy for the job. It's funny because sometimes the artists that I reached out for that feature will DM me randomly, like, yo, you're fire, you're hard. And then you see in 2019, he's like, hi, my name is Audrey. I just started making music. I would love to hear you. It's so hilarious. The way things happen. The receipts. The receipts are scary. They're kept. They are very much kept. By the way, you got to listen to all the music from K-pop, Demon Hunters and all of Audrey's music. It's waiting for you on Amazon Music. Listen to Trench. Listen to Liquid Diet or Liquid Breakfast. I'm so sorry. No, you're good. Honestly, I need Liquid Diet right now. I'm like Smice Digestive System these days. Nutritious diet. Why are you fucked up? What's going on? I don't know. I just keep getting like stomach acid burn. Like, I feel like a grandma wake up in the middle of the night and like my stomach hurts. So I like prop myself up these days. Your outfit is kind of giving. Thank you. One of my style icons of all time is my grandpa. It's a huge compliment. That's amazing. Thank you. He was so swaggy. Yeah, you're doing him proud. Thank you. Really well done. It means a lot. What are you thinking over there, Daniel? What made you even want to start rapping as a young girl from New Jersey in the first place? I think I was just a fan of the genre. It really wasn't consciously planned. It was being a fan of the genre and kind of secretly writing my little raps. This is fun. Dangerous. Because I grew up in a household where cursing was not allowed. Saying stupid was like a bad word for me growing up. So I think I was so repressed in that way that when I heard Busta Rhymes for the first time, or when I heard Kendrick, I was like, this feels so dangerous. I feel so moved by this. So I was a fan of the genre. Then Comic Sans was really the second rap song I ever recorded. And it just came from messing around. I was like, I'm not going to sing on this. I don't think that's right for the song. And I just kind of wrote the verse. It's very organic. How are you balancing that moving forward, rapping versus singing? I would like to really focus on singing only because I think, I mean, not only singing, I definitely have a love for both. But I think these days, particularly, I feel very connected to the singing side of myself, just because I'm really reconnecting with my roots these days and kind of what made me want to start to do music in the first place. So I really have been trying to improve my singing game. I think poetry, you know, poetry will always be kind of a part of the fodder. Is that a word? Like the thing that like cows or something? Isn't that what is fodder? No, fodder is not what cows eat. What is it? No, fodder, food, especially dried hay or feed for cattle and other livestock. But it also means something else. Information or people considered as raw material or an easily consumed source for a particular purpose. Wow, that's a crazy different meaning for one word, but not really. But that's wild. And that's why English is... I love English. Either way, though, I think both meanings work for this context. Like the fodder of my kind of lyrical exploration, I think will always come from this kind of free, right, poetic space. And I never want that to... I never want to feel like, you know, that shouldn't be a part of anything. I don't want to feel boxed in by any genre or discipline. By the way, like that does exist a little bit on your teaser, Touchdown Club. It's a great, great record there. How does that collaboration happen? Thank you. That was actually through an A&R of mine who was just in the studio with him and kind of played him the song just to see what he thought. And he was like, he fucked with it. Again, just so serendipitous. And I'm just a fan. You know, I feel like he is one of those people who is just really... I feel like creativity just like oozes out of that man. And I found that to be inspiring. Just wanted him to be a part of it. I also felt like it was a really cool... It was kind of the last person that I imagined for the track. You know, we were thinking like, I would love to hear Steve Lacey on this or maybe Mac DeMarco. Someone in that kind of band world. But I feel like the thing with Teaser that's so cool is that he has that influence. And he really blends a lot of different influences as they all do. But just in particular with this in a way that was very quirky to the song. It's a good album. Should be very proud of it. Thank you. Listen to Trench. Listen to Liquid Breakfast. A Liquid Breakfast. What are you laughing at? Nothing. I didn't know if he was going to get it right this time. He gets the name of everything wrong. No, it's okay. Artist names, album names, song titles. It's really embarrassing. No, honestly, embrace that ----. I just know it's coming. I'll never forget you now with your acne shirt and the liquid diet thing. I think that's epic. Okay, we'll take it. Thank you. I mean, they usually end up going viral on the internet. So they're memorialized forever and people ******* ridicule me. But it's fine. It's okay. On Trench, you do have two good samples or interpolations. Whatever people want to call them these days. A Boy Is Mine from Brandy and Monica. Is that easy to kind of just get cleared? Or you just kind of make and hope for the best? It was not easy. But it happened. It was not easy. I will say I'm very grateful because I know so many people who have tried to get that sample cleared. And they were like, how did you do that? How did you get that ----? And I truly don't know. You really don't? I really don't know. I just, you know, my team reached out to the publisher. And it was just like, yeah, they're down for this. I was like, sick. And then with Huey and Pop, Lock and Drop It, same situation? Or is that? Very different situation, actually. That one was in a way harder to clear. It was just really hard to, you know, find the person of his estate and all that. But again, we did make it happen. Took longer. Rest in peace. And, you know, I think both samples are definitely, you know, very blessed to be able to clear such culturally iconic samples. Do you use any of your Clive Davis, NYU knowledge while you navigate the world of artistry? I always wondered that. I always wanted to go to NYU. Yeah. Oh, did you? I mean, yeah. Did you? Yeah, I got applied and didn't get in. Oh, okay. I got rejected live on the radio. Live on the radio? Yeah, I would open all my acceptance or rejection letters live on the radio and they'd just be all rejections. So they're all documented. That's totally. It's really fun. I also got, I applied for USC. I got waitlisted to the Harvard program at Berkeley. So I feel you. I really didn't get accepted to that many schools. Well, NYU's pretty good. NYU's a great school. I love that school. I mean, you know, it has its things, but so damn expensive, but. Still paying off loans. I mean, that's the reason I, that's one of the big reasons I only did a year because education, dude, is so expensive. It's like, you got to like sell your life away to get an education. ------- wrong. It's crazy. Do I use skills? Yeah, I think so. Yeah. One of the best classes, two of the best classes I took in that program were a cultural music history course. It was titled creative music entrepreneurship, but it was really, in essence, like a cultural music history course. That was incredible. Dude, Dan Charnas. And then another class that I really enjoyed was Jeff Parrots, who was a songwriting and production teacher over there. Learned a lot from those classes. Beyond that, living in the city as someone who grew up in the boring ass suburbs was one of the most valuable things that could have ever happened to me. It was like a complete, it was a complete like explosion in my brain of creativity and strangers on the A train, the way they dress. Grandmas in Chinatown, the way they dress. You know, going to Duran Jones and the indications show just on like a Tuesday night, seeing Taishi at Music Hall of Williamsburg. All these things just really fed into my creative vocabulary so effortlessly in that city. How do you know it was time to leave? Because I spent my entire life savings on my first year. Paid for it, yeah. And I was like, do I want to put myself in debt? You know, not feeling those vibes right now. So I convinced my parents to kind of let me take a year off. And it was supposed to just be a year off and then just different plans were had. Now it's life. Yeah. This whole lifestyle. Yeah. This is reality. Yeah. Surreality. Love that. You should be proud of yourself. Oh, wow. Thank you. We're making New Jersey proud. Oh my God. This is the second time you said that to me. I'm like, this is so nice. Yeah. I'm of New Jersey, so. Hell yeah. I support you. I love meeting fellow Jerseyans. Where are you from? I'm from Philadelphia, so. We're neighbors. Close enough. He wishes he was New Jersey. No, I don't. My sister went to UPenn. Oh, so did my dad. Oh, really? And I also went to Parsons, so we were neighbors in college as well. Oh, ----. You went to, what did you study? Design and management. It was like a business degree in design, but I also dropped out after a year and a half. Ah. So nobody here lasted long in college. And then he joined Arsha. And then I've been here. Nice. Yeah. Cool major though. It is a cool major. That's why I took it, because I was like, I want to do the graphics and the design, but I want a business degree. Very far. That's really cool, yeah. Oh, yeah. Your dad was in clothing manufacturing, wasn't he? Yeah. One of my first introductions to like the love of fashion and visual language was, that's how my grandpa kind of made a living or livelihood when he moved here from Korea in like the 70s. He set up a clothing, like a garment factory and garment district. So growing up, I would go there every other Saturday and just kind of see how clothes were made, kind of pin random scrap fabrics onto headless mannequins, that kind of thing. That's cool. Yeah, really cool. I'm very grateful for all of like my, I'm grateful for my parents. Yeah. New Jersey is a great place to grow up. I got to say, like it really is. Like, and maybe I'm like a little nuts, but like even you have great access to culture that's very close to you. Like there's a lot of stuff going on. I love New Jersey. Don't ---- on Jersey in front of me. If you ever see me guys, because I love New Jersey. I think it's the most boring place. And I think that that is so important for, I think boredom is just so important. You could literally get into Manhattan like 35 minutes from your house. Right. The access to that, all that simulation is there. But I think this piece that you can have too will allow you to just, I don't know, grow an imagination beyond all the things that are around that are fed to you, I would say. That's real. And there is like, dude, there's access to culture. There's access to opportunity. There's access to things like New Jersey is a good place. New Jersey is a good place. That should be a t-shirt. Your zip code really does make up a lot of one's success and exposure in life, right? Like exposure does lead to success. And I do believe that like having access from my zip code into like a thriving cultural metropolis definitely affected who I became. No, access is huge. Access is everything I would argue, honestly, because I don't know, even just, I'm really passionate about education and kind of investing in education for the next generation, because I really think that it does come down to access. And, you know, access allows us to just become who we're meant to be, you know? So. A hundred percent. Yeah. Shout out to New Jersey. Shout out to education. Shout out to more equity in education. I, again, education shouldn't like, the quality of education shouldn't be determined by one zip code. Quality education and the best possible education should be equitable across every single city and every single community across the country. Absolutely. I am learning a lot more about this because, I mean, it's something I've always been passionate about. One of my dreams as a kid was to start a school and it is currently to start a school one day. And, you know, I've always wanted to incorporate this idea of philanthropy for education, access and equity into things that I do. So for this last tour, we did an initiative where we raised money for programs like City Year. I don't know if you've heard of City Year, but they're kind of like, they provide a lot of extra support for students who might not have access to something like that. Worked with the Coach Foundation, just did a, just did a really, like, you know, a humble but symbolic and meaningful to me and hopefully to those involved initiative to kind of introduce this concept of like, yes, bringing more, doing what we can to bring more education, access and equity to those who might not have that access. Because if you look at the numbers, it really is truly so, so stark and clear, like the inequity of, you know, I read something like all like STEM degree holders, like less than 2% are black women, that kind of thing. And, you know, there's like $23 billion more that goes towards funding for predominantly white neighborhoods. Things like this that you just look at it and you're like, this is just so clearly, it's like some bullshit, you know? So I think again, with the whole idea of embracing your full self, that comes from, it comes from having access to the knowledge to be your full self, you know, and to feed those parts of yourself. So yeah, I have no idea how we ended up on this topic, but I think we definitely should have talked about this. I could talk about this for hours. Great. Thank you for fighting the good fight and thank you for doing something that is genuinely vital for society. And that bullshit that you just mentioned, it needs to be mentioned that all that bullshit is constructed, right? This idea that like where funding goes and how it's rooted and who gets access and who doesn't, that's not by chance. It is orchestrated that way. But like same way there's environmental racism, there's educational racism, there's a bunch of things. It's so deeply wrong that like it takes somebody to step up and do something. So I thank you for doing something. I mean, I mean, thank you for giving the space to even, you know, discuss. And I think it should be an ongoing conversation, you know, always. It's really important. It's really important to me. It's really important to the team that I surround myself with. Shout out to my manager, Paula, who is incredible with all the philanthropy initiatives and is just really super inspiring in that realm for me and my mom. Very important. How do you feel about the early rumblings of Golden being nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song? I'm feeling myself. You should be. And really proud of the team, you know, just I feel like being a part of it, just being a part of it alone is just incredible. So I can't imagine how, you know, Maggie and Chris are feeling and the whole music team getting, you know, I'm getting all mental preparation for whatever is coming with whatever that comes with. I am mentally preparing myself for. And shout out to EJ, too, because she's been in this she's been in this game for so long and since she was damn near like a, you know, preteen, she's had some such a long journey and it's really just like person to person. So gratifying to see her get her flowers as well. It's a special thing. Yeah. You all have worked really hard. Thanks. We've all worked hard here. But it is true. Like the three, like there is, you're not, none of you are new to this, right? Like. No, I wouldn't say so. I think, you know, we've all in our own way spaced this kind of very suppressing sometimes perception of like what it what you have to be or what you're expected to be as a Korean woman. And I think each of us in our own way have just been, you know, for a long time, just living our most honest truths and hoping that that, you know, resonates. Any thoughts on doing a K-pop Demon Hunters tour? Tour. A tour. Sorry, I don't know why that was my reaction to it. Any thoughts? I think it's an interesting idea. I haven't heard anything about this. I think I'll be singing the alto harmonies on Golden, you know, I'll be singing the lowest harms. I'll be, yeah, if anything, just practicing those harmonies. But who knows? Honestly, I really have no idea. I have no idea if this is something they're thinking of or... Imagine the Saja boys opening up for Hendrix. How sick would that be? Yeah, they'd better open for us. I mean, you're not part of Soda Pop, but that's a good song also. Yeah, I mean, Saja boys, they're fire. Yeah. Baddies. All of them. Do you have a bias? Like, is it just somebody watching as a fan? Mystery. Okay. Do you have a bias in your own group? Oh, Mira. Okay, but you are, yeah, you are Mira. You gotta pick yourself. You gotta pick somebody else. Do you relate to Mira? Bobby. That's funny. Yeah. I fully relate to Mira, yeah. You do? Absolutely. It's freaky. Even the, like, the line of, like, Hearst wearing a sleeping bag to the Met Gala. I'm like, that's some ---- I would love to do. Any idea of sequels? They have to be talking about it, right? Yeah, they've been talking about some sequels. I mean, I think we're all kind of just waiting for the call and seeing if it's really gonna happen, but it seems like something. And as a fan, I'm just excited because I would love to learn more about the backstories. I'm with you. Yeah, I feel like there's so much depth. I already know for a fact that they've thought about all of this, where they're from, who is related to who, who has these different secrets, whatever. And I know that they're definitely already have thought probably about all those things. So I'm excited as a fan. I'm excited, too. You excited? Yeah. Cool. You don't seem excited. Okay. Be more excited. Yes, I am. Say it with a smile, bro. Say it with a smile. All of Audrey Nuna's music is waiting for you. It's on Amazon Music Plus. You can listen to the entire soundtrack for K-Pop Demon Hunters. Also on Amazon Music. There's a link below. I thank you so much for hanging out today. Thank you. Really. Appreciate you guys. We appreciate you. Audrey Nuna, everybody.