Aotearoa New Zealand Korean artist hanbee creates synthy bedroom pop that seems to unfold in dreamy slow motion at times. She draws lovingly on a wealth of antecedents for her carefree sound, including lighthearted Japanese city pop (Tatsuro Yamashita, Hamada Kingo) and K-pop (Girls’ Generation, Yoo Jae Ha, The Black Skirts), along with Aotearoa New Zealand peers like BENEE and Fazerdaze. She knows her broader pop history too: it’s not hard to hear the sugary snap of The Cardigans’ ’90s bubblegum in hanbee’s 2024 debut album, small love. But despite all this inspiration readily at hand, her delicate creations never feel fussy or overplotted. Rather, her songs arrive more like blissful exhalations issued straight from the heart. Below, hanbee elaborates on a few of her most formative favorites. Tatsuro Yamashita, “Theme of Mirai” “The very first city pop record I listened to. From that moment on, my musical direction has been influenced heavily by city pop elements and uplifting melodies to portray the same excitement, happiness, and nostalgia.” Carpenters, “Yesterday Once More” “Being a music lover, my dad would always play music around the house [or] in the car. Carpenters made the strongest impression on the young me. Captured by their beautiful melodies and nostalgic sounds, I always aim to create that special nostalgic feeling in my music.” Fazerdaze, “Jennifer” “Opening for Fazerdaze’s Aotearoa New Zealand tour in 2022 was not only my very first tour experience but also a fan’s dream come true. Hearing my favorite track [“Jennifer”] live was a precious moment for me that I will never forget.” Hans., “Sister” “Collaborating on several songs, being part of the same collective and becoming my manager and good friend, Hans. greatly influenced the path of my music career. This track is not only my favorite work of his, but also a reminder of when we first started talking about my direction and inspiration.” Girls’ Generation, “Baby Baby” “Collecting their albums, putting up posters on my bedroom walls and watching their live stages, I was a huge teenage fan of Girls’ Generation. Along with other prominent K-pop artists that I loved at the time, their music influenced me and my music very much, leading me to add K-pop elements to my sounds.”