Today we’d like to introduce you to Lewis Park.
Hi Lewis, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Hello, this is Lewis Park, originally from Seoul, South Korea. I am a musical artist whose main genres are alternative hip-hop and alternative rock. Thank you for having me here.
Looking back, ever since I was a little kid, I have always loved listening to music all the time. Besides learning to play the piano for a bit, I never really had a chance of being a musician until I got into college. I met a good friend of mine at the university I went to who showed me his home studio setting. Seeing his setup surprised me and made me more interested in what he was able to make.
These days, making music does not necessarily require a huge studio setting but I did not know that until then. Shortly after that, I just started making my own home studio as if possessed by something, I was struck with both immense inspiration and motivation. I didn’t necessarily know anything about a home studio or making music but something deep within me lead me to begin this musical journey. Even now, I cannot exactly explain why I started, it just felt like the right thing to do.
Sometime later, with some of my friends, I made a hip-hop performance club in my school named ‘RookGround’. Back then, my school was a new and small school in Korea so there was no such club. I needed an environment where I could cooperate with other people who had a passion for music while also being able to learn from each other. While in the club, I actually did learn a lot about not only making music but dealing with relationships with other people as well.
Once I decided I wanted to make a career out of this passion, I took some semesters off of school to focus on music more. With some friends of mine, I made a music crew to do more activities but it did not work well. When looking back now, the members of the crew were all different direction-wise and I couldn’t make everyone go in one direction. This resulted in the crew eventually disbanding. However, Dollarsignpark from that crew has become the producer I work with the most. I think that’s probably the biggest thing I got from my time with the crew.
There have been countless trials and errors ever since the day I started making music. These things never stopped me though, my struggles simply became the base for me to find what my own music truly is and who I really am as an artist. As of today, I mainly make music that consists of a mixture of hip-hop and rock sounds.
As an artist, I hope that my music can wake up listeners’ emotions and feelings. I hope that my songs can be a remedy for those who listen. One of my main goals is to heal people through my music by revealing my vulnerabilities and hardships, hoping that others can relate and feel less alone in their struggles. I would love for people to have some interesting experiences while listening to my music.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There have been many bumps in the road and complications along the way regarding my musical journey. Firstly, I had no connection to people in the music industry and almost no music background. I had to start from the very bottom and work my way up, I had many things to learn. Later on in my journey, the crew I co-created didn’t work out and disbanded. Not everything I tried ended up working out for me, but these experiences did help me grow and gain some insights about how to move forward in following my dreams.
Another challenge I faced was that my parents really hated me pursuing music, they were against it as it wasn’t the conventional, or rather, safe route to take in life. Years ago, I secretly prepared myself to transfer to Full Sail University in FL for the music production major and I actually got accepted. However, my parents never let me change schools, even after several months of arguing with them. They insisted I keep the major they felt was best for my future (Technological Systems Management at SUNY Korea). However, this was not the end in my eyes, but instead, an opportunity that encouraged me to work even harder and prove to my parents that I could be successful and that this was truly my calling in life.
I believe that one of the most important things when it comes to struggles is to trust yourself and to always try your best to keep going despite the odds. If you put your heart and soul into something and truly believe in yourself, I think anything is possible. Hardships only push me to work harder and to become my best self. Of course, there have been many times when I had doubts about myself, I’m only human, and these thoughts still linger in my mind occasionally. It’s important to do your best to trust yourself and your decision and to work on moving forward when these thoughts appear. I try my best to be positive by looking back on my past and seeing how far I have come since I started. It’s meaningful to acknowledge your achievements and not be too hard on yourself. I always try to keep a good mindset despite what troubles I may be facing at the moment.
One of the more interesting challenges I faced was going to an American university without having any international experiences such as living abroad or having a global education. I was not fluent in English either in the beginning so it was very difficult for me to adjust. I had so many struggles getting used to the new environment that I even considered dropping out of my school and transferring to a Korean university. Instead of giving up, I decided that I would take this as an opportunity to become fluent in English. Because of this, I can now connect with a more international audience and have more opportunities in my music career.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a musical artist but am currently a student in college as well. I am majoring in Technological Systems Management, a major that is quite distant from music which might come off as a surprise considering I’m much more of an art person than anything else. Music-wise, I specialize in melancholy alternative music, I am known for some of my more emotional songs. I tend to create songs based on mainly my vulnerabilities and hardships, along with the many trials and errors I have faced so far.
My hope is that listeners can interpret my songs in ways that are personal to them and can gain something from listening, such as comfort or further understanding of themselves in some way. I want people to delve deeper into different parts of themselves and embrace/express their emotions in a healthy way through my music. One of the things I’m most proud of is the process/journey that I have taken so far. It was not easy but I’m getting better and better and also finding myself more and more.
I would say what sets me apart from others is that I often mix sounds of rock, hip-hop, and a bit of pop. My voice tone is also rather unique and makes me stand out compared to other artists.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I would like to give credit to my producer ‘Dollarsignpark’ who produced most of my popular songs. He also struggled through a lot of trials and errors together with me but regardless always supported me.
He plays a very crucial role in making my music. He is a music producer, sound engineer, and DJ. He is one of the most multi-talented people I have ever seen in my entire life. He always puts me on the right road whenever I begin trailing off or having a hard time. I truly appreciate him and want to thank him for his help and support.
I also want to give credit to my girlfriend, Yingyue. She has always been there for me no matter what. We have been through both ups and downs together. I am very proud of her. She is one of my biggest inspirations and motivations for moving forward. She also helps me a lot with various things regarding my music and I wish to thank her for her love and support.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7CpZJrvwsFvNpT8oVCbl1q?si=zQ7jJr9PTmWG7leRaUh2LQ&utm_source=copy-link
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lewindahouse
