Mina

Lore & Background

Mina's path to TWICE ran through the 2015 survival broadcast SIXTEEN, where she was selected near the end of the competition to round out the final nine-member lineup. Her audition and subsequent appearances highlighted a vocal quality that felt almost otherworldly against the brighter, more conventional tones of her peers — a low, slightly textured register that could soften a chorus or add an unexpected edge to a hook. Producers and fans alike noted that her voice gave TWICE's early recordings a signature 'hush' that became part of the group's sonic identity.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, and raised in Japan, Mina navigated two cultural worlds long before her debut. She studied ballet in Japan and later trained in South Korea. Her Japanese heritage, her ease with Korean media, and her understated, sometimes deadpan sense of humor became running gags in TWICE variety content. In group dynamics she is often the quiet observer who drops a perfectly timed one-liner, or the member who simply tilts her head and lets a small smile do the talking. Fellow members have described her as both enigmatic and deeply loyal — the person who will sit beside you in the practice room for hours without saying much, then surprise you with a joke that recontextualizes the entire day.

As TWICE evolved from their debut era through later albums, Mina's role as visual anchor and textural vocalist remained constant. She became a recognizable face in the group's imagery — the member whose stillness on a dance break reads as intentional art rather than absence — and her Japanese heritage added a layer of international appeal that resonated with fans across Asia and beyond.

Reader's Guide

Full name: Yoon Ji-min. Stage name: Mina. Born: September 12, 1997. Positions: vocalist, visual.

Mina grew up in France, the daughter of a French mother, which gave her a bilingual upbringing and a cultural duality that fans find endlessly charming. She joined TWICE through the 2015 survival show SIXTEEN, being selected near the end of the competition to complete the seven-member lineup.

In-group, Mina occupies a distinctive emotional space. Where several TWICE members are known for high-energy, talkative personalities, Mina tends toward a quieter, more observant presence. She is frequently the member who delivers a perfectly dry, one-line comment that catches everyone off guard, or who simply looks at the camera with a faint, knowing expression that becomes a viral moment. Her 'cat-like' stillness on stage — the way she holds a pose with almost sculptural calm while the choreography swirls around her — is a signature visual that distinguishes her in group formations.

Vocally, her slightly textured, lower-register tone is a recognizable thread in TWICE's arrangements, often assigned the lines that need to feel intimate or slightly mysterious rather than bright and anthemic. Her French fluency has also opened doors for European media appearances and added a layer of international charm to the group's public image.

What makes Mina distinct within TWICE is the contrast she provides: the quiet center in a group known for exuberance, the soft edge in a lineup of bold voices, the member whose power is in restraint.

Did You Know?

• Mina was born in San Antonio, Texas, USA, and moved to Japan as a child, where she was raised in Kobe and Tokyo. She is Japanese, not French, and holds Japanese nationality.
• Her vocal timbre — slightly low, textured, and warm — is often cited by fans as a key textural element that distinguishes TWICE's sound from other K-pop girl groups.
• She was selected near the end of the SIXTEEN survival broadcast in 2015 to complete TWICE's final nine-member lineup, which includes Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu.
• Her 'cat-like' stillness during dance breaks has become a recurring fan-favorite visual, with her calm, almost statuesque presence contrasting sharply with the high-energy choreography around her.