March 8, 2018, Korea – Following yesterday’s 24 hour exclusive premiere with
Popcrush, today
Seoul’s underground electronic pop sensation CIFIKA releases her widely anticipated sophomore EP “
PRISM” which is now streaming globally. Listen
HEREWith PRISM, CIFIKA is making history and broke tremendous news via Billboard when she announced the largest ever North American tour for a Korean artist to date with stops in 20+ cities from coast to coast including SXSW, Chicago, NY, LA, Nashville, and Boston.
“This EP and tour is called “PRISM” because I wanted to be transparent about who I am. Prisms showcase the many different colors of the single light that we see and I wanted that to be the medium for people when they hear my music,” CIFIKA explains. “Once you listen to the entire EP, you will easily figure out the different colors of each track which were created all by myself.”
“PIETA” the US lead single follows the buzzworthy release of
MOMOM her single and video collaboration with indie rock star
Hyuk Oh that’s racked up 800,000 views since its January release.
Signed by
Third Culture Kids, CIFIKA deftly blends genres like R&B, playful pop with low-fi, dark electronic soundscapes and bouncy house. ‘PRISM,’ features her signature vocals in both English and Korean. Her majestic voice and electronic productions evoke a futuristic dimension and otherworldly sound which has been described by press as “entirely self-invented and undefined, a harmonious clashing of cultures.”
The music CIFIKA produces is more personal and accessible on this EP which explores her dreams and frustrations as a bicultural artist. “I wanted to emphasize my uniqueness of lyrics, such as rhymes that combine Korean and English, repeating phrases on each song. I also wanted to showcase how my vocal range and sound have changed dramatically from my previous releases,” she adds. “I felt much more freedom making this EP than ever before.”
“I started with Garageband, then Logic, then graduated to Ableton. I have an audio interface, MIDI keyboard, MacBook, Push 2 and iMac,” says the self-taught DIY artist. Her resulting blend of ethereal sonics and deep beats has propelled CIFIKA from South Korea’s underground scene into the mainstream. Her sounds is as authentic as anything labeled K-Pop. “My music is not different then K-pop. I’m a Korean citizen, singing in Korean, who produces music based in Korea.”
Pushing the boundaries of pop and electronic music, CIFIKA is resolutely committed to musical experimentation as she gears up for her PRISM tour – an ambitious undertaking, as she’s not only bringing her radiant performances and diaphanous sound into major markets, but secondary cities such as Kansas City, Columbia, Grand Rapids and Cincinnati. “I know it will be a challenging to tour 20 different cities,” she says, “but after this I’m going to be a lot stronger and will have tons of new ideas to make my next album.”
You can read more about CIFIKA’s persepctive on the tour, her time spent living in the US and EP in today’s LA Daily News
HERE
CIFIKA PRISM TOUR DATES
Sun, 3/4 Seattle, WA – Barboza
Mon, 3/5 Portland, OR – The Analog
Wed, 3/7 San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar Music Hall
Fri, 3/9 Los Angeles, CA – Moroccan Lounge
Tue, 3/13 El Paso, TX – Neon Rose
Fri, 3/16 Austin, TX (SXSW) – The Belmont -Korean Spotlight Stage
Mon, 3/19,Dallas, TX – RBC
Wed, 3/21 Kansas City, MO – miniBar
Thu, 3/22 Columbia, MO – Cafe Berlin
Fri, 3/23 Chicago, IL – Virgin Hotel
Sat, 3/24 Detroit, MI -Detroit – Leland City Club
Sun, 3/25 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
Mon, 3/26 Cincinnati, OH – MOTR PUB
Fri, 3/30 Nashville, TN – Analog @ Hutton
Sat, 3/31 Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn
Wed, 4/4 Washington DC – Songbyrd
Thu, 4/5 Philadelphia, PA – Ortlieb’s Lounge
Fri, 4/6 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Sat, 4/7 Boston – Middle East Upstairs
