Min.a (Apr. 2020)
“I love you! Yes, you! I love you with these words I say. Why do I love you? It’s not really something I can verbalize, I just know I do”.
Those sort of moments between two people are divine; they’re something you can’t fabricate. It’s a fleeting emotion we all hope to hold lifelong one day. Something we hope to capture while it moves. But when it does pass, we have a choice: do we keep it in dreams or memorialize it through creation? For Min.a, the latter is the only option to the question.
Currently living in New York, she passes more faces in a day than many do in a week. Connection becomes the guide through days old and new; the same connection she creates with us in every note of her sonic vulnerability. We may just be another face passing on any given morning, but as we listen to she’s sharing, we become one in our emotions and confusions.
Our own memories become entangled with one’s she’s created musical truths through. As she finds answers through creation, we can find understanding. All it takes is for us to pause, to take a moment, and indulge within the bliss of her honesty. And parallel to a beautiful memory, she returns in our times most distraught; back with new realizations that shaped her and new lessons to teach us. With emotions to create universality with.
These sort of things are divine, they’re beyond explanation and all we can simply say back is:
“I love you too”.
Our first question as always, how’s your day going and how have you been as of late?
I am well! The shock and anxiety that’s been thrusted upon us with COVID-19 has taught me how to feel comfortable with myself. I have so much time to just sit with myself and my thoughts. At first it was incredibly overwhelming. I was having difficulty getting myself out of bed and going about my normal daily routine. But having so much extra time allowed me to outgrow that. So now I’m making more music than I normally would be able to during the school year; I’m learning how to keep in contact with friends without seeing them and how to maintain our relationships not just out of proximity, but trust. And most importantly, I’m learning that I should’ve appreciated the small interactions I used to be able to have with the people in my life. I miss being able to hug my friends. I miss being able to go outside and sit at a restaurant and have in person classes with my professors.
What do you feel currently matters most to you in life? What is it that drives and motivates you above all else?
Music and my loved ones. I wouldn’t be able to continue making music without my support system. I get insecure and tired and overwhelmed, but they make sure that I don’t give up; that’s something I refuse to take for granted. I owe them my eternal thanks.
On top of working and releasing your project, how else have the last couple years looked for you and what lessons were you learning in that time?
Through the process of making Hi-Fi, I think the most important thing I learned was that it’s okay to take your time when building a longer project like that. I’m used to just releasing singles or double singles, and felt this overwhelming pressure to put out as much content as possible. But! I’m now comfortable with slowing things down. Especially with COVID-19. It’s exciting to be able to know that I have all this time to clean up my edges.
Where was your favourite place you went to in that timeframe of creating this project and of personal growth?
Copenhagen! Everything was so peaceful and warm there. People were living so beautifully while still taking their time. They seemed to savor every moment of every day, and as someone who struggles with anxiety, it was an experience that taught me how to be happy with growth. It takes time, and you can’t see it until after it happens.
Did you feel a sense of catharsis in putting the work out and if so, what do you feel was that resolution that had finally set it in with it?
Absolutely. I have a tendency to sit on a body of work with too much intensity and end up getting incredibly tired of it. I start hating it and want to throw it away. But with this EP I couldn’t do that! I had poured every inch of my experience studying abroad into it, I didn’t want it all to go to waste.
Looking back, what do you feel were the key moments of your childhood that lead you upon a creative path and into the sounds you currently create?
Being on a South Korean televised singing competition called KPOPStar. I was on the show’s third season as a fucking FRESHMAN in high school. I was a baby! Because of that, I had little to no sense of what kind of music I wanted to make, let alone what sort of stage persona I wanted to adopt. The little freedom I had to choose how I was dressed, the make-up I had on, etc., helped me develop the musical style and visual aesthetic I have today. When I was on the show, I was forced into a highly feminized personality, but the over-saturation of that gender role made me realize how much I hate it. It’s not me. I don’t wear mini skirts, pink lipstick, or frilly dresses. And I’m much happier escaping those expectations. Fuck that shit.
You’ve talked to me about how your life as a Korean-American has an important influence on who you are. What do you find to be the most beautiful aspects of Korean culture and entertainment and how do you hope to reflect those in your art?
The language. There’s a softness in Korean that I think is so beautiful. There are things that I can only say in Korean, like with any other language, and it helps me stay connected to my ethnicity. So I try to write Korean lyrics as often as I can. I’m fluent in Korean, but it’s difficult for me to write lyrics in that language. But practice makes perfect, so I’m trying to do as much experimentation as I can.
As a Korean-American who makes music, what role has K-pop had in your life and creative vision?
I grew up with Kpop. It’s part of my identity! I see K-pop as more of an industry than just a genre of music, and being partially raised in South Korea allowed me to gain full exposure to that industry. It informs my diaspora as a Korean-American, but it also reminds me that being Korean doesn’t just mean one thing. I can portray my culture through my music, even if it isn’t directly influenced by the tropes of K-pop music.
Often when people who are only familiar with Western music hear the term K-Pop, they have a set notion of what it is and disregard it before giving it a chance. Do you feel that demonstrating your love for it through your work and breaking down those walls is an important part of your creative drive?
Totally! It’s so fucking annoying and degrading! Ignorance is offensive. I feel like my entire culture and ethnicity is immediately rejected. But I try to make it a point that I love K-pop music. BTS are my favorite band in the entire world, and I’m not ashamed of it. Anyone who shits on their music is completely dismissing the impact they’ve had not only on Korean pop music, but American pop music as well. They proved that language isn’t a definitive barrier between artists and their listeners. What’s most important and powerful is the heart that goes into music. If your work ethic is strong enough to do that, I think that’s something really special.
Are there other messages and goals you hope to get across through your creative vision and how do they manifest in the work itself?
I just want my music to resonate with people; I write about my own personal experiences, but I hope that that genuineness actually reaches someone. I want my music to mean something to them. My listeners are people too! And I want to make them feel like they’re not so alone. Receiving messages about how my music has helped people gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside, and makes me feel like I’m not doing all of this work in vain. I want to keep that going, because I cherish it.
Beyond music, which other mediums and forms of creation do you find yourself passionate about? Are you someone who wants to explore creation in other aspects beyond music or is that the space you find the best to express yourself?
Fashion! Anyone who knows me knows that I really like clothes. I am one of those mother fuckers that is always “dressed up.” At least that’s what I’ve been told. But it’s just that I feel my best when I have my makeup done and am wearing an outfit that I spent some time picking out. Looking the part is something really important as an artist and I think that it lends me confidence. Plus it’s really fucking fun.
Which memories are you excited to make in the coming future and why do you feel almost a nostalgia for them before they’ve happened?
With everything that’s happening right now with COVID-19, I think this entire experience is something that I’m going to look back on in complete awe. It’s affecting not just me, but the rest of this country! That’s fucking insane! But it makes me feel a lot better about not being as productive; I’m not the only one who feels like the world has stopped. So I don’t necessarily know if I’m “excited” about it all, but it’s a very unique event that’s going to be written in history books. I guess it’s just really interesting and weird knowing that I’m living during all of it.
In these times of oddity and confusion, do you have a mantra you’ve been repeating to yourself?
Take it slow. You have the privilege of slowing down. So don’t pressure yourself into making an entire fucking album. Make music if you want to. But if it’s not coming to you, it’s ok to take a break; you just put out an EP! It’s ok to just do nothing for a little bit.
Who was the last person you gave a hug to? What did it mean to you?
My boyfriend! He’s my best friend in the entire world. He’s also a producer, so I constantly ask for his opinion on demos; I trust his ear very much and would not have grown as much as I did in Berlin without his unwavering support.
Photos by Carolyn Jae Sterner