Irene Wong Shares the Story Behind the Ultimate Upbeat Sad Girl Song, Debut Single, ‘mmm idk’
Singer-songwriter, pianist, model and influencer Irene Wong may have just dropped her debut single, "mmm idk," but the star is no stranger to the spotlight.
Also known as "Asian Rapunzel" for her gorgeous, knee-length hair, the artist already has 2.7 million TikTok followers thanks to her clever videos and relatable sense of humor—not to mention her stellar voice. She was featured on producer SeoulFly's "Cross My Mind" and "Falling"—both of which went on to be viral hits—and it comes as no surprise that her irresistible new indie-pop track is just as unforgettable. "mmm idk" is a vibey, sunny California bop for the Alabama-raised artist, with an upbeat sound, despite the lyrics describing the pain caused by an unfaithful love. Once we heard it, we had to know its story, and Irene shared it all with us in the interview below.
The Story Behind 'mmm idk'
Irene Wong: I actually worked with a team of super talented writers, a producer and manager to build this track; and the project is an outcome of that teamwork. I'm still in the very early stages of my music career, so a lot of this process was and still is, to a large extent, focused around discovering my sound, building topics into a topline and song and ultimately releasing music that I feel fans can relate to and enjoy. That being said, everyone I worked with was based out of California, and I flew to L.A. to cut the song and film the MV. So I feel like "mmm idk" is very much "that"—California vibes—and it felt authentic to me throughout the process, which is why it felt like the right song to lead with.
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What 'mmm idk' Means
IW: The song itself is kind of a sad girl song, but the beat and instruments are super upbeat. The music video was also filmed around the concept of getting away and healing. I think I want people to relate to all of those things—kind of like, "Oh you're going through something. I'm right there with you," but rather than sitting there and crying with you, I want to jump up and down and dance with you until we can put it all behind us.
(Image courtesy of Irene Wong)
Irene's Favorite Lyric
IW: I've got a few, but I really like "It only takes a day to make my tears dry" and "Why you tryna hide your homescreen." I feel like those two lines can summarize the song pretty well, lol.
On Her Debut
IW: My label and I've been preparing for a long time, so in some ways, I want to get it over with and release the dang thing, but I'm nervous as heck, too!
(Image courtesy of Irene Wong)
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What's Next
IW: Everything's pretty new for me so it's all exciting, but I'm hoping to do a show before the end of the year. There's still a lot of work to do to get there though, so fingers crossed!
Final Thoughts
IW: Go stream "mmm idk" on all platforms! Also, I've only started adulting like less than a year ago, and it feels like everything's happening so quickly, but I wouldn't even have these opportunities without my Wongtons, so thank you to my fans!
(Image courtesy of Irene Wong)
For more interviews with our favorite artist, click HERE to read all about Jordi's latest single, "Just a Friend."