In the middle of a cloudy Friday afternoon, hours before her midnight set, Audrey Nuna and I are both sitting in an outdoor backstage-slash-alleyway of the Empire Garage in downtown Austin, Texas, on the penultimate day of SXSW. The music festival portion of the event is in full swing all around us. It’s both our first times at the event, so understandably, it’s a little overwhelming. Audrey, whose last name is actually Chu, explains that she was supposed to perform at the festival in 2020. But the day after she was booked, the event was canceled because of COVID. Tonight, she tells me, is her full circle moment.
Just Being Audrey
Even before meeting Audrey in person, I can tell she’s the epitome of cool (though in her song “Cool Kids,” she might disagree). If I try to use the words “fire” or “sick” to describe things, I sound like a try-hard millennial. But with Audrey, everything about her — her way with words, her sense of style, her music — all feels chill and organic. She’s serious but open, a little out there but still down-to-earth, effortless but thoughtful. It’s almost intimidating, but that’s just who the singer-rapper is: She’s never trying to be anyone but herself, which feels rare for someone so young in the music industry.
Right off the bat, we talk about her Korean American identity. “Being Korean American, all the experiences I’ve had in my life, everything informs the stuff that I make,” she acknowledges. Some of the connections are a little more obvious, like in her song “Blossom,” where she includes a recording of her grandma speaking Korean at the end. Audrey recalls being at a barbecue where her grandma started sharing her war stories, and Audrey realized she wanted to capture it. She found that the recording fit the song’s theme of growing up, as it spoke to her grandma’s own maturing she had to do during that time. But other instances aren’t as apparent — perhaps it’s just what the…
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