Rei Ami is loving life, and she’s also learned to love herself. But it wasn’t an easy journey getting to this stage.
Before breaking out as one-third of Huntr/x in Netflix’s smash “KPop Demon Hunters,” Ami largely released rap songs like “Snow Cone” and “Body Bag,” which she says came from a place of anger and resentment. But following the release of “Hunters,” which won her both an Oscar and a Grammy, the 31-year-old found a new path forward.
“I think the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ campaign healed something in me,” Ami tells Variety. “It shifted and changed a lot for me.” After the film introduced the singer-songwriter to a new generation of fans and propelled her to another stratosphere of stardom, it also unlocked a new era of confidence and self-acceptance, something reflected in her latest single “2 Loud,” a brassy pop anthem for the dance floor-sounding song releasing this Friday.
“2 Loud” signals a shift in her music, influenced by Ami’s inner pop girl. Here, Ami speaks with Variety about this new chapter and sound, and what to expect from her in the near future.
This is a new era for you, and there’s so much confidence in this song. You can hear it in the lyrics. Where did that shift happen?
We’ve chatted so many times. You saw me and the girls throughout the campaign, and it was crazy. I’ve never been thrust into that level of visibility in my life. I’ve never had people online comment about just me existing. And I had to process so many things all at once. I’ve had to develop new habits, like not reading the comments and putting a pause on the doomscrolling.
At one point, I read a comment about one of our performances, and it said, “She’s doing too much.” I thought, “How am I doing too much?” I am in a position where millions of people are watching me. I have an opportunity of a lifetime. You want me to not do my job, right? What are you even talking about?
And it made me think: These people don’t actually know me. Sometimes, you just have to let it be. You don’t have to understand why they would comment such a bizarre thing, but they do, and that’s not my problem.
It made me realize that me being “too much” has opened so many opportunities for me. It has given me the ability to change my life and change my parents’ lives. So I channeled this feeling that’s been weighing on my heart for so long into a song, and that became “2 Loud.”
I am just so unapologetically me. I love myself, and I accept myself—flaws and all—for what and who I am, because it has brought me this far. I am human. I’m imperfect. But so are you.
I love how you’re embracing that. “2 Loud” is definitely a statement, but also a different vibe. It’s fully you embracing your pop girl side. Talk about this new sound.
I’ve been raised by the pop girls — Rihanna, Britney Spears, you name it. I’ve always been a pop girl to the core.
When I was releasing “Snow Cone” and “Body Bag,” I was in a very dark place in my life. I was still figuring it out. I was angry, resentful, and bitter about so many things in my career and personal life. I think that’s normal and human, and it’s only natural as an artist that I poured it into my work.
With “2 Loud,” I’m no longer angry. I’ve let go of a lot. I want to dance. I want to celebrate life. I want to live life. I want to express myself. That’s what I am prioritizing in my life: happiness, joy, and being able to live this blessing of a life to the fullest, as my most authentic, truest self.
And that’s what “2 Loud” is about. That’s what I want to usher into this new era of music — this freedom to be human. I think that’s what everyone wants. They want to feel human, to feel heard and connected. And I think that’s what the world needs right now.
It’s a very fun pop tune. I heard that you were inspired to go into the studio after the 20th anniversary of “Hannah Montana.” Is that true?
It’s so funny because we’re actually releasing on the same day as Miley’s album, which is, again, synchronistic. My co-writers, producers, and executive producer were already setting up shop at the studio because that week I was going to start writing camp. But there was something in me that said, “Let’s stop by the studio.”
So I went there, and they had already started building out “2 Loud.” My co-writer, Maia Kelly, was already writing the verse, and she had tracked it. We were talking about it because, at the time, I really was feeling it. I was like, “Oh my God, am I too much?”
I’ve been really in my head, asking: “Am I losing myself? Am I becoming something I’m not?” But I also have a new audience now—children — and I have to be considerate. I’m part of something bigger than me. All these thoughts kept me overanalyzing and second-guessing everything. I was losing my mind. Maia and I were talking, and she said, “Too loud, too much — let’s just fucking talk about it.”
The next day, I wrote the second verse. I went in because I was pissed. I thought, “I’m not safe for your work. My old shit? Definitely not safe for your kids. It’s not even PG-13. It’s rated R for Rei Ami.” So we tracked it, and as I was listening to it, I thought, “This is everything I’ve wanted to say for a minute now.” It’s a clapback. It’s essentially saying, “Y’all don’t actually fucking know me. You don’t know what ‘too loud’ is. You haven’t seen loud.” If this is too loud for you, ooh, I can’t fucking wait for you to see what’s coming next. If you don’t like it, turn it off.
This is you being your authentic self. How much of a creative explosion has this been for you?
This album is my story as an artist. There’s nothing really profound or philosophical about it. It’s very honest and human. It’s every high and low that I’ve experienced, and it’s just me talking about the things that matter to me and have affected me. I think many people are going to relate to that. It’s told through the lens of my life and my human experience, but it’s a very universal album.
How has writing these songs, especially “2 Loud,” healed you?
It’s made me more confident and self-assured in who I am and in my gut intuition. When you’re confident and you know what you want, the vision becomes a little clearer. I urge people to find confidence wherever they can because it can heal so many parts of you. A lot of the things we shame ourselves for are the things that could really change our lives and our futures. For me, being loud or extra—I dimmed that part of myself heavily. Growing up in a religious environment, there was a lot of suppression. It was disgusting and evil. But the moment I let her out, people found it charming. And especially in this kind of career, it really helped.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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