No stranger to Rolling Stone AU/NZ readers, NZ-Korean indie-pop artist hanbee dropped her most accomplished work to date last month with daydream radio.
Her new album came together over the span of a year between Auckland and Seoul, produced in collaboration with Korean producer Hyunmin Lee (Taichi Mukai).
The subject and style of daydream radio is exactly what lush indie-pop should sound like.
“’daydream radio’ is all about being free in your mind, dreaming about places you’d like to be, with people you’d like to be with,” hanbee explains. “Anything could be your peace — from beautiful sunsets, warm breezes, watching the waves come and go endlessly, to staying cozy in your room, feeling true love, or simply taking an afternoon coffee break.
“In the daydream world you can be as free as you want; wherever or whatever you’re looking for, daydream radio will find the right one just for you.”
Standout tracks include “call me yours”, accompanied by very adorable music video (watch below).
The track is “sweet melody about two lovers,” hanbee reveals, “dreaming about the moment to confess their feelings to each other; to finally call each other their own. In the meantime, they love to take walks on the beach, watch the clouds float by, and simply enjoy sitting together on the warm sand with the waves lapping at their feet.”
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With a sound that’s reminiscent of Clairo, Kali Uchis, and Beabadoobee, hanbee has been on an upward trajectory for several years now. She’s performed at Laneway and SXSW Sydney; she’s supported Men I Trust, Fazerdaze, and Telenova; she’s received support from Apple Music Korea, YouTube, and triple j.
Following the release of daydream radio, we once again caught up with hanbee to find out more about the making of the album, what else she’s got coming up, and more.
Hanbee’s daydream radio is out now.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: Congratulations on daydream radio! What does this album mean to you?
Hanbee: Thank you so much! Daydream radio holds quite a special meaning to me both musically and personally. Often sentimental, it felt like a way to record my memories and daydreams forever. Making this album made me realise how much I love the craft of writing songs, as well as the sense of freedom that comes with doing what you love.
Where did you find yourself drawing the most creative inspiration while making daydream radio?
Being in different cities for most of the album, I think I felt a little homesick; most of the creative inspiration for this album came from my memories and daydreams of life in New Zealand. The lazy beach days, lush forests, and early morning birdsong — all those precious memories became my main source of inspiration.
Was there something you challenged yourself to do differently on this album?
I tried to use different vocal harmonies and sounds to create a wider range of textures and depth for the tracks. I was grateful to have my co-producer Hyunmin Lee, who could play almost every instrument — which gave me a diverse range of sounds to choose from. While keeping the overall feeling similar, I wanted to differentiate the tracks — like having one dream after the other, that all become part of one big dream when you wake up.
You’ve previously said you wanted to make music that feels like “daydreaming” and helps people get through the day. Has daydream radio changed or expanded what this idea means to you?
Daydream radio was made in the hopes of expanding this idea further; a way to bring the daydream world into my music. I wanted to express how different our daydreams could be, but also keep similar tones — as if it could all belong to one person. I wanted to create melodies for listeners to daydream to, and to have new daydreams about.
Your songs often create a really intimate world for listeners. Were there moments on daydream radio that pushed you creatively or emotionally?
With my past works, I relied on old memories or current events as a source of creative inspiration, but never both simultaneously. I tried weaving in inspiration from both sources — from old fading memories to small random everyday events. At times, recalling old memories was difficult — my thoughts and emotions in the memory had changed or become blurry over time. Weaving in those memories of hazy daydreams with my current thoughts pushed me both emotionally and creatively.
The past couple years have been huge for you, from Laneway to SXSW Sydney and supporting artists like Men I Trust and Fazerdaze. What’s been the biggest learning experience?
It truly has! Although all of them have been huge learning experiences, the biggest would be Laneway, being my first big outdoor festival. I had been so nervous about being on stage, but once I started my live set I simply felt free and grateful to be there. The weather was beautiful, the crowd was so supportive — I think I realised once again that playing live was a precious experience. I was able to learn how to get in the zone, let my music play, and have fun – no matter how overwhelming it can be.
Looking back now, what are you most proud of on daydream radio?
Throughout the whole album making process, every track was made with much love and excitement; everything flowed so smoothly that I’d often have to hit pause to make sure I was going in the right direction. Looking back, I think I’m quite proud that the album came out — the ideas and melodies of my daydreams made into real songs.
Are there any songs on daydream radio that you’re especially looking forward to performing?
“Ocean mail” and “call me yours” — a full live band set would be so exciting! My co-producer Hyunmin Lee arranged both tracks so beautifully with live instruments; we both dreamed about how fun it would be to play these tracks as a live performance. Both tracks are about beach days, so it would be amazing if I could make the audience feel like they’re being taken away to the beach.
What do you hope people take away after listening to daydream radio?
Not every day is perfect – life comes and goes with waves of uplifting and tiring days. I hope it can offer a moment of peace, a short escape from reality, or even just a feeling of being seen or understood. I wrote the songs feeling so free — hopefully they can be a way for listeners to feel the same sense of nostalgic freedom.
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You once described your music as “small music”. Do you still see it that way, or has your perspective changed as your audience has grown?
I think I’ll probably always think of my music as “small music” in terms of intimacy. From my perspective, my music feels like intimate pieces of my thoughts that happen to be in the form of songs — records of my ideas and memories. I feel truly blessed to have a growing audience; the thought of my songs being heard by so many different people around the world still feels unreal.
Now that the album is out, what’s next for you?
I’ve already started thinking about new music I want to make — exploring different sounds and adding new elements, playing around with depths and textures. Playing more live sets would be exciting too — I would love to see how my new tunes can be shared as a live performance.
