Go Away With … Jessi

By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Tribune and other outlets
October 31, 2023

Born in New York, Jessica Ho was 14 years old when she moved to South Korea by herself to jump-start her music career. Because of her young age, Jessi – as she’s known professionally – lived with her grandmother, attended school and signed with a Korean music company. “My father hadn’t wanted me to go, because I was so young,” said the singer, rapper and on-air personality via a Zoom interview from Seoul. “But something in my gut was telling me I had to do this.” In 2022, Jessi left P Nation (spearheaded by “Gangnam Style” singer PSY), before signing with More Vision – a label run by fellow Korean American pop star Jay Park – earlier this year. Currently promoting her latest pop single “GUM,” Jessi keeps fans updated on her life and music on Instagram and YouTube.

Q: Was it challenging after you moved to South Korea as a child?
A: My mom would come visit me, but I’m not gonna lie. I gave up about three times and went back home. I couldn’t adapt with the culture and not being accepted because I was Korean American. They said, “She can’t even speak the language, she doesn’t fit the beauty standards, she’s tan, she’s too exotic looking” … But I think it takes a couple of times for you to realize what you want to do. You’ve got to fall down to realize what you want and like.”

Q: What was it like working on GUM with a producer who was overseas?
A: I worked with the [producer group] The Stereotypes – who I’ve worked with before – who’s worked with Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars. [They’re] a pretty big deal and were in Los Angeles. There’s a different energy when you work with someone at the same time, but because of the [16-hour] time difference, it was difficult. It was a little tricky, because I’m not very patient. But it worked out great.

Q: Many well-known people don’t share the negative sides of their work, but you were transparent on social media about the issues you had in France when you were between management companies. I’ve never heard of a tour promoter not booking hotels for his artists.
A: Listen, it was not just France. It was the whole tour. And I had to book and pay for my own plane and train tickets. So long story short, I trusted my people at the time to organize certain stuff while I was doing the actual work. We happened to sign a really bad, fraudulent contract, and I didn’t know until I went there. At the first city, the hotel wasn’t great, but I’m not the type to whine about hotels. But as we were going to more cities, it got worse. He didn’t put me in any hotels. They were trying to get me to cancel my shows. Why would I cancel when they put me in this? They were getting the vibe that my fans knew that the organizers were messing up, and they didn’t want to take the blame. Now that I think about it, I went through it, survived and had a great show. It was actually really emotional, because I was so tired. It brought me closer to my fans and I played longer for them. My voice was gone and they were singing for me. They brought me to life at each city. They were telling each other to be at the top of their game. My fans’ energy was crazy! So I look at this as you live and you learn.

Q: Did you have anyone with you for support?
A: Thankfully, my mom was with me, but it’s kind of sad that’s what she experienced. I left for Korea at 14, so this was supposed to be something nice for her [to experience with me]. She thought everything would be all glamorous and easy. She was so proud that I could overcome this, but I hadn’t wanted my mother to see me in pain. I was so embarrassed and my mom said, “Why are you embarrassed? I’m your mom.” For me, it was a time where I really bonded with my mom and I just learned a lot during that time period.

Q: When you tour next year, you can make sure you’re booked at a luxury hotel and bring your mother out again.
A: The reason why I can be picky with hotels is because I don’t go out. When I’m in Korea, I’m either in work mode or I’m at home. I used to visit everywhere like Bali, Bora Bora and so many places. That was my way to heal. I would go to places for like four days and not stress about anything. I haven’t been able to do that in so long. When I tour, I’m going for work and I don’t have a lot of energy to go out and explore.

Q: Can you share an experience that changed your perception about traveling for work versus relaxation?
A: Absolutely. I think it was like two years ago and I went to Bali. I went to Bali a lot. I went with my friend, who said, “Let’s go see the monkeys.” I’m not a nature person and I don’t like bugs. But I remember going up that hill we were hiking and was like, “Oh my god!” when we reached the top. I felt so good. It made me appreciate the little things. I was always in work mode and forgot about these things. That was the day that really changed my life.

Q: So maybe you’ll go camping next?
A: No, no, no! [Laughs] I never go camping. If I stayed in Korea, I wouldn’t go to the countryside and do all that stuff. But I think if it was somewhere exotic – I can’t promise – but I think I could.

© 2023 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.