Sana (singer)

Sana was born on December 29, 1996^[4] in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan,^[5][6] as an only child.^[7]

Sana stated that she wanted to become a singer and dancer early on and was inspired by the K-pop group Girls' Generation.^[7] In addition to her native Japanese, she speaks Korean.

Pre-debut

Sana began training with EXPG in Osaka in 2009, originally planning to be a singer in Japan, rather than South Korea.^[8] During her middle school years, she was scouted by a JYP Entertainment (JYPE) employee at a shopping mall and was invited to participate in the annual JYP Japan audition the following day.^[9] Sana passed the audition^[9] and joined the JYPE trainee program in South Korea in April 2012.^[10][11] She trained for over three years before her eventual debut with Twice.^[10] In 2012, she was expected to become a member of a four-member girl group aimed at the Japanese market, but plans for the group were cancelled in part due to tensions between Japan and Korea following the Liancourt Rocks dispute; she was later scheduled to debut in a six-member group called 6Mix, but the group's debut was also cancelled due to the sinking of MV Sewol.^[10][12] In 2014, Sana appeared in Got7's music video for "A" as a waitress.^[13]

2015–present: Sixteen, Twice, solo activities, and MiSaMo

In 2015, Sana participated in the music survival show Sixteen, a reality television series to determine the members of Twice.^[2][14] Out of the sixteen contestants, Sana was selected as one of the nine members of the newly formed girl group.^[2][15] She officially debuted with Twice in October 2015 with the title song "Like Ooh-Ahh" from their debut extended play The Story Begins.^[16] Known for her energetic and cheerful personality,^{[2][5][17][18]} she has received recognition in both South Korea and abroad, and her popularity has been credited with helping to improve relations between Japan and South Korea.^[8][19] In Gallup Korea's annual music poll for 2018, Sana was voted the 17th most popular idol in South Korea, the highest-ranked Japanese individual in the poll.^[20] She ranked 15th in the 2019 poll.^[21][22] In 2019, Sana also ranked as the most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers completing mandatory military service in South Korea.^[18]

In February 2021, Sana became the first Twice member to release a solo single after she covered "Sotsugyou", a 2020 single by Japanese band Kobukuro.^[23] The cover, which includes an a cappella version, was released as a digital single through Warner Music Japan.^[24] She released a version with Kobukuro themselves in March 2021.^[25]

On February 9, 2023, JYPE announced that Sana, alongside bandmates Momo and Mina, will officially debut in Japan on July 26 as a sub-unit named MiSaMo with the extended play titled Masterpiece.^[26] 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].^[27]

Outside of Twice, Sana was featured in several advertisements and has promoted various brands and products.^[28][29] In 2021, Sana and Twice bandmate Dahyun became models for skincare brand A'pieu.^[30] In March 2022, Sana became a model for cosmetic brand Wakemake.^[31] In March 2023, Sana was selected as an ambassador for both the South Korean skin care brand Missha^[32] and the makeup brand Espoir.^[33] In July 2023, Sana became the first Japan ambassador for British multinational jeweller Graff.^[34] In September 2023, Italian luxury fashion house Prada named Sana as their brand ambassador.^[35][36]

Singles

Other charted songs

Songwriting credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.^[40]

Television shows

Photobooks

• Media related to Sana Minatozaki at Wikimedia Commons