BESTFRIEND: INTERVIEW


by mariah estran

photo by becca hamel

A lot can change in a matter of two years. For alt-pop duo Bestfriend, that concept became remarkably familiar. They began working on the follow-up to their 2021 sophomore EP, places i’ve lived. While making new music, they were also experiencing changes in their lives, because it just does not stop. 

On May 9th, they released their response to these feelings, appropriately titling the project: BESTFRIEND HAS AN IDENTITY CRISIS. “I feel like when people say that so much of your life happens between the ages of 21 and 27, I believe them now,” lead vocalist Stacy Suyeon says about this stage of adulthood. However, it was not simply about growing older but understanding the personal discoveries made when looking through an introspective lens. 

Stacy, alongside guitarist-producer and singer Kaelan Geoffrey, found themselves diving further into those layers that make life tricky. From heartbreak to grief and evolving in self and identity, the two touch on those honest topics through each of the six tracks.

“We wrote all these songs around a time when we both had gone through a heavy teardown of ourselves and our lives,” Stacy explains about the EP. 

Songs such as “HEADSTART” describe the feeling of infatuation through an electric soundscape, while tracks like “YOU LOOK JUST LIKE ME” reveal the discovery of traits we discover and find similar to others. 

The EP holds the same charm that Bestfriend has continuously developed — that indie-pop excitement that has you singing along.

Their vulnerability is still at the center, but it is now stronger as they embrace the chaos and beauty of it all. 

After the release of BESTFRIEND HAS AN IDENTITY CRISIS, the two spoke with us about the project. They tell us more about writing for the EP, the new production process, and what they have learned about themselves over the last couple of years. 

Both of you are known for music that creates a connection through vulnerability. These feelings of anxiety, grief, and heartache are not a singular experience. “HEADSTART” is a perfect example of bringing these feelings forward. What was it like writing this track?

Stacy: “It is about vulnerability, but at the same time, when we were writing it, it was a lot of having to pull back when writing it. The thing about vulnerability in our songs is that I tend to shout it in a lot of words — Bestfriend songs are very wordy.

We are trying to keep it nice and simple. You can be honest, without having to cover yourself by talking endlessly.”

Kaelan: “We are people who need to say everything about a thought. It is like, ‘Oh, I need to feel understood,’ but that is not always necessary. At the very base of it, there's truth in keeping things simple, and there's truth in finding your message and delivering it.” 

Years prior, Bestfriend was a project you would produce from afar, in different geological places. With this new EP, you two worked in person a lot more. How was that experience, and if any, how did it help develop the creative process?

Kaelan: “It changed everything. It is a helpful skill to do this remotely; it is good that it is available to us. It is certainly not the easiest or the most fun way to do it. It is so hard to have a genuine conversation, where you are going back and forth, talking with body language. 

Once we started doing this together in person, we did not see stopping as an option because it is much better.

It is just neat to see what the music can sound like and feel like in real life. This sort of translation of ‘online bestfriend’ to ‘real-life bestfriend’ has been the journey of the past year or so.”

How do you feel when you have seen each other grow after being alongside each other for so long?

Stacy: “Your 20s, like, everything happens because there is less structure in your life, right? When you are younger, in high school or at university, there's rhyme, instruction, and reason to your life. The minute that goes away, you are a free-floating person trying to shape yourself into something tangible. 

It’s a hard thing, and it's a work in progress. It is going to be something we are working on our whole lives. In these six years, we have not been immune to that rule.

We have seen each other through a lot of different life events. We have seen each other grow in musical ways, but also, personally.”

Kaelan: “It has been interesting because we both watched each other fall apart and rebuild. We've both been through that process and supported each other through that as well. 

We saw a lot of pieces, and the pieces that didn't work. The pieces that do work, and the pieces we want to see more of. It is nice getting to watch that overtime, especially as friends. But it is also cool that we see it represented in this capsule, the music we make during this time is neat.”

Tell us more about the title of the EP.

Kaelan: “We have been writing these songs over the past two years, and a lot has changed in two years. We have been shifting and transforming into something that we do not know. These songs are all over the place. 

There is this one song on there — it is the opposite of ‘HEADSTART’ — where we are trying to be simple and concise. Then there is another song that's five minutes long, where we just do not shut up the whole time. It encapsulates how we do not know who we are right now, as a duo, as individuals. We are having an identity crisis — there is the EP name.”

Stacy: “The last couple of years have been wildly transformative for both of us. We have been so many people throughout our lives. We wrote all these songs around a time when we both had gone through a heavy teardown of ourselves and our lives. Just a bit lost, and much of the music started to feel that way. It ended up being a good descriptor for the whole period. 

It is calling out the thing that we have been afraid to talk about and afraid to live.”

The EP highlights your continued fun, alt-pop sound. Working alongside Aidan Hogg, how did it help you develop the soundscape of this EP?

Stacy: “It is interesting to see how much each person has their language; also, how much it crosses over.”

Kaelan: “It is such a fun time when we get together and write. Anytime we can work with someone with whom we get along and want to make music with, it is great.”

How do you think this project will continue to inspire connection or even help those feel less odd in this era of self-discovery?

Stacy: “I am speaking for myself, but I feel like people are lonely. I do think that there has been this feeling of individualism, more so than ever. I am trying to get to this feeling that we are all kind of reflections of each other, whether we like it or not. Like this invisible expectation of being some perfect person, or the reflection of some of your best parts.”

Kaelan: “We have a song about feeling completely lost. We have a song about staring down the parts of you that you hate the most, and you see it in other people. We have a song about admitting a crush. We have a song about moving on past suicidal tendencies. 

Every song on the EP is about something that no one knows how to talk about, and societally, we do not talk about. The topics we chose to write about are personal.”

 

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BESTFRIEND: INTERVIEW


by mariah estran

photo by maxine tamoto

Have you dropped a DM lately? You know what I’m talking about; we’ve all heard a couple of those stories or been, at least, a part of them. Sagas of the individual who musters up the courage to reach out through an in-app, communication feature.

As for this story, it was more of an artistic endeavor that pushed one to send a message. One that brought Stacy Kim and Kaelan Geoffrey together — the now indie-pop duo known as Bestfriend.

It’s a tale of a digital connection that encouraged the two like-minded creatives to pursue what they’ve always wanted to do — music. “I think that Kaelan and I have been sitting on all our feelings about music and wanting to make music for so long, through our entire young-adult lives,” Stacy says. “Once we met and started Bestfriend, we were so ready at that point in our lives.”

In the best way possible, there was no turning back; this was the time to make it happen.

One in Vancouver and the other in Toronto, the team figured out the working-from-afar system, even before the dreaded days of the pandemic, when everyone was adapting to creating through a file share. “I feel like now there’s a little more of a playbook on how to do it from not in the same room,” Stacy says, nervously laughing about the recollection. “But, back then, oh my god, it was a tough one.” Their witted humor fills the room, even over a long-distance Zoom call. Kaelan chiming-in, “back then, we thought we were so interesting.” All in good nature, they can’t help but joke a little about the process.

They released their first EP, places i’ve lived, in 2021. A compilation of tracks that fed the young-adult angst scribbled through their diary pages. It was finding a way to express those heart-staining breakups and long nights out, a homage to the funny chaos that’s part of living. “What I like to say, and what I think still rings true, is that we didn’t really know how to express ourselves through the music. But what we did know was how we felt, and what we did know is what it looked like,” Stacy describes.

places i’ve lived became the roadmap to finding how to communicate with each other sonically, specifically from a distance. The bond they’ve created intertwines firmly through the record. Their tender vocals complement each other as they describe dreamlike romantic encounters in “For Grace, After a Party.”

Then, there is "You Want Everyone to Love You." Which transcends the listener to a serene atmosphere of twinkling keys, finished with a crescendo of twisting synths. A magnetic force of production as Stacy sings about love not being received by the counterpart.

“It’s a fun process of reflection and living in the moment while also, very much dealing with how to express that ourselves,” Stacy explains. “In the end, we had these songs. We were like this, is it; this is exactly what it felt like — these are the songs that work.”

In 2023, it’s about moving to the next chapter in their story. “We lived the experience, and now, we have to move forward,” Kaelan reiterates. Stacy adds that places i’ve lived was a project they owed to their younger selves, “We know how to write, we know how we work together — let’s actually get into this. Let’s talk about how we are feeling right now.”


LEMON LIME” has now entered the chat.

The three-minute, tongue-in-cheek lyrical number that is jumpstarting Bestfriend’s new phase. It is the observation of the now — a world that feels uncertain and, at times, complex to navigate. “We were very frustrated at what was going on. Capital E, everything — politically, socially, everything was just so confusing,” Stacy shares. Yet, don’t misconstrue the disarray for a dark, extra-emotive ballad. Instead, Bestfriend keeps the air light, consistently showcasing their flair for engaging synths and spiffy drumbeats. As Stacy calls out lines like:

Tell me what's the point of showing up if nothing's for us / Maybe we're alone, maybe nothing really matters.

Stacy explains, “I think everything we wanted to say about this is just coming out of us right now, and we should vibe with it because I don’t think we are the only ones that feel this way.” They agree that in the last few years, mindsets have begun to change, specifically for this generation. Kaelan notes the concept of the American Dream as Stacy elaborates on her parents migrating to the U.S. There was once a time when individuals looked up to those aspirations or ideals centered around “the good life.” Fast-forward and Generation Z are conscious of the reality that might not be as rosey. “LEMON LIME” is that example, serving as a tiny zeitgeist via Bestfriend. Even more so, considering it is named after a vape flavor of the same handle.

Kaelan bashfully grins as Stacy shares, “You know when a word kind of sounds exactly as what it means? Lemon-Lime, for some reason — this song’s vibe felt very correct for that.”

The origin of the song title is indicative of who they are. Even when explaining the deep subject of the latest track, their easy-going demeanors brighten the room. They began reminiscing, mentioning that when they made this song (and the more that is to come on an EP this year), they were finally able to record vocals in the same room. Smiling through the recollections, the two divulge that there were more hangout sessions than music progressions. But that’s what you hope to hear from two good friends, right?

They have recently signed with Nettwerk and are planning on continuously sharing new music. “It’s to the point that we can finally see something,” Kaelan describes when asked about the plans for BestFriend. “We are going to keep going forward and putting out new music,” Stacy begins to conclude.

“I would say, in this next song era, we feel a lot more comfortable — I think you can hear it in the music as well. I think we are really starting to settle into all of this.”

 

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