Females, especially artists or public figures, have all faced the pain and struggle of the judgment and criticism of their appearance. This world right now needs a lot more body positivity and self-acceptance. South Korean/Japanese rapper and pop musician Chanmina is definitely an advocate of that. She totally kills the performance of ‘Bijin’ [beautiful woman] on THE FIRST TAKE with a live band.

Before she starts singing in the video, she explains that as soon as she debuted in 2016, critics said things about her appearance. At the peak of her struggles, she wrote ‘Bijin.’ She wants those who have low self-esteem to have a good laugh and find confidence in themselves through hearing this empowering song.

The song starts with minor piano chords and a few light hi-hats. Chanmina’s eyes change as she gets into the mood, and when the bass drum hits, she becomes a totally different person. She skillfully and flawlessly switches between voices, roleplaying different characters to tell the story and give the song various textures in just one take.

“You can’t be beautiful. You can’t be famous. An ugly b*tch like you shouldn’t be a singer” was what stabbed her in the heart back then when she was young. It drove her mind insane, but luckily her talent blossomed to write this empowering piece.

The brass instruments like the trumpet give the song a cinematic vibe, especially during her playful chorus. As the lyrics get more intense and emotional towards the end, the guitar solo helps to push the heat up into the bridge. “Is it scary to not have an example? Then you should become a role model. Scared forever, what are you gonna do? Now go and help her out,” Chanmina sings as she stares into the camera, giving us the killer look of confidence before she finishes with the powerful outro. “I'm a fxxking woman and I’m fxxking beautiful. God here I am. We’re fxxking women and we’re fxxking beautiful,” is the mantra and affirmation Chanmina cries out from her soul with her power goddess energy.

This performance clearly shows her professional skills with an enthralling vocal delivery Her gestures and facial expressions are absolutely on point, and the live arrangements add a lot of flavor to this masterpiece. While the live version is unreal, LiFTED recommends watching the official music video as it tells you more of the Japanese culture and story with a sad ending that we wish to avoid. Also, there’s an extra part of the original song that was not performed on THE FIRST TAKE.

Check out Chanmina’s video for ‘Bijin’ here or the live performance of ‘Bijin’ on THE FIRST TAKE below.