Cover Story: Minnie of (G)I-DLE on the truth in her music

Out with a new extended play, Her, the Thai-born K-pop star is growing up and unafraid to show it. She talks to Zaneta Cheng about telling the truth through music and immersing herself in the creative process

It’s been around four years since we last had Minnie of (G)I-DLE fame on our cover.
Back then, the K-pop star was shooting in her native Thailand right off the back of her success filming her first television series, So Not Worth It, which showed on Netflix
and received praise for its multinational cast. With just one month to prepare for the role of a cussing foreign exchange student from Thailand with an interest in Korean culture, she earned recognition as a performer in her own right.

“I wanted to write my own story, which is how Her was born,” Minnie explains. “I think that was my biggest inspiration. Since I also worked on the lyrics with Big Naughty, I gained many ideas and inspiration from him.” A boppy pop tune, the title track’s music video shows different Minnies – one in a pink minidress and another in a longer red gown over red leather pants with her hair ironed straight and her eyes looking straight at the camera. The lyrics start off: ‘You think I’m acting like a movie, but I’m just living my real life, lights out. They call me by my name on news feeds. Now let me tell you about my bruise.”

It’s a very grown-up Minnie compared to the cutesy idol we saw before and the confidence of execution in the performance of each unique personality and facet of herself shows a singer who knows what she’s about and isn’t afraid to show it. “As I worked on the recording of Her, I just kept thinking, ‘What is Minnie’s unique colour?’” The EP is replete with striking visuals and bold outfits, coming together to show a singer who is on a pretty empowering journey of growth and self-discovery. It also demonstrates Minnie’s deft grasp of her musical vision and ambition. But that’s to be expected, of course, because Minnie is no newcomer to the industry. Having debuted with (G)I-DLE in 2018 after four years of training, it’s almost a decade that she’s been in the entertainment industry.

The record comes at an apt moment. The singer is growing up herself and the EP is an opportunity to let her fans get a closer look at the grown-up that Minnie is becoming. When asked what inspired “Blind Eyes Red”, the pre-release single with a video showing the singer clad in a tight black cut-out bodysuit, red lipstick and long bleached hair, she says, “I wanted to create a song with a mysterious and dark concept that I love. I mixed personal emotions with my imagination while working on this song.”

And while the lyrics to “Blind Eyes Red” start with “Oh no here we go, watch me shake
it low. Everybody askin’ questions I don’t even know”, it seems the singer does in fact have the answers to the questions she’s asked. Because not only does she write her own song lyrics, Minnie also has a hand in visualising the look and feel of her music videos and performances. “I believe that music videos, performances – anything really – starts with the music. I think about how to visualise the elements contained in the music and how to express and showcase the image that best fits the song,” she says.

The artist is happy to extend her wings and explore the new space available to her as a solo act. “It’s completely different!” she remarks when asked how these songs compare to her work with (G)I-DLE. “The image I present with (G)I-DLE and as a solo artist are totally different. As a solo artist, I’m able to explore a wider range of music and showcase more of myself.”

But Minnie has been experimental since the start of her career. Since 2019, she’s had a hand in writing, composing and arranging songs for her girl group’s albums. From “Blow Your Mind” in I Made and “For You” in Latata, to “Vision” and “7Days” in 2, and “Bloom” in I Sway – the practice working on her group’s material and the success that (G)I-DLE has had being one of the very few idol groups that write and produce much of their own output, has set her up to create a solo album that truly speaks to who she is. It also makes the job much easier. Inspiration and execution is second nature. “It just depends on the weather or my mood that day,” Minnie says. “Instead of being inspired by a specific event or melody or atmosphere, I have moments when I just get a feeling and when that happens, I become completely immersed.”

With soundtracks under her belt for hit television shows like My Dangerous Wife and
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, and her group’s mini album I Sway hitting number one on the iTunes Top Albums charts in 18 regions as well as number one on China’s QQ Music daily and weekly album charts, alongside the success of Her, the breadth of Minnie’s repertoire is quite vast. So what does the 27-year-old want to try next? “As long as I have the opportunity, I always plan to keep an open mind and try new things! I do feel like I’ve already tried so many things but if there’s one thing I haven’t done yet – I think maybe trot? I’d love to try acting in Thailand also,” she says with a laugh.

As for her #legend, the self-proclaimed Super Junior fan has come a long way even since we last saw her. So while it makes sense that her choice in 2021 was the Korean boy band, 2025 sees a more self-possessed Minnie. This time her #legend is unapologetically Her.

Also see: Cover Story: MC Cheung on music, trying new things and finding balance