ink,
hyena on the keyboard ep. 2, the writing process
it would be a lie to say that taewoo did not have the lyrics and melody jotted down in a notebook somewhere long before “hyena on the keyboard” ever considered of having him on the show. “it will be okay” was a piece he had been jotting down from time to time, lyrics that would flow into his head after a long, hard day: words he would want to say to those around him, words he wished he could mumble to his mother as he held her close to him, and words he so desperately wanted to hear himself and believe it -- “everything will be okay.”
taewoo doesn't have a usual place to write, instead songs come naturally in quick moments of great genius where his creativity flourishes: it could be in the middle of practice, in the shower, while eating or brushing his teeth, at the salon, or even in the midst of sleep where he wakes to jot down even the weirdest of rhymes. in a way, ryu taewoo was chained to this addiction, never leaving his notebook’s side in fear of forgetting a great line or two before he had the chance to save them in ink (because cellphones, as he has learned over the years, are not that reliable).
he was sitting in the studio at verve that was unspokenly his, pen in hand and notebook open. for the sake of the show, he was told to act as if he was coming up with the lyrics right then and there, when in reality he was rewriting and rearranging things. taewoo was used to being alone while writing -- or at least being alone in his head -- with cameras around, he wasnt avle to be himself, his true, undoctored self. instead, he had to perform for the camera, make things interesting and lively and fun for people to watch (although, he was sure, most of the editing would do that for him anyway). if he hadn't saved this song for an occasion like this, he was unsure if he would have been able to come up with something as good as the song sitting in front of him.
after awhile of trying to look busy, he picked up his guitar that was leaning up against the desk he was at and began strumming a few different melodies (not to see what one fit, just for show because he already had an idea of what to use). it was cool, though, that he was finally getting more recognition in the music industry, even if the show was looking for rookie singer-songwriters to use, even if this was short lived. he would take it, love it, cherish it.