Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with CINIC

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

My earliest memory connected to music is being eight years old, dancing and singing in my room to 90s K-pop.
Music was pure energy to me from the very beginning, and that energy still defines CINIC today.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

My passion for creating music began when I realized music was the clearest way to express who I am, beyond misunderstandings.
It became my voice, my energy, and my identity.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

My current music project centers around a collective called POPSTAR IN KOREA (P.I.K).
It was formed from a simple but powerful dream — to travel the world through music and connect people beyond language, culture, and borders.
I believe music has the ability to unite everyone, and P.I.K is the name under which we’re turning that belief into reality, one step at a time through performances and releases around the world.
I’m active as W-NIC, and both HelloCity and CINIC are creative teams that are part of P.I.K, moving together toward the same global vision.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

I would describe my sound as energetic, rhythmic, and instinctive.
It’s rooted in the movement and groove of 90s K-pop, but shaped with a modern pop and hip-hop sensibility.
My music is designed to be felt physically — something that makes your body move before your mind has time to think.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

One thing that completely changed the way I make music was realizing that I don’t need to explain myself — I need to let the energy speak.
I learned that feeling always comes before perfection, and that the first instinct is often the most honest one.
When music makes the body react naturally, it carries my truth more clearly than words ever could.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

Tools are definitely important, and lately I’ve been slowly upgrading my setup as my ambition continues to grow.
Each change feels like adding more fuel to the fire.
But more important than any equipment is my level of focus on myself — fully immersing into my inner world and allowing it to expand without limits.
When I’m deeply immersed, the music naturally finds its shape.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

My taste moves freely.
I love futuristic and aggressive music like Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign, but I’m just as deeply connected to 90s Korean K-pop — artists like Lee Jung-hyun, DIVA, Chae Yeon, and Kim Hyun-jung, whose music brings everything together through pure energy.
At the same time, I enjoy club-driven and chill sounds from artists like Blaxt and Tyga.
Lately, I’ve been constantly listening to music without limits, letting different moods and energies flow into my world.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

My personal experiences taught me to trust my own energy rather than outside definitions.
Growing up, I learned that misunderstandings are unavoidable, but instead of correcting them, I chose to transform them into movement, sound, and presence.
Those experiences shaped my artistic vision — one that values freedom, instinct, and connection, where music isn’t something to explain, but something to feel together.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

I hope listeners feel freedom first.
Freedom to move, to feel, and to exist without needing to explain themselves.
If my music can give someone even a brief moment of release or connection — where energy replaces words — then I feel I’ve done my job. What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

Reply

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

Honestly, I want to perform at every festival on this planet.
From Coachella, to New Year’s stages in Times Square, to major Korean stages like MAMA and MMA, and festivals in Japan such as Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic.
I have a deep hunger for the stage — not for the scale, but for the energy that only live performance can create.
Wherever people gather to feel music together, that’s where I want to be.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

To be honest, collaboration hasn’t been something I’ve actively chased.
My focus has always been on building my own world first.
But if it were possible, I’d be excited to work with major artists like Justin Bieber, Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, or Kanye West — not only musically, but also to exist within the same visual and cultural space.
Sharing that level of scale, energy, and vision in a single moment feels powerful to me.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)

Instagram: [Instagram https://www.instagram.com/w_nicinic/, https://www.instagram.com/hellocityya/]

YouTube: [YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@popstarinkorea]

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

As you live in the world, you start to notice that everything slowly breaks into different waves and groups. Maybe we’re just one of many.
But what I’ve always felt through music—especially in clubs—is ONE.

In the moment the music starts, people become one. Different backgrounds, different stories, but the same energy.
That’s the scene I fell in love with.

I want to see that moment happen more often. I want more people to come together through music and share a feeling they’ll never forget.
If my music can turn even a single moment into unity, then that’s the future I want to keep chasing.

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

I hope listeners discover that I’m not trying to fit into a box or play a role.
I’m simply someone who truly enjoys music and lives honestly through it.

Along the way, I want people to feel my energy, my curiosity, and my freedom.
My music isn’t about perfection—it’s about movement, emotion, and being real in the moment.

If listeners can feel that I’m growing, changing, and enjoying every step of the journey with them,
then I think they’ll understand who I really am.

If you want here you can add a representative Youtube video to insert below the interview 🙂

🎬 CINIC – Official Video
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