[Herald Interview] Rapper Mirani pushes beyond past accomplishments with new album

A shooting star is not what rapper Mirani wants to be in the hip-hop scene but an everlasting star that shines consistently.

Mirani quickly rose to stardom after her debut in 2020 by taking part in the ninth season of “Show Me the Money,” the longest-running hip-hop competition show on Mnet.

Taking part in the show helped Mirani imprint her rapping talent on the public.

She then landed on major local music charts with the track, “VVS,” a mission track from the show in which she was featured.

“There are a lot of people that make a name for themselves through competition shows but then become forgotten in the blink of an eye. I did not want to be that person. Instead of a shooting star, I wanted to be a star that continuously shines. That is why I put a lot of effort into becoming a better artist that presents well-made pieces to the public,” said Mirani during an interview with The Korea Herald.

Three years into her debut, Mirani finally introduced her first studio album, “The Drift” in early May.

The album comprises a total of 11 tracks led by two title tracks: “BAD BOY” and “Candy.”

“What I wanted to prove through this album is that I will not linger around my past accomplishments but continue to move forward to show what I like, feel and think. Because I was loved so much by ‘VVS,’ I found myself trying to bring back the old me. But I realized that what people loved about my music is the honesty. So this album is what my 20s look like,” said Mirani.

She shared the process of creating this album through a making film on her official YouTube channel, in which the renowned music-producing duo GroovyRoom, also the founders of Mirani’s label At Area, were involved.

“I draw the big picture of what I want for my album and make the songs. After I’m done making them, I let other producers take a listen. They give me feedback on how to better develop them into trendy and sophisticated tracks. They are really sharp when it comes to music because of their abundant experience and so they know how best to highlight a track,” explained Mirani.

However, Mirani did not always dream of becoming a rapper until she enrolled in university.

As she was studying the fashion industry at Ewha Womans University, she joined a hip-hop club, and that is how it all started.

“I started making my own music after I joined the hip-hop club at my university. I loved making music with my friends. But I also loved fashion and fashion is deeply related to the hip-hop genre. In hip-hop, what you wear and show off is really important. I have a stylist but when it comes to preparing an album, I try to give my ideas on which color an album should revolve around and what kind of outfits I would be wearing in a music video and album photos. This is because the visuals are also an important part of delivering the message of an album,” said Mirani.

The rapper hopes she soon gets to perform in renowned events such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Lollapalooza.

“I love being onstage. The doors to the global music market are wide open to Korean artists these days so there are a lot of opportunities for me to expand my reach. I am actually planning to drop an English single as well. I want to be on many stages around the world,” she said.

Mirani hinted that she is currently gearing up for a new single drop and an EP release for the second half of the year.