Singer-songwriter and writer O Ji-eun has appeared as a festival planner, producing the ‘Younghee Festival,’ which fills the stage exclusively with women creators. For three days from the 12th around Mapo Art Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul, the ‘Younghee Festival’ features only women creators across fields. The title ‘Younghee’ is taken from the name of ‘Younghee,’ the first female character encountered in Korean language textbooks, and adds an aspiration to restore ‘glory’ and ‘joy’ to women.

Meeting at the Your Summer office in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 1st, O Ji-eun said, “I am glad to leave a precedent through this show that ‘women make money,’” and added, “I hope it becomes a time for those who dislike prejudiceincluding women, gender minorities, and even mento enjoy culture together.”

Debuting in 2007, O has worked as a singer-songwriter and writer. Even for her, who has prepared performances herself as an indie artist, a festival was unfamiliar. Managing three venues over three days and about thirty artist teams was as busy as preparing twenty solo shows. She combed through her contacts to reach out and wracked her brains to draw up the schedule. The lineup ranges from big-name artists such as Lee Sang-eun, Sunwoojunga, and Kim Yuna to emerging acts such as Woo Hee-jun, Haepa, and Cheongyoil.

[Flat]“If a hen crows, does the nation collapse? Then let it collapse♥”…Women doing stand-up

The Younghee Festival offers not only music stages but also stand-up comedy shows, podcasts, film screenings, and talks with writers. The thought was that the things O likes are what ‘Younghees’ like who are similar to her. “One Younghee might watch Won So-yoon, have Kim So-young as a must-watch writer, and have <Early Summer> as a favorite film. I see that person at the venue at film festivals·book fairs·book talks. Having worked in publishing and music for twenty years, I now know such people exist.”

Festival tickets sold out within a day even though the lineup had not been announced. Early-bird tickets did not even take a minute to sell out. The festival’s success made her recall the moments of discrimination she had passed by. “Someone asked me, ‘You did not write your own lyrics, right?’ That means they assumed I could not have written them. It is the same for other artists. Compared with male artists, there is far more talk about the looks and clothes of women than about their musical achievements or genius.” She added that through the festival she wanted “not to vent the sorrow of those who had been misread but to show how remarkable we are.”

The dream of a ‘women-only festival’ began when, in high school, she learned from a magazine about the U.S. ‘Lilith Fair.’ For years she only thought, ‘I wish someone would make it and invite me,’ but did not think to step forward herself. She worried that focusing on the identity of being a woman might not look ‘artistic.’ Then last year she met a promoter with similar ideas and began turning the dream into reality.

Although it was a fledgling festival with neither flashy stage sets nor large fees, the artists invited agreed to participate without asking even the bare minimum of information. “People like Kim Sawol, An Dayoung, and Jung Woo, whom I had watched since I began music, had become ‘masters.’ I believed they would agree with my intent. Others replied very quickly. Senior Kim Yuna agreed to appear thirty seconds into our call.” As participants grew in number and the scale expanded, they partnered with Mapo Art Center.

As the scale grew, her goal became clearer: to weave the histories of women artistslong consumed as individual success storiesinto a single lineage. She said, “There is clearly a lineage, yet women artists are treated as if they were islands. Along with close artists, we brought in new ones they recommended, and legends like senior Lee Sang-eun. The poster design also depicts islands on the globe.”

To carry on this lineage, performers present covers of songs by artists they hope to see at the next Younghee Festival. O Ji-eun will perform ‘Is Anyone There?’ and ‘Tuning’ by Han Young-ae. Some have chosen songs by Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and IU. O said, “I realized anew how many tremendous women artists there are. If they come next year, we will have to change the venue,” and laughed.

When told it was fortunate that the festival was doing well, she instead spoke of the festival’s ‘swift abolition,’ hoping to see more women at other festivals. Even so, her eyes lit up as she said a second edition would be held next year. “No matter how hard the preparation is, I want to express gratitude to those who joined without asking questions. Next year we plan to hold it under better conditions and make it even more splendid.”

O hopes the Younghee Festival becomes a place to discover one another. She said, “People who have been told they are strange, treated as inconvenient, or considered to have useless thoughts, I hoe they gain strength from realizing, ‘There are so many people like me,’ and meeting an audience with an open heart will be a great gift for artists as well.”

“When I hear, ‘Oh Ji-eun, I love you!’ in the dark, I can go farther. I hope people who dislike prejudice gather and try going farther together.”