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Sana (singer)
Japanese singer (born 1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sana Minatozaki (Japanese: 湊﨑 紗夏; born December 29, 1996), known mononymously as Sana (Korean: 사나; Japanese: サナ), is a Japanese singer based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, formed in 2015 by JYP Entertainment, and its subunit MiSaMo, formed in 2023.
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Career
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Early life and pre-debut
Sana was born on December 29, 1996[1] in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan,[2][3] as an only child.[4] Sana stated that she wanted to become a singer and dancer early on and was inspired by the K-pop group Girls' Generation.[4] Sana began training with EXPG in Osaka in 2009, originally planning to be a singer in Japan, rather than South Korea.[5] 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.[6] Sana passed the audition[6] and joined the JYPE trainee program in South Korea in April 2012.[7][8] She trained for over three years before her eventual debut with Twice.[7] 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.[7][9] In 2014, Sana appeared in Got7's music video for "A" as a waitress.[10]
2015–present: Sixteen, Twice, solo activities, and MiSaMo
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In 2015, Sana participated in the music survival show Sixteen, a reality television series to determine the members of Twice.[11][12] Out of the sixteen contestants, Sana was selected as one of the nine members of the newly formed girl group.[11][13] She officially debuted with Twice in October 2015 with the title song "Like Ooh-Ahh" from their debut extended play The Story Begins.[14]
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.[15] The cover, which includes an a cappella version, was released as a digital single through Warner Music Japan.[16] She released a version with Kobukuro themselves in March 2021.[17]
On February 9, 2023, JYPE announced that Sana, alongside bandmates Momo and Mina, would officially debut in Japan on July 26 as a sub-unit named MiSaMo with the extended play titled Masterpiece.[18] 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: Kodomo no Kokoro Shinryōjo.[19]
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Image and influence
Sana has received recognition in both South Korea and abroad for her energetic and cheerful personality.[11][4][20][21] Her popularity also has been credited with helping to improve relations between Japan and South Korea.[5][22] 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.[23] She ranked 15th in the 2019 poll.[24][25] 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.[21]
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Endorsements
Outside of Twice, Sana was featured in several advertisements and has promoted various brands and products.[4] In 2021, Sana and Twice bandmate Dahyun became models for skincare brand A'pieu.[26] In March 2022, Sana became a model for Olive Young's cosmetics brand WakeMake.[27][28] In March 2023, Sana was selected as an ambassador for both the South Korean skin care brand Missha[29] and the makeup brand Espoir.[30] In July 2023, Sana became the first Japan ambassador for British multinational jeweller Graff.[31] In September 2023, Italian luxury fashion house Prada named Sana as their brand ambassador.[32][33] In December 2023, cosmetics brand YSL Beauty appointed Sana as their newest brand ambassador in Japan.[34]
Discography
Singles
Other charted songs
Songwriting credits
All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.[38]
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Filmography
Television shows
Web shows
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Bibliography
Photobooks
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Notes
- A version with the original artist, Kobukuro, was also released as a single.
References
External links
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