[Herald Interview] Singer-songwriter duo LAS on life, love and music

Soldiering through life, we often fail, get discouraged and become worn out. But, as we journey on, we come to realize that life is not just about overcoming hardships to reach our moment of glory, but it is about embracing all the steps along the way as pieces of ourselves.

Singer-songwriter group LAS stepped out into the world last year with their debut single "Hero," which carries a message of self-love, something the two musicians, Avin and Slay, have learned in life.

"It was our first album, so we wanted to tell our own genuine story," Slay said during the duo's interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on April 5.

"We used to think that we were heroes when we were young, but growing up, we realize that we're not. 'Hero' (is about) our own story of growth," added Slay, whose real name is Kim Chae-yoon. Avin's real name is Hwang Sang-cheol.

The message about loving oneself despite the failures and disappointments seemed to deeply resonate as it came from producers who have spent most of their careers backstage.

Although rookie singers, the two 27-year-olds are fairly seasoned musicians, spending most of the years as producers and lyricists for other musicians. Both took part in several renowned K-pop pieces, including Ive's "After Like" and Monsta X's "Beautiful Liar."

In the local music scene, where K-pop idol singers still take up much of the spotlight with music created by other musicians, the roles of vocalists and producers remain largely divided. Avin discovered more potential lay ahead if they were to take the stage themselves.

"As producers (for the music of others), our roles are often limited and we don't get much of a chance to decide on the small and big details. ... If we were to come out as the main players, we'd have more rights for decisions to ourselves and we'll be able to make our own music," Avin explained.

Slay explained the partnership was also possible because the pair connected on a deeper level as two friends and not just as fellow musicians.

"I don't think it's easy to meet someone who resembles me as much (as Avin). ... After leaving my previous company, we spent more time together and realized that we had a lot in common -- not just our age and our music but also on how we see life. I instinctively knew that, as long as we were together, we'd work well," Slay said.

Indeed, the two have walked a seemingly parallel life. Both born in 1997, they discovered their passion for music early on in childhood. Both went to the US in their late teens, Avin majoring in guitar at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, while Slay studied Electronic Production and Design at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Returning to South Korea after graduation, they embarked on their respective careers in different fields of music. Avin carved out a path in the EDM music scene and produced albums for others, while Slay debuted as a singer-songwriter with the name Loann.

Their tenacious devotion to making music gradually pulled the two into one place, and for the past three to four years, they have built up their shared portfolio as producers.

In August 2021, the two released their first song together, "Love, This," an original soundtrack of JTBC's hit drama series "Nevertheless," in which the two musicians were credited not just as producers but as singers.

Their first single became a hit thanks to the drama series' massive global success, and Avin and Slay officially debuted as LAS in April 2022 under JTBC's in-house production and management label, Drama House Studio.

Just as their passion for music had naturally brought the two together, Avin and Slay said "love" was at the core of the music they make together. The first letter of their group name LAS stands for love, and the last two letters are the initials of each of their names.

"We're setting down our roots as a team with the name, so we thought about what we value the most in our lives, and that was love," Slay said.

Avin elaborated, saying love is the essence of everyone's life.

"What underlies every part of our life is actually love. You cannot be friends without love, date without love, (there are) no parents or families without love," he said, adding, "Even the work we do is driven by our love for it. Love is like the fuel of our life. Love is our youth in itself."

LAS began with their own story in "Hero," and went onto release two more singles "Everywhere" in July and "Runaway" in September.

It was in January that the name LAS caught the public's attention after a video of the duo's collaboration song with star dance crew Prowdmon, "Run Run," went viral online.

The crew had performed the song live during the "Street Woman Fighter" concert tour, and it was only months later with the song's official release in December that fans of the hit dance survival show realized the masterminds behind Prowdmon's stage music.

The duo had contributed to most of Prowdmon's mission songs for the 2021 Mnet program, LAS explained.

Aiming to release new music several times a year, LAS on Saturday dropped a new single, "Spring Song," in which girl group (G)I-dle's vocalist Miyeon featured.

"Miyeon was the first person that we thought of when we envisioned the fluttery sensation of the song. ... We'd heard her solo song 'Drive,' and her voice sounded so gentle there. That was the voice for our song," Avin said.

The two musicians also gave a nod to Miyeon's sincerity in her approach to music. "We could feel that she had a genuine love for music, not just our song, but in general," Slay said.

"The song will be easily listenable for everyone. It also shows our definitive vocal timbre," Avin said, to which Slay added, "We worked on it based on our experiences, thinking about when we had felt that fluttery sensation in love. We expect many people will relate to it."

As LAS, Avin and Slay said their music will be about embodying their present, their youth and their love.

"I think we naturally (and honestly) write about our stories because we want to make music that people can empathize with," Avin said. "But right now, we're just beginning and we want to share our music as often as we can. That's why we try to release songs every three to four months."

They said their next drop will be sometime between summer and fall this year.

"As producers, it's important for us to create sounds that are not just new but appealing to the public's ears. We're always striving with that in mind, experimenting on different layers of production -- whether it's the instrument, the melody or the arrangement -- and hopefully we will continue to bring out better music," Slay said.

On LAS' music, Avin said, "We're all writing out our own tale of youth. Our life itself is a book made of the most dazzling moments of youth, and we hope our listeners can experience our youth through music."