California based singer-songwriter Roman Kayz recently elevated his music with the release of “the trilogy” — three singles that tell an overarching story. The trilogy, made up of “like you said you would,” “how do i make you stay,” and “i can’t afford to love you” tell the story of a bad break up and the struggle of moving on. This project also marks the start of a new creative direction for Roman as an artist.

HALSUG had the opportunity to chat with him as he worked on his debut EP. Roman spoke candidly about his writing process, his influences, and his journey becoming the artist that he is today.

You have multiple singles out so far; do you have plans to release an EP or an album any time soon?

Roman: I’m actually working on a debut EP right now. When I released “the trilogy,” which is my last three singles, I decided that it’s finally time to really dive deep into my sound, and I wanted to give a body of work to people. It’s been a pretty rough process trying to put together a project because I haven’t done that before. But it’s driving me to take on different perspectives and create a record that is sonically consistent but also adventurous.

You released your most recent single “i can’t afford to love you” in May of last year. What was the writing process like?

Roman: When I wrote this song, I already had the narrative for the story, and how I wanted to conclude it. But, what was challenging for me was achieving it sonically. It took a bit longer than I thought to really get the sound that I wanted but I’m happy that I did in the end and I’m really proud of it. I feel like I gave the story a solid conclusion, something that gives a sense of closure. And it helped me reflect on my life experiences while also reflecting on what I want to do moving forward with music.

Who would you say are your biggest influences as an artist?

Roman: People around me inspire me the most. My relationships with them and the experiences that we go through together shape my music. People don’t really know about my faith but I think that God gives me ideas because inspiration just comes to me sometimes. I try my best to interpret it with my own artistry, so that it resonates with people.

Your music is very indie pop. Is that a genre you see yourself exploring further or do you want to try experimenting with different sounds? 

Roman: I never intended to make “indie-pop” music. I never think about what “genre” of music I’m going to write. My focus is always on how my message is going to reach the person on the other side of the screen and produce a sound that would achieve that in the way that I envision. It just so happens to be that whatever the result of that process is perceived as a certain style of music to people that want to categorize art so badly. I’ve always experimented with my music and “genres,” and I never want to confine myself to one genre or sound. I have no idea what kind of music I’ll make in the future because I change and grow as a person over time, and so will my music.

How did you pick the stage name Roman Kayz? Is there a meaning behind it?

Roman: The idea behind my stage name was that I wanted to stay ethnically ambiguous. In the beginning, I just wanted to release music as a hobby under an alias. I didn’t want people to confine me into the box of being a “Korean artist” — which is so limiting. The last name almost always reveals an individual’s ethnic roots. But what I envisioned for my music was going completely against what a stereotypical Korean man would do. I was worried that when someone saw “Kim” in my name, they would have all these preconceived ideas about me. I wanted to be taken on my own artistic merit.

You’ve lived in multiple places throughout your life. What made you choose to stay in California? Have the different places you’ve lived in influenced your music in any way?

Roman: I came to California because of college and music wasn’t something that I saw myself seriously pursuing until a couple years ago. But looking back at it, it was a great decision because now that I want to pursue music, California is just so inspiring. There are so many great musicians out here, and it’s the heart of the industry. It’s great to have that around as your surrounding[s].

If you had to pick a song to play for someone to introduce them to your music, which one would it be and why?

Roman: I would probably choose “i can’t afford to love you.” It’s the closest to the current “me” or who I am as a person. It was also the one that gave me the confidence and determination to start working on the debut EP. It’s that one song that will grow on you over time.

Have you heard “i can’t afford to love you” yet? Let us know in the comments below or message us on Instagram or X (Twitter). 

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Edited by: Divina Tolentino