Sana (singer)

Sana Minatozaki (Japanese: 湊崎 紗夏, Hepburn: Minatozaki Sana, 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]

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

Sana
Sana in August 2023
Born
Sana Minatozaki

(1996-12-29) December 29, 1996
Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan
Occupations
  • Singer
  • television host
Musical career
OriginSouth Korea
Genres
Years active2015–present
Labels
Member of
Korean name
Hangul사나
Revised RomanizationSana
McCune–ReischauerSana
Japanese name
Kanji湊崎 紗夏
RomanizationMinatozaki Sana
Signature

Early life

Sana was born on December 29, 1996[4] in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan,[5][6] as an only child.[7]

Sana stated that she wanted to become a singer and dancer early on and was inspired by the K-pop group Girls' Generation.[7] In addition to her native Japanese, she speaks Korean.

Career

Pre-debut

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
Main articles: Sixteen (TV program) and Twice
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] Known for her energetic and cheerful personality,[2][5][17][18] she has received recognition in both South Korea and abroad, and her popularity has been credited with helping to improve relations between Japan and South Korea.[8][19] 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.[20] She ranked 15th in the 2019 poll.[21][22] 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.[18]

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.[23] The cover, which includes an a cappella version, was released as a digital single through Warner Music Japan.[24] She released a version with Kobukuro themselves in March 2021.[25]

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.[26] 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.[27]

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]

Discography
Main articles: Twice discography and MiSaMo § Discography

Singles
List of singles, showing year released, and album name
Title Year Album
"Sotsugyou" (卒業)[37][upper-alpha 1] 2021 Non-album single

Other charted songs
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
NZ
Hot
[38]		 US
World
[39]
"I'll Show You"
(with Nayeon, Jihyo, Bekuh Boom, Annika Wells as K/DA)		 2020 3810 All Out

Songwriting credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.[40]

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
"Turn It Up" 2019 Fancy You
"21:29" Feel Special
"Do What We Like" 2020 Eyes Wide Open
"Conversation" 2021 Taste of Love
"Celebrate" 2022 Celebrate
"Rewind You"[41] 2023 MiSaMo Masterpiece

Filmography

Television shows
Year Title Role Ref.
2015 Sixteen Contestant [14]
2016 Show! Music Core Host [42]
Idol Star Athletics Championships [43]
2017 KBS Song Festival [44]
2018 M Countdown [45]
2019 Idol Star Athletics Championships
2020 Nizi Project: Part 2 Special judge + Host[lower-alpha 1] [46][47]

Bibliography

Photobooks
Title Release date Publisher Ref.
Yes, I am Sana. April 16, 2021 JYP Entertainment [48]

Notes
  1. Surprise appearance as a special judge in episode 9 of Part 1 and appeared as Host on the final stage of Part 2.
  1. A version with the original artist, Kobukuro, was also released as a single.

References
  1. "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＞". Model Press (in Japanese). December 15, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  2. 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.
  3. "트와이스 "뽑힐 때 아무 생각이 없었다" ①". Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  4. Kim, Soo-jin (December 29, 2018). "Happy 22nd birthday to K-pop star Sana! Here are the Twice band member's funniest moments on TV". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  5. Robidoux, Brandy (October 27, 2019). "Who Is TWICE's Sana? The Talented Singer Is Fierce Both On Stage And Off". Elite Daily. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  6. "TWICE (Profile)". JYP Entertainment – Twice. JYP Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
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  8. 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 7, 2019.
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  10. Jung, Chul-hwan (February 22, 2018). "3 Japanese Girls at the Top of K-Pop: In the Lion's Den". The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition). Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
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