For Vietnamese singer-songwriter MINH, music was never something he mapped out step by step. As a child he was already performing anywhere he could—school musicals, talent shows, and YouTube covers recorded at home.
Songwriting came early as well. At 13, MINH began writing his own material after realizing that many of the artists he admired were also the architects of their own songs. Over time he became fascinated with the craft of songwriting itself, studying figures like Max Martin, Ryan Tedder, and especially Julia Michaels—whom he calls his “songwriting god.”
That instinct eventually turned into a career when he met his manager in late 2017, beginning the professional chapter of his journey. Since then, MINH has steadily expanded his reach, performing at festivals across Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. His 2025 debut EP THANK GOD! IT DIDN’T WORK OUT marks another turning point: a five-song project written between Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City that traces the emotional aftermath of heartbreak while documenting an artist rediscovering his voice in real time.
Esquire Vietnam: Give us your lore! When was the first time you realized you wanted to become a singer—and where did it go from there? What were the steps you took to move in direction?
The crazy thing is that I have kind of always known this is what I was going to do. I never had a master plan, just a quiet confidence that it would somehow happen. When I was young, I was in every school musical and talent show, and I would go home and post YouTube singing covers. I was always doing something creative.
One of my earliest memories of performing nhóm Mây Trắng and Ngày Xửa Ngày Xưa songs for my family, and afterward my grandma would hand me flowers made out of newspaper. Songwriting started when I was 13 when I noticed that the artists I admired most were writing their own songs, and it just clicked to me that if I wanted to do music, I needed to write my own. So I started writing and creating. I met my manager in late 2017, and that is when the professional side truly began. He gave me direction and genuinely saw what I saw in myself.
Who influenced your artistry from an early age? Did you have any mentors?
I was really into dramatic and sad music when I was young. Ballads like Someone Like You and Skyscraper were constants for me, and I think that’s why my earlier music leaned so heavily in that direction. I was obsessed with big vocal performances. Because I connected so deeply to ballads, I naturally focused on emotion first, and that’s still how I write today. Every song starts with a story and a feeling before anything else.
As I grew up, I started paying more attention to the people behind the music, and that changed everything for me. I became deeply inspired by songwriters like Max Martin, Ryan Tedder, and Julia Michaels. Julia Michaels is my songwriting god. I really catch myself in a session thinking, “Would Julia Michaels write this?” when I’m working on a lyric, because in my opinion, she’s truly one of the best writers out there.
Describe the biggest challenge, and proudest moment, of your career thus far!
There have been plenty of moments where people told me to play it safe or that I wouldn’t make it outside of Vietnam. That resistance actually ended up fueling me. Last year I did Festivals in Thailand, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore and I won’t lie because the validation feels really good.
I don’t plan on stopping and I hope I’m inspiring others to do the same
We have heard so many nos along the way so having these international opportunities finally open up means the world to me. People are often scared of what hasn’t been done before but I’m not. I’m just proud to have a team that shares that mindset and acts on it every day. I don’t plan on stopping and I hope I’m inspiring others to do the same.
Your 2025 debut EP THANK GOD! IT DIDN’T WORK OUT frames heartbreak as something you’re ultimately grateful for. At what point did pain turn into clarity for you, and how did that shift the way you write songs?
Honestly, it’s been a rollercoaster. Some days the title feels completely true, and other days I’m still saying it to convince myself. The clarity didn’t arrive all at once. But somewhere in the middle of writing this EP, I reached a point where I could laugh about the pain and accept that it needed to happen. That was the shift. I’m not totally healed yet, but I’m getting there.
This EP is me processing everything in real time. I was a mess when I started writing it, and as I began to heal, the music reflected that growth. Damaged was the first song I wrote for the project, and Thank God! was the last, and together they show how much you can heal in the span of just one month. Damaged is me getting crushed by hope, while Thank God! represents new hope.
This EP also completely changed the way I make and release music. With my older work, I would write songs and sit on them for years. This time, the turnaround was just two months. I wrote the project in Melbourne in August, finished it in Ho Chi Minh City in September, and released it in October. It felt like I was updating my fans on my life as it was happening.
You’ve described this EP as a reintroduction of yourself as an artist. What version of MINH are listeners meeting now that they didn’t know before? How has your songwriting, lyricism, and creative ethos evolved over time?
It really is a reintroduction. I actually had a completely different EP planned before this one, but I scrapped it after going to Australia. I realized I had grown so much since my last solo release in 2021 and didn’t connect to that music anymore. This EP feels like the most honest version of me to date. It holds my deepest truths and also my proudest writing.
I’m not really taking myself too seriously now, I’m letting my personality shine
Working with producers like Maribelle and Glenn Hopper, and co-writing with Cody Jon, pushed me creatively in ways I hadn’t experienced before. I used to write mostly alone, and being in those rooms challenged me to open up and trust other perspectives. I also had so much fun in Melbourne it just felt like a big therapy session. I really needed it and I’m so happy things worked out the way it did.
I’ve grown a lot over the past few years. I took time away from releasing music to actually live, to experience things, and to figure out who I am. That space gave me clarity and confidence. Now, when I write or perform, it feels much more grounded and real. I’m not really taking myself too seriously now, I’m letting my personality shine.
The project mirrors the stages of grief across five songs. Many of these songs feel emotionally exposed but carefully controlled. How do you decide what stays private and what becomes music?
It definitely mirrors the stages of grief and also stages of healing. Highs and lows and then back again. I love a body of work with a good tracklist so I was very intentional about the order of story I wanted to tell with TGIDWO.
Honestly, I didn’t go into the process thinking I wanted to document my breakup so explicitly. It just happened naturally. I write very instinctively, and if something feels true at the moment, I go with it. The lyric “I woke up this morning to an alarm I set for you, with another stranger in my room” was something I said out loud while talking to Cody and Glenn. We immediately knew it was the verse. We finished writing in 2 hours.
Every track came from exactly what I was feeling at that time. Some songs are more specific, others more vague, but that’s intentional. Everything on the project is very considered, even when it sounds raw. However, I do obsess over word play and focus on details even on little words like “will”. It’s just fun for me and I geek out over it.
You wrote this EP between Vietnam and Australia. How did being physically between places shape the emotional tone of the project?
The Australia trip came at the perfect time for me. I was in a very vulnerable place, and being outside of the country helped me step away from the heartbreak and see things differently. The change in atmosphere shifted my perspective.
I remember thinking, “Wow, look at me. I’m in a different country writing songs. Life gets better!”. I also felt incredibly safe in the writing rooms with Glenn, Maribelle, and Cody. It didn’t feel like work, it felt like friends catching up, and at that moment, that was exactly what I needed.
Australia became a turning point for me creatively. It reminded me why I love making music. The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and opened me up to new ways of telling my story. I think I’m more confident now and I hope its reflected in the music.
I know every song is like your baby—but are there any that stand out as clear favorites, and why?
It changes depending on my mood, but Out With Grace will always be special to me. It was written the day after a night out in Melbourne, and it holds so many memories. I remember being so excited about it the second we finished it. I had the demo blasting for months.
I got to perform it for the first time in Taoyuan, Taiwan in front of 15,000 people, and I still get chills thinking about it. The energy was just amazing and how I envisioned it when I wrote it. It’s a song I know will always live in my setlist.
Who are your dream collaborations in Vietnam—and the world?
In Vietnam, I’ve already done collaborations with alot of my favorites: Vũ Cát Tường, Thịnh Suy, Tuimi, and Vũ Thanh Vân. I would love to properly do something with VSTRA. We have been talking about it for years and there is a demo we made on a drive somewhere. But yes, we need to properly go into the studio again and make something for sure.
My dream collaboration I’ve always said would be Julia Michaels. I would be happy just to do adlibs and let her sing the whole song. The thought of being in the same room as her and creating makes me squeal. She is my songwriting God. I will continue to manifest it. However, I do have a few international collaborations in the pipeline, one might be coming out very soon in April. It’s very fun, stay tuned!
What does it mean to you to represent Vietnam, Vietnamese culture, and Vietnamese people? Is it a responsibility that you feel as an artist?
When I first started releasing music, I wasn’t thinking about representation at all. I was just making music because I loved it. But after stepping onto international stages, I realized there’s a bigger responsibility. I want younger artists back home to see that it’s possible. I try not to put too much pressure on myself, but I do want to do a good job. I want to make my team, my community, and my country proud.
