Today we’d like to introduce you to Serin Oh.
Hi Serin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My first name, “Serin,” translates roughly from Korean to “Friend of the World,” and this has really been symbolic of my journey to becoming an independent singer-songwriter. Some of my favorite things are the color pink, all things Magritte, and dishes made with any combination of potato and cheese. During my time at Berklee College of Music, I dove into my passion for jazz and r&b whilst also rediscovering my Korean roots through the lens of K-Pop. This led me to search for a sound that would allow me to express the duality of my identity through my music. I’ve been on this journey as an artist for about two years, and my hope is to uplift third-culture kids in the creative world through my music and journey in faith, especially fellow second-gen kids and secret outcasts.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Growing up as a third culture kid, I was encouraged to really cultivate an interior world that I vibed with because the day-to-day reality I was living in didn’t really resonate with me. Music allows me to express and understand things that happen within me and process the things that happen outside of me in a way that nothing else does. I think music is the most abstract storytelling medium, and this makes it a really powerful tool to speak into the lives of others. It leaves a lot of spaces that the listener fills with their own experiences and emotion and allows them to become the main character of the stories we are telling. That’s all to say; I make music that tries to present questions to listeners and suggests potential realities they have yet to consider.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have been singing since I was a little kid and went to music school for my undergrad, but I only really started crafting songs of my own about two years ago. I’m proud of the lyricism in my songwriting because my main songwriting influence is one of the oldest songwriters of all time – King David, like from the Bible. Reading Psalms helped me learn to express myself in ways that might not necessarily be pleasant but will always reflect honesty. I think my faith encourages me to be create songs that are unique to me!
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love that in Dayton, people are very encouraging of one another in the creative community. I feel like it still has the opportunities that a city brings while embracing the charms of the midwest. There are hidden gems throughout the whole city, including cute coffee shops and restaurants, which you wouldn’t expect in Dayton- while in a place like New York or London, you would expect to find the hip little shops.
I would say Dayton could have more diversity in the types of people that live there!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serinohfficial/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/serinohfficial
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/serinohfficial
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/serinohmusic
