Minnie is a Thai singer who originally debuted with the K-pop group, (G)I-dle, in 2018 with Cube Entertainment. As stated in an interview, Minnie has been working on her solo album for the past seven years. Due to this, the album is like a journey throughout the genres she explored during the time she was part of a girl group. Minnie has now finally released her debut single, “Her” which differs greatly from her pre-release for the same album. However, as contrasting as the songs are, as Minnie explains, they are both part of what makes her, her.
On the first listen, the debut track is slightly underwhelming. “Her” is like the understated sister of “Queencard” – they even have the same melody. As such, the song does not set her apart well from what she was already doing with (G)I-dle. However, on a bigger scale, as Minnie has stated in her interview, this album represents different facets of her personality. For her pre-release,“Red Eye Blind,” Minnie is sultry and mysterious. There is no bombastic and catchy chorus, and it delves into a different, huskier version of her voice. However, if the album, Her, is a depiction of her overall career, it is clear that (G)I-dle would still be a part of her self-discovery.
While the melody for the song may be redundant due to its similarity to “Queencard,” the MV for “Her” is at least a completely different theme from her group’s song. The MV expands on Minnie’s overall album theme by depicting her various personalities. On one side, you have Minnie’s persona in the pink dress, who is into her aesthetics and is more outgoing. On the other hand, you have Minnie’s persona with the ponytail, who is serious and sometimes violent. In the MV, the two Minnies notice the third one is leaving, which is a sign for them to start up with antics. As such, we can assume the short-haired Minnie is her mature and strict side. While all of them are drastically different, they all represent a side of Minnie.
In the beginning, the ponytail Minnie, who is visibly annoyed, is joining in on activities with the pink dress Minnie. Meanwhile, short-hair Minnie is off riding in a white Mustang and does not seem worried about the others. The two who remained at the house almost seem like sisters who are forced to get along with each other. It does make sense that as human beings, we have contrasting personalities. This is especially striking depending on who we are with at the time. Perhaps the third Minnie is the one who keeps the other in control to keep her K-pop image free from tarnish.
Things take a turn for the worst in the second half when the tension between the two Minnies leads to unexpected gore. In a shocking scene, we see only the silhouette of the pink dress Minnie. She is pulling some sort of antler from her head, which is followed by blood splurting out. We never see the actual blood, even when the camera pans to Minnie on the ground. Before this scene, ponytail Minnie is seen using a gun to shoot at a target off-screen. Her gun has the same antler-like tip on the end, so we can presume that she is shooting at the other Minnie for some unknown reason. The violence continues, but is quickly stopped by the short-hair Minnie’s presence. This again suggests that short-hair Minnie is the one who keeps the peace between her personalities.
The MV poses the idea that not only does Minnie have different sides to her, but they sometimes fail to get along and yearn to get rid of each other. While the gore makes for a surprise, the overall concept could have leaned into it more. Only pink-dress Minnie is visibly hurt, and her two attempts to hurt ponytail Minnie are unsuccessful. The fight is also short-lived in the MV, and it is unclear what set them off in the first place. While the concept of multiple personalities is a great concept for a solo project, the idea could have been expanded more to show the reason behind each persona. That would give us an idea as to why they would want to kill each other.
The lyrics of the song also touch on the concept of Minnie’s different personalities. Right from the start, Minnie’s voice talks about being in a movie, as if she were an actor. However, she goes on to clarify that this is only one part of herself, and is not just a falsified trait. This is further suggested by the lyrics where Minnie talks about being told she is hypocritical, suggesting that the public thinks she is being two-faced. In other words, she may be acting for her image, but each presentation of herself is still genuine. The point that Minnie’s voice gets across is that she is a multi-layered person. For example, in the chorus, she is both the person who shoots and the person who is injured.
You think you know me? I’m her
Who shot ya? With the tied-up hair? Well, I’m her
Who shot ya? Here’s my scar, now kiss it, I’m hurt
You want her but you’ll never get her (‘Cause I’m her)
I shot ya, shoot you in your heart ’cause I’m her
Minnie’s pre-release outshines her debut song both musically and conceptually. However, “Her” is, as Minnie stated herself, just one side to her album. Perhaps, she felt it was more appropriate to release a catchy song as her debut. Hopefully, listeners know that she is capable of more. The debut track may be understated, but it does exemplify the subject of her album: her exploration of her identity through different genres. So, while “Her” may not be as eye-catching, it is still worth checking out the album to see if there is another song that is more to your taste.
(Youtube, The Korea Times. Lyrics via Genius. Images via Cube Entertainment.)
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