Inside the Musical Universe of WOOZE
Meet WOOZE (@woozeband), a British/Korean musical duo made up of Jamie She and Theo Spark. Their global sound is informed by a melting pot of styles, including traditional Pansori (판소리) and the psychedelic pop-rock of the 60s. Along with distinct, flamboyant visuals and cinematic music videos, WOOZE are crafting their very own universe. We chat about muses, video games and the mighty effects of soju.
Interview Mila FIelker,
Photos Hongtaesik, Debora Goldmoon, Glamour Shots.
Why WOOZE?
WOOZE is a rough English phonetic translation of the Korean word ‘우주’ (woojoo) meaning universe. We wanted a name that would translate in both languages.
Where are you based?
We are based in South London. But at the moment, due to Covid-19, Theo is in Seoul and Jamie is holding the fort in the Big Smoke.
When did you meet?
Jamie: We were at the same high school together. But it was only in London, while I was at art school and Theo at university, that we started to do music together seriously. We were both big fans of each other's solo material, and would ritualistically meet in a bar in Soho where we'd swap iPods and listen to our latest efforts. We'd give notes and sometimes cover each other's songs, and knew we were going to carry on working together.
Describe your sound in 5 words.
Hard pop or Heavy pop.
You have your own video game! What inspired you to reimagine your song ‘Ladies Who Lunch With Me’ as a side-scrolling game?
We’ve always wanted to be part of the video game world, whether that was us scoring music for a game or being characters in it. We were very lucky to know this game developer, Ellie Balson, who was a fan of ours. We spoke via twitter on and off for a while. She made the game for us and in return we wrote the music for one of her brilliant games called ‘Brinescene Finvestigation’.
Any other medium you want to experiment with?
Theo: Jamie is a really unique painter so he’s already done some of our artwork. We’re planning to incorporate much more of that as time goes on. We also want to get some digital avatars of ourselves up and running so they can gig away online while we can sit back and enjoy the good life offline.
Jamie: Thanks, Theo.
What are some of your non-musical influences?
Theo: Alice in Wonderland, French New Wave cinema and The Little Prince. Also David Lynch’s films.
Jamie: Oliver Postgate, Woodland Animations and Forkbeard Fantasy. Also Ingmar Bergman's films.
Do you prefer recording in the studio or playing live shows?
They’re both such different experiences so I think we both value them equally in respective ways.
What inspires your style?
Yellow is an important colour for us, and has been the dominating colour in the wardrobe for more than a decade. A lot of our clothes come from our parents and grandparents, or charity shops. Alexandra Groover (@alexandra_groover) is a friend who's made some clothes for us too.
Favourite lyrics you’ve written?
Theo: It’s for a song we wrote recently called ‘Try Hard 2’: “A bucktooth Dracula in a Little Tikes Classic Cozy car.”
Favourite lyrics you didn’t write?
Theo: Any lyric off of Limbo Panto by Wild Beasts really. Currently it’s, “My fruit was ripe, she bit / Huffing and puffing on the mattress stuffing / Upon the bunk a fervent funk” from ‘She Purred, While I Grrred’.
Jamie: My favourite lyric doesn't exist, because I misheard it for years. It's in John Lennon's ‘Real Love’, where he says, “Seems like all I really was doing was waiting for you / Love. No need to be alone/afraid.” I thought it was, “Seems like all I really was doing was waiting for you / Love, only to be alone/afraid.”
You and director Nuri Jeong (@nuri.never.knows) have collaborated on a few music videos. What did your creative process look like?
We come up with the core idea first and then talk through it with Nuri who expands it and fleshes it out. She does an incredible job of putting our vision into a tangible plan and the end result is an equal collaboration that we’re really grateful for.
Who are the better drinkers: Brits or Koreans?
Theo: I personally have never been more drunk than I have in Korea because of the different booze available here. There’s something about soju that gets me clobbered beyond my wildest limits, which I both love and loathe in equal measure. So I’d say Koreans, and I have scars to prove it.
Jamie: I've personally never seen Theo more drunk than I have in Korea because of the different booze available there. There’s something about soju that gets him clobbered beyond his wildest limits, which I both love and loathe in equal measure. So I’d say Koreans, and I have scars to prove it.
WOOZE love…?
U2 and you too.
And I love you. Finally... What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
We have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
Don’t we all? Thanks, guys!