Interview: This Is MINH: From “Heartbreaker” to “Damaged”—An Evening at ‘Music Matters Live’

Komal Gupta
Sep 30
7 min read

Photo Courtesy of Branded/Music Matters Live - Dawn Chua & Echo Roar

The crowd was alive. The air pulsed with energy. Every beat MINH played made the audience move—a playful, infectious rhythm that was impossible not to surrender to. From “Heartbreaker” to “Gossip,” “Fake Happy,” “I Don’t Know,” and a tease of “OUT WITH GRACE,” MINH invited us into a world where music is a diary, a dance floor, and a confession all at once.

On September 29, at Music Matters Live, MINH didn’t just perform; he revealed himself—a rare unicorn of Vietnam’s music scene, bridging cultures with English lyrics, heartfelt vulnerability, and a unique blend of theatrical drama and pop charm. It was a jam‑packed set filled with emotions, playful energy, and unforgettable vocals. MINH is not just a singer-songwriter—he’s a real performer. His strong stage presence, flawless vocals, and magnetic charisma transformed the night into something electric.

Photo Credit: Komal Gupta / Edited by Martina Yee

Before his set, Mido had the chance to sit with him backstage, chatting about music, life, and his journey.

This is the story behind the artist, the songs, and the next chapter he’s writing.

Q: How does it feel to perform at Music Matters Live this year?

MINH: I’m very excited. It’s a big opportunity, and I always wanted to perform here. I was here last year, and I saw the stage. I'm like, wait, I want to be on that stage. So I'm very excited. I feel like there's only been two other Vietnamese acts that have been on this lineup. So I feel very lucky and privileged to be here. And also, I was so sick four days ago. I had no voice. So then, I'm like, thanks, I have my voice.

Q: Who were the artists or albums you grew up listening to?

MINH: I grew up listening to all the pop girls. Like Lady Gaga was my first artist I heard on YouTube when I was, like, nine. It was Lady Gaga, Kesha, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Adele. Those people were the big inspirations. I also loved theater. There was this Vietnamese theater show which I loved as a kid. And when I was, like, four, I loved this girl group. I would dress up in heels and stuff and perform for my parents, and they would give me newspaper roses and stuff. So, yeah, those were my early inspirations.

Q: Your single “Gossip” is described as playful and provocative, mixing drama with real-life friendship fallout. What was the moment or emotion that sparked that song?

MINH: I guess confusion, and also when you're so pent up and you're like, I just want to scream. So that was the initial emotion that triggered the song. Why I wrote the song was because that friendship thing happened. This friendship breakup happened, and I felt like I couldn't really tell it to anyone because back then, gossip to me was still very much a taboo. Like, if you gossip, you're a bad person type thing. So then that kind of inspired the song as well. It’s such an interesting dynamic. If you like gossip, it doesn't mean you're a bad person. So I kind of just wanted to be tongue-in-cheek about it.

Q: Your new single “OUT WITH GRACE” is coming soon, and you’ve shared how “OUT WITH GRACE” was born from your first breakup—the way you went from crying in bed to saying, “Okay, I’m bored of crying, let’s go have fun.” Do you see this song as a turning point in how you write about emotions?

MINH: I think sonically, yes. I think “OUT WITH GRACE” is very different from my other songs. All my other songs are pretty sad. They are reflective, but “OUT WITH GRACE” is like, I'm going to party, I'm going to get wasted. I'm going to go to the extreme. And also, the production is very different as well. It's more dance, it's more, you know, pop. It's literally a pop track. If you think of it like a Troye Sivan track, it's sort of similar to that vibe. And also, I have vocal chops in it, which I love. Okay. You know, I'm gonna add some vocal chops, so I'm very excited for that one.

Q: Are there specific lyrics in “OUT WITH GRACE” that you could share with us?

MINH: Yeah. I have a line. I think that the first line I wrote for that song was, “Anything is better than my pillowcase, yet anything is better than this.” I'll give you the whole pre-chorus, actually. “It doesn't really matter if I die to live, can't lie, I'm kind of feeling like shit.” And that's like the whole vibe, like I'm done being bored. I'm done being sad. I'm just gonna go out.

Mido: Are you going to perform that today?

MINH: I am.

Mido: I will be there.

MINH: You'll be there?

Mido: Yeah.

MINH: Okay. I will be looking for you. (He did wave at us!)

Photo Credit: Komal Gupta / Edited by Martina Yee

Q: Writing the track “OUT WITH GRACE” with Vetta Borne must have been a different energy compared to writing solo. What did she bring into the room that shifted how the song turned out?

MINH: That's her stage name [Vetta Borne], but her real name is Maribelle. And, this was my first writing camp in Australia. It was me and Cody Jon, an Australian artist. And we wrote the song on the fifth day, the last day, and the day before I went partying with Cody. She is so funny. And I think she really gets my humor. It's like Internet humor. And we just spent the whole two sessions laughing the whole time. Like, we barely wrote. We just laughed the whole time. We made jokes. But the dynamic is very symbiotic. There was synergy there, definitely.

Mido: So it was already planned that you both would be writing the song together.

MINH: It was five days, and every day we would be paired with another producer. And it was my second and last session with her, and I was like, I need to do another last session with Maribelle before I leave. And we did.

Q: When you sing in English as a Vietnamese artist, your storytelling reaches across cultures. Do you ever hide “Vietnamese Easter eggs”—references, phrases, feelings that only someone from home would fully catch?

MINH: I used to. For my first music video for “Blame,” I had these Vietnamese traditional masks, and we had Vietnamese traditional instruments in the track. But I guess I am, like, the big Vietnamese Easter egg. I am the Easter egg. Me. I don't know. But yeah. Oh, actually, I do, in my song “Shapeshifting,” I have a Vietnamese line. I sing a little bit of Vietnamese in it, which is “Tương lai đố ai,” nobody knows the future, but it sounds better in Vietnamese.

Q: When people listen to your music, they often feel like they’re hearing pages from your diary. But what’s something about you that would never make it into a song?

MINH: Something I haven't written about is family. I feel that when it gets to family, I get to, like, I don't even want to talk about. Too much. And I think that's a very Vietnamese Asian thing, where we just don't talk about our family. Yeah. It's off topic. So I guess maybe in the future, maybe when I'm more grown and mature.

Q: Fans often see polished music videos and stage performances—but what’s one “very unglamorous MINH” moment that people don’t know?

MINH: I guess, me before the show. I'm just, like, in the green room, steaming my voice or eating a cough drop or whatever. I guess, exercising. You know, you have to do so much cardio for these shows. Like, I do so much cardio at the gym, and I can just look crazy at the gym.

Mido: Anyone would look crazy.

MINH: That's true. Yeah. You know, when there's a mirror next to the running machine, you're like eeee, yeah.

Q: Any message you would like to share with the Mido readers out there?

MINH: To Mido readers, please listen to my music. I have an EP coming out, I think, end of October, early November. My debut EP OUT WITH GRACE comes out next week, October 2 [The release has been delayed in light of Typhoon Bualoi in Vietnam]. And, yeah, I hope to see you guys soon.

Before stepping on stage, MINH gave us an exclusive preview of what’s coming next: “The single after “OUT WITH GRACE”...The lead single of my EP is called “Damaged” and it’s realizing that you are not done loving this person, and the first line, 'I woke up this morning to an alarm I set for you with another person in my room,' and it's realizing that you are still not over this person even though you tried to sleep with other people but you are like damn I am fully damaged.”

That kind of honesty—playful, vulnerable, and real—is what makes MINH’s music so special. He gave a glimpse into his world. And with “Damaged” and the rest of his EP on the way, it’s clear his story is far from over.

By the time MINH stepped off stage at Music Matters Live, the energy was still there—buzzing in the crowd and in the way his music stayed with you. It wasn’t just a set; it felt like a conversation, a moment. Stream it, feel it, and if you were there, tell us—which track stayed with you? Drop your thoughts in the comments or slide into our DMs on Instagram or X!

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