NewJeans‘ Minji is *that* girl, as well as *the girl.* The K-pop idol was first introduced to the world as the face of HYBE’s Plus Global Audition videos from 2019, a.k.a. she was #THE_GIRL.
Keep reading to learn more about Minji, like her age, debut and more!
Who Is Minji?
Minji was born in Gangwon, South Korea, on May 7, 2004, making her a Taurus. While she was in elementary school, she learned English while studying abroad in Canada for a few months.
Prior to debuting with NewJeans in 2022 , she was the face of HYBE’s audition videos. Minji’s visual and vocals are often referred to as “ethereal,” going viral for her resemblance to British actress Olivia Hussey (a.k.a. Juliet in 1968’s Romeo and Juliet).
Who Is NewJeans?
NewJeans is a five-member girl group consisting of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein. The group, produced by BTS’ company HYBE, is managed by an independent label called ADOR. Immediately after debuting in July 2022 with their track “Attention,” they became one of the fastest rising K-pop groups out there.
“Our name NewJeans refers to a ‘new’ pair of jeans, but at the same time, jeans are also a timeless fashion staple adored by people of all ages,” Minji explained the band’s name during an interview with Highsnobiety in July 2023. “We are constantly striving and working hard to present music that can embrace both the new and the classic, just like what our name NewJeans suggests.”
What makes NewJeans a breath of fresh air in the K-pop industry is their complete subversion of K-pop’s usual debut formula. The band released their first song and music video for “Attention” without any teasers or announcements. They then released four separate music videos for the same song called “Hype Boy,” another music video for “Hurt” and then their official debut song and music video for “Cookie.”
“Before debuting, our president would invite us each into her home for a meal, and there was one time she invited us over as a group,” Hyein recalled during an interview with Rolling Stone in June 2023. “She asked us, ‘How would you want to roll out teasers for your debut?’ I think she was curious about what we would say. I just said, ‘I think it would be fun to just have no teaser at all,’ and she said ‘Oh? That’s actually what we’re planning on doing!'”
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