“I feel like there are a number of indie artists... as they grow, it makes the most sense for them to pivot to pop, to become bigger artists. And I feel like that's when people get really bad, you know? I didn't want to fall into that pitfall.”

American musician, singer, songwriter, and author

Michelle Zauner is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author, best known as the lead singer of the indie pop band Japanese Breakfast. She is also known for her memoir Crying in H Mart, published in 2021. Her memoir spent 60 weeks on The New York Times hardcover non-fiction bestseller list. In 2022, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in its Innovators category, reflecting her reach beyond music into writing and public culture.