The track was a collaborative effort involving several notable pop producers and songwriters: : SIBA and J Moon.
Directed by , the official video translates the song's internal turmoil into physical movement.
: Unlike many breakup songs that mourn the person, "What A Waste" focuses on the regret of lost years—specifically "two years of my twenties gone down the drain".
: Set in a bedroom, the video depicts a "typical post-breakup day".