APOKI Talks the Appeal of Virtual Artists, Doja Cat’s Influence & New Collab With E-40: Interview

Billboard Japan
·8 min read
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APOKI, the virtual K-pop artist from South Korea, recently released her new single, “West Swing,” featuring E-40. Her fourth single, this marks her first song that’s entirely in English. It’s a song aimed squarely at the global music scene, with the feel of new jack swing, the genre that was so popular in the late ’80s and early ’90s. It also features legendary rapper E-40, who has been active in the scene since the 1990s.

The APOKI project is backed by a collaboration between AFUN INTERACTIVE, a Korean tech venture company, and Sony Music Solutions. CEO DK Kwon of AFUN INTERACTIVE, which has won countless awards for its cutting edge technologies, expressed his hopes for the collaboration, saying, “The Sony Group isn’t just a manufacturer of state-of-the-art, reliable electronics products, but also a Group with immense strengths around the globe in every area of content, such as music, games, and pictures.” He went on, “At AFUN INTERACTIVE, we’re pioneering the new genre of virtual entertainment, so we look forward to seeing the various kinds of synergy we will produce with Sony. We’re grateful to Sony for its dependability and the hard work it’s contributing to the creation of this new market, and we’re doing our part by providing high quality content and new technologies.” You can catch glimpses of homages to Sony in the recently released music video for “West Swing feat. E-40”.

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APOKI debuted in February 2021 with “GET IT OUT.” She rapidly raised her profile in South Korea, Japan and around the world. Billboard Japan talked to her about “West Swing feat. E-40,” the virtual artist concept, and her vision for the future.

For any readers that don’t know, APOKI, you’re a rabbit that lives somewhere in space, and you debuted as a virtual artist in 2019. How has this time as a virtual artist been for you?

It’s been an absolute blast getting so many comments from my many fans around the world and having so many people watch my streaming shows. That said, my debut has been called “the birth of an intergalactic star,” so I want to make even more of a splash (laughs) and I plan to release even more songs.

One of the things that makes you so appealing is the diversity of your musical sensibilities, which feature elements of trap and electro.

We decide on a concept for each song and then build up the details from there. I also actively offer up ideas. In addition to input about the music itself, I also make suggestions about, for example, my hair style, clothes, and music videos. Not all of my ideas are used, but on the other hand it’s not like my team forces me to do everything their way, either. We’re professionals, so we bounce ideas off each other through the creation process.

What are your own musical roots?

What got me into making music was K-POP, but then I started listening to a lot of different music and learning about different artists. I’m really into Doja Cat and would love to do a song together with her. She releases all kinds of music. I used to upload videos of covers to YouTube, and when I covered her “Say So,” I tried really hard to recreate the cute atmosphere of the original. Doja’s vocal expressions and emotional shifts influenced my own song, “Coming Back.” I also love the collaboration between Doja and Naomi Watanabe, “Kiss Me More feat. Naomi Watanabe.”  I listen to a lot of new music and keep a close eye on trends, but I’m not aiming to be a trend setter with my own music. It’s a lot more fun to make music doing what I’m good at, working with the genres I like, and creating what I feel like creating at the time.

What do you think about communicating with fans?

When I communicate with fans, I make an effort to let them know that I’m real. In my Instagram and TikTok live streams, I read a lot of the comments that are submitted in real time and give shout outs to my fans. That’s why I wanted to do today’s interview by ZOOM, not email.

What do you see as the good points of being a virtual artist?

Well, first off, I can do anything we dream up. It’s a shame that I can’t put on a show in real life, but there’s a lot of things that I’m able to do as a virtual artist that make up for that and more. I don’t have to worry about maintaining my figure, either, so I can eat as much as I want (laughs). Japanese virtual artists are so cute — the way they look, their attitudes, the way they talk, everything. I look cute too (laughs), but I don’t think my attitude is all that cute.

Being part of the entertainment industry can be really emotionally draining. What do you do to keep in a healthy headspace?

I play games. When I really get into a game, I forget about my worries, or I feel like I can take them on or they’re not such a big deal after all. Recently I’ve been playing Odin Sphere!

Let’s talk a little about your new single, “West Swing feat. E-40.” This song has a bit of a new jack swing feel, doesn’t it?

That’s right. When the whole crew was talking, the idea came up to make a new jack swing song. We’d never done a song like that before, so I thought it was a great idea. I didn’t know all that much about new jack swing before, but I listened to a lot of new jack swing when we were working on the song, and I have to say it’s great. We didn’t want to simply copy that feel, but instead we tried to give it a stylish finish. What we came up with was a really powerful track, and we wanted to have a unique rapper who had been active during the new jack swing days, so we got in touch with E-40. He listened to the track and got right back to us, saying he wanted to be a part of it. “He laid down some amazing bars. The song was mixed by Dave Way and mastered by Randy Merrill. Both are some of the most talented professionals in the world, and they created a really wonderful sound that has further driven the evolution of the APOKI sound.

There’s also a lot of buzz about this being your first song sung entirely in English.

The lyrics to my songs, starting with my debut single, “GET IT OUT,” have mostly been Korean. I also released Japanese versions of “Coming Back” and “Shut Up Kiss Me (feat. Lil Cherry).” They were a lot of fun to make, but this time we wanted to share this wonderful song with the whole world, so we went with English lyrics. I’m actually not all that good at English, but I’m good being able to repeat things I hear and pronouncing them well, and I love to do it.

The music video, with its space setting, is also wonderful.

The theme of the video is “beyond the bounds of space and time.” In the last scene, the visuals are linked to the lyrics, so make sure to check that out! The dance scenes are also a stand out. Like my previous music videos, the choreography was provided by my friends Ova and Dozu, and we worked on it together, exchanging ideas.

What’s your vision for the future?

I want to do a live show! I want to sing in front of my fans, and I also want to bring together people around the world in the metaverse and put on a show. I want to try fun, interesting things that bring people joy. Also, I want to become an artist that will keep performing for years to come. That’s why I think it’s important to release a wide range of music. I feel like it might be hard to build long-term fans if I’m always doing the same thing. I want to try my hand at all kinds of different genres and show off my cute side, my powerful side, my serious side — all kinds of different aspects of myself. I’m going to keep creating music in all kinds of new styles.

It seems like the horizons of your expressive capabilities are going to keep on expanding.

I hope so. When I’m working in new genres, there are times when I discover new and surprising aspects of my own personality. I’m discovering new things about myself. I’m positive that there’s new, untapped talent inside me that I have yet to find.

I look forward to seeing what you do next! Do you have any last words for your fans?

I read all of your messages and comments, and they really energize and support me. I’m going to keep on doing my best, and I hope I can continue to enjoy your support!

–This interview by Tomoyuki Mori first appeared on Billboard Japan

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