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]
By virtue of
birthright citizenship in the United States, in 2017, it was reported at the time that Mina held dual Japanese and American citizenship.[13] She gave up her American citizenship in 2019.[1]
Career
Pre-debut
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]
Debut with Twice, mental health issues, and MiSaMo
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]
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.[19][20][21] She was later diagnosed with an
anxiety disorder.[8][18][22] In February 2020, it was reported that Mina's condition had improved and that she was ready to return to performing live with Twice.[23]
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.[24] 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].[25]
Public image
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][26] The Chosun Ilbo credits her popularity with helping improve relations between Japan and South Korea.[3][26] In
Gallup Korea's annual music poll of 2019, she was voted the 20th most popular idol in South Korea.[27][28]
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.