New Delhi: There is something very welcoming and charming about South Korean American singer Dabit. An independent singer and songwriter his recent single “Habit” is an evocatively moving and heart-rending track. The singer opens his heart and talks about the end of his eight-year-long relationship. The mellifluous song and straightforward lyrics strike a chord. He is also openly honest about himself and his sexuality.


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Born David Kim and raised in Ohio, he moved to South Korea to pursue his love for music. Beginning his idol journey as a trainee, he debuted with the boy group 24k, but within a year, as in his own words, he was not curated for the idol life. He became independent in 2013 with the single “Whoo Whoo Whoo" and has released several singles including Panic. His voice and sound are uniquely his own.


In an exclusive interview with Zee India, he talks about his journey, carving his own identity and love for Indian spices as well as songs.


Your recent two tracks Panic and Habit are deeply moving and something people can universally relate to. Habit seems like a very personal song and you have bared your soul, giving an insight into your heartbreak. Was that tough or cathartic?
Dabit; I'll just say the past year of my life has been a very big turn in my life and career. It’s like, one by one, I felt the curtains had been lifted, the ones I had been hiding behind and from. Also, the fact that I had always put up curated versions of myself out there, not only to my fans but also to the people around me as well. So those curtains lifted and I started feeling a bit more comfortable in my skin. The pandemic hit me hard as it did with everyone and I also had my big breakup with my partner of eight years, and  I felt I had nothing left in my life. I had to start digging, personally to see who I was and what I wanted to do. I think that's what led me to the songs that I've released. I wrote “Habit” first. I wrote it two weeks after breaking up, and it was not meant to go out into the world. At that point. I just needed something and some kind of an outlet and get into the writing mode. I released Panic first and then released Habit. It’s been a crazy journey, but it was a very important part of my growth as a person and an artist as well.


Q: You did spend your initial years training in the K-pop industry, but went ahead as an independent musician. What was the reason that you decided to go solo?


Dabit: I am not in any way putting anyone or any one person who goes into the industry down. It is for a very specific niche and group of people. Being a K-pop idol is not for anyone. If you want to do music, if you want to be a singer, if you want to be a songwriter, chances are being a K-pop idol might not be the best route for you. I say this coming from my personal experience because when you are in a company, you are essentially kind of having to mould to their concepts and their version for you and the group. I think what that did for me was it started to chip away at my colour, instead of enhancing my colour as an artist. After a year of training, I felt I  had lost so much of my self-identity as an artist that I started having second doubts about my talent. I tried so hard to blend that I ended up taking away all the parts that made me unique. And I think that's when I found out that being part of a company, especially being an idol company was not the right environment for me to grow and thrive.


Q: How is the mainstreaming of K-pop helping independent musicians?


Dabit: The great thing about K-pop in general is, that it became very mainstream through the internet. It was mostly the online community that pushed K-pop hard. I think it’s not always exclusive to the big companies and people are interested in the music scene and K-pop in general. Even for me, when I went into a company, the mindset was  I knew somewhat of what the environment was, but felt it would be okay if I was able to survive and debut, then they'll be able to push me more, through whatever curated the image that they have. And then once I'm free, and finish my contract, I can start forging my path with the fan base that I've accrued through being in the company. That was the business logic in my head, but it's just so much harder than you would think. I could not survive it and the people who do, you should have massive respect for them because they go through a lot. But for a sensitive singer-songwriter like
I take everything very personally, it was not easy. But I think I've got a lot of opportunities through the K-pop name in general, even though I was completely 100% independent.


Q: Embracing your individuality apart also the duality of being Korean and American, how did you navigate that, the feeling often is Am I American enough or Am I Korean enough?


Dabit: I still feel that way, a lot of the time. I think it's difficult and even now, I've been living in Korea almost exclusively for the past 14 years. I moved here in 2010 and even to this day, I still feel that disconnect when I'm in a group of Korean people. When I am on one, I'm completely fine, but when it's a group, they start talking about more cultural things that I am not able to relate to because I haven't lived there my entire life. I still feel that and it's something you just have to kind of accept and get over, but at the same time, it comes with benefits as well. I feel like you're able to see the world in a much more neutral state.


Q What are your musical influences? 


Dabit: I think different artists had a lot of different impacts on me. For instance, there's an artist Holland, he was one of the first Korean artists who came out unapologetically and somewhat made a big name herself. I looked at that, and in the beginning, I was like, oh, man! I was worried about how he was going to do it because, like people, no one had done this before. But I saw his growth and in the back of my mind, I was like, maybe I could do something like this too. The same thing Sam Smith, I feel like people who come from a similar background as me, who were queer, had to come out but found the courage and an outlet and a group of people that were willing to accept them unapologetically. Seeing their journey helped give me the courage to come out and start my own


Q: Lastly, you have visited India, what appeals to you about our country?


Dabit: India was one of the places I most frequently visited. I fell in love with Indian food and would go to buy spices so that I could bring them back to Korea and cook. I love garam masala, and chicken masala because the Indian food in Korea is a little bit watered down. The people that I've met in India have been some of the most outspoken intelligent and the most heartwarming at the same time. So I think, yeah, India has always had a very special place in my heart. I also learnt Janam Janam from Dilwale it's my most favourite song.