, known mononymously as Sana (; ja, サナ), is a Japanese singer based in South Korea. She is one of three Japanese members of the South Korean girl group
Twice
Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaey ...
, formed in 2015 by
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
.
Early life
Sana was born on December 29, 1996
in
Tennōji-ku,
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
, Japan,
as an
only child
An only child is a person with no siblings, Birth, by birth or adoption.
Children who have half-siblings, step-siblings, or have never met their siblings, either living at the same house or at a different house—especially those who were born con ...
.
Sana stated that she wanted to become a singer and dancer early on and was inspired by K-pop groups such as
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensembl ...
.
In addition to her native
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, she speaks
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
and basic
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
Career
Pre-debut
Sana began training with
EXPG
is a Japanese management and entertainment company founded by the six original members of Japanese boy group Exile (Japanese band), Exile in 2003. The president is Hiroyuki Igarashi, the leader of the Exile. The name "LDH" is an acronym of "Love ...
in Osaka in 2009, originally planning to be a singer in Japan, rather than South Korea.
During her middle school years, she was scouted by a
JYP Entertainment
JYP Entertainment Corporation () is a South Korean multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate founded in 1997 by J. Y. Park. It is one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea, and operates as a record label, tale ...
(JYPE) employee at a shopping mall and was invited to participate in the annual JYP Japan audition the following day.
Sana passed the audition
[ and joined the JYPE trainee program in South Korea in April 2012.] She trained for over three years before her eventual debut with Twice
Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaey ...
.[ At one time, she was expected to become a member of a new JYPE ]girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
; however, this project was cancelled. In 2014, Sana appeared in Got7's music video for "A" as a waitress.
2015–present: ''Sixteen'', Twice, and solo activities
In 2015, Sana participated in the music survival show '' Sixteen'', a reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series to determine the members of Twice. Out of the sixteen contestants, Sana was selected as one of the nine members of the newly formed girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
. She officially debuted with Twice in October 2015 with the title song "Like Ooh-Ahh
"Like Ooh-Ahh" (stylized as "Like OOH-AHH"; ) is the debut single recorded by South Korean girl group Twice. It was released by JYP Entertainment on October 20, 2015, as the lead single from their debut extended play ''The Story Begins''. It was ...
" from their debut extended play ''The Story Begins
''The Story Begins'' is the debut extended play by South Korean girl group Twice. It was released by JYP Entertainment on October 20, 2015, through KT Music. It features six tracks, including the lead single, "Like Ooh-Ahh", which was composed ...
''. Known for her energetic and cheerful personality, 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. In Gallup Korea
Gallup Korea () or Gallup Korea Research Institute () is a South Korean research company. Founded by Park Moo-ik in 1974, the company became a member of Gallup International Association in 1997. It is best known for conducting public surveys on ...
's annual music poll for 2018, Sana was voted the 17th most popular idol
Idol or Idols may refer to:
Religion and philosophy
* Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents
* Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...
in South Korea, the highest-ranked Japanese individual in the poll. She ranked 15th in the 2019 poll. 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.[
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
, a Japanese band, formed in 1998 and made its major label debut in 2001. The name is a portmanteau of the two family names, Kentarō Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda.
Members
*
*
The band's visual appearance is unusual; there are only two people, ...
. The cover, which includes an a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
version, was released as a digital single through Warner Music Japan. She released a version with Kobukuro themselves in March 2021.
Personal life
Side projects
Outside of Twice, Sana was featured in several advertisements and has promoted various brands and products. In 2021, Sana and Twice bandmate Dahyun
Kim Da-hyun (; born May 28, 1998), known mononymously as Dahyun, is a South Korean singer and rapper. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2015.
Life and career
Dahyun was born in Seongnam, Gye ...
became models for skincare brand A'pieu. In March 2022, Sana became a model for cosmetic brand Wakemake.
Bibliography
Photobooks
Discography
Singles
Songwriting credits
All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association
The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) is a South Korean non-profit copyright collective for musical works, administering public performance and broadcasting rights, and mechanical recording and reproduction rights. Founded in 1964, it i ...
's database unless stated otherwise.
Filmography
Television shows
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1996 births
Living people
People from Osaka
Musicians from Osaka
K-pop singers
JYP Entertainment artists
Korean-language singers of Japan
Japanese K-pop singers
Japanese women pop singers
21st-century Japanese women singers
21st-century Japanese singers
Twice (group) members
Japanese expatriates in South Korea