Q&A: ID:EARTH Explores the Otherworldly Realm of AI in New Single “Aliens”
ID:EARTH (아이디얼스) EXPRESSES THE BEAUTY OF THE UNKNOWN AND UNFAMILIAR — through her music. The South Korean singer-songwriter and musician has spent her career discovering sounds, concepts, and overarching themes that are new and unusual to her and her listeners. For the experimental pop artist, writing and performing is a gateway to sharing her thoughts and emotions that she can’t express in spoken words.
ID:EARTH (meaning the identity of the Earth) originally made her debut in 2019 with “Egypt,” which was described as a cross-genre pop hit that gained instant attention from listeners. Shortly after the release of her second single, “Olympus,” her acclaimed debut album, [BE], dropped, followed by her recent four-track EP, Panorama.
ID:EARTH’s music has been featured in multiple Korean movies and television series, such as Under the Queen’s Umbrella and Mine, and with each new release, she continues to push her artistic boundaries.
The artist’s most recent project, “Aliens,” was released on July 1. In the song, ID:EARTH dissects the mysteries of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and humans’ interactions with the concept in English and Korean. An even more overarching theme within the song involves how quickly society develops and the need to keep up with technological changes and advancements.
Read below to learn more about ID:EARTH and her upcoming projects and performances.
LUNA: What has been your favorite part so far in the creation of your new project, “Aliens”?
ID:EARTH: With everything that’s going on in the world at the moment, I wanted to create something timely and relevant, yet otherworldly and fantastical. The video was inspired by cosplay, K-pop imagery, and sci-fi films. In the song, the last chorus and lyric is my favorite bit, where it says, “Ordinary O / Do you want to see this in zero or YOLO? / I'll enjoy it until I'm satisfied / By then you'll be shaking your heads like aliens.”
LUNA: Tell me more about the overarching theme of technology in your new single.
ID:EARTH: There’s the advent of technology, and we either have to embrace it or get left behind. However, it is also a cautionary tale, and we have to respect it — if not, it takes on a whole new form, and it could be detrimental to our existence as a whole. We all have an inner alien and we're living in a developing era [in which] we can evolve in it. But whether this becomes a revolution or a monster depends on the choices we make and on the teachings of the present era.
LUNA: What is the appeal of AI and evolving technology to you?
ID:EARTH: It is exciting and scary at the same time. It's a good resource for inspiration when our brains are limited, but I hope there won't be too many cases of relying on it and taking away originality.
LUNA: How has your sound evolved since the start of your musical journey?
ID:EARTH: I am always learning and absorbing new ideas, sounds, and concepts like a sponge. I also go back to the past to relearn what I’ve been taught, and it’s a constant evolution. I like to try new things, so my music has become more diverse and experimental, and it always has an overarching story and narrative to its sound.
LUNA: How does your music relate to you, and how can it relate to your fans and audience?
ID:EARTH: I think music is just my language. I know, feel, and empathize with my listeners by sharing things [through music] that I cannot express in words.
LUNA: Who has been your favorite artist to work with so far, and why?
ID:EARTH: I enjoy working with a new young Korean producer named JFKid, who experiments with various genres in the electronic, R&B, and trip-hop realms. He produced my 2022 single “D.T.I” and did an excellent job on it. I usually produce everything myself, but at the time I was curious about his new and minimal hip-hop arrangement and approach. It was nice because it was delicate, sophisticated, and carried his vibe.
LUNA: I’m interested to learn more about the meaning behind the name ID:Earth. What does the name mean to you as an artist?
ID:EARTH: It’s a moniker I adopted that expresses the way I am feeling throughout my journey. Before the Earth disappears, I want to describe it, record, and remember everything with my music. There's a power in music that evokes that exact moment, and it’s something that I want to capture in my songs.
LUNA: You must be so excited to perform at Woodstock Korea this year — congratulations on the opportunity! Is there an artist on the lineup you’re particularly excited to see or meet?
ID:EARTH: Yes, thanks. It is the first Woodstock outside of the US, so I am extremely honored to be part of it. There’s a British pop group called New Hope Club that is huge in Korea, more so than in the UK, I think. They are on the same lineup as myself, so I’m curious to catch their performance to see what it is all about. Someone who is not at Woodstock but who I would love to see is this year’s Eurovision winner, the Finnish singer Käärijä — he’s amazing!
LUNA: What can fans and listeners look forward to when it comes to upcoming projects and/or performances?
ID:EARTH: I am currently writing and recording my second full-length album and am hoping to do more shows around Asia. And who knows, maybe even the UK and the US!
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