Photo credit: Oh Se Ae
Course Studied: BA (Hons) Music (Popular with Jazz)
Year of Graduation: 2019
Top Career Highlights:
- Making my very first EP with my band, who I met at Leeds Conservatoire
- Becoming an independent musician - I am now able to plan what to do for future releases and I know the direction I want to take my music in
- Meeting so many nice people at Leeds Conservatoire, who I can always ask for help when I need it
Hyunju Park is a South Korean singer and songwriter, who graduated from the BA (Hons) Popular with Jazz programme in 2019.
Hyunju formed her band Heju whilst studying at Leeds Conservatoire, and has since released a number of singles. Hyunju's soft, introspective vocals have established her as a distinctive and soulful singer-songwriter.
What prompted you to move from South Korea to study in the United Kingdom?
I’ve always wanted to live in a Western country but I didn’t know where specifically I wanted to go. When I started to think about my favourite artists, I saw my playlists were filled up with mainly British artists. So I thought ‘Oh, I already know the answer… I need to go study in the UK.’
Was there anything about your time studying in the UK that surprised you?
In my first year at Leeds Conservatoire, I was surprised to see so many instrumentalists who had released their own music and knew exactly where they wanted to go with their artistry and music.
Prior to studying in the UK, I didn’t know what I should do with my singing skills and never really thought I could do everything I needed to both create and release music.
In my first year at the conservatoire, many of my friends were doing something which was very different from what I had seen previously in South Korea, which was a real eye-opener.
Why do you think the UK has so much creative output?
Personally, I think the reason is that people respect each other’s characteristics and celebrate diversity. Whenever people try to do something new with music or any other art form, people actually do listen and go along to watch. If no one really cared, creativity would slowly disappear.
Photo credit: Oh Se Ae
How did studying at Leeds Conservatoire prepare you for working in the wider industry?
Whenever I have faced a potentially closed door in the industry, I could ask my tutors and friends who are amazing and have a wealth of industry knowledge.
They have taught me so many things that I didn’t think about before such as royalties, the film music industry, tour booking, etc.
What was your most memorable experience during your time at Leeds Conservatoire?
When my tutor told me ‘you are like a completely different person from the first year’, because I began to write songs from the end of first year (for my recitals) and I was getting very enthusiastic about it.
Also - performing at Freshers' Night when I was third year. It was such a great atmosphere and I realised I missed so many amazing times.
How has your artistic persona developed over the years?
I found out that I prefer really natural, easy listening music, which uses storytelling. I used to think things such as ‘the photoshoot should be perfect with nice makeup and dresses...’, ‘there should be more perfection on my tracks with difficult and outstanding arrangements…’ those kind of stereotypes.
However, now I know what I like to do after trying so many things at Leeds Conservatoire and getting feedback from my colleagues. I’m trying to focus what I would happy with. That is the key for everyone.
What advice would you give to someone developing as an artist outside of their home country?
I would love to say… ‘try as much as you can’. I worried too much about my English speaking abilities so I didn’t go to any Freshers' events or first year events and I regret that a little bit now.
Show yourself to people and spend time with nice people who recognise your talents and are willing to share their talents with you too.
