New Audio: South Korea’s ROSS 248 Teams Up with Sprout on Wistful “Butterfly”

Deriving their name from a small star in the northern constellation of Andromeda, ROSS 248 is a mysterious, Seoul-based songwriter and producer, who employs an old-school songwriter’s approach with each and every song, while showcasing the voices of an eclectic array of vocalists.  

Influenced by a number of different genres, including electro pop and indie pop, ROSS 248’s career started in earnest producing for other artists in her native South Korea. But the Seoul-based producer increasingly desired to express herself through songwriting — with a continued focus on production. An influential trip to Liverpool helped the South Korean producer further establish her own sound and approach. Her debut single, “Somewhere Only We Know” received airplay on BBC Music Introducing Merseyside last year.

Earlier this year, the emerging South Korean producer released “Blinded by your light,” a slow-burning and vibey pop gem that was seemingly indebted to neo-soul with the song featuring wobbling synths, glistening Rhodes, a sultry Quiet Storm-like groove paired with Vanessa Murray’s achingly tender and yearning delivery. Continuing upon the previously released “Sunshower,” “Blinded by your light” channels the feelings of stability and tranquility within a stable and fulfilling relationship. As the South Korean producer explains, the song’s main messages is “if you love someone more than anything, you see the deeper hopes and positiveness in your life.”

The mysterious South Korean producer is back with her latest single “Butterflies.” Built around glistening, reverb and delay soaked funk guitar, a supple and funky bass line, shimmering synths, the slow-burning and vibey new single channels JOVM mainstay MUNYA and Kainalu — while serving as a lush bed for British singer/songwriter Sprout‘s yearning delivery. At the core of the song is a wistful, melancholy yearning for a relationship and a moment that has passed and is gone forever.

ROSS 248 explains that the song draws inspiration from watching the movements of butterflies. While appreciating their unique motions, she began to compare them to the momentary meetings that live in our memories. These passing thoughts make up her stories and are expressed throughout the song’s creation.

“I always love to tinker with my style, to try something a bit different between songs,” ROSS 248 explains. “When you’re lucky enough to have good memories with someone you loved in the past, these can only become stronger as time goes on. Something so little could bring those emotions forward, like a certain object and for me, when I looked at a butterfly, it looked so much like when that person danced. I felt all those good times in the past so powerfully, I had to write this song.”