Inside a K-Pop Songwriting Camp With R&B Musician Rakiyah
If you've always wondered what goes on during a K-pop songwriting camp, you're not alone.
Songwriting collectives have been a thing for decades, but the modern “songwriting camp” has been around since the ‘90s, per Vulture. These intentional gatherings of artists and writers in all genres are often held in conjunction with labels or studios — and while they can garner a cynical eye from those who prefer artists write their own songs, they're also fundamentally a place where writers can be heard and form a community with each other. (And create some incredible hits.)
As K-pop continues to expand globally and incorporate songwriters from western countries, it makes sense that designated songwriting camps would grow, too. Luckily, musician, songwriter, and former rocket scientist Rakiyah is here to take fans behind the curtain of how songs get made before your favorite musicians curate and make them their own.
Last month, she attended a songwriting camp with writers including Outlaw The Artist, Geoffrodamus, RX, Rakim Alnur, Sleep Deez, and more as they wrote songs for a variety of Korean and Chinese artists, many of whom are from SM Entertainment (home to EXO, NCT, Red Velvet, aespa, and more). It's a peek behind the scenes into the beginnings of a song, perhaps one that will be taking over your playlist sometime soon.
Learn all about the songwriting camp process, the power of collaboration, and more in this photo diary by Rakiyah — who also releases her own music, like recent single “Naughty x Nature.” (And check out her vlog from the week over at her YouTube channel!)
1/12How It Started
I had a lifetime opportunity to participate in my first K-pop songwriting camp, all thanks to my good friend Geoffrodamus here. He wrote Mark’s infamous rap verse in SuperM’s “Jopping.” He reached out to me on Twitter back in January 2021 for a songwriting opportunity, and we’ve been working together and friends since then. Fast forward to this past July, where he extended the invitation to me to join his first songwriting camp of his own through Warner Chappell Music. Next thing you know, I’m boarding a flight to California.
2/12Our first conversation — and the start of an amazing friendship.
3/12How It's Going
My first two days of camp were awesome! We wrote two K-pop girl group songs for SM Entertainment. I wish I could say who for, but of course for NDA reasons and spoiling comebacks, I'll have to wait to share that. A “camp” is an industry term used for a gathering of professional songwriters and producers where we create songs or content by request of an artist, group, or music label. It’s usually quite difficult to get into one, but luckily I was directly invited. Other than Geoffrodamus, this was my first time writing with this group of songwriters and meeting them. Some of the writers, like Rakim Alnur, who was also in this camp, wrote “Jopping” with Geoffrodamus. Outlaw The Artist was a writer on EXO's “Jekyll,” NCT U's “90's Love,” and NCT Dream's “Quiet Down.”
Outlaw The Artist listens to a song reference at the beginning of the K-pop songwriting process.4/12First Thing's First
The first thing we do in a writing camp is read a document sent by the label. That document is called leads with descriptions called briefs which provide specific musical information like which artist or group the song is for, the desired genre, sometimes vocal key (i.e. G or A major), and song reference tracks to act as a guideline for the mood or style that the label or artist(s) is looking for. Here we were listening to one of the reference tracks, a popular pop song of a western artist. A question I get often is, “Do we write the songs in English or Korean?” SM Entertainment (and other Asian music labels) have a plethora of native speaking songwriters, so we provide songs in English of course.
5/12Day 2
On day two of the camp, I was up next for tracking my vocals for our demo. I unfortunately lost my voice after this session, but quickly recovered after two days of rest. As an artist myself, I was super comfortable with recording in front of others. The vibes were there, and it was such a friendly environment. In the brief, they stated that they wanted this next release to be fiercer and “harder” than their latest. The lyrical direction we decided to go with was a bossy, sassy, and confident approach so I made sure to get into character with the specific girl group members in mind. I personally think keeping the group or artist in mind while writing and recording is very important. You have to find a balance between giving them something fresh and new, while also still being totally them.
6/12How Collaborating Works
We turned the studio lights red to help set the vibe and mood for this song. Being professional and getting the song completed is top priority, but making sure we’re having a good time is important too! We felt like we made a hit track, and jammed out to it so many times that day. Writing and creating with others isn’t as easy as it may seem. You'll have ups and downs throughout the process, but it’s a learning experience nonetheless. You have a room full of different personalities and ideas, so it’s important that everyone's voice and thoughts are heard while collectively deciding what stays and what goes.
I enjoy working with others, but feel much more comfortable in smaller groups or solo. I have a very outgoing and dominating personality type, especially within my craft, so it was definitely an adjustment that was necessary for me. With all of us working together, we came up with some amazing songs that we’re proud of regardless if we successfully place or not. Even though we are creating and writing songs by request, there’s no guarantee your song(s) will be chosen. So give it your all and wish for the best.
7/12Final Days
By the time I got to my final camp group, I felt completely warmed up, amped, and extremely excited to be working on my first C-pop girl group lead and my first K-pop boy group lead. Time to end my trip with a bang!
8/12A Meeting at Last
I was dying to finally meet Richelle (RX) in person! Geoffrodamus connected us via instagram earlier in the year, and I was so happy to be finally working with her. She’s a Canadian singer-songwriter and is one of the writers of BTS member Jungkook's “My Time 시차.”
9/12Tracking Vocals
Here’s me tracking vocals for the C-pop girl group lead. This one was probably my favorite song throughout my camps. Sleep Deez produced this track quickly on spot, and we got right to writing. He’s also one of the producers on Jungkook’s “My Time 시차,” and so many other songs throughout his long career as a producer. In this camp, we recorded freestyle melodies first, played them out loud, then sat down and wrote lyrics together.
10/12Here’s Sleep Deez producing a track later that night.
11/12The Writing Process
How and where to write song lyrics is totally up to you. Some songwriters still use the classic pen and paper, but these days it’s much easier to use apps like Google Docs or Notes where you can share the file together, especially if you’re collaborating with others. In this photo we’ve already finished writing the C-pop girl group song and started working on the K-pop boy group song for an album. This song was very fun, happy, and lovely. Fingers crossed we get this one placed!
12/12A Few Reflections
I wish I was able to make more songs during my trip, but I’ll be returning again this August. I made sure to vlog this whole experience for my Youtube channel Rakiyah In Space too! This writing camp was just the first of many, and I see myself doing this for a long time. I know for sure I’ll be working with these writers again, and I’m looking forward to that! I had some tough first days landing in Cali, but the camps made everything worth it, and it got better for me each time.
I’ll be candid and say that it was so much more work than I expected it to be, since some days I was working nonstop for 10+ hours. It took some time for my vocal cords to adjust to the amount of singing in such a short time. While working on K-pop and C-pop songs, I was also working on a hip hop track one day, on the side, for a major artist’s album. To switch my pen from one style to another was really cool and I think it definitely improved my skills as a songwriter. Honestly, this whole experience made me a better version of myself and a better artist as well. I’m constantly enhancing my skills as a songwriter for not only other artists, but also for my own music. No matter the results, I am proud that I did this! From living in South Korea, to switching my career from aerospace engineering to now a singer-songwriter, this new life chapter will go down in the books for me too. It’s only a matter of time until the world learns about me.
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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Rising R&B Star Rakiyah on K-Pop, Appropriation, and Building Her Own Lane
