Momo Hirai

In this Japanese name, the surname is Hirai.
The native form of this personal name is Hirai Momo. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Momo Hirai
Momo in April 2024
Born (1996-11-09) November 9, 1996 (age 28)
Kyōtanabe, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Occupations
  • Singer
  • dancer
  • rapper
Musical career
OriginSeoul, South Korea
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Years active2015–present
Labels
Member of
Websitetwice.jype.com
Korean name
Hangul모모
Revised RomanizationMomo
McCune–ReischauerMomo
Japanese name
Kanji平井 もも
RomanizationHirai Momo
Signature

Momo Hirai (Japanese: 平井 もも, Hepburn: Hirai Momo, 平井 桃; born November 9, 1996) known mononymously as Momo (Korean: 모모; Japanese: モモ), is a Japanese singer, dancer, and rapper based in South Korea. She is a member of South Korean girl group Twice under JYP Entertainment[1][2] and a member of its subunit MiSaMo.

Life and career

Early life and pre-debut activities

Momo Hirai was born in Kyōtanabe, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.[3][4] She began dancing at the age of three, together with her elder sister, Hana.[4]

Momo gained exposure to the South Korean music industry early, appearing in a music video for Lexy in 2008 and on the talent show Superstar K in 2011.[5] Momo and her sister were originally spotted by JYP Entertainment in an online video in 2012.[4][5][6] They were both asked to audition, although only Momo was successful, prompting her to move to South Korea in April 2012.[5][7] Before joining Twice, she danced in a number of music videos as a "K-Pop trainee".[4][6] In 2015, Momo participated in the South Korean reality television show Sixteen, created by JYP Entertainment and co-produced by Mnet.[1][8] She was initially eliminated from the show but was brought back by Park Jin-young at the end to become part of the final lineup of girl group Twice, due to her performance abilities.[1][4][9]

Debut with Twice and MiSaMo

Main articles: Twice and MiSaMo
Momo in November 2015

In October 2015, Momo officially debuted as a member of Twice with the release of their first extended play (EP), The Story Begins,[10] and its lead single "Like Ooh-Ahh".[11] On February 9, 2023, JYP announced that Momo, alongside bandmates Sana and Mina, will officially debut in Japan on July 26 as a sub-unit named MiSaMo with the extended play titled Masterpiece.[12] 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].[13]

Artistry

Momo revealed that she was influenced by her older sister Hana from an early age; where she began dancing with her at the age of three.[9] She also revealed that the J-pop singer Namie Amuro is her role model and that she "wanted to be like her someday."[9] She noted that she loves 2NE1 and Rain, explaining, "I always wanted to thrill people with my dance, and K-pop dance thrilled me."[9]

Endorsements

In 2022, Momo was appointed as the brand muse of Wonjungyo, a cosmetic brand supervised by Won Jung-yo, who is Twice's makeup artist.[14] In October 2022, she was announced as the brand ambassador of the Japanese sports brand, Onitsuka Tiger.[15] In May 2023, Momo made an appearance as a model to promote the Japanese news app SmartNews.[16] In June 2023, Momo was selected as Japanese ambassador for the Italian fashion brand Miu Miu.[17]

Image and influence

Known for her physical fitness and body movements, she was nicknamed "Dance Machine" among her fans,[18][19] and is considered Twice's best dancer.[20][21][19][22]

Momo during 2018 Asia Artist Awards

In Gallup Korea's annual music poll for 2018, Momo was voted the 20th most popular idol in South Korea,[23] the second highest-ranked Japanese individual in the poll, behind Twice bandmate Sana.[24] She has been one of the most popular non-Korean K-pop stars since her debut,[4] and the Chosun Ilbo credits her popularity with helping improve relations between South Korea and Japan.[7] In 2019, Momo received attention on Twitter after a video trailer of her was released for Feel Special[1] and ranked as the tenth most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers completing mandatory military service in South Korea.[25] In 2023, she surpassed Naomi Watanabe and became the first Japanese person to hit 10 million followers on Instagram only after eight months of opening her page on said platform.[26]

Discography

For Momo's discography with Twice and MiSaMo, see Twice discography and MiSaMo discography.

Collaborations

List of collaboration singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Encore"[27]
(with Yubin, Yeeun, Hyerim, Min, Nichkhun, Junho, Mark,
Jackson, Yugyeom, Nayeon, Jeongyeon and Mina as JYP Nation) 		2016 Non-album single

Songwriting credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.[28]

List of songs, showing year released, artist name, and name of the album
Title Year Artist Album Notes
"Shot Thru the Heart" 2018 Twice Summer Nights As lyricist
"Hot" 2019 Fancy You
"Love Foolish" Feel Special
"21:29"
"Celebrate" 2022 Celebrate
"Funny Valentine" 2023 MiSaMo Masterpiece
"Money in My Pocket" 2024 Momo Haute Couture

Filmography

For Momo's filmography with Twice, see Twice videography.

Television shows

Year Title Role Note Ref.
2015 Sixteen Contestant [1]
2016 Hit the Stage Episode 1–4 [29]
2017 Real Class – Elementary Kid Teachers Cast Lunar New Year special (2 Parts) [30]

Hosting

Year Title Notes Ref.
2016 Suwon K-pop Super Concert with Kim Hee-chul, Zhou Mi and Chaeyoung [31]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Moon, Kat (September 20, 2019). "Everything to Know About K-Pop Group Twice". Time. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  2. ^ "트와이스 "뽑힐 때 아무 생각이 없었다" ①". Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  3. ^ "K-POPの最注目新人「TWICE」の日本人メンバーが可愛くて美しい＜プロフィール＞" (in Japanese). December 15, 2015. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Momo from Twice, K-pop's biggest Japanese star – her story so far". South China Morning Post. April 21, 2018. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Jung, Chul-hwan (February 21, 2018). "3 Japanese Girls at the Top of K-Pop: Taking off to K-Pop Land". The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition). Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "8 things you didn't know about TWICE birthday girl, Momo!". SBS. March 9, 2017. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Jung, Chul-hwan (February 23, 2018). "3 Japanese Girls at the Top of K-Pop: The 1st of Their Kind". The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition). Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  8. ^ Won, Ho-jung (April 29, 2015). "'Sixteen' compete for spot in JYP's next girl group". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d Jung, Chul-hwan (February 20, 2018). "3 Japanese Girls at the Top of K-Pop: The Story Begins". The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition). Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  10. ^ Kim, Yu-jin (October 20, 2015). "TWICE unveils debut album 'The Story Begins'". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  11. ^ Moon, Kat (October 9, 2019). "K-Pop Powerhouse TWICE Opens Up About How Their New Album Is More Personal Than Ever". Time. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  12. ^ Chin, Carmen (February 9, 2023). "TWICE's Sana, Momo and Mina drop trailer for Japanese sub-unit debut as MISAMO". NME. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  13. ^ Yoo, Hong (February 9, 2023). "Misamo, first unit debut from Twice coming soon". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  14. ^ "日本・韓国ハイブリッドコスメブランド「Wonjungyo」TWICE モモがブランドミューズに就任決定！吉田ユニさん監修のビジュアルを公開". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES. September 1, 2022. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  15. ^ "オニツカタイガー、サボテン由来の素材を使用した新モデル発表" [Onitsuka Tiger announces new model using materials derived from cactus]. Yahoo Japan (in Japanese). October 27, 2022. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  16. ^ "TWICE モモ「SmartNews」WEB限定の新CMに登場！愛犬との愛くるしい姿を披露（Kstyle）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  17. ^ JP, Harper's BAZAAR (June 12, 2023). "ミュウミュウの日本アンバサダーにTWICEのモモが就任！" [Momo of TWICE appointed as Japanese ambassador for Miu Miu!]. Harper's Bazaar (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  18. ^ Ko, Dong-hwan (March 4, 2019). "Momo super-fit to be a star". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  19. ^ a b Mendez, Michele (November 28, 2019). "Who Is Momo? TWICE's "Dance Machine"s Story Is An Emotional Rollercoaster". Elite Daily. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  20. ^ Moon, Kat (September 20, 2019). "Everything to Know About K-Pop Group Twice". Time. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  21. ^ "Momo from Twice, K-pop's biggest Japanese star – her story so far". South China Morning Post. April 21, 2018. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  22. ^ "Momo de TWICE sobre su experiencia recibiendo clases de canto: "Lloré mucho"". La República (in Spanish). June 12, 2020. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  23. ^ "2018년 올해를 빛낸 가수와 가요 - 최근 12년간 추이 포함" (in Korean). Gallup Korea. November 30, 2018. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  24. ^ "한국갤럽조사연구소". www.gallup.co.kr. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  25. ^ "Sana de Twice es elegida la cantante más popular por los soldados de Corea del Sur". La República (in Spanish). November 10, 2019. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  26. ^ Kim, Do-gon (February 4, 2023). "트와이스 모모, SNS 8개월 만에 일본인 팔로워 수 1위" [Twice Momo, No. 1 Japanese follower in 8 months on SNS]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  27. ^ Yeo, Ye-rim (July 25, 2016). "JYP Entertainment artists gather for 'Encore'". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  28. ^ "Songs Registered Under HIRAI MOMO (10021791)". Korea Music Copyright Association (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  29. ^ Choi, Na-young (June 24, 2016). "태민·효연·보라·호야·유권 등, 엠넷 '힛더스테이지' 출연[공식발표]". Osen (in Korean). TV Report. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  30. ^ "'초등학쌤' 강남·헨리·모모, 한글 수준 평균 6세". Osen (in Korean). TV Daily. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  31. ^ "I.O.I·트와이스·여자친구 등 출격...수원 K팝 슈퍼콘서트, 걸그룹 대축제". SBS Entertainment News (in Korean). June 14, 2016. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2019.