You don’t usually expect a producer’s very first placement to be on a Doja Cat album. But that’s exactly how Han‘s introduction to the industry went.
The South Korean producer, who’s been making music for around ten years and got into production back in middle school, was sending rage samples every day back in 2020 or 2021 with Trippie Redd in mind. In early 2023, a message came in that Doja Cat had recorded over one of those samples.
Since then, Han has built one of the most consistent runs on WAVS. He currently holds down the #1 trending spot, has another notable credit on Isaiah Falls‘ “Desires” alongside Mortal, and a sound that producers keep coming back to for its blend of vintage R&B and modern execution.
We caught up with Han to talk about the Doja record, his processing chain, production secrets, the chord progressions he studies on repeat, and the Grammy he’s quietly working toward.
Enrichment; Fragment; Involvement; // Sample packs by Han
Q: For people discovering you for the first time, who’s Han? Where are you from, how long have you been making music, and what originally pulled you into production?
Han: My name is Sung Woo Lee, and I’m from South Korea. I first got into music when I was around nine years old by learning the drums. I also played the trumpet for a short time after that. I got into music production when I was in middle school. Back then, I wasn’t interested in studying at all. During exam week, my dad asked me what subject I had a test on the next day, and I told him I didn’t know. He got really angry and told me to come back the next day after figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.
That was when I decided to pursue music production. I’ve been making music for about ten years now. Looking back, I think music was always the right path for me because I’d loved it ever since I was a kid. My dad introduced me to artists like Eminem, Linkin Park, Beyoncé, AC/DC, and Jay-Z from a young age. He also used to play the saxophone, so I think part of him always hoped I’d end up doing something in music.
Because of that, I grew up listening to a lot of different kinds of music. Around 2016, I started listening to artists like Migos and Lil Baby, and that’s when I fell even deeper into music.
Q: You contributed to Doja Cat’s Scarlet album with the track “Wet Va**na”. That’s a pretty massive placement on a high-profile project. Can you walk us through how that one came together? What did the initial sample sound like, how did it find its way to Doja, and when did you actually find out it was on the album?
Han: it’s been a while, so I don’t know if I remember every detail perfectly. At the time, I was making rage samples with Trippie Redd in mind. I think it was around 2020 or 2021. Every day, I’d send about five new rage samples to my bro Flip_00.
For a while, I thought nothing was happening. Then, sometime in early 2023, I suddenly got a message saying that Doja had recorded over one of my samples. Even then, I wasn’t sure if it would actually make the album. But when I saw the tracklist before the release, I remember thinking, “I guess this is really happening.”
When the album finally came out, it became my first placement. Looking back, it still feels pretty surreal that my very first placement was with Doja Cat.
Co-produced by Han
Q: Let’s get into the sauce. What does your processing chain look like, especially when it comes to vocals? You have a really distinctive way of treating them, and at this point it’s become a signature part of your sound. Are there any techniques, VSTs, or workflow habits you’d recommend that could instantly level up another producer’s work?
Han: I use Fruity Flangus on almost every vocal. It’s an FL Studio stock plugin, and I really love the texture it gives vocals. I also use Soothe on almost every project. My vocal chain changes depending on the song, but those two plugins are always part of it.
If I could give one piece of advice to other producers, it’d be to learn as many chord progressions as possible.
Whenever I hear a song I really like, I make sure to learn its chord progression. The more progressions you have in your head, the easier it becomes to create the mood you’re looking for. It also gives you more freedom to mix different progressions together and come up with new ideas.
Another thing I’d recommend is Lacrisis’ presets. This isn’t sponsored or anything. I don’t really know him personally. I actually own a real DX7, but I still use his presets much more often.
I think choosing the right sounds is one of the most important parts of being a producer, and his presets have helped me a lot. I’d definitely recommend checking them out.
Q: Your sound has a quality that’s honestly hard to pull off. It feels vintage and modern at the same time, like you’re pulling from older R&B while still sounding completely modern. Where do you think that combination comes from, and is it something you actively chase, or did it more naturally develop over time? Do you think being from South Korea has shaped your perspective in any way?
Han: I think a lot of it comes from studying producers like Nami and Coop while I was learning how to make samples.
For the past two or three years, I’ve spent a lot of time studying their sample stems and trying to understand how they achieved their sound. I’d analyze the frequency balance with EQ, try almost every plugin I owned, and spend hours experimenting to get as close to their sound as possible.
I think that’s why my music naturally started sounding similar to theirs. I also genuinely love that kind of sound.
I listen to a lot of older music, but I also enjoy listening to new releases. I think those influences naturally come together, which is why my music ends up sounding both vintage and modern.
It wasn’t something I consciously tried to create. It happened naturally because the music I listen to is a mix of older records and newer music.
As for growing up in South Korea, I don’t think it had much of an influence on my sound. The people I’ve always looked up to weren’t Korean. I’ve always been more interested in American music and culture, and growing up I hardly listened to Korean music, so I think most of my musical influences came from outside of Korea.
Co-produced by Han
Q: You also produced on “Desires” by Isaiah Falls, who at this point has become a familiar collaborator across the WAVS world. What was that one like to put together? And as someone working deep in the R&B space, where do you see the genre heading right now, and where do you see yourself fitting into that picture?
Han: If I remember correctly, Isaiah Falls downloaded around five samples from a sample pack that Mortal and I released together.
Then one day, he followed me on Instagram and sent me a DM asking for my information for the release.
His team turned our samples into a great record, and that’s how “Desires” came together.
Back in 2024, Mortal and I used to say all the time that we wanted to work with Isaiah Falls someday. Seeing that actually happen was one of those moments where one of our dreams came true.
As for R&B, I honestly don’t think it’s going to change that much. Of course, new genres will keep emerging and blending with R&B, but I think R&B will always stay true to what makes people love it in the first place.
I still feel like I’m at the beginning of my journey in the R&B. I’ve made a lot of R&B samples, but there’s still so much for me to learn and accomplish. Right now, I’m just focused on getting better and continuing to grow.
Q: You’ve recently overtaken the #1 trending spot on WAVS, and you don’t really seem to be giving it up. What do you think has actually propelled you there? Is there a real strategy behind your consistency, or has it more so come down to just making what you love and the work resonating naturally?
Han: I think things started to change when I changed the way I approached making samples.
Before that, I was always focused on trying to impress people with how much I could do. I’d add unnecessary elements or over-process my samples because I thought more was better.
At some point, I realized that a lot of those details only felt impressive to me. After that, I started focusing on adding the things that more people could actually enjoy while removing the unnecessary parts. I think that made a big difference.
Another thing that helped was the Creator Insights feature on WAVS. It lets you see what kinds of samples and vibes people are looking for, and I found that really useful when deciding what to make.
At the same time, I still make the kind of music that I personally enjoy. That part has never changed.
Experiment by Han
Q: What’s next for Han? What does the rest of this year look like, and how do you see the next three to five years shaping up? Are you planning on staying mostly focused on samples and placements, or are there bigger ideas you’re starting to build toward?
Han: For the rest of this year, I’m staying focused on making samples for placements.
My biggest goal is to put out albums with a clear identity and eventually win a Grammy. To get there, I’ll need the right people around me, but before that, I believe my work has to speak for itself.
Placements are the most direct way I know to do that, so that’s where my focus is right now.
Once I’ve proven myself, I want to put everything I’ve built into my own albums. That’s what I’m working toward.
Han’s WAVS profile
sample han’s catalog here.
