Q&A: Sundial Reflects on “The Roaring Twenties” and Playing Lollapalooza
IT’S BEEN A WHIRLWIND YEAR FOR SUNDIAL – The enchanting pop band composed of Jisu Kim and Dorothy Chan, is coming off the release of their acclaimed record The Roaring Twenties.
Sundial has captivated fans with their intimate, vulnerable storytelling that resonates deeply with every 20-something year old navigating the tumultuous waters of young adulthood.
At the core of sundial's music is their confessional storytelling, an element that sets them apart in pop music. Their songs are not just melodies but intimate diaries set to music, capturing the essence of what it means to be young, hopeful and often uncertain. Released last year, The Roaring Twenties is a testament to sundial’s growth both as artists and individuals. The album delves into the nuanced experiences of being in your twenties, capturing the highs, lows, and everything in between through deeply personal and introspective pop ballads.
Sundial celebrates another significant milestone: performing at Lollapalooza for the first time, as well as performing for their first major festival. With the success of The Roaring Twenties and their memorable Lollapalooza debut, sundial is poised for an exciting future. The duo hints at new music on the horizon, promising to continue their exploration of heartfelt themes and evolving sounds.
Luna had the privilege of sitting down with Jisu and Dorothy after their set to discuss the festival's vibrant atmosphere and their reflections on The Roaring Twenties a year later.
Photography Credit: Abra Richardson
LUNA: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar yet, what kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
DOROTHY: I think it's just honesty, validation and genuine storytelling.
LUNA: You released The Roaring Twenties record last year and I love the powerful curation of songs and how it captures growing pains and very vulnerable storytelling elements. How do you feel you’ve matured as artists and storytellers since the release of this record?
DOROTHY: In terms of songwriting, I think we're trying to dive deeper into who we are as people because The Roaring Twenties is very much about our lives in our 20s during COVID era and living in the suburbs. I think we were all going through something, so it feels good to just write about that. I think this time around, we're trying to delve deeper into who we are and our relationship.
LUNA: Were there any specific breakthroughs or lessons you learned while creating The Roaring Twenties that have carried over to your future releases and projects?
DOROTHY: I think just being really authentic in our storytelling and songwriting that's what carries. It's just important to have that.
LUNA: Looking back at The Roaring Twenties a year later, how do you feel about the album and its impact?
JISU: I think for me personally looking back on it, if I'm going to be honest, it was a little rushed. I do feel like we rushed a little bit releasing singles after singles. I think there's a good side to it and a bad side, especially in this era of TikTok music, especially working with labels that want songs out right now. I feel like we said what we needed to say. Everything that I feel like we said, we still stand on it. Everything that we wrote, everything that we made, I'm going to stand by it. Sometimes when it’s late at night when I'm feeling insecure and I listen to our work, I'm like wait, this is still relevant and true. It feels like a diary entry. You're looking back on you.
DOROTHY: It’s real and introspective.
LUNA: In what ways has your sound evolved since The Roaring Twenties? Are there new directions or elements you’re exploring in your current work?
DOROTHY: So before The Roaring Twenties, we were from Berklee and deep into electronic and jazz. We love the electronic sound and we moved away from it. We're trying to incorporate more electronic elements back into our sound.
JISU: I was a huge fan of Sleeping With Sirens and Pierce The Veil, and anything that’s post-punk and hardcore related. I was a big Ronnie Radke fan, like it was so bad. After we did The Roaring Twenties, we were thinking about the deeper ways we can go into writing about our emotions and who we are as people. I feel like that is a really exciting journey for us to go on right now.
LUNA: This is your first festival and a huge congratulations is in order. What was the atmosphere like at Lollapalooza, both on stage and off? How did it compare to other shows you’ve played?
DOROTHY: It was crazy with the adrenaline being on stage. We did not expect there to be that many people, so it was such a sweet surprise. I think it’s a great way to find community, and this is our first festival and we’ve never done anything like this, so it’s just really amazing to experience.
JISU: It's like moments of coming in and out. You’re conscious when you’re playing, and then a minute later it feels like a dream. There’s something so primal and the atmosphere is so spiritual.
LUNA: Do you have any favorite songs to play live? Which ones are they and why do you enjoy performing them?
DOROTHY: I love “the american dream” and “liar.”
JISU: Coming from a bass background, I love “deadline” the most. It’s really fun to play live. I love “liar” a lot.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like
for you that you would like to share with Luna?
JISU: You have a tour coming up in December with Leanna Firestone and that’s really cool. We're trying to figure out our new sound. We have things that we want to talk about and experiment with. We played two new songs at Lolla, so that's super sick and we want to go in that direction. It's going to be a lot of self discovery and a lot of figuring out who we are.
