FY! CIFIKA

This blog is dedicated to Korean singer-songwriter Cifika (real name Cho Yousun) signed to Third Culture Kids.

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Cifika performing at RBC in Dallas, Texas (2018)

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Cifika for American-Statesman (2018) Photography: Erika Rich (32 photos in total)

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SXSW 2018 Fashion: South Korean street style from Cifika | Austin Music Source

South Korean artist Cifika performed in Austin at the South by Southwest Korea spotlight on March 16. She's been making waves in her home country, but she's no manufactured K-Pop princess cranking out radio-ready pop songs. Instead she crafts moody compositions that layer haunting melodies over ominous electronics. Though K-Pop dominates the Korean music industry, there's a small, but vibrant indie...

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SXSW Music Review: Cifika

SZA B-sides with a dash of Sugarcubes

They looked young and pop-hungry. Most were there for Crush, Best Icon at the 2017 Asia Artist Awards. With 26 million Spotify plays for K-pop hit “Beautiful,” South Korean singer/rapper Shin Hyo-seob had the whole throng harmonizing (and snapping) along.

Cifika (née Yousun Cho) was clearly from a different world. Wearing a mink scarf and a shiny, white, futuristic raincoat, she could have stood next to Björk in a police lineup. A collaborator contributed on a digital drum pad and synth accompaniment, while projections turned from pastoral to futuristic, green flower petals transforming into fractals.

She sported the look of an icon in the making, but it quickly became clear that the crowd wasn’t yet familiar with the singer. This despite being packed in tight enough to give the Fire Marshal a migraine.

It definitely wasn’t pop music, but what exactly is these days? One track sounded like Drake, a hazy underwater banger appropriating both trap and Detroit house. UK bass proved another touch point, with glossy stutters pulled from the Disclosure playbook. The catchiest tracks sounded like SZA B-sides with a dash of Sugarcubes, her vocals anchoring the beats with a purity of tone that hinted at real commercial potential.

The fans that treated Crush like a young Beatle didn’t scream after Cifika’s every word, but by the end she won them over. Her genre chameleon approach to electronic pop kept the crowd’s attention despite a few awkward stylistic leaps, largely thanks to the character of her voice. Korean audiences will be hearing much more of it soon.

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Cifika for Vogue Korea (2018)

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Cifika for Paper Magazine (March 8th, 2018)

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6 Alternative Female Musicians For Fans Of K-Pop

These Korean women are making incredible indie music

CIFIKA CIFIKA is an enigma: The reticent artist doesn’t have much by way of a social media presence, but her bilingual, self-produced electro-pop is sonically ubiquitous, toggling between extreme light and extreme dark. At times, she conjures the frantic energy of early Björk at her poppiest, but her sound might overall be best described as future space-disco, particularly on swirling songs like “I’m Awake” and “Intelligentsia.” Her visceral new EP, PRISM, is out in March.

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SXSW 2018: 10 Essential Acts to Check Out This Year

From the rapidly-rising Bad Gyal to German rap sensation Ace Tee, these are the SXSW musical acts you don't want to miss.

CIFIKA

Representing: Seoul, South Korea

No one can deny the pervasive nature of the K-pop craze that’s taken place as of late. However, Seoul-based CIFIKA is a triple threat – singer/songwriter/producer – that’s game-changing the way you look at Korea’s musical landscape. She combines English and Korean lyrics with hypnotic beats; multi-textured rhythms along with seraphic vocals. Her music defies the boundaries between electronic and pop. Her brand new PRISM EP grabs the rapt attention of the listener and draws them into the colorful, futuristic world that CIFIKA has distinctly created on her own.

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South Korean Musician CIFIKA Shows All Her Colors on 'PRISM' EP (PREMIERE)

The South Korean electro-pop vocalist and producer drops her sophomore EP March 9.

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The Future is Female: Exclusive Interview with CIFIKA | The Sights And Sounds

South Korean DIY producer CIFIKA is about to drop her new EP Prism this week. Read the interview and catch an exclusive premiere of her single, "Propser" before it's release.

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#PRISM 18.03.02 6PM Korea, 08.03.18 Global CIFIKA NEW EP

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Cifika’s “My Ego” won the award for Best Dance & Electronic Song at the 15th Korean Music Awards

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Cifika for Hypebeast (2018)

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Cifika for GQ Korea (2017)

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© tdetae

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Cifika for Vogue Korea - 2017 New Generation

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Cifika for Dazed Korea Magazine - February 2017 Issue