Now 25 years old, CHANMINA is confident and empowered. Sitting in her backstage dressing room with the Diesel hoodie and sweat shorts she wore during soundcheck hanging behind her, the South Korean-Japanese rapper has just changed into her stage outfit. Even with less than an hour till her AREA OF DIAMOND 2 show in Hong Kong, the atmosphere backstage is calm and orderly. For years, both her personal and professional lives have been in a constant battle as she grapples with her insecurities. Being human, these insecurities still affect her but are channeled into music. A prime specimen of this is Naked, her most recent album, which can be experienced as an aural tale of CHANMINA’s emotional journey.

Born in 1998 to a Korean mother and Japanese father, CHANMINA briefly lived in South Korea and the U.S. before her family eventually settled down in Tokyo. Her childhood resonates with that of third-culture kids, or anyone with a mixed heritage who may feel like they belong to neither of their families’ cultures. But it is this upbringing that gave CHANMINA a headstart in being trilingual, which has gone and become one of her most powerful tools for songwriting. In a recent interview with Billboard, CHANMINA mentioned that it’s the combination of Korean, Japanese and English altogether that just about makes her “whole.”

During her middle school years, she discovered hip-hop and was quickly drawn to the powerful expression of rap. In her high school years, she competed in youth underground rap battles, where she earned the nickname of “Tokyo Nerima Beyoncé” for her crisp vocals, resolute freestyles and compelling stage presence.

While a younger CHANMINA would channel all her frustrations and anger into abrasive rap-heavy tracks like “Princess” and “FXXKER,” a hint of her vulnerability always seeps through. In 2021, she reinforced her armor with “BIJIN” (Beautiful Woman) while see-sawing a more melancholic mood in “Harenchi” (Shameless) and emo-undertone in “Don’t go feat. ASH ISLAND,” By the end of 2023, she demonstrated her continuous strive for improvement and empowerment with her newest Korean track, “Biscuit,” which proved to be a sonic and lyrical amalgamation of her cultural identities.

This is your first-ever concert in Hong Kong. What’s your impression of the city?

CHANMINA: It’s bling! This is the first time that I arrived at an airport and everything just shines. It’s beautiful and it felt so fresh and new to me.

How do you usually begin your songwriting process?

Lyrics first for sure. I write lyrics almost every day and every night. I get inspiration from my life, my experiences and the things around me – they make up my life story. It all comes from my emotions, how I feel, my stories too and I’ll get it all out into words. I’ll then take these ideas to the studio and start writing the music.

What visual elements come to your mind first whenever you’re writing a new song?

This is the first time someone’s asked me this! Mostly, it’s music video visuals I guess.

“I write lyrics almost every day and every night. I get inspiration from my life, my experiences and the things around me – they make up my life story.”

Your music videos and your stage performances are always very bold and edgy. How would you describe your personal style? Are there any brands that you love?

As you can tell, I’m a Diesel girl. Of course, Acne Studios as well, whom I worked with for a shoot a few months ago. Although not particularly walkable, I’m obsessed with WINDOWSEN’s Prosthetic Latex Mid Calf Boots, which I wore in Bobby (IKON)’s “무중력 (harmless)” music video.

You were also invited to the Diesel womenswear show in Milan last fall, how was that experience by the way?

It was an absolute dream come true. I had a great time in Milan, the Diesel show was amazing and I got to meet Hwasa and many cool people that I admire.

What do you do on an average day when you’re not working?

Sleep all day. [laughs]

What song album is currently on heavy rotation for you?

Rihanna’s Anti is my all-time favorite. I love that album a lot and I’m always re-listening to it.

“If I can collaborate with Rina [Sawayama], I’ll be over the moon.”

You’ve collaborated with many musical talents in the past, from rappers, indie bands to DJs. Who are you dying to collaborate with next?

This is tough, there are so many cool people I’d like to work with! But right now, if we’re specific on female singers, I’d say Rina Sawayama. She’s so cool and I do feel a strong connection to her music. If I can collaborate with Rina, I’ll be over the moon.

Besides music, what are you most passionate about these days?

My family, they’re the most important to me.

Do you think your love for your family is something that influences your work creatively?

I don’t think so, not directly anyway. But I’m the most at ease, calm and relaxed when I’m with my family and that includes my dancers, my manager, my crew and my fans while I’m on tour — we’re all family here. My mother’s around 66 years old now, so it’s important to me that I can take care of her and spend time with my parents. Besides music, my biggest focus right now is my family.

“When I wrote [“I'm Not OK” and “You Just Walked In My Life”] these two songs for Naked, I poured everything from my heart into them – all the emotions and things that I struggle to tell people are infused into the songs.”

Is there a particular song that hits you harder now than when you first wrote it?

“I’m Not OK” and “You Just Walked In My Life.” When I wrote these two songs for Naked, I poured everything from my heart into them – all the emotions and things that I struggle to tell people are infused into the songs. I was so focused then that I didn’t realize just how overflowed with emotions I was. Whenever I re-listen to these two tracks, or when I’m focused on singing them, I can really feel all the raw emotions that were instilled into them. I’m always emotional when it comes to performing these two songs.

Now that you’re in your mid-20s, is there something you wish to tell your younger self who was just starting out then?

Be humble and stay humble. That’s super important to me, and it’s something I’ll tell myself again and again. Whether I’m in my 60s or 70s, I’ll continue to tell myself to be humble and be kind to everyone.

What would you like to tell your fans today?

I want every one of you to stay alive and keep living.