Sunburnkids, a 2005-born creative director and artist, releases their debut full-length album, Elephant in the Room, today. Alongside the album release you can watch the deeply personal music video for “Red Cheek Boys,” and anticipate the music video release for “Time,” set to drop in a few weeks. Collaborating closely with children for this project and known for making waves in the fashion world at a young age, Sunburnkids chose lyrics and music as their medium for expression, opting for clarity over abstraction in delivering the album’s message. (Clothing Brand: @chapterofchan)
The album’s title draws inspiration from the American idiom "the elephant in the room," symbolizing important issues that everyone acknowledges but often avoids discussing due to discomfort or fear. Sunburnkids shares, “This phrase deeply resonates with my life. I’ve carried the weight of childhood habits and unresolved traumas that, while invisible, have always felt like a colossal elephant in my heart. Every time I write, whether it’s a reflection of my life’s introduction, body, or conclusion, I’ve found myself unable to bring it to a close—unable to place that final period. In other words, I have yet to write the ending to my story.”
A pivotal moment during the album’s creation came when a young boy expressed to Sunburnkids’ that he listens to their music from morning till night, constantly reflecting on it. This encounter left Sunburnkids’ feeling both shocked and burdened by the weight of responsibility their music carries. From that moment on, despite receiving numerous opportunities, Sunburnkids spent a long time in quiet reflection—reading books, writing lyrics, and contemplating within the church whether they had the right to express themselves, and more importantly, what they should be expressing.
This album is not only their debut but also a deeply personal, self-taught project. Having learned everything on their own—from fashion to videography to music—Sunburnkids poured their unique tastes and modes of expression into this work. Each track tells a story that reflects real life, with involvement from children at church and even actors who helped bring the narratives to life. The music video for the title track, “Red Cheek Boys,” features Sunburnkids’ younger brother, authentically capturing his own past.
What makes this project even more special is that Sunburnkids didn’t create it alone—they crafted it together with children. They explained the lyrics and themes to the kids, organized art classes, and used the children’s drawings as the album covers. On September 30th, an album listening party and exhibition was held at “Layer Studio 7” in Yongsan, where the children's artwork will be displayed. Their voices are also interwoven into the album, giving listeners a deeper sense of how Sunburnkids’ views and values the children involved. “Sunburnkids tells them that they are both the authors and the protagonists of this album.”
The album consists of 11 tracks, with Sunburnkids writing, composing, directing, producing, and overseeing the music videos entirely. When asked, "Why do you take on everything yourself?" Sunburnkids responded, "Because no one can truly understand my life as deeply as I do."
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Based in Seoul Korea, Sunburnkids is an active singer-songwriter and visual director. They’ve worked on music video styling and visual direction for various artists, including the well-known artist Zior Park. Despite his young age, Sunburnkids made a significant impact in the fashion industry, serving as the creative director for their own clothing brand, Chan. With a deep understanding of color, they not only design their own clothes but also demonstrate exceptional skill in manipulating color to match their concepts. The free-spirited and imaginative visualizations in both their music and video art stimulate the viewer’s imagination.
Sunburnkids began self-teaching music, videography, and photo visuals as early as elementary school, and by 2023, they released their single, "1MIN," which showcased their unique artistic sensibility. This was followed by their EP CRY BOYS MIXTAPE, marking their debut as a musician. In October 2024, they officially released their first full-length album, Elephant in the Room. Despite only debuting last year, they’ve gained recognition from various magazines such as Marie Claire Korea, Dazed Korea, Esquire Korea, Hypebeast Korea, and many more. As a musician who combines styling and visual directing talents, Sunburnkids offers an original, boundary-breaking musical world to their audience, never constrained by convention.
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