06/12/2025

LYFE SATURDAY | DEC 6, 2025

24

Minh releases debut EP o Heartbreak fuels singer’s project

F OLLOWING a year of performances across Asia, pop singer-songwriter Minh has released his debut EP Thank God! It Didn’t Work Out . The mini-album’s five tracks captures heartbreak and healing shaped by experiences that transformed the singer as an artiste and a person. Written between Vietnam and Australia, the EP features production from Maribelle (Vetta Borne), Glenn Hopper (Len20) and Michael Choi, with co-writing credits from Cody Jon and Benjamin James. Together, they helped Minh craft the pop sound he had long been searching for. “ Thank God! It Didn’t Work Out captures my first heartbreak perfectly in five songs. They almost resemble the stages of grief. “This project is a reintroduction for me as an artiste. The music feels more confident now that I have really lived life. I think people are going to see a more honest, wiser side of me in this project,” Minh said. Live favourites to EP Tracks off the EP include Damaged , Out With Grace , Thank God! , What I Never Had and I Don’t Know , with each representing a distinct emotional chapter. First performed at Zandari Festa in Seoul, Damaged moved audiences with its raw vulnerability. Out With Grace , which Minh has performed to thousands across Taiwan, Singapore and Korea, became a fan favourite for its euphoric yet bittersweet tone. Meanwhile, Thank God! marks a creative milestone, written in Vietnam with Australian artiste Glenn Hopper, and What I Never Had emerged during Minh’s writing camp with Concord Australia, co-written with Maribelle. Finally, I Don’t Know is a staple in his live shows. Heartbreak, growth, creative shift “Writing this project helped me heal from heartbreak. I thought I knew what heartbreak felt like, but it is so much deeper. It is surprisingly the most painful when it is calmest. Going to Australia for my

Vickery is currently touring Europe. – PIC BY ASHLEY VERSE

FOLLOWING the release of his album James. in September, R&B singer James Vickery has teamed up with the popular DJ Yves V for a remix to the album’s Fall In Your Arms . Originally praised for its emotional weight and striking vocal performance, the track now features a different sound, as it blends James’s soulful vocals with Yves V’s high-octane, melodic production, complete with cinematic builds and euphoric drops synonymous with the Tomorrowland festival sound. “Thank you to Yves V for this powerful remix of Fall in Your Arms . This song has a new life and I am excited to see new fans discover this song!” Vickery said. The remix arrives in the middle of Vickery’s European tour, fresh off a US run that saw him reach new audiences and deliver some of his most powerful live performances to date. On the acclaimed James. , the original version of Fall In Your Arms stood out as one of its key tracks, with Vickery calling the album his most authentic project, as it blends classic R&B, 1970s funk, soul and the pop sounds of the late 1990s and early 2000s. James Vickery drops collaborative remix US pop star Sabrina Carpenter demanded that the White House stop using her music after the Trump administration featured one of her songs on a social media video showing ICE agents apprehending people. The video, shared by the White House on Monday, features Carpenter’s 2024 hit song Juno . It showed federal immigration enforcement officers chasing people and detaining them while bystanders recorded the activity on their cell phones. The caption read, “Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye” – in a nod to lyrics in the song – decorated with emoticons. “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” Carpenter, 25, wrote on X. In response, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said:“Here’s a Short n’Sweet message for Sabrina Carpenter: We won’t apologise for deporting dangerous criminal illegal murderers, rapists and paedophiles from our country. Anyone who would defend these sick monsters must be stupid, or is it slow?”

Though born in Vietnam, Minh sings exclusively in English.

shaped Thank God! It Didn’t Work Out into a body of work that reflects his emotional evolution and the electricity of his live performances. Each song carries his signature lyrical candour and melodic confidence, revealing an artiste stepping fully into his own.

Concord writing camp really changed a lot for me. Meeting Glenn, Maribelle and Cody allowed me to create the music I have always wanted to make”. Drawing inspiration from pop storytellers such as Julia Michaels, Ryan Tedder, Max Martin and Troye Sivan, Minh

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter tells White House to stop using her music

Carpenter, a Grammy Award-winning singer, joins the list of more than two dozen musicians, including Neil Young and The Rolling Stones, who have objected to President Donald Trump’s use of their music. Trump, now in his second non-consecutive term, has an active social media presence. Members of his communications team often post short videos that feature popular songs to illustrate the president’s efforts to deliver on his campaign promises. Monday’s video appeared to promote the aggressive campaign that the administration has pursued to crack down on illegal immigration since his second term began in January. Critics, including Pope Leo, have taken issue with the way in which the Trump administration has sought to carry out its immigration agenda, including arrests at courthouses, on street corners of Hispanic neighborhoods and raids of apartment buildings where those suspected of being in the US illegally live. – Reuters

Carpenter attends the MTV Video Music Awards.