Sana Minatozaki (Japanese:湊﨑 紗夏; born December 29, 1996[1]), known mononymously asSana (Korean: 사나;Japanese:サナ), is a Japanese singer based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl groupTwice, formed in 2015 byJYP Entertainment,[2][3] and its subunitMiSaMo in 2023.
Sana was born on December 29, 1996[4] inTennōji-ku,Osaka, Japan,[5][6] as anonly child.[7] Sana stated that she wanted to become a singer and dancer early on and was inspired by the K-pop groupGirls' Generation.[7] Sana began training withEXPG 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 aJYP 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 withTwice.[10] In 2012, she was expected to become a member of a four-membergirl group aimed at the Japanese market, but plans for the group were cancelled in part due to tensions between Japan and Korea following theLiancourt 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 thesinking of MVSewol.[10][12] In 2014, Sana appeared inGot7's music video for "A" as a waitress.[13]
2015–present:Sixteen, Twice, solo activities, and MiSaMo
In 2015, Sana participated in the music survival showSixteen, areality 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 playThe 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 bandKobukuro.[17] The cover, which includes ana 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 bandmatesMomo andMina, will officially debut in Japan on July 26 as a sub-unit namedMiSaMo with theextended play titledMasterpiece.[20] Prior to the trio's debut, on January 25, they released the track "Bouquet" as part of the soundtrack ofTV Asahi's drama seriesLiaison: Children's Heart Clinic [ja].[21]
Sana at Twiceland Encore Concert in Seoul on June 17, 2017
Sana has received recognition in both South Korea and abroad for her energetic and cheerful personality.[2][5][7][22] Her popularity also has been credited with helping to improve relations between Japan and South Korea.[8][23] InGallup Korea's annual music poll for 2018, Sana was voted the 17th most popularidol in South Korea, the highest-ranked Japanese individual in the poll.[24] She ranked 15th in the 2019 poll.[25][26] In 2019, Sana also ranked as the most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers completingmandatory military service in South Korea.[22]
Outside of Twice, Sana was featured in several advertisements and has promoted various brands and products.[5][7] In 2021, Sana and Twice bandmateDahyun became models forskincare brand A'pieu.[27] In March 2022, Sana became a model forOlive Young's cosmetics brand WakeMake.[28][29] In March 2023, Sana was selected as an ambassador for both the South Korean skin care brandMissha[30] and the makeup brand Espoir.[31] In July 2023, Sana became the first Japan ambassador for British multinational jewellerGraff.[32] In September 2023, Italian luxury fashion housePrada named Sana as their brand ambassador.[33][34] In December 2023, cosmetics brandYSL Beauty appointed Sana as their newest brand ambassador in Japan.[35]
^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 [ko].Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. RetrievedMarch 31, 2021 – viaNaver.
^웨이크메이크 비건 클린 순수 커버 쿠션 [WakeMake Vegan Clean Pure Cover Cushion].Naver Brand. Archived fromthe original on March 31, 2022. RetrievedMarch 31, 2022.
^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 [ko] (in Korean).Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. RetrievedJune 16, 2023.
^Kwon, Soo-bin (March 6, 2023).트와이스 사나, 예쁘니까 발탁(화보).NewsCulture (in Korean).Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. RetrievedMarch 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. RetrievedJuly 15, 2023.
^Lee, Chang-kyu (January 31, 2025).덱스는 잠시 안녕...사나, '냉터뷰' 시즌2 MC로 3월 컴백 [Dex is saying goodbye for a while...Sana makes a comeback as MC for 'Fridge Interview' Season 2 in March].Xports News [ko] (in Korean). RetrievedFebruary 12, 2025.
_08.jpg)
Media related toSana Minatozaki at Wikimedia Commons
