Multiple aspects of Minnie take centre stage in the music video for ‘HER’, the (G)I-DLE star’s debut solo single, every injecting a twist to the plot. At instances, she’s wearing pink, wielding a kittenish perspective, however at others, she seems in intense pink, piercing by with a darkish sophistication. And whereas these variations of her conflict and distinction, virtually to the purpose of actually hurting themselves, they in the end complement Minnie’s nature. It’s nonetheless her, simply seen by completely different lenses.
However earlier than the world knew her as a Okay-pop star, Minnie was born Nicha Yontararak in Bangkok, Thailand. Music had come to her “in a really pure manner” from an early age, nurtured by a supportive upbringing. “My mother impressed me loads as a result of she performs the piano at residence daily,” Minnie recollects. “I keep in mind that I simply cherished listening to music and cherished to bounce alongside and exit on stage in school each time we had an occasion. I believe it’s very pure for me. I used to be born with music.”
Desirous to dive absolutely into this calling, Minnie moved to South Korea to start out her journey as a trainee at Okay-pop company CUBE Leisure, conscious of the unpredictable nature of the trade. Many idol hopefuls rely solely on perseverance, typically with years passing by with out a clear path ahead. “There have been instances once I was feeling down, or generally I did need to quit, however I’d all the time take into consideration my mother and father, and the way they trusted me,” she says. “It’s not simple to let their daughter go to a different nation alone. They’re my motivation. Additionally, I made this choice, so it’s my duty to strive my greatest.”
Her willpower paid off ultimately, happening to debut as a member of the boundary-breaking woman group (G)I-DLE, who’ve redefined what it’s to be an idol artist by their deal with empowerment and artistic freedom. “(G)I-DLE are my second residence,” Minnie says. “I’ve been with (G)I-DLE for nearly 10 years now, and I’m so grateful that I’ve these ladies by my facet. We grew up collectively, and we’ve seen one another since earlier than we debuted, and we modified and we’ve realized loads. Solely these ladies know what I’ve been by.”
That’s why Minnie stands firmly on this second, about to cross a threshold that she has been lengthy ready to step into. “I’ve been prepared [to release a solo album] for just a few years, however I used to be ready for the proper time,” she says, explaining that she wished to focus solely on her group’s commitments first. “It was the proper alternative as a result of if I’d launched it earlier, it was going to be a lot completely different. I’ve realized loads from engaged on our group’s albums, and I’ve realised what I like or what I can do effectively. Proper now, it’s the most effective time to do my very own factor as a result of I do know myself higher.”
Being a part of (G)I-DLE, nevertheless, additionally means a full itinerary that by no means ends. Minnie needed to piece ‘HER’ collectively between the group’s globetrotting endeavors, a course of which she concedes was “fairly powerful”, although a problem that she cherished on the finish. “The happiest second for me was in all probability when all of the songs have been lastly accomplished,” Minnie says, “and I received to hearken to the absolutely mastered variations of all my tracks for the primary time.”
One factor about Minnie is that her phrases are sprinkled with an unfiltered sincerity, making her fascinating to converse with. And this high quality has seeped into her songwriting, plucking genuineness from her coronary heart. ‘HER’ is formed in slices of her aura, spanning the mysterious attract of ‘Blind Eyed Crimson’ to the magnetism of ‘Cherry Sky’ and the mellow of ‘Valentine’s Dream’ – but it surely’s all Minnie, by and thru, from the primary word to the final.
She’s at her most true within the lead single, ‘HER’. The document is laced in eerie magnificence, which, paired along with her siren-like defiance, quietly erupts as she provocatively invitations you to revise the way you see her. “Possibly she’s one thing greater than you thought, or she could be somebody completely different,” Minnie says. “I used to be attempting to specific the [perspective] that individuals might have about me in a common manner. However really, this woman could be completely different. She could be greater than you assume.”
One other key facet that moulds Minnie is the shut friendships she’s cultivated over time. She had all the time envisioned collaborating with bandmate Yuqi – her first roommate in South Korea – as a part of her first solo outing, mirroring what Yuqi did final 12 months along with her first mini-album with ‘Everytime’, a candy ballad centred round their bond. However for ‘HER’, Minnie flips the script with ‘Drive U Loopy’: “This music could be very robust, and it’s fairly enjoyable – it’s very rock. It actually fits Yuqi. After I did the demo, I sang alone, but it surely sounds a lot stronger along with her.”
She additionally discovered one other excellent duet accomplice in fellow Thai Okay-pop idol, Ten of WayV. His voice was the ultimate ingredient for the sensual ‘Obsession’, a monitor that dates again to some years in the past, and in addition certainly one of Minnie’s favourites. After transforming the music and lyrics, she was struck how a lot Ten would go well with the music: “I contacted him like, ‘Hey bro, if it’s potential to function on my music, I’m making ready for my solo album. So he stated, ‘Okay, let’s do it! It’s going to be enjoyable.’”
“We’ve been pals for thus lengthy, however I believe this was my first time working with him,” Minnie provides. “I received to see a distinct facet of him. He’s very chill and a really pleasant individual, however on the subject of work, he’s very critical and a perfectionist.” On the similar time, there’s additionally a way of delight for Minnie to work with a fellow Thai artist within the Okay-pop trade. “It makes me so blissful to see artists representing Thailand,” she says. “Every time I see new Thai artists debuting within the Okay-pop trade, I really need to give them my full assist.”
Lengthy gone are the times when a younger Minnie left her residence nation to chase a dream, however the Okay-pop star nonetheless holds on dearly to these recollections, utilizing them to disclose a narrative that represents each shade of herself. She notes how she deliberately made ‘HER’ include seven songs, to chronicle her seven years underneath the limelight. It’s a possibility to “get to know me higher by my music”, she says, whereas anticipating no matter life might maintain.
With a brilliant future forward for Minnie and (G)I-DLE – their chief Soyeon lately introduced that the group had renewed their contracts with CUBE Leisure – the singer is wanting ahead to writing her subsequent chapter. “I hope we will specific ourselves much more, and naturally, I hope we’ll proceed producing our personal music,” she says. “I hope we will develop up extra. I don’t know. We’re so younger and I all the time say, ‘Okay, let’s dream huge.’”
