Sana Minatozaki (Japanese: 湊﨑 紗夏; born December 29, 1996[1]), 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.[2][3]
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
Sana at Twiceland Encore Concert in Seoul on June 17, 2017
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]
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.[17] The cover, which includes an a cappella version, was released as a digital single through Warner Music Japan.[18] She released a version with Kobukuro themselves in March 2021.[19]
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.[20] 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].[21]
Image and influence
Sana at a Music Core mini fan meeting on September 3, 2022
Sana has received recognition in both South Korea and abroad for her energetic and cheerful personality.[2][5][22][23] Her popularity also has been credited with helping to improve relations between Japan and South Korea.[8][24] 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.[25] She ranked 15th in the 2019 poll.[26][27] 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.[23]
Endorsements
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] In December 2023, she was announced as the official Japanese ambassador for French luxury brand Yves Saint Laurent.[37]
^Ma Ah-ra (March 29, 2021). "트와이스 사나-다현, 화장품 동반 모델..."일본 활동도 함께"" [TWICE's Sana and Dahyun, models with cosmetics... "Together with Japanese activities"]. Money Today. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Jin-hee (March 13, 2023). "미샤, 트와이스 사나 앰버서더 선정...글로벌 시장 공략 강화" [Missha selected as Twice Sana Ambassador... Reinforcing global market penetration]. News1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
^"트와이스 사나, 예쁘니까 발탁(화보)". 뉴스컬처 (NEWSCULTURE) (in Korean). March 6, 2023. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^Awata, Makiko; Okabe, Shunsuke (July 7, 2023). "TWICEのSANAがグラフ初のジャパンアンバサダーに就任！" [Twice's Sana becomes Graff's first Japan ambassador!]. Vogue Japan. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
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