SuperCozes Cody Choi
SuperCoze's Cody Choi Photo by Emmett Lukas | Courtesy SuperCoze

Seattle local Cody Choi is the 23-year-old behind SuperCoze, a rising melodic indie-pop project popping up and performing all around the city's creative spaces. They dropped their debut album Rainy Day Sunshine in March of 2020, right when the never-ending rainy day of the pandemic hit. A year-and-a-half later, it seems we could still use a good dose of the sunshine vitamin that is SuperCoze.

The band utilizes a mix of guitars, synths, and lo-fi production to create a soft yet powerful music texture. My favorite instrument they use is the omni-chord, a synth that feels like it has the power to break up Seattle's wintertime omni-cloud with its shimmery, glittery sound.

Today, Choi drops a new music video for SuperCoze's surf-funk song "Premonition," off their debut record. The video bursts with brightness, DIY props, and a literal magic marker. Armed with the power of their music, SuperCoze and Co. run around the city, bringing it back to life, eventually landing in the grey Freeway Park where there are fight scenes, electric graphics, and Choi's characteristic rainbow color palette.

I recently chatted with Choi about the video, the band, and how they ended up in a new commercial for Facebook Meta.


We pruned this interview for space and clarity.

In your music video, you pair colorful imagery with the rainy grey aesthetic of Seattle. How'd you develop your multi-color style in a city that loves its shades of grey?
I've always loved color and anything vibrant. My grandmother had these bright, colorful pillows from Korea that decorated the house we lived in. I remember feeling comforted by the vibrant shades. Korean culture, in general, is very colorful, and that had a big influence on me growing up. It's really grey in Seattle, so we spend most of the year in that dark fog. Having bright colors in my environment helps lift my mood! As a bonus, it helps to cross the road at night too.

What was filming this video like? Who helped out? Anyone you want to shout out?
The video took more time to plan than to film. I had this idea for a music video back in the summer of 2018, and I knew my friend Miles Whitworth was good with a camera.

The original idea was for a larger-scale project. I wanted to have all of these cardboard cutouts and a fake cardboard city. I pulled inspiration from cartoons like Ed, Edd n Eddy and The Powerpuff Girls for some of the visual themes in the video.

Miles brought his friends to help shoot the video, such as Casey Chamberlain and Jen Frisch-Wang. I asked my friends to meet me at Freeway Park. Sidney Upshaw and Will Reece were able to come out as well as Mars Astarr.

I have made lots of friends in the city, and I want to give a shout-out to my current band members Eli and Je'Warren @classicelisha @acidjazzist.

SuperCozes Cody Choi and JeWarren TK.
SuperCoze's Cody Choi and Je'Warren Coles. Photo by Mujale Chisebuka | Courtesy SuperCoze

You're very vocal about being a queer artist—how does your identity tie into your artistic work, and how did it manifest in the video?
I've always known that I was queer ever since a young age, and I truly do think that having the right representation out in the world helps other young people not feel so alone. When I make music or art, I know that it is my creation, and I can be as bold and vibrant as I want. Being queer has helped me accept that I cannot hide who I am for the sake of others.

I'm bisexual and non-binary on top of being biracial, so I definitely understand that not everyone will understand who I am, and that's ok. Being an artist allows me to express and heal the parts of myself that the world wants to diminish.

How did you get your start in the Seattle music scene?
I would go on Craigslist and look through the musicians' wanted ads. I actually met my good friends Benny and Victor that way. They booked me for a show, and we've been friends and music partners ever since.

What's the wildest thing that's happened during one of your live concerts?
Shows by nature can be pretty wild. I was booked to play outside the Jupiter Bar for three hours, dressed as a clown to play for a clown party.

I stood outside with my guitar and a tip jar while my friends sat nearby with me until I was done with my "shift." This show was in December, so it was too cold for my fingers to properly hold onto the fretboard!


Anya_Kohcis_2.jpeg
Photo by Anya Kochis | Courtesy SuperCoze

What was the message you wanted to portray with the visuals of this music video?
I knew that I wanted to make it about a cardboard world. In our generation, we are constantly surrounded by an artificial reality that makes it difficult to distinguish the real and the fake.

If you don't have your own outlet or way to express yourself, it can be easy to be distant from your true self and take on a cutout version of your life.

We do that all of the time, especially with social media. If you don't have a way to express yourself, it can be easy to lose yourself in this cutthroat world.

Music and art help bring me back to reality. That's why I made coloring in the cardboard to be what brings my friends back to life.

Speaking of artificial reality, you recently appeared in a super bright commercial for Meta, the rebranded Facebook that focuses on "the metaverse." How did you get involved with that project?
It was a pretty cool experience! I was contacted by a talent agent who had found some of my stuff online and said it was for a large social media company.

I didn't get much information about what the ad would be for, but they flew me out and got me a hotel. I really liked the director, Andy Huang. I had seen some of his short films before, as well as his music video for FKA Twigs. So I was excited when I learned that he was the director. I became friends really quickly with the other cast members, and we keep in contact now.