When inspiration strikes like lightning, it can open a previously closed door into the past. For Los Angeles, Korean singer/songwriter Jen Rim, the 2020 murder of George Floyd was so impactful that it compelled her to write about loss. In writing the lyrics to her next single “Tell Me” – out July 27th – Jen had the strong realization that she still had some healing to do around her own relationship with her father.
What began as a song from the perspective of George Floyd’s family quickly also became about the broken past with her own father, a pastor who left the family and the church when Jen was a teenager.
“This song is extremely personal for me, that’s why it’s a little bit more intimate and feels like I’m exposing my diary,” Jen says. “There are those moments when you feel alone when you’re lying down and just wondering why. It took many years for me to choose to be honest… Past the anger and bitterness, I just miss my dad.”
An early picture of Jen with her dad serves as the cover art, a tribute to their initial bond while her father was a joyful singing pastor in their church. The song is undeniably naked and revealing, with lyrics relatable to many levels of loss. Co-written and produced by her great friend Boaz Roberts, the striking minimalism in production hits home along with the lyrics: “Mind is racing/ Desperate to speak/ Eyes open wide awake in silence while/ The rest fall asleep…”
Previously a longstanding member of Run River North, Jen’s second and last single was released off of her self-titled debut album, out Sept. 7th. She will be performing at Hotel Cafe on September 9.
