This A-Profiler we bring you Isul Kim, a Korean American rocker who should not be compared to Vienna Teng or Susie Suh. She's a rocker at heart and she follows the advice of "if you are afraid of something, get up and kick the living shit out of it." Find out what she thinks her parents think of her EP, what city she's had her best and worst performance in, and what part of New York she misses.

Your site URL:
www.isulkim.com

What is your ethnic background?
Judging by my last name and my strong penchant for spicy foods, I gotta be Korean. But I was born in the U.S. Man, I'm confused sometimes. But thanks to the good old, trusty hyphen, I can just call myself Korean-American.

You are an artist in an area of music that seems to be growing, particularly for Asian Americans. What sets your music apart and what inspirations do you draw from when you write your music?
I'm often compared to AA female artists like Vienna Teng and Susie Suh, which is really flattering considering their awesome success, but I feel like those comparisons are drawn largely because they are the only AA female artists that people can think of and NOT because our music is that similar. I tend to want to rock out more. I strive to write songs that are more raw and more exaggerated. See, artists like Vienna and Susie -- they're so graceful and smooth. I'm not so much. I love hip-hop & jazz rhythms, soulful vocals, nasty funk attitude and dirty, rock guitar riffs, so I try to incorporate that all into my music at once. While I may not always sound like the mutt of all these sounds, that's what's in my head when I'm writing and performing and that's what I want to come through.

You are the product of a "hard working yellow cab driver" and a "dedicated night-shift nurse." What were your parents' thoughts about you writing and performing music? Have they listened to your latest EP, "Isul Kim?" If so, what did they think of the EP?
Ha, well, good question. I think my parents have always seen this as a hobby, and I prefer to keep them thinking that of it that way for now. I can't blame them either -- look, they've got a daughter who went to Harvard and initially embarked on a career in nonprofit and NGO work, and now she spends half of her day collecting tips performing at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. But, that's not to say that they aren't supportive. They just worry about my having a secure, stable livelihood...and music is hardly a guarantee. I just think it would take some time for me to ease them into the idea of me doing this as my one and only means of living. They have listened to the EP and as always they enjoy the music, but sometimes I think they still secretly hope that I'll eventually become a concert pianist and opera singer.

Has your brother ever forgiven you for stealing his guitar when you were 15 years old? Has he been supportive of your efforts or has he been jealous that you are the one on the stage?
Okay, so the only reason I "stole" his guitar was because he got me into playing guitar in the first place. Technically, we had two guitars. My brother wanted to be the next Eric Clapton, so he would make me play rhythm on the classical, nylong string guitar while he played some rippin' solos on the acoustic steel string. After I started writing songs in high school, I decided that I was the one who needed the acoustic guitar more. So I took it. There are no hard feelings today of course and my brother has always been the most supportive in everything I do. He always says he's jealous, but I think that he's just being a good older brother and saying that to make me feel more confident, that even I -- the little, spoiled sister -- can surpass her older brother in at least ONE thing. He's always been better at everything else, and he's worked his ass off to help the family. I really couldn't be doing music without his sacrifices and hard work.

Who are some of your musical influences? Life influences?
Wow, so many influences. Ani DiFranco comes to mind -- I think I've been compared to her the most by fans and friends, which comes to no surprise since I LOVE her music. So raw and so rockin'. I'd also say that G.Love has been a huge influence. When I first heard his stuff, it was one of those moments that I thought, "Damn, this is truly an original sound, I've never heard anything like this before!", yet it was still accessible. Fiona Apple is also a huge musical muse of mine. Her rawness and her progression inspire me. As far as life influences: My mom, a true pioneer. She immigrated to the US on her own when we was just in her early 20s, with just a few dollars in her pocket and knowing virtually no English. If I have only a fraction of her will and strength, then I think I've got a real shot at making waves in music.

What has been your favorite performance? What has been the one performance you would like to forget ever happened and why?
Both my favorite performance and the one I'd like to forget were both in a place called Concord, CA. The fave performance: I was asked last minute to fill in a slot at a venue called Time Out up in Concord. It was a 1 AM slot in a town where I had no fan base. But I took it so I could get the practice with my bassist and drummer (whose other band was also playing that night). It turned out to be one of the most fun gigs I've ever played. Though the crowd wasn't huge, it was excited. I could see them perk up their ears and think, "What the f*&#@$!?" when they saw this Asian chick get up on stage -- I rocked it as hard as I could and I think it came through. The crowd was engaged and I could feel it.

The same town, however, also gave me this acoustic gig at a local coffeehouse. Pretty much played to an empty audience. Ouch. And the ironic thing was that I had originally been booked there a month earlier and had to cancel because I had come down with a really bad flu virus thing. The coffeehouse was so upset that I cancelled and gave me a lot of crap for bailing out, as if they were letting down hundreds of fans. Yeah, right.

After a performance, what is your favorite after-show thing to do? If it is to hit a favorite late-night restaurant, which restaurant?
After a show, I'm either exhausted so I go straight to bed, or I'm in the middle of an adrenaline rush, so I go to eat. Usually, I go to place that's open late past midnight -- this sushi joint in San Francisco called Sushi Rika. Nothing like some spicy tuna to fill my tummy. Yum. Open till 2 am on weekends. I miss New York City in that sense -- everything is open all night in that city.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
What is this "spare time" you speak of? Ha, when I do get some time off, I love to cook. It's such a creative process, so I feel like it's something I can do that even helps with my songwriting. I have daydreams, sometimes, of being a master chef and competing on Iron Chef, ha! I also love the outdoors -- sometimes I just have these cravings to get some natural dirt into my system. I also want to start surfing. My closest friends in music out here in CA are surfers. Guess you can't avoid it either being on the West Coast and all...dude.

What advice do you have for aspiring artists out there?
Advice? Wow, I feel like I'm just starting out myself, so I'm gonna cheat and steal the advice of pro musician and scout down in L.A., who kicked my musical butt into gear and has been keeping me focused ever since: "If you are afraid of something, get up and kick the living shit out of it." Best fucking advice so far. And if you're not scared, it means you're not going anywhere, not facing anything new and therefore not making progress. And shit, I've been pretty scared for most of this journey so far.

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This issue of A-Profiler is brought to you by Nelson Wong. Special thanks to Isul Kim.

Images courtesy of Isul Kim. Used with permission.
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