Minnie has one of the most stunning voices in K-pop and has become known for her eerily beautiful tone that endlessly inspires her own group’s music, (G)I-DLE. Keep reading for everything we know about Minnie.
Who Is Minnie?
Minnie, whose birth name is Nicha Yontararak, was born in Bangkok, Thailand on October 23, 1997 (a Scorpio!). She grew up in a pretty musical family, as most of her relatives played piano which she also took up. In 2014, she participated and passed the Cube Star World Audition in Thailand, leading her to move to South Korea in 2015 to become a K-pop trainee. She would later debut with (G)I-DLE in 2018.
She spoke about her life prior to moving to Korea during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Thailand in May 2021. “At the time, I really wanted to go to university… That was my plan, to study at a Thai university. The idea of being a Korean artist wasn’t in my mind,” she said. “I can say that it was the biggest decision in my life. I didn’t know if this would work. I didn’t know if I would have a chance to debut.”
However, it was her mother who encouraged her to take on the lifetime opportunity. “So I tried it,” she revealed. “At first, I couldn’t speak Korean at all. I couldn’t communicate […] I think language is the most important thing,” Minnie shared of her trainee days. “When I started to communicate and get along, I started to enjoy it.”
The Thai singer has one of the most unique voices in K-pop, endlessly inspiring (G)I-DLE’s leader and main musical producer, Soyeon.
Soyeon explained that most of her inspiration for (G)I-DLE’s tracks come from her fellow members, especially Minnie. For their debut song “Latata,” it was Minnie’s eerie tone that served as her inspiration.
“She always says my voice inspires her,” Minnie told MTV News in 2020. “I think she knows my voice better than me! She knows how to put it in a way that sounds good.”
Minnie made her acting debut in a Netflix sitcom titled So Not Worth It in 2020, alongside Park Sewan, Shin Hyun Seung, Got7’s Youngjae and Han Hyunmin.
Fun fact: Minnie is multilingual and speaks five languages including Thai, English, Korean, Japanese and Mandarin.
Who Is (G)I-DLE?
(G)I-DLE debuted under the music agency Cube Entertainment in May 2018 with their single “Latata.” Originally a sextet, Soojin left the lineup on August 14, 2021, due to bullying allegations. The group now includes Yuqi, Soyeon, Miyeon, Minnie and Shuhua.
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