Q: Wow! For starters, I wanted to say congratulations on releasing your debut single! How are you both feeling about this? What’s it like?
STONES SPEAK: Unreal… seems a little surreal. It’s exciting to come across another milestone in this process. We all had the feeling in our bones individually before we met one another that music was a major purpose in our lives. Despite not knowing where or not knowing how… it finally feels as if it’s actually happening.
It’s like this: we have had hopes and dreams that are castles in the air, and now it’s like the foundations are under them. It seemed impossible, it’s a lot of work, but when the goal is met, it is fulfilling. So, in short, we feel blessed and honored to have the opportunity to bless others.
Q: I think it’s so courageous of musicians to create music that aims to help others, and that’s something I know “The River Song” will do…help
people look past the negativity. How did the idea for “The River Song” come about?
STONES: Ozni: A lot of people seek ideas, but the reality in this situation is that the idea sought us. There is a saying that experience is the hardest teacher. It’s the only method in which the lesson comes after the test. When the song came about, we had no idea what was to be learned, but only through the experience of developing the song have we learned that lesson. I feel that being in the right place at the right time puts the opportunity in our laps.
Kee: The idea of the river song came from the river itself. I was spending the day canoeing and walking down the river with my family when we came to some awesome rapids. I felt drawn to them, so I walked right into them and felt/heard music so strongly. I just stood there listening, I tried to put it in a form that I could remember to make a song someday. I couldn’t quite put it into a tune or even words, but the rest of the day, it was on my mind.
Later in the week, I stopped to see Ozni for a minute, and he mentioned he had played a guitar riff a couple of days ago, and then he started playing it. I was immediately struck by the very similar sound and feeling in what he was playing and my encounter at the river. I told Ozni that it reminded me of my experience with the river. His eyes got really big, and he said that his wife was a witness (as if I wouldn’t believe him) to when he first was playing the riff, that it felt like the river and how it is similar to all of our lives.
It was an almost unreal moment, but amazingly, I then realized that I was going to write that song sooner rather than later—that someday was now.
Q: I love Stones Speak’s backstory. You both had opposite upbringings. Ozni, your family escaped Korea when they were forced to accept arranged marriages. I also know you were on the verge of quitting music but then you heard Kee’s lyrics. What about Kee’s lyrics made you change your
mind?
STONES: It gave a sense of direction because it was like feeling your way in the dark. When I was pursuing becoming a Rockstar the music that I made went nowhere… it was a dead end!
Q: Were you composing music before escaping? If so, how does your music then differ from now?
STONES: No, I was trying to compose music, but it would never seem to flow. I was trying to be a rock god because I never found inner peace on the inside. Looking back now, I know I was insecure with who I was.
With those feelings in place, I wasn’t able to create anything worthwhile because I could not hear the music. The harder you try to be somebody who you are not, the more you try to lay claim to the identity, the farther you are from it. Putting together the music is only possible when you are free of the negative motivations or burdens.
Q: Kee, you lived a more off-the-grid lifestyle. What’s that like, and how did it impact your music?
STONES: Well, living off-grid is all I’ve known, and I love it, I like being surrounded by nature, being held in the hills, fed from the land and yes, a lot of work to keep things running, but I believe it is the very source of our songs. There is music everywhere, and being tuned to nature puts you into a state of being able to hear/feel it and make it a reality.
I believe if I was anywhere else, I would not be successful in this way because my whole upbringing in being in service to God and being led by His voice prepared me, more than I realized, to do music in this way to reach people. I know what’s out here in the heart of nature and hope everyone will feel it, too.
Q: You both not only released “The River Song,” but you’re also gearing up to release the instrumental version. Why’s that?
STONES: There is a real tribute to the river because that is very the song was found as a gift. The instrumental gives more opportunities to highlight the river. Our music highlights the sounds of life, and the instrumental takes it a step further. Some feelings can’t be expressed by words, so as a tribute to the river, we honor that.
Q: Every six weeks, the duo will release a new track and some of the tracks will have instrumental versions released a couple of weeks after. Is Stones Speak working on an album?
STONES: Yes, we are working on an album. The album will be about looking at ourselves in a new way. Not in the sense of a mirror but in the sense of seeing your true self. People don’t realize the blessing of who they truly are. What we look like and see through the mirror can be deceptive, especially if it’s being fueled by stereotypes and outward stigmas of expectation. Were hoping to have the album released by the Summer of 2025.
Q: Do you have a message for your current and future listeners?
STONES: Our music is designed to bring vibes of newness and renewal. A lot of our songs contain the sounds of life (bird songs, nature sounds, etc.) and our instruments are tuned to A 444 hz (compared to the music industry standard A 440 hz). Every six weeks, we are releasing a new song, and many of these songs will have an incredible instrumental that will be released separately.
We just released the instrumental for The River Song on June 13th, and our next release will be on July 11th. If you ever feel like you need a wonderful voyage from the trials of life and to feel relieved from the toxic feelings in the world… follow, listen, and enjoy our music!
Interviewed by Taylor Berry
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