“There were no Korean or Korean-American rockers I could turn to, but there were a few Japanese girls, like in Cibo Matto, that were pretty awesome. What really drove me towards music was the misfit mentality.” - KarenO
As Karen O puts it: “Music and food are the great universal, unifying forces.” Andagrees. Growing up in households with one Korean parent, the Japanese Breakfast singer and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman came of age eating dishes like kalbi and japjae while pouring their emotions into music. But thanks to Zauner’s heartrending new memoir,, which centers on the devastating loss of her mother, they recently discovered that there’s even more that unifies them.
KAREN O: No, there was no one out there I could relate to in that specific way. There were definitely a few mega inspirations and influences, and I was trying to think of some who aren’t white, because the entertainment and music industry is highly populated by white folks. I went to [Oberlin] College in Ohio, and they’d have lots of indie bands play this tiny venue called the ’Sco, short for disco.
KAREN O: It is important, because even recently when I was asked why there are so few women in rock, I was pretty confused myself about why. Until I talked to this journalist friend, who said it’s just representation: You have to see it to be it. So I think it’s important that even if it’s laborious, you answer the Asian-related questions because it’s still brand spanking new, in American culture and music.
ZAUNER: My mom never got to see me become successful, but I guess like a typical Korean mom, she wanted me to have a backup and was worried about not only me making it financially, but also mentally, because I was really sensitive. I started playing in bands and writing songs when I was 16 years old. I knew I loved it but because I had this parent telling me this was a very unrealistic goal, I felt I had to do something as a backup.
ZAUNER: I think I write like an elevated way of how I would talk. I feel much more comfortable as a lyricist because you’re just writing in fragments. That was something that was hard for me in writing this book, because a lot of times, I leave stuff hanging because it feels good to me, and I remember showing it to my husband who would help me edit, and he’d be like, “A sentence can’t end that way.