Meet Tae-Young Yu | Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tae-Young Yu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tae-Young, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in screen scoring at New York University. Most students majoring in this field generally aim to become successful film music composers. Professionally, I also wish to become an irreplaceable composer for film and multimedia whose music is necessary and desirable. However, my genuine goal is to become a film music composer in an expanded sense. From my perspective, everyone lives in a movie with themselves cast as the main character. My final objective and dream as a composer is to write soundtracks for someone’s life that can be figuratively said to be their own movie. Soundtracks sometimes form the overall atmosphere of a scene, sometimes allude to the inner feelings of characters and sometimes represent the underlying theme of a movie. I wish my music would flow in scenes of someone’s life and become the soundtrack of their movie.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Unlike most musicians, I received my undergraduate and master’s degrees in literature. While studying literature, I often investigated the interplay of sound, spoken words and other sonic elements traceable in literary texts. As I gradually realised my earnest passion for film music, I opted to take a hiatus to reassess my career path. Since I started working in the field of screen scoring, I have realised that the time I spent on literature is what sets me apart from others. My close reading skills and storytelling skills, which I have cultivated through analysing literary works, have become my strengths, given that translating stories from the screen to music is at the core of screen scoring.

In addition, I try to use traditional Korean scales, rhythms or instruments in my music, if possible. I make an effort to use traditional Korean elements not only to hold on to my identity as a Korean but also to create something new by blending Korean traditions with Western music. ‘The Sun and The Moon in The Twilight Sky’ in my first full-length album, On that Day, I Opened the Door (2019), is an example of this. I believe that my literature background and my Korean identity form my unique musicality.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friends were visiting New York, I would love to take them to Strand Book Store, New York’s largest independent bookstore, founded in 1927. I often visit this bookstore, as it is between NYU and my apartment. Contained in the bookstore are stationery, totes and various merchandise that symbolise New York City. Personally, Strand Book Store is one of my favourite places because it is full of music books and old scores, which occasionally become the source of my musical inspiration.

At night, I would like to bring my friends to Rockefeller Center. Although it may be the most clichéd tourist spot in New York, Rockefeller Center is still one of the best places to view the essence of New York—the Manhattan skyline. Moreover, in the winter, Rockefeller Center’s ice rink opens under a huge Christmas tree. I would recommend ice skating while appreciating the night scenery of New York, an activity that is only possible at Rockefeller Center.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First, I dedicate my shoutout to my parents, who have always given their infinite love to me. I am the person I am today due to the influence of my mother—a musician and professor of music—and my father, a poet and French literature professor. I have a heart full of love for them, and I look up to them more than anyone else.

Moreover, I am deeply grateful to my mentors, Mr. Mani Park and Mr. KwangHoon Han, who saw my potential as a composer and encouraged me to develop my musical talent. Their lessons are engraved in my mind. I wish to also express my gratitude to my professors, especially Professor Mark Suozzo, Professor Chris Hajian and Professor Greg Pliska. I learned much about composition and orchestration from them, and their lessons have become great assets for me.

Last but not least, I would like to thank Jude for always supporting me and for always being there for me, no matter what. I want to tell him that I am truly lucky to have him in my life.

Website: https://www.taeyoungyu.com

Instagram: @taeyoungyu_music

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@taeyoungyu

Other: SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/taeyoungyu

Image Credits
Zehun Han