Minji (singer)

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Minji
Minji in 2023
Born
Kim Min-ji

(2004-05-07) May 7, 2004 (age 20)
Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, South Korea
Occupation
  • Singer
Musical career
GenresK-pop
InstrumentVocals
Years active2022–present
LabelsADOR
Member ofNewJeans
Korean name
Hangul
김민지
Hanja
金玟池[citation needed]
Revised RomanizationGim Minji
McCune–ReischauerKim Minji
Signature
Signature of Kim

Kim Min-ji (Korean: 김민지; born May 7, 2004), known mononymously as Minji, is a South Korean singer. Minji made her debut as a member of the South Korean girl group NewJeans, under the record label ADOR on July 22, 2022.

Early life and education

Kim Min-ji was born on May 7, 2004, in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, South Korea.[1][2] She is the middle of three children, with a younger sister and an older brother who attends Kyung Hee University, the latter of whom she revealed while performing at a music festival hosted by the university.[3][unreliable source?] During her elementary years, she learned English while studying abroad in Canada as a homestay transfer student.[4][5] Minji attended Hanlim Multi Art School, where she graduated in February 2023.[2]

Minji, during middle school, received numerous business cards from various entertainment agencies, including SM Entertainment.[4] She was a Source Music trainee beginning in 2017 up until the company was acquired by Hybe Corporation in 2019.[6][7]

Career

2019–2021: Pre-debut activities

Pre-debut, Minji was also known as "The Girl", the face of Hybe Corporation's 2019 Plus Global Auditions.[5] In July 2021, she made a cameo appearance in BTS's music video for "Permission to Dance", alongside group member Hanni.[8][6]

2022–present: Debut with NewJeans and solo activities

Main article: NewJeans

Minji debuted as a member of the South Korean girl group NewJeans with the surprise-released music video for their debut single "Attention" on July 22, 2022, without any prior promotion or information on the group's lineup.[9][10] NewJeans quickly rose to widespread popularity with the success of their following singles: "Hype Boy", "OMG", and "Ditto", the latter of which featured lyrics written by Minji.[11][12] "Ditto" became NewJeans's first entry on Billboard Hot 100 and won Song of the Year at the MAMA Awards, the Melon Music Awards, the Golden Disc Awards, and the Asia Artist Awards.[13][14][15][16]

On October 15, 2022, Minji made an appearance as one of the special MC's at KCON Japan alongside Junki Kono of JO1 and Hwang Min-hyun of NU'EST.[17]

Endorsements

Minji has topped South Korea's brand reputation rankings for K-pop artists numerous times since her debut.[18] On February 13, 2023, Chanel Korea announced that they had signed Minji as one of their brand ambassadors for the categories of beauty, fashion, and watches and jewelry.[1] Minji is the first person to be named ambassador for all three categories at the same time.[19][4]

Since 2023, Minji has been the face of the Seoul Jazz Festival, appearing on magazines to promote the event. She appeared on the cover of W Korea's special edition for the 15th anniversary of the Seoul Jazz Festival as well as the cover of the W Korea special edition for the 2024 festival.[20][21]

Minji also appeared in a March 2024 video campaign for the South Korean National Election Commission broadcast on radio and other platforms to encourage younger generations to vote in the 22nd legislative election.[22]

Discography

For Minji's discography with NewJeans, see NewJeans discography.

Songwriting credits

All credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association, unless cited otherwise.[12]

List of songs, showing year of release, artist's name and album name
Year Artist Song Album Lyricist
Credited With
2022 NewJeans "Ditto" OMG Yes Oohyo, Ylva Dimberg, The Black Skirts & 250
2024 "Supernatural" Non-album singles Yes Gigi, Ylva Dimberg & Pharrell Williams

Videography

For Minji's videography with NewJeans, see NewJeans videography.

Music video appearances

Year Title Artist Ref.
2021 "Permission To Dance" BTS [8]

Filmography

For Minji's filmography with NewJeans, see NewJeans filmography.

Hosting

Year Title Notes Ref.
2023 KCON 2022 Japan With Junki Kono of JO1 and Hwang Min-hyun of NU'EST [17]

References

  1. ^ a b South China Morning Post writer (May 22, 2023). "Which NewJeans member works with which luxury brand? The K-pop girl group just toppled BTS – now Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein are all endorsement queens signed to competing fashion houses". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Kwon Sung-hoon (November 18, 2023). [연예공화국]<1>2023 대세 걸그룹 '뉴진스' 5인 5색 매력 大해부! [[Entertainment Republic] <1> 5 members of the popular girl group 'NewJeans' in 2023, 5 colors and 5 charms!]. imaeil.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  3. ^ Park So-jin (May 17, 2024). "Minji mentioned her brother's existence at Kyung Hee University festival. "No one recognizes me..."You don't look like me"". Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Jeong, Lucy (March 14, 2023). "NewJeans' Minji, the next 'Human Chanel'? The new brand ambassador alongside Blackpink's Jennie also danced in the music video for BTS' J-Hope's solo single 'On the Street' with bandmate Hyein". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Wickes, Hanna (August 17, 2023). "Meet the Star Who Is Minji From NewJeans? Meet the K-Pop Idol Known for Her Ethereal Looks and Voice". J-14. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Diem Nguyen Le (July 29, 2022). "Meet new K-pop girl band NewJeans: Minji was in a BTS' MV with Ed Sheeran, Haerin has been compared to Blackpink's Jennie, and Hyein loves Harry Potter ... but what about Hanni and Danielle?". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on April 30, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Dong Sun-hwa (November 7, 2023). "[Interview] Meet the man who discovered NewJeans' Minji". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Moya, Jove (January 3, 2023). "Meet the girls of 'NewJeans': Haerin, Hanni, and more". Tatler Asia. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  9. ^ Agarwal, Bhavna (July 22, 2022). "HYBE's new K-pop group New Jeans grab 'Attention' with their surprise music video debut. Watch". India Today. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Herman, Tamar (July 28, 2022). "NewJeans, new K-pop group, have YouTube, TikTok abuzz – here's everything you need to know about them". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Herman, Tamar (February 13, 2023). "Meet NewJeans, the Girl Group Bringing Retro Vibes to K-Pop, and Sprinting Up the Charts". Vogue. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Songs Registered Under Minji (민지) (10037816)". Korea Music Copyright Association. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  13. ^ Hong, Yoo (January 18, 2023). "NewJeans' 'Ditto' lands on Billboard Hot 100 at No. 96". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  14. ^ Yoon, So-yeon (January 14, 2024). "K-pop 2024: A forecast for this year's top Korean acts". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  15. ^ 이준호·뉴진스·세븐틴·스키즈·임영웅, AAA '대상'..뉴진스 6관왕 '최다'[2023 AAA][종합] [Lee Jun-ho, NewJeans, Seventeen, Stray Kids, Lim Young-woong, AAA 'Grand Prize'... New Jeans 6 wins 'most' [2023 AAA] [comprehensive]]. Star News (in Korean). December 14, 2023. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  16. ^ Ziwei, Puah (October 19, 2023). "MAMA Awards 2023: Jungkook, (G)I-dle, Seventeen and Jisoo lead nominations". NME. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "「KCon Japan」2日目OP＆トリにTXT！IVEはファンとダンスコラボ、JO1は新曲で薔薇咲かす" [TXT will be the opening and final act for the second day of "KCon Japan"! IVE will collaborate with fans on a dance, and JO1 will make roses bloom with their new song]. Natalie (in Japanese). October 16, 2022. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  18. ^ Dong, Sun-hwa (January 16, 2023). "BTS' Jimin, NewJeans' Minji top brand reputation rankings". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  19. ^ Shin, Min-hee (February 14, 2023). "Minji of NewJeans is appointed newest Chanel Korea ambassador". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  20. ^ Jeong, Hee-yeon (May 25, 2023). 뉴진스 민지, 각도는 중요하지 않아 [화보] [NewJeans Minji, the angle doesn't matter [Pictorial]]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  21. ^ Lee, Hyun-Jung (May 30, 2024). "New Jeans Minji Seoul Jazz Festival Special Edition Cover". Vogue Korea. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  22. ^ Lee, Jung-youn (April 10, 2024). "Young Korean stars vote for first time". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.