Interview: ‘im momo, hi’
momohaii, also known as Matthew Onghai, is a new Filipino-Chinese-American singer-songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles. Coming from Texas, he learned to play the piano and guitar at a young age. But, he became more interested in creating music on a computer outside of his piano teacher’s room rather than actually taking piano lessons. After starting college, he explored his musical talent and released his debut single, “last line” in December 2022. Now, around six months later, momohaii just released his first EP titled im momo, hi, which encapsulates the last half year of his music releases and new songs. This new EP introduces the world to him as an artist with the various sounds of his music style that he wants to showcase and expand.
Photo Courtesy of Cameron Lee, Lee Xiong
HALSUG had the chance to talk to momohaii about his musical journey, what made him choose to make music, and his new EP, im momo, hi.
Please introduce yourself to our readers and give us three words that describe you as a person.
Nice to meet you, I’m momohaii! I’m a new artist, currently in LA, who started releasing music last December, and can’t wait to meet you. :) Three words to describe me would definitely be nostalgic, goofy, and dish soap (pretend dish and soap are one word). Nostalgic because I love reminiscing on feelings in my life that impacted me for better or for worse, goofy because I can’t take myself too seriously, and dish soap for obvious reasons.
From playing the piano and guitar from a young age to further developing your production sound in school, what inspired you to become an artist? And at what moment did you know you wanted to make music?
I’ve always dabbled with making noise ever since I was doing my obligatory Asian kid piano lessons so long ago. I remember being more interested in this drag-and-drop music program that allowed you to “make songs” on the computer outside my piano teacher’s room than [doing] the actual lessons, though. But it wasn’t until college that I decided to buy a cheap MIDI keyboard off Craigslist and start attempting to make “real” music. I remember being sick with covid before the vaccine existed (from vocal lessons, ironically enough) and watching Joji and Frank Ocean concert videos isolated in my room. It was at that moment that I was, for the first time, truly honest with myself — that’s when I officially committed to becoming an artist.
Photo Courtesy of Amy Wu
As an up-and-coming artist, have there been any challenges along the way or things you want to learn or are still learning?
Man, going through the learning phase in Austin, TX shouldn’t have been as rough as it was! I knew absolutely nobody who was remotely interested in making music and had to learn pretty much everything on YouTube — from producing, songwriting, mixing/mastering, and just being an artist in general. A big challenge for me was implementing songs in my head that I thought sounded good because I couldn’t translate them into actual music for the longest time. Once I produced “last line” in Spring 2022, I finally started to switch gears into challenging myself to push myself creatively as an artist and explore areas of my songwriting that I haven’t touched before.
You have previously stated that your musical influences include the likes of Joji, keshi, Lauv, Audrey Nuna, Taylor Swift, and Post Malone. What is it about these artists that you’ve learned from, liked, or taken with you in your music career?
I was and still am a devoted Swiftie growing up, and actually know all of her B-sides! I take a lot of songwriting and song structure inspiration from her music, as I literally spent years solely listening to a gigantic playlist with all of her songs compiled up until Reputation. Joji, keshi, and Audrey Nuna are some of the artists that hold a special place in my heart because they’re the ones that showed me that someone like me, with my face can thrive in this industry. Did I mention I love their music too? I also went to UT Austin only a couple of years after keshi, so, definitely looking to make that UT-Austin-to-Asian-musician pipeline a thing. I also sonically get a lot of inspiration from artists like Lauv and Post Malone, where I guide both sides of my music direction (whether it be slow ballad-type beats or pure angst songs).
Is there a special meaning behind your name “momohaii”? If so, can you explain to us what it means and why you chose it?
Yes! So many people (still to this day) call me “momo” as a nickname. Since my initials are M.O. I thought about the name for months and eventually decided on momohaii because you can sort of arrive there by rearranging my last name, and it sounds kinda cute, not gonna lie! Also, if I were to choose “momo,” I realized that I would be competing with Twice’s Momo, as well as the momo challenge (definitely don’t look that up).
Congratulations on your first EP im momo, hi. What does this EP mean to you?
This EP means the world to me, as it represents a feat that I consider to be one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. This has been the culmination of YEARS of my passion, and I’m so so so excited to finally share it with y’all!
Can you tell us about the production process and inspiration behind your new EP?
I was always planning to wrap up the first group of songs I release into an introductory EP to make an official first step into a lifetime of releasing music! I want this EP to be a foundation for where I can expand as an artist in the future, with a little bit of showcasing my inspirations and where my career is headed.
There’s a specific reason you arranged the songs in that order, can you tell our readers why?
For the people who really like to tear apart lyrics and analyze what is going on, each song in the EP lends to a certain story that continues throughout the entire runtime, and they’re all interconnected. I could go on about the different layers, voices, and stories going on in each of these, but these aren’t my songs anymore, they’re your problem now! :) I also have the self-titled track, im momo, hi, at the end because it directly builds off the 5 songs before it, and sort of explains what I’ve been saying with regards to this EP being an introduction of me and my music. I hope you’ll give it a listen and hopefully resonate with some of the life experiences I’ve accumulated in this EP!
Is there a song on the EP that you want listeners to take a closer listen to and why?
I actually get a lot of questions about this song, which is track #2 - “626”. Lyrically, I think this is my favorite song so far. I again don’t want to dictate what the song means to anybody, because songs are such a personal thing, but I think some of the right questions to ask are: What is 626? Throughout the song, who is “you” referring to? What does the song change signify?
We heard that in future EPs you may hone in on particular sounds to develop upon them. Do you have any sounds, themes, or genres that you’re interested in trying in the future? If so, what are they?
Yes, I really enjoyed doing some dabbling in melodic rap and soft boy vocals (which to some extent exist in this EP), but in the future, I really want to push these sounds further. The main goal is to build up a truly multi-genre catalog because I don’t want the momohaii project to be only about one type of sound forever. I also want to experiment with writing a happy song for a change; maybe I’ll feel something :)
Is there a message you want to leave with your fans and new listeners?
I truly adore and am SO grateful for each and every one of you! I always, always read (and try my hardest to reply to) all the sweet comments and messages you send me, and it always makes my heart so full 🤍! Please send any messages my way if you want to talk about music, life, or anything in between. I can’t say this enough, but truly THANK YOU so much for your support!
This is just the beginning, as an introduction to the world of music that momohaii is ready to show. With momohaii’s enthusiasm and passion for music, he will continue to bring out more for fans to hear and see. We look forward to what momohaii has in store for the future. In the meantime, check out the release of his new EP, im momo, hi out now.
Tell us what song off of im momo, hi is your favorite by commenting below or reaching out to us on Instagram and Twitter.
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Artist Facts
Name/Stage Name: Matthew Onghai (momohaii)
Birthday: September 14, 1999
Nationality: Filipino Chinese American
Zodiac Sign: Quadruple Virgo (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mercury)
MBTI: ENFP
Fave Foods: Sushi, Poke, Dim Sum, Lechon, Lumpia, Hot Pot, KBBQ, McDonald’s Ice Cream
Fave Drinks: Melon soda, Mexican Coke, McDonald’s Sprite
Fave Movies: Everything Everywhere All at Once, Your Name, The Greatest Showman, Interstellar, Marvel Movies
Day or Night?: Night!
Song you’re most proud of: I honestly can’t choose 🖤
Edited by Ethan Horton
