Above is an audio recording of ÊMIA sharing the story behind her song “being single” listen above then read some thoughts below.
Sensitive, chaotic, and observant, ÊMIA (real name, Anh Le ) is a Vietnamese-American singer, songwriter, and producer who is hand-crafting her own ‘tell-all’ brand of pop music.
ÊMIA recently released a song called “being single” and to say that it didn’t speak to me would be a huge understatement. When I first heard the song I was like what on earth how can ÊMIA be able to speak my mind. The premise of the song talks about the realization that ÊMIA had about “being single”. Oddly, enough this realization come at the most difficult time ever which was during the pandemic. As if, the whole world shut down and people got sick and the uncertainty wasn’t enough to deal with.
ÊMIA talks about when she moved to NYC during the pandemic she started to realize that the constant need to be around someone or to be in a relationship wasn’t really a good thing and that it was actually hurting her. It’s kind of interesting to think that even in a city where there are over 8 million people that you could still feel lonely or feel like there isn’t something for you.
Although I don’t live in a city with 8 million people I still have had that same feeling of being alone. ÊMIA talks about it throughout her life she’s been in and out of relationships and each relationship has failed. Even though it’s failed ÊMIA always thought that it would work out some way or another with the next one or maybe she can get back with her ex but each time she’s felt that it’s just led to more loneliness.
I could relate to this because I’ve always thought each person I’ve dated or been in a “situationship” I feel like if I work on myself or if I get better then maybe she’ll come back to me or maybe I’ll win her over. But each time I’ve put myself through that scenario I’ve just felt more and more lost and lonely and have spiraled more.
As you get towards the end of the song though you start to hear a slight inclination in ÊMIA's voice as a way to be like I’m more than my situation and that I’m in charge of my life and that it’s okay to be single. At the end of the day if you search for happiness in someone you always be searching as happiness & peace can only be found in yourself. So, for those who are afraid to be single, I hope that you listen to the words from ÊMIA and realize that you are fine being single or by yourself because at the end of the day if you can’t find peace in yourself how do you expect to find peace with someone else.
Here are ÊMIA thoughts on being single:
‘being single’ is about the loneliness, instability, and emotional chaos that comes with learning how to date. I started dating in 2020. And by dating… I mean going out with complete strangers for the first time. I was a hot mess navigating my own boundaries and expectations. I mourned every missed connection I was so sure was an important one. Luckily, hard feelings don’t last forever and I have so much more compassion for myself and for everyone going through this journey. ‘Being Single’ started off as a diary entry and came to live with my friend and collaborator, Charlie Kurata. If you listen closely, there’s a snippet from one of our calls. We’ve had many conversations about our disastrous first dates, hookups, and situationships and I’m so happy it turned into this song. I hope you love it as much as I do.
Listen to ‘being single’ wherever you stream your music at.
You can follow ÊMIA on Instagram, Spotify, Twitter, Tik Tok, Youtube,
ÊMIA "being single" highlights the struggles of realizing that it's okay to be alone with yourself.