Music has always had a place in Soo Joo Park’s life. “I’ve been in love with music for as long as I can remember,” she says. “So many emotions get plugged into your brain through different music and sound you hear through life. Music can be anything from something melodious and sonorous, to rhythmic and atonal. It’s just absolutely powerful.”
Famed for her striking platinum (currently blue) blonde hair and becoming L’Oréal’s first Asian-American global spokeswoman, the Korean-American supermodel is on a mission of her own to explore that very spectrum of music she so passionately describes. Throughout her modelling career, Park has long been known to rule more than just the cameras. Like a conductor to an orchestra, she would spin the decks at various fashion parties and events, leading glamorous crowds, beat by beat, to the next sunrise. Despite years of countless DJing stints, it wasn’t until 2021 that Park would make her musical debut. “With DJing, or writing, or singing, I am guiding the listeners to my universe.”
A still from the "Running Water" music video directed by Santiago Sierra Soler.
Courtesy of the artist
Under the dreamy yet commanding alias Ether, Park released her first work as a vocalist: a beautifully haunting cover of Korean rock song “Haenim” in her native tongue. Since then, she has composed an exclusive soundtrack for the Chanel 2021/22 Métiers d’art show and released two singles.
While seemingly written in the stars for a talent as captivating as herself, Park’s pursuit of music has been a learning experience that continues to push her towards new horizons—a journey she feels is best when shared. “It’s taught me to have courage. Walking in I was nervous and a bit intimidated, but I wrote ‘Running Water’ on my first day of session with producer Hudson Mohawke and that kind of broke the ice,” she recalls. “I think the collaborative effort of making music is beautiful. I enjoy creating and writing alone, but the synergistic magic that happens within partnership is incomparable.”
“Running Water” is Park’s second, and most recent, single. An ethereal—almost spiritual—track that captures a liberating sense of ephemerality, it is a four-minute encapsulation of the runway veteran’s unique sound as an artist, one she says is inspired by feelings that come from “travelling alone, limerence, heartbreak, moments of clarity after meditation, sunsets.” The song continues to build on the familiar mystical, after hours atmosphere that remains central to Park’s musical identity.
When Park the musician began to evolve, she made a pivotal commitment alongside the premiere of her first official single, “W8ing 4 U”— she decided to forego Ether and release music under her birth name, Soo Joo. “Because I had established ‘Soo Joo’ as a model, I wanted to have separation from music,” she explains. “The model Soo Joo has a distinct persona that is my own, but she still has to make compromises, and has commerciality attached to her. But I’ve grown to accept that this is all part of who I am, thus the music part should also embrace Soo Joo.”
Another still from the "Running Water" music video directed by Santiago Sierra Soler.
Courtesy of the artist
Now Park is gearing up for a new chapter and embarking on a thrilling expansion of her “dreamcore driven” universe. “Next steps are to drop a single and a debut EP of five tracks. The next single is called ‘Take It Off’,” she reveals. “I started writing it whilst travelling a lot for jobs; there’s this a sense of melancholia but not without a feeling of hope. I dedicate this song to my inner child.” The model and musician paints a full picture of the upcoming 2025 release, sharing more details about what the “Take It Off” story will entail. “The visuals will be a collaboration with M/M Paris and director Emily Okuda Overhoff, featuring Annlee, a character adapted by artists Pierre Hughes and Philippe Parreno.”
With her unique vision and compelling sound, Park is poised to take us on an unforgettable journey—one towards some distant astral plane that has long defined her voice.
Editor
Alyanna Raissa J. PayosCredit
Lead image: Courtesy of Soo Joo Park
