Hannah Bahng
Lauren Nakao Winn
Korean Australian singer-songwriter Hannah Bahng was only 17 when she received an email from her future manager requesting a meeting in the U.S. Her manager found Bahng singing live after randomly scrolling through her “For You” page of TikTok. But, since it was during the pandemic and Bahng was living in Australia at the time, they were only able to interact via Zoom.
Bahng had already built a solid fanbase on social media through her music and funny vlogs. She had always wanted a music career, believing she had to be signed to a major label to truly “make it” in the industry. It wasn’t until her manager suggested they start their own entertainment company to manage Bahng’s music career that she realized her dreams into a reality.
“When she told me this idea, I thought this was exactly all I’ve ever wanted,” Bahng tells me over matcha at a local coffee shop in Koreatown, Los Angeles, on Monday. “I didn’t even know this method [of creating your own company]
existed. That’s just the whole industry. Nobody really knows. Everyone [thinks] there’s only one way [to build a music career], but that way changes every few years depending on the trends, like on TikTok.”
Fast forward to the following year, in 2023, BAHNG Entertainment LLC was established, with Bahng’s debut single “Perfect Blues” released a few weeks later. Bahng was a bona fide indie artist. She found joy in having complete creative control of her music production, merchandise, performances/tours, music videos, social media presence, and everything in between.
“Maintaining complete creative control has been my #1 thing since the beginning, and it still is,” she explains. “It’s important for me to do everything, even the marketing and designing of all my merchandise. I’m very particular and picky about my vision.”
Following her single release, Bahng was inundated with record offers from major music corporations. She recalled having almost five meetings in one day. She thought about their offers, but knew that signing with them would come with restrictions. The next year, through her own label, she released her debut EP, The Abysmal, and embarked on her first world tour, which took her to Europe, Australia, and the U.S.
“I need [my work] to be executed in the way that I see it to be,” she admits. “I knew that [creating] my own company would be the most ideal way to do that. I just wanted full, complete control over everything.”
Hannah Bahng
Lauren Nakao Winn
The 21-year-old artist is dressed casually, wearing a plain black tank and skater-style shorts. She actually had planned to have the day off to herself in preparation for promotions for her new EP, The Misunderstood, which comes out today. She really wanted to make the interview work, finding a quiet spot in the corner of the cafe. There were a few fans who came by to compliment her work, which left the singer blushing at times.
It’s not hard to believe why she’s built such a strong following, not only for her lushy lowkey music but also for her charismatic personality. Add to that her delightful Australian accent.
“I feel like I’m losing my accent, but when I go back to Sydney, it’s like, ‘there it is’,” she laughs.
Bahng now lives in the U.S. full-time, where her company is registered, because that’s where the music industry is. Australia didn’t offer any opportunities that America does.
“The music industry is growing every day,” she explains. “But, everything is always going to be centralized in America. I knew that I was going to have to be here to make things happen. [Australia] is physically so far away. It’s a 14-hour flight. It’s literally the next day right now. We don’t have the power like we do in the States right now.”
It hits her that she has to call her mother after the interview, because it’s her mother’s birthday in Australia that very day. She makes a mental note of it and gives her mother a birthday shoutout in the recorder, “Happy Birthday, Mum!”
Her mother, whom Bahng calls ‘her best friend,’ is the reason she’s able to stay optimistic and keep going as an artist and businesswoman in the tough music industry. She tears up every time she thinks about her parents’ support.
“I’m not going to lie, it really does get frustrating sometimes,” Bahng says. “I want my vision to turn out so perfectly, and I want to be good. I want to be perfect for my fans and my crew. I want to be present for myself. I tend to be a little hard on myself because I want to be so perfect, and I struggle with that a bit.”
Every time she feels things are becoming too much, she calls her mother for guidance and is reminded of why she’s doing this in the first place. She recalls her mother’s advice, “She tells me, ‘Count [your blessings. Even] the tiniest of blessings. Be grateful that you can even wake up. Even if you feel this way, remember what’s important and why you’re doing this, because you love music and you want to have fun with it.’ Sometimes I forget. I’m so grateful to be where I am. I get it in my head that I want things to be perfect. I’m so fortunate to be in the position that I am. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
She understands she’s young, and there are a few misconceptions about her record label and entertainment company. Some naysayers don’t believe Bahng owns the company or that other people run the business.
“They think everything I do is not from me and things like that,” she says, side-eying while answering. “It’s because I’m a young woman. It’s hard for people to take me seriously. I come off as a very bubbly and fun person. I think sometimes I can diminish what I do because nobody sees the process. Nobody sees me sitting for hours working on music video treatments. Nobody sees me staying up late, doing all-nighters, designing all my merchandise. When people don’t see the process, it’s hard for them to understand how all of this could come about.”
BAHNG Entertainment is a small company, consisting of Bahng and her manager, for now. But, it’s all she really needs right now. She wants to focus on her career and grow it before expanding to include other artists or other entities.
“I don’t know if I have the bandwidth to [do more],” she admits. “I think the fact that my business even exists is telling other artists who want to do this [they don’t have to] sacrifice creativity and joy. I hope they can see what I do and realize that there’s no set way in the industry. They can make their own way and make it happen.”
With her second EP and world tour on the horizon, Bahng has gained a deeper understanding of the business side of the industry. She’s surprised to learn that artists touring at venues rarely question anything, just accepting what is being offered, despite the costs. She recalls being quoted an outrageous rental fee for a tour item that she could easily purchase for less and actually own.
“Everyone in the industry says the same thing, ‘Well, this is just how it’s done,’ she exclaims. “That just baffles me. Nobody questions it. You just have to be prepared for that. But, surely, if you think about it a little bit and really dive deep into it, there are ways around it. It doesn’t have to just be like that. Just because everyone else has done it like that, you could do it this way and save a bit more money and time. It’s more efficient.”
Though she loved how intimate her first tour was – consisting mainly of herself and her guitarist, she laid out a bigger production for this time around. The Misunderstood World Tour will be bigger and have a different vibe, maybe a little more rock.
“Music production-wise, sonically, it’s a full band,” she reveals. “The drama and stage production is going to feel bigger, too. I am still going to show a lot of my personality, but I really want this to showcase me as a musician. I want it to translate into a live space and feel completely different from what you just hear on Spotify.”
Hannah Bahng, The Misunderstood EP
BAHNG Entertainment
She describes the new EP, The Misunderstood, as very much how she feels right now. It’s precisely what the title says: people can feel misunderstood, like how she does, even questioning themselves and their emotions, and trying to find understanding through other people.
“Ultimately, you can’t do that,” says Bahng. “You can’t find understanding for yourself through other people. You have to just find it within yourself, if that makes sense. I wanted to portray that through this EP. It ends on a little bit of a hopeful note with “IM ME AGAIN.” Through all these misunderstandings and negative feelings that I might have, I’m still trying to find myself.”
When fans see her perform, they see “Hannah Bahng, the artist,” but underneath the voice and music, “Business Hannah” has been putting in the work to get her there. She describes this version of herself as a perfectionist, but she gets things done for “Artist Hannah” to thrive.
“Whether that means staying up late or whatever, [Business Hannah] is willing to do the work and put in the effort to make things good,” she says. “My goal in creating this entertainment company was to support my career and goals as an artist. I want to be able to sustain myself and be able to do what I want in terms of my creative vision. Making the company was just what I needed to do to make my dreams as an artist come true.”
Hannah Bahng’s EP, The Misunderstood, is out on all streaming platforms. You can find information on her tour, The Misunderstood World Tour, here.
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