NoSo

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Baek Hwong (born 1997), known professionally as NoSo, is a Korean-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and composer. [1] NoSo is known for their 2022 debut album, Stay Proud of Me. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life and influences

NoSo was born Baek Hwong on May 14, 1997, in Chicago, Illinois. [2] [3] [4] They grew up attending a music festival at a venue where musicians such as B. B. King, Bonnie Raitt, and Aretha Franklin performed. [2] They participated in theater classes during their childhood, and performed in productions such as West Side Story . [3]

At the age of 12, NoSo decided to pursue their own musical endeavors.[ citation needed ] They initially took guitar lessons at a local music store, until deciding to learn to play guitar on their own in their family’s basement. [2] [3] When they were 16, NoSo moved to Los Angeles and started to write music. [2] [3] Eventually, NoSo pursued their undergraduate education at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, where they studied popular music. [2]

Career

NoSo signed with Partisan Records under the stage name NoSo. [2]

In 2019, NoSo participated in NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert. [2] [1]

NoSo’s debut album is entitled Stay Proud of Me. [2] [3] NoSo began to lay the groundwork for their debut album in 2017, and eventually recorded the work in their family’s condominium during the COVID-19 quarantine. [3] The guitar-led album was released on July 8, 2022, as a coming-of-age story that encapsulates NoSo’s experiences with their gender and racial identity thus far. [2] [4] [5] The cover art for this album was inspired by Korean records from the 1980s that NoSo’s parents played for them as a baby. [2]

NoSo has described songwriting as a means of exploring and articulating their transgender identity. [1] Several songs draw from their experiences as a trans Korean American raised in a predominantly White community. [2] [1] They wrote the song "Parasites" while recovering from gender-affirming top surgery. [2] [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Boilen, Bob (29 September 2021). "New Mix: Le Ren, Wet Leg, Ustad Saami, NoSo, More". NPR. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Mannion, Elle (7 July 2022). "NoSo's debut album is a care package for someone in need: Their younger self". NPR. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Walker, Sophie (4 April 2022). "On the Rise: NoSo". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Kalia, Ammar (2 July 2022). "One to Watch: NoSo". The Guardian. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Fresh Face: NoSo". Notion. 17 June 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
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