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Photo by Deanna Yee

NYC-based Korean American artist min.a — or Michelle Lee Bae — has been carving out her own space with a hazy, emotionally charged collage of indie-pop and electronic music, and her newest single “guess who” is an absolute standout in her ever-growing discography. 

min.a first made waves as a young teenager in South Korea after showcasing her powerhouse vocals on the competition series K-Pop Star. Fast forward to years later, she shifted her focus toward experimental electronic production while studying at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, cultivating a sound that feels both distinct and explorative. Drawing from the wide variety of the many messy experiences we all have while navigating life, min.a turns those experiences into vulnerable, angst anthems for anyone who has felt out of place. Following recent singles including “used to’s” and “good fight,” she returns with her second release of the year, “guess who?” — another glimpse into an artist continuing to push both her sound and songwriting in order to connect with and comfort listeners. 

“guess who” is the perfect swirl of alternative, pop and electronic features that define each genre, combining the rough crunch electric guitar, textured digitized details and the catchy relatability of the lyrics. The glitchy, metallic electronic additions that poke through in the back of the verses apply a subtle industrial grain, adding a layer of grit to the track without overwhelming its emotional core.

At the center of the song is a vicious relatable cycle of second-guessing and projection, captured in the chorus: “I wish you’d just come out and say it / I don’t wanna play another round of guess who.” The song explores the result of being so trapped in your own head that you project unto others the same judgmental thoughts that are crowding your own head. It becomes a cruel game of whose thoughts are these: somebody else’s secret opinions, or your own? Even if we don’t want to admit it, the desire for someone to validate your own negative self-talk is an innately human experience. It provides permission for you to keep thinking the way you do, so your insecurities aren’t all in your head. That feeling comes through again in the raw admission, “I’m not everything I wanna be / It’s so hard to say what I want.”

min.a’s vocals are soft, yet rich, carrying a gentle air of melancholy that reflects the mental and emotional depletion that comes from running into every single wall of self-doubt in your head. It’s a spiral we all have drowned in at least once, but the vulnerability min.a embodies feels like she’s jumping in to meet us in this emotional space to say, “Insecurity and overthinking sucks. But I’m right here with you, going through it too.” 

Musically, the strength of the pop-rock instrumentation and production mirrors the depth of that vulnerability. Near the end, when the guitars fade back, bringing the heaviness of the drums and gritty electronic details to the forefront, min.a’s repeating vocals mixed with the backing adlibs envelop us in the air of that self-deprecating cycle of thoughts and projection. As the track cuts off, we are left feeling seen in an unexpected way.

“guess who” is an honest confrontation with the insecurities we project onto everyone else — a memorable, unflinching, emotionally open song that captures the exhausting spiral of wondering whether the judgment you fear from others is actually coming from them, or from yourself.

Listen to "guess who" below: