Cifika

Emerging from the Korean underground, CIFIKA is redefining what we think contemporary Korean music sounds like.

The producer/vocalist’s bilingual, debut full-length album, HANA, reflects CIFIKA’s borderless upbringing (living in both South Korea and North America) and her vision of a world where language, art, music and gender are all fluid. Her adventurous compositions, meanwhile, demonstrate a diverse range of musical influences and strong visual presence combining to form Cifika’s entirely singular voice.

No stranger to R&B, K-pop or indie music (indeed, past collaborations include Ghostly International artist Lusine and established Korean artists like Hyukoh, Crush, Woo Won-jae, and Dress), Cifika’s sound may occasionally display nods in those directions. But her own music travels a path more in common with boundary-pushing artists like FKA Twigs, Underworld, James Blake, even Kate Bush. She was declared “The Korean Arca” by Interview Magazine, called “a Korean Bjork” by another writer, and did not mind at all. 

In 2019, she was invited to conceptualize, create and soundtrack an installation piece for ISM Berlin’s acclaimed Hexadome project (alongside fellow avant-garde artists including Ben Frost, Thom Yorke, Brian Eno, Suzanne Ciani and Holly Herndon), proving her to be as comfortable with the highbrow as she is in the club.