Janice Koo

Janice Koo is a 1st-year Pre-Nursing major at the University of Oklahoma. As the keyboardist / vocalist of her band Wet Muscles, she hopes to get their upcoming debut album stuck in your head.

interview by Anthony Nguyen and Emma Nguyen

photography by Emma Nguyen

How did you get into music?

My parents enrolled me in piano lessons when I was young and encouraged me to be musical. I played piano on and off for a long time, since I was six. That’s the instrument I’m the most comfortable playing. I started off classical, but like a lot of other people who play piano, it wasn’t my favorite thing to play.

My dad also plays the guitar and drums, so he would teach me here and there. I was also really into jazz at one point, and I would just hop around to different genres.

Did your parents push you toward classical music, or was it something that you wanted to do?

They definitely pushed me to do classical music. It was mostly my mom, but they’ve loosened up whenever I got older and fell in love with my own interests in music. And they’ve been really supportive, like no matter what, so I’m really happy for that.

Considering your classical music background, how did that transition to Wet Muscles’ indierock/indie-pop genre?

It has to do with the music I listened to. I think when indie music started becoming popular, I only listened to indie music. My friend Liam has been making music long before I joined the band, and so I would listen to his stuff and he’d ask me and the other bandmates – before we were a band – if this sounded good, or what he should do for this part for songs he was working on. Also, whenever we would have our jam sessions together, we’d play indiestyle music, so I think that’s how I started to play more in that genre.

Can you give us the story of how Wet Muscles formed?

Like I said, we would have jam sessions whenever we hung out. All of us were musically inclined, so it worked out because everyone played something different that could be put together. We would just play whatever, and we liked a lot of the stuff that we made. And so, we decided to actually become a band and make music together.

I always have a good time whenever I’m hanging out with them, whether we’re making music or not. We just mess around half the time, which is why we never have the most productive rehearsals or recording sessions. But from messing around, I feel like we get a lot of new ideas. They’re just funny people all around.

And we really didn’t have to think about the band name, since Wet Muscles – the bad band name that started off as an inside joke – is now our actual band name. That’s how we came to be, just through our jam sessions together.

What was like to go to OU and keep the band local within Norman? Was that always in the cards?

I originally wanted to go out-of-state. But I thought about it and it just makes more sense to stay here close to my family, because I would get homesick for sure. Then I found out that my other bandmates were going to OU, which also played a part in staying here. Just like, “They’re staying so why not stay also and continue making music with them.” That would be something that I would miss if I went out-of-state.

Can you tell me about some of the highlights (and the lowlights) of being in a band with some of the people that you’re the closest to?

It’s easy for us to sit down and make music, because we’re all very comfortable with each other already. And I like getting to experience big milestones with them. We got to perform for Norman Music Festival last year, and that was really exciting.

But some of the difficulties that we faced is also because of how close we are. Sometimes, we let little struggles affect our personal relationships with each other whenever we’re trying to make music. But honestly, there’s not anything bad to say about my experiences with them. Everything has been running pretty smoothly, which I’m really thankful for.

How did your parents react when you told them that you were part of a band?

I think rather than being concerned, they were more surprised. They’re never discouraging about anything, which I’m thankful for.

But yeah, they were just really surprised, like “You’re in a band? I didn’t hear anything about you wanting to be a part of a band.” To them, it just kind of happened. They didn’t know about the jam sessions that we’d have whenever we’d hang out.

They were honestly happy for me because they knew that music was something I was really passionate about. They were like, “Oh, this would be a good way to let your creative ideas flow, and to do that with your friends who are like-minded.”

I remember them coming out to the Norman Music Festival Soundcheck Series because that’s what we were really excited about. They even brought some of their friends, and it was really funny seeing them there. But it was heartwarming to see them come out.

I know Wet Muscles was formed during the pandemic. Now that you can perform in-person more often, how do you feel when you’re able to perform live as a band?

Whenever we were starting out (and honestly, I still do), I had stage fright, but I have definitely grown comfortable with playing in front of a crowd.

Looking back at our first show, I think we know how to work the crowd a little bit now. Not to just go out there and play music, but interacting with people and matching their vibe as well. Now, I look forward to performing because I really like seeing people out there listening to our music, dancing to our music, and just having fun.

After listening to your first major project Selling Sunflowers and your most recent single Midsummers, I’ve noticed a bit of musical evolution. Could you provide us with some insight into the ways that Wet Muscles approached both of these projects?

Starting out, we were all newbies to being in a band and making music with a group of people. I definitely think it evolved because we started asking for everyone else’s input on “What should we do for this part of the song?” or “Should we add anything here or take something out?” Because of all our different opinions, we were able to come together and make a unique sound.

We sometimes listen back to our first demos, and it’s really different from how we play now. Like today, Liam sent a demo for Midsummers that he made, and it sounds like a completely different song. We just go with the flow and add things that we think would sound good.

We ended up changing the lyrics and switching the composition of the song from our unique viewpoints on how we should approach something musically, and that’s how I saw it evolve.

Would there also be a “different stages of life” aspect? One year is a lot of time, especially for music.

I think a lot of the things that influence the lyrics are our personal experiences that we’ve had. We like to base the vibe of the song around a specific memory that we’ve had together, or something that we’ve experienced on our own. We like to convey that through our musicality and our lyrics, so I think that’s a big part of how music has evolved as well.

A major theme in your music is this “Coming of Age” process, especially because your lyrics are based on your personal experiences. Now, most of Wet Muscles are at OU. With college being this big place of “coming of age,” how has OU influenced the direction that you’re taking with your upcoming debut album?

A lot of the songs that we want to put out in the album, we made before coming to college.

So I guess, by adding things and tweaking bits based on our experiences at OU and this new environment, it’s changed the direction that we want to take the music. We incorporated a lot of our new experiences that we’ve had coming into college and different inspirations that we have now, in order to make something that’s like a soundtrack to our college years.

Do you have any plans to pursue a solo project?

As a band, we have our own sound, but I’ve also been leaning toward different sounds for personal things that don’t fit with the band’s aesthetic. I have been working on some stuff, but we’ll see if it makes it out to the public.

What does passion mean to you?

Without passion, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am now. Having a purpose for doing things and having something that you really care about, it adds to you as a person and helps you grow. And obviously, if you’re doing things that you enjoy, it’ll make you happy. So yeah, without passion, I wouldn’t have the drive to do many of the things that I’m doing now. Personally, I think life would be just really empty if you weren’t passionate.