Their smooth combination of vocals and musical arrangement can bring relaxation even on the most frustrating of days. CLAZZIQUAI Project (also known as Clazziquai/CLAZZIQUAI or simply CZQ) boasts a total of three official and one unofficial members, all with excellent English skills.
Clazziquai was formed in 2001 as a pet project of DJ Clazzi(a.k.a. Kim Sung-hoon)’s, with Alex and Christina (who are brother and sister) as the main vocalists. A classically trained musician and a former pianist in a jazz band, Sung-hoon wanted to create jazz with a more electronic feel. After familiarizing himself with the Electronica genre, he fused the two to create his own sound - a cross between chill-out lounge and House (a brand of trance music). The band’s name, CLAZZIQUAI, is a fusion of the words classical, jazz, and groove. Their official mascot is the pig. Three albums were released in 2001: Projects 1, 2, and 3. These albums were extremely amateur in terms of lyrics, vocals, and musical arrangement - CLAZZIQUAI wasn’t ready yet. The albums received little to no promotion, and it was not until the year 2004 and the release of their fourth album, Instant Pig, that the professional sound that defines CLAZZIQUAI emerged. In the meantime, CZQ worked for other artists, such as Loveholic and Epik High, remixing tracks and participating in collaborations. After the release of Instant Pig and its remix album, ZBAM, CLAZZIQUAI’s talent was brought into the spotlight with She Is, the theme song for the hit drama ‘My Lovely Sam Soon’. The OST included the tracks She Is, Be My Love, and the two songs’ respective remixes. Clazziquai’s music, once strictly underground, became mainstream, and their fanbase grew explosively. In 2005, after collaborating with the Japanese artist Fantastic Plastic Machine, and providing a remix on m-flo’s Dope Space Nine album (m-flo loves Sowelu - So Exclusive CLAZZIQUAI PROJECT Remix), the group signed a contract under avex trax. They debuted with the Japan version of Instant Pig, which included an English version of the Sweety PV and various bonus tracks. Their latest Japanese release, the Love Mode Mini Album, featured Verbal of m-flo. CLAZZIQUAI has also worked with Jpop princess Suzuki Ami, as can be seen on track 10 of her AMIx WORLD album (Sweet Voice CLAZZIQUAI PROJECT Remix). As of now, the official members of CLAZZIQUAI Project are DJ Clazzi, Alex Chu, and Choi Horan. Although Christina sings quite a few songs on both albums, she is considered to be a sort of ‘guest artist’. She does not appear in any MVs or performances. According to FLUXUS, CZQ’s record label, Christina has gone back to Canada to continue her studies. Many are confused about the way Clazziquai works - they call themselves a ‘project’, so will there be a rotation of singers? Yet so far, the members have remained relatively consistent. Fans of the group will just have to wait and see.
