Mina Myoi (
Japanese: 名井 南,
Hepburn: Myōi Mina, born Mina Sharon Myoi,[1] March 24, 1997), known
mononymously as Mina (
Korean: 미나;
Japanese: ミナ), is a Japanese singer and dancer based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group
Twice, formed by
JYP Entertainment in 2015.[3][4][5]
Mina was shopping with her mother in
Osaka when she was approached and offered an audition by a recruiter from
JYP Entertainment.[4] She moved to South Korea in January 2014 to become a trainee at JYP Entertainment.[4][14][15] In 2015, Mina participated in the South Korean
reality television show Sixteen, created by JYP Entertainment and co-produced by
Mnet.[11][16] As one of nine successful participants, she went on to join the newly formed girl group
Twice.[11]
In October 2015, Mina officially debuted as a member of Twice with the release of their first extended play, The Story Begins.[17] Its lead single "
Like Ooh-Ahh" was the first K-pop debut song to reach 100 million views on
YouTube.[18]
Since her debut, Mina has been recognized as one of Twice's strongest dancers along with Momo,[7][8][11][18] in both South Korea and abroad.[3][19] The Chosun Ilbo credits her popularity with helping improve relations between Japan and South Korea.[3][19] In
Gallup Korea's annual music poll of 2019, she was voted the 20th most popular idol in South Korea.[20][21]
2019–2020: Health issues
On July 11, 2019, JYP Entertainment announced that Mina would sit out the remainder of the
Twicelights World Tour due to her extreme anxiety and insecurity regarding onstage performances.[22][23][24] She was later diagnosed with an
anxiety disorder.[8][18][25]
In February 2020, it was reported that Mina's condition had improved and that she was ready to return to performing live with Twice.[26]
On February 9, 2023, JYP announced that Mina, alongside bandmates
Sana and
Momo, will officially debut in Japan on July 26 as a sub-unit named
MiSaMo with the
extended play titled Masterpiece.[27] Prior to the trio's debut, on January 25, they released the track "Bouquet" as part of the soundtrack of
TV Asahi's drama series Liaison: Children's Heart Clinic [
ja].[28]
Other activities
Endorsements
In early 2022, Mina was announced as the new muse of the popular South Korean luxury fashion brand Metrocity.[29][30] In March of the same year, she was announced as the global brand ambassador of
SK-II, Japan's leading cosmetic brand.[31][32][33]
^Jang, Young-hoon (February 26, 2017).
"트와이스 미나가 콘서트서 2년만에 만났다고 밝힌 친오빠" [TWICE's Mina Talks About Seeing Her Older Brother For First Time in 2 Years]. Insight (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
^"Lotte Duty Free". eng.lottedfs.com.
Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
^Choi, Eunhwa (February 16, 2022).
"메트로시티, 22SS 광고 영상 공개" [Metro City, 22SS Advertisement Video Released]. Maeil Business.
Archived from the original on March 31, 2022.