From South Bay to Self-Reflection: Jiho Takes us “Places”

Safe to say, we have all made decisions or been in situations that our parents would most certainly frown upon or perhaps, even freak out about. Jiho’s latest track “Places”, opening with the line “my feet take me places momma wouldn’t be so proud of”, uses clever lyrics and metaphor to describe the frustration of being stuck in old habits and not seeing tangible progress through life. The track blends Lo-Fi and hip hop inspired sounds under classic indie pop vocals with a catchy melody behind them, giving it the perfect bedroom pop feel. “Places” sonically sounds like the comfort of catching a break after a really long day, while lyrically reflecting on low points in life. Jiho’s sound fills a gap in the bedroom pop space for me, and scratches the same itch that any classic Dominic Fike track scratches. His use of metaphor and clever language to describe the frustration of being stuck in seemingly unbreakable cycles make the narrative all the more relatable for fans. 

In reflection on his latest release, Jiho expressed that the track “feels the most me out of [everything] I’ve put out before”. He shared that he wrote the song while in treatment, making the line “my feet take me places momma wouldn’t be so proud of” quite literal. After a tough journey with substance abuse, Jiho got sober in 2023 and shares that being able to finally release “Places” for people to connect with however they see fit has felt surreal. Compared to his older singles, “Places” definitely shows a shift away from the classic indie pop love song sound and works to develop his sound within the bedroom pop genre. On “imnotOK”, Jiho establishes a similar flow to “Places”, smoothly transitioning between conversational rap and vocals effortlessly. Jiho’s work across both genres exhibits his ability to relate to listeners; each song expresses its theme in a raw, introspective fashion that gives his music the comforting and genuine feel that people crave in a fan to artist connection.

Hailing from a suburb of Los Angeles’ south bay, Jiho grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood. Coming from a traditional Korean household, he detailed that this meant “a lot of skateboards and weed smoke” on the outside, but “at home it was bible verses and kimchi dumplings”. He shared that growing up, he was obsessed with Eminem, and proclaimed the rap genre as his first musical love. Despite growing concern from his mother, by 2016 Jiho had realized that it wouldn’t take fancy equipment or a top notch studio space to create something cool. He shared, “A few kids from two grades above [him] were putting out rap songs on Soundcloud that actually were sick.” He began making music using the Final Cut Pro software and a pair of headphones. As he grew up, his musical taste naturally led him to the guitar heavy indie pop style we hear today on tracks like “Places”. 

Photo by Tommy Campisi

As he continues to experiment with genre mixing, I look forward to the plethora of emotion and sound Jiho could potentially encapsulate in even just one EP or album.  Jiho shared that he and his roommate, Carson Coffee, just finished up his next EP and that he is excited for everyone to hear it. Given his ability to relay incredibly vulnerable yet real human experiences paired with his creative range and lyrical genius, Jiho is certainly an artist you don’t want to miss out on.