Choi Aim, A Dreamer's World Painted with Husky Low Tones

The moment the first note resonates, you feel like you're sitting by a rain-soaked window. A husky yet warm, sand-grain rough low tone flows through the air. This is the common reaction of people encountering Choi Aim's music for the first time. From the 'GHOST TOWN' cover that stopped 140,000 people in their tracks to the self-composed 'S.T.O.P' that touched 130,000 hearts, her Nonol journey has become more than just live performances—it has become a narrative.

Choi Aim's Story

Choi Aim is a singer-songwriter born in 1998 who built her musical foundation at Hanyang University ERICA Campus Department of Applied Music. However, it's difficult to define her music with a single word. Jazz sophistication is layered with folk warmth, and sometimes R&B's sensual groove emerges.

Her self-introduction as 'a vocalist who expresses music with just her voice without being confined to a specific genre' speaks to this. Debuting with the single 'S.T.O.P' in 2021, she has consistently presented diverse music, possessing a voice that approaches the public's ears with comfort while leaving an unforgettable impact.

Recognized for her musical talent by being selected as CJ Cultural Foundation TUNE UP 27th generation, she values connecting people's emotions and time through music on stage as an important part of her activities.

Choi Aim's music doesn't offer grand comfort. Instead, it quietly sits beside you, simply being there. The songs she sang in the snowy winter park are probably still on repeat in someone's playlist.

Her vocals that freely transition from husky low tones to head voice, the musical freedom that crosses jazz, folk, and R&B without boundaries, and above all, lyrics filled with sincerity. The real story of musician Choi Aim may have just begun.

Recent Activities

Recently, Choi Aim gained public attention by appearing on JTBC's 'Girls on Fire'. Particularly, the deep appeal she showed in her 'Last Train' performance captured viewers' hearts, receiving the evaluation "game over from the first verse." Later, 'The Night', which she sang with Son Young-seo and Jo Ye-in, was officially released as a music source.

Meanwhile, she is actively performing on various stages, including band performances at Dido Jazz Lounge, expanding her unique musical world by playing diverse music including jazz.

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Choi Aim's Music

Meet Choi Aim at Nonol

Meet their music live at the Singing Playground.

🎵 "S.T.O.P"

What to note in this song's intro is the vocal entry timing placed over simple guitar arpeggios. In the first verse "exhausted daily life," Choi Aim starts with chest voice and naturally transitions to head voice at "want to leave," implementing the song's narrative through vocal technique. True to a debut song that contains the desire to escape from countless conflicts that bind oneself in exhausted daily life, the song structure also expresses liberation through verse-chorus-bridge to a chorus an octave higher at the climax.

143,000 people stopped before this stage. 490 likes tell the story — this song cannot be turned off and left.

🎵 "I Am"

As the artist says, "a song written when I couldn't be a strength to my own existence," this song contains a narrative of self-reflection. Centered on the meaning "I want to become a warm person who is so full of love that I can't help but give," it explores one's identity through the speech pattern of 'I am a person who wants to do~.'

What's particularly impressive in the arrangement is the concise instrumental composition. Acoustic guitar, bass, and minimal drums support Choi Aim's vocals, creating an intimacy as if reading a diary. 133,000 listeners tuned into this intimate confession.

🎵 "Dreamer (夢想家)"

The comment "I cried watching this stage," which received the most likes, proves this song's power. This song, performed on a snow-falling stage, is one of Choi Aim's representative works and was officially released on March 24, 2023.

The song's harmony composition particularly stands out. The chorus built with 3rd parallel motion above the main melody spreads to 5ths at the bridge, creating spatial depth reminiscent of Norah Jones' early works. The visual imagery of the lyrics "Under the sparkling lights / The yellow-lit path where streetlights are placed" perfectly matches the musical spatial sense.

🎵 "Dreamer Snow-falling Live"

This stage, where snow began falling as soon as she reached out her hand, was a cinematic moment. Pitch control that didn't waver despite the cold and vibration that became clearer in the frigid air added special texture to the song. This naturally created scene perfectly harmonized with the lyricism of Choi Aim's music.

🎵 "S.T.O.P Outdoor Live"

This stage, performed despite cold weather, once again proved Choi Aim's live performance skills. Unlike the indoor studio version, the natural reverb of the outdoors added depth to her vocals, and especially the long tone in the "stop" lyric part was delivered clearly through the cold air.

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🎵 "GHOST TOWN (Original: Benson Boone)"

Choi Aim completely deconstructed the sound that Benson Boone filled with pop rock arrangement in the original, transforming it into a ballad centered on acoustic guitar and piano. Particularly, processing the "I'm going ghost town" part with husky low tones instead of the original's intense belting breathed completely new emotion into the song.

While maintaining the original meaning of a song about someone who wants to end a breakup or bad relationship, Choi Aim's interpretation reveals resignation and longing more strongly than anger. 136,000 people resonated with this new interpretation.

🎵 "GHOST TOWN Short Version"

This song's vocal style somehow evokes Alicia Keys' lower register and John Mayer's restrained emotional expression. In this short clip viewed by over 16,000 people, Choi Aim extracted only the core of the original song to create an even more intense impact.

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🎵 "Full Version Collection"

In December, when snowflakes blown by wind pile up layer by layer, this full version stage at Anyang-dong Byeongmok-an Citizens Park contains all of Choi Aim's charm. This video, where you can listen to four songs consecutively—S.T.O.P, I Am, GHOST TOWN, and Dreamer—is a gem-like record from Nonol chosen by 98,000 people.

Despite the cold weather, the carefully prepared outfit, unwavering live quality, and characteristic husky voice warmly melted the white snow field that day.

🎵 "Dreamer AI Music Video"

An AI-generated music video inspired by Makoto Shinkai's "Your Name" met Choi Aim's "Dreamer." This work, with script written by ChatGPT and images generated by Midjourney, creates perfect synergy between Choi Aim's dreamlike music and animation's lyrical imagery.

Particularly, the scene where city nightscapes blend with the lyric "Under the sparkling lights" allows viewers to experience the song's visual imagery along with the music. 11,000 people experienced this unique collaboration.

🎵 "Broadcasting and Collaborations"

The "Last Train" stage on JTBC's 'Girls on Fire' showed another side of Choi Aim. On this stage, which received the evaluation "game over from the first verse," she showcased powerful vocals different from the lyrical sensibility shown in her self-composed songs.

In Jung Cho-hee's 2nd single "Gani," she participated as featuring vocalist, poignantly expressing the sadness of separation. Through this song, you can confirm how Choi Aim's vocals can shine in other composers' works as well.

Appearing on Gwangju MBC's 'Noon Hope Song,' she introduced her music to radio listeners with the introduction "I'll show you deep appeal."

🎵 "Various Genre Attempts"

From Lovelyz's "Obliviate" karaoke version to intro music for Korean dance performances, Choi Aim's musical spectrum is much broader than expected. These various genre attempts support her "no fixed genre" musical philosophy.

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What Fans Say About Choi Aim

Learn More About Choi Aim

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If you're curious about her next chapter, meet her first at Singing Playground.