Mino | |
|---|---|
 Mino at Winner's autograph event inYeouido on April 15, 2018. | |
| Born | Song Min-ho (1993-03-30)March 30, 1993 (age 32) Yongin, South Korea |
| Education | Hanlim Multi Art School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Relatives | Gun (cousin) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | YG |
| Member of | |
| Website | yg-winner |
Musical artist | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 송민호 |
| Hanja | 宋旻浩 |
| RR | Song Minho |
| MR | Song Minho |
| Signature | |
 | |
Song Min-ho (Korean: 송민호; born March 30, 1993),[1] better known by the stage nameMino, is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, music producer, artist and actor. After a stint in the two-year ballad group BoM from 2011 to 2013, he joinedYG Entertainment, leading to his debut in 2014 with the boy bandWinner, formed throughMnet survival programWIN: Who Is Next. Alongside label-mateBobby, he is also part of the hip hop duoMOBB, formed in September 2016.
As a solo artist, Mino first gained recognition as a contestant in the rap-survival program,Show Me the Money 4, where he finished as the series runner-up, and became the best-selling artist among the show's history with his single, "Fear" (겁). He made his official solo debut with the studio album,XX in November 2018; its lead single, titled "Fiancé", became his first number one hit in South Korea, spawning to number one onGaon's digital and streaming monthly charts for the month of December.[2] It also became his first single to receive aplatinumcertification from the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) after achieving sales of 2.5 million digital copies.
In television, he is currently a series regular in tvN variety programs,New Journey to the West andKang's Kitchen. In addition, he appeared as a judge in a variety show calledSing Again, which has recently gained popularity.[3]
Song Min-ho was born on March 30, 1993, inYongin,Gyeonggi Province.[4] He has a sister named Song Dan-ah, who is one year younger than him and was previously a member of the defunct girl group "New F.O." Mino also has a cousin namedSong Gun-hee, better known by the stage name "#Gun", a rapper who was underStarship Entertainment.[5][6] Mino graduated fromHanlim Multi Art School in 2011.[7]
In the early years of his musical career, Mino was an active participant of the Korean underground rap scene, performing under the name Mino or Hugeboy Mino. Among others who would later become well-known, Mino often performed with underground rappers-turned-idols, namelyBlock B'sZico andP.O, andPhantom'sHanhae. He auditioned and trained underStardom Entertainment for several years before attaining a position in the line-up for the boy band, Block B alongside traineesZico,U-Kwon,B-Bomb andJaehyo. However, due to not being of legal age at the time, his father consulted with the company on his behalf in terms of business regarding the contract and ultimately was unable to reach an agreement. In result, Mino left to pursue his career elsewhere.[8]
Starting from scratch, Mino joined and trained under Y2Y Contents Company for nearly two years before making his debut on July 27, 2011, as a rapper under the stage name "Tagoon" in the ballad boy band BoM.[9] While promoting with the group, despite writing five songs among their releases, the executive of the company did not register nor credit Mino's contributions for copyright and instead forged another person's name to receive royalties. Mino reported that he made as little as₩10 won ($0.09) during his time at the company.[8] BoM disbanded within two years of their debut in March 2013.[10]
In 2013,YG Entertainment reached out to Mino upon discovering a video of him coveringBig Bang's La La La in his March 2012 appearance onChannel A cable dramaThe Strongest K-POP Survival.[11] After a successful audition, Mino was accepted by the agency and joined as a trainee. That same year, he appeared onMnet survival programWIN: Who Is Next as a contestant under "Team A". Initially, he was appointed as the leader by Yang Hyun-suk during the first episode of the show, however, due to an injury part-way, he was replaced as leader byKang Seung-yoon. Seeing the synergy and improvement in performance, Yang Hyun-suk made the change permanent in benefit of the team. On October 25, during the finale episode of the survival program, Team A was announced as the winners of the show. Team A was set to debut under the name,Winner.[12]
Winner officially made their debut on August 17, 2014, with the studio album,2014 S/S and thedouble A-side singles, "Empty" and "Color Ring". The ten-track album also featured Mino's first solo release titled, "I'm Him", which peaked at number 15 on theGaon Digital Chart. Upon their debut, the quintet shot to instantaneous success with "Empty" topping all South Korean charts including Gaon, earning them the title "Monster Rookies".[13] Their unprecedented success earned them multiple awards that year including Top 10 Artist (Bonsang) at theMelon Music Awards and "Most Popular Korean Group" at the Tudou Young Choice Awards.[14] The group also went on to becoming the fastest act to win on a televised music show, within four days through Mnet'sM Countdown.[15]
In October 2014, Mino was featured in labelmate seniorEpik High's lead single "Born Hater" from their studio albumShoebox, alongsideBeenzino,Verbal Jint, and labelmatesiKon'sB.I andBobby.[16] The single peaked at number 3 on theGaon Digital Chart, selling almost 1.5 million digital copies. The song was later performed for the first time at the2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards.[17] That same day, he also had a collaborative stage with South Korean singer,IU, performing her single "Friday". In December 2014, Mino co-hosted the 2014SBS Gayo Daejeon alongside South Korean actress,Song Ji-hyo and singers2PM'sNichkhun,CNBLUE'sYonghwa,Infinite'sL andB1A4'sBaro.[18]
In April 2015, Mino appeared in theMnet rap survival programShow Me the Money 4 as a member of "Team Zipal" competing underZico andPaloalto. He finished the show as the series runner-up behind rapper Basick.[19][20] Through the program, Mino released numerous singles including Fear, Turtle Ship, Moneyflow, and Okey Dokey. Namely, the single "Fear", featuring labelmate seniorBig Bang'sTaeyang, went on to becoming one of the best-selling singles of the year, as well as the best-selling single ever in anyShow Me the Money series.[21] "Fear" went on to earning Mino the Discovery of the Year (Hip Hop) award at theGaon Chart K-Pop Awards, and a nomination for the Hot Trend Award at theMelOn Music Awards.
In September 2016, Mino and labelmateBobby ofiKon was formed as the project sub-unit,MOBB.[22] Together, they released a four-track single album titledThe Mobb, with thedouble A-side singles, "Full House" and "Hit Me" on September 9.[23] The Hip-hop duo's success earned them the Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist at theSeoul Music Awards.[24][full citation needed] Ahead of their release, Mino also released the digital single, "Body" on September 8.[25] "Body" peaked at number 13 on the Gaon Digital Chart and number 4 on theBillboard World Digital Songs Chart.
Through the MBC variety program,Infinite Challenge, Mino was cast for the show's "Hip hop & History Special" alongside Zico,Bewhy,Dok2,Gaeko andDinDin. He partnered with the comedianHaha to create a single that fused hip hop with the history of South Korea. Ultimately, that collaboration led to the single "Shoot" (쏘아), which peaked at number 3 on theGaon Digital chart.[26]
Outside of music, in January 2017, Mino joined the cast oftvN variety program,New Journey to the West alongsideKyuhyun ofSuper Junior from season 2.5 onward.[27] His appearance on the show marked his first-ever fixed regular appearance on a television series since his debut. Mino went on to obtaining the infamous namesSong Mojiri andSong Garak.[28] On December 5, 2017, Mino appeared on tvN cooking variety program,Kang's Kitchen, a spin-off variety show of New Journey to the West, as a cast member.[29]
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Through the release of the second studio album from his group, Winner, titledEveryday on April 4, 2018, he released the soloB-side single, "Turn Off the Light" (손만 잡고 자자), which peaked at number 74 on theGaon Digital Chart.
On July 20, Mino featured and co-wrote on labelmate seniorBig BangSeungri's sub-title track "Where R U From" from his studio albumThe Great Seungri.[30] The single went on to peaking at number 84 on theGaon Digital Chart. Mino also made an appearance in the music video, which was later released on July 27, as well as on Seungri's live performance on MBC'sShow! Music Core and SBS'Inkigayo on July 21 and 22 respectively.
Mino made his official solo debut on November 26, 2018, with his first studio albumXX, and the lead single "Fiancé" (아낙네). He described the song as a fusion oftrot and hip hop that samples the Korean trot song "소양강 처녀" ("Soyanggang Maiden") from 1969.[31] Fiancé went on to top numerous charts, including the Gaon Monthly Digital Chart for the month of December. The song also garnered Mino several awards on music programs for the number one hit. His single also earned him the Best Hip-Hop Award at theGolden Disc Awards and multiple nominations including Song of the Year (November) at theGaon Chart Music Awards.[32] He began promotions through his first music show appearance on MBC'sShow! Music Core on December 1 and later achieved his first solo win on a music show through Mnet'sM Countdown on December 6.[33]
On October 30, 2020, Mino released his second self-produced solo albumTake, with the lead single "Run Away" which peaked at number 55 on theGaon Digital Chart. This album includes the first track called "Love and a Boy" which Mino wrote, composed, and arranged entirely by himself.
On July 16, 2021,AOMG producerGray posted a video on Instagram of himself and Mino with "#smtm10 #producer" officially announcing that the duo would serve as judges and producers for the tenth season of the popular hip-hop survival show,Show Me the Money. In six years, Mino went from contestant on the fourth season to producer in the tenth season. Gray and Mino's team was named "Team Graynoma" and included contestantsBe'O,Mudd the Student, Anandelight, Geegooin, and Unofficialboyy. Several Team Graynoma songs went on to dominate the South Korean music charts including the team's song Breathe (쉬어) (ft. Mino);Be'O's Limousine (리무진) (ft. Mino); andMudd The Student's Dissonance (불협화음) (ft.AKMU).
On October 7, 2021, it was announced that Mino will be holding his first ever solo concert, entitled "Maniac" on November 19. The event will be held simultaneously in-person at Seoul's Olympic Hall and online as part of 'YG Palm Stage 2021'.[34] During Mino's solo concert, he shared the stage withBobby from Ikon and Winner bandmate,Kang Seungyoon. Those in attendance at the concert included Mino's Winner bandmatesJinwoo andSeunghoon,Twice'sJeongyeon, YG labelmates fromTreasure andIKon, andBlackpink'sJennie.
After the concert, Mino announced that he would be releasing his third studio albumTo Infinity and its lead single "Tang!" on December 7, 2021.[35]To Infinity topped the iTunes Album charts in 14 countries on the day of its release. Artists featured on the album includeILLBOI,Gaeko,Bobby, sogumm, and sunwoojunga.
On July 21, 2022, it was announced that Mino would be attending the 'Start Art Fair Seoul 2022' held at The Seoul Lightium, Seongdong District, Seoul from September 1–6.[36]
In August, Mino made his debut with the Netflix filmSeoul Vibe, which was Mino's big screen debut.[37]
Initially discovering hip hop through50 Cent, Mino's love for the genre grew after expanding into the South Korean hip hop scenes through artists includingDynamic Duo, The Movement andDrunken Tiger.[38][unreliable source?] In result, his entire discography is predominantly hip hop. Mino has also cited American rapperKendrick Lamar as a musical role model towards his career.[39] For rap, he fancied the husky and rough voices of rappers such as Dirty South,Young Jeezy andJa Rule which was embodied in his earlier work.[38] Mino recalled how he used to shout on purpose to lose his voice for a husky musical tone.[38] Citing his appearance on the fourth installment ofShow Me the Money as a career turning point, from then on he changed his rap tone to something more natural and comfortable.[38]
Mino launched an exhibition in early October 2018 called "Burning Planet" in collaboration withGentle Monster. Hypebeast praised the exhibition's symbolism, and noted the way it portrayed a "burnout" culture where societies literally work themselves to death.[40] Notably, celebrities such as actorLee Dong-hwi, Block B's P.O,Li Yi Feng and many others visited the exhibition. The exhibition was held for a month.[41]
In November 2018, Mino was featured along with other professional photographers for "O! Leica, Spirit of the Times" exhibition that was held in S-Factory in Seoul, Korea from November 30 to December 9.[42] Mino continued to expand further into the fashion industry as he teamed up withVogue Korea for the "I AM REAL MINO" spread in the December 2018 issue as guest editor. Along with the spread, a fashion film for the track "Rocket" of his albumXX is to be released.[43]
In December 2019, Mino made his official debut as a painter at SEEA 2019 exhibition (Special Exhibition for Emerging Artists 2019).[44] The exhibition held at theSeongnam Arts Center's 808 Gallery from December 17 to 25.[45] He submitted three paintings to the fine art show.[46]
In October 2020, Mino's acrylic paintings will be displayed inSaatchi Gallery as part of the Korean Eye 2020: Creativity and Daydream exhibit in the STARTnet art fair from October 21 to 25. He is the first Korean singer to have his work displayed in this famous contemporary art gallery.[47]
From December 16, 2022, to February 5, 2023, Mino held his first solo exhibition titled "Thanking You" in StART Art Korea's new Sungdong-gu gallery space[48] which was successfully completed with an encore extension as more than 30,000 visitors visited the exhibit from December 22, 2022, to January 23, 2023.[49]
Mino alongside Block B'sZico were selected as the models for South Korean mobile gamePenta Storm: The Strike Of Kings, owned by the largest South Korean gaming companyNetmarble on March 15, 2017. An official from the company mentioned they believed the two fit the games image perfectly as both are influential in the target audience they aim for as well as the two being close friends in reality, further elaborating they wish for users to enjoy with friends anytime and anywhere.[50]Lotte Chilsung, the largest beverage manufacturers in South Korea launched new products dubbed the "Let's Be" Coffee in February 2019. Mino alongside Block B'sP.O were chosen as advertising models for the products. A representative from the company revealed their "Fresh and Youthful" image was one of the many key reasons they were chosen.[51] In August 2020, the German personal care brand,Nivea, collaborated with Mino on limited release lip balms, named Red, Blue, and Navy, which included Mino's artwork on the packaging. In November 2021, Mino was selected as the model for the premium vegan brand, d'Alba, and appeared in numerous print and TV ads for the brand. Other brands that have recently collaborated with Mino, and include his artwork, include Scotch whiskey brandGlenfiddich, Italian suit brand Kitson, Danish brandBang & Olufsen, and camping brand Helinox.[citation needed]
In September 2017, Mino, along with bandmateLee Seung-hoon, was chosen as influencers most suited to being ambassadors of luxury brandBurberry appointed by previous creative officerChristopher Bailey as they exhibited a "Viktor Horsting & Rolf Snoeren-like approach to haute couture" and named as winning front row looks. The duo got early access to the Spring 2018 collection two days after they landed at Heathrow Airport.[52]
In October 2018, Mino collaborated with brandGentle Monster in creating the Burning Planet exclusive package that included specialized Peek-a-Boo glasses Burning Planet edition. The package was only available to friends of Mino, and were seen worn by label mates Lisa ofBlackpink and Donghyuk ofiKon, Kwon twins of YG Hitech dance team, South Korean rapper and producerCode Kunst, and many others.[53]
On June 20, 2019, Mino made his global runway debut and became the first Korean artist to walk down the runway ofLouis Vuitton's Spring 2020 menswear show held inParis, France, duringParis Fashion Week. He was personally invited to participate byVirgil Abloh, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection.[54]
In February 2021, Mino was named as an ambassador forSongzio and became its first-ever ambassador since its creation in 1993. Following the announcement, sales increased by 40% in compared to the previous year for the month of March. Mino increased attention on the brand alongside the awareness of Songzio among the younger generation with their collaboration 'Black Sunflower, Edition 93'.[55]
In September 2018, it was reported that Mino donated his entire modelling fee for his appearance in theBalenciaga XDazed collaboration to theUnited Nations'World Food Programme, a humanitarian organization that aims for a world without hunger.[56]
Following the cancellation of contemporary casual clothing brand PLAC's 'by YOU' collection showcase event in collaboration with himself and bandmate Seungyoon due to safety issues in relations to the recentcoronavirus pandemic, the funds they raised towards the showcase were used to donate 10,000 masks for low-income children.[57]
In April 2020, Mino opened his own cafe, Osechill, which is currently located in Seongdong District.[58][full citation needed] In September 2022, Mino launched his own brand, Sensorama, which has ring and necklace with diffuser as one of the products.[59]
Mino enlisted in themandatory military service as asocial worker on March 24, 2023. He suffered from poor health in the past, such as aherniated disc in his neck.[60][61] Depending on the screening of the Military Manpower Administration, he has been classified as a subject excluded from basic military training.[62]
On December 26, 2024, the Seoul Mapo Police announced they had booked Mino on suspicion of violating the Military Service Act, following a request from the Military Manpower Administration to investigate the matter.[63][unreliable source?] On March 31, 2025, the police stated during a press briefing, that Mino "largely admitted to leaving his workplace during service hours".[64]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | ||||
| 2022 | Seoul Vibe | 서울대작전 | Galchi | Netflix Film | [65][66] |
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | |||
| 2012 | The Strongest K-Pop Survival [ko] | K-팝 최강 서바이벌 | Park Ki-bum | [11] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | ||||
| 2013 | Win: Who is Next | 윈:후 이즈 넥스트 | Contestant | Team A | [12] |
| 2015 | Show Me the Money 4 | 쇼미더머니 4 | Runner-up | [19] | |
| 2016 | Tribe of Hip Hop | 힙합의 민족 | Producer | Hidden card | |
| The Collaboration | 더 콜라보레이션 | Contestant | |||
| 2017–present | New Journey to the West | 신서유기 | Cast Member | Season 2.5 onward | [27] |
| 2017–2019 | Kang's Kitchen | 신서유기 외전 강식당 | Spin-off; season 1–3 | [29] | |
| 2018 | It's Dangerous Beyond the Blankets | 이불 밖은 위험해 | Episode 6 & 7 | [67] | |
| 2020 | My Major Is Hip Hop | 내 전공은 힙합 | withZion.T | [68] | |
| Friday Joy Package | 금요일 금요일 밤에 | withJi-won andDo-yeon | [69] | ||
| Mapo Hipster | 마포 멋쟁이 | withP.O | [70] | ||
| Stay At Home Chorus | 방콕떼창단 | Chuseok holiday special | [71] | ||
| 2020–2022 | Sing Again | 싱어게인 | Judge | Season 1 and 2 | [72][73] |
| 2021 | Spring Camp | 스프링 캠프 | Cast member | Spin-off | [74] |
| Song Min-ho's Pilot | 송민호의 파일럿 | Main | [75] | ||
| Show Me the Money 10 | 쇼미더머니 10 | Producer | withGray | [76] | |
| 2022 | Things that Make Me Groove S2 | 내 어깨를 봐 탈골됐잖아 | Host | withEun Ji-won andKyuhyun | [77] |
| Around the World at Birth | 태어난 김에 세계일주 | Panelist / Host | withSimon Dominic andJang Do-yeon | [78] | |
| 2023 | Peak Time | 피크타임 | Judge | Episode 1–4 | [79] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | ||||
| 2022 | Saturday Night Live Korea | SNL 코리아2 | Host | Season 2 – Episode 12 | [80] |
| [MINO Line] MINO's SEOUL TRIP | N/A | Episode 1–3 | [81] | ||
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | |||
| 2014 | SBS Gayo Daejeon | SBS 가요대전 | withNichkhun,Jung Yong-hwa,L,Baro &Song Ji-hyo | [18] |
| Year | Network | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–2021 | Naver Now | Brrrr Friends | Radio DJ | withP.O | [82] |
| Date | Title | City | Country | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 19, 2021 | YG Palm Stage — 2021 Mino: Maniac | Seoul | South Korea | Olympic Hall | [83] |
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee(s)/work(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Pop Music Awards[a] | 2020 | Best Male Singer (Overseas) | Take | Nominated | [85] |
| Best Producer | Won | [86] | |||
| Outstanding Artist of the Year | Mino | Won | |||
| 2022 | Best Male Artist (Overseas) | To Infinity. | Won | [87] | |
| Top 20 Albums of the Year | Won | ||||
| Beat Producer (Overseas) | Mino | Nominated | |||
| Best Composer (Overseas) | "Losing U" | Nominated | |||
| Best Lyricist (Overseas) | Nominated | ||||
| Record of the Year (Overseas) | "Tang!♡" | Nominated | |||
| APAN Music Awards | 2020 | Best Solo for Man(Global) | Mino | Nominated | [88] |
| Brand Customer Loyalty Awards | 2021 | Best Male Variety Idol | Nominated | [89] | |
| Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards | 2016 | Discovery of the Year(Hip Hop) | Won | [90] | |
| 2019 | Song of the Year(November) | "Fiancé" | Nominated | [91] | |
| Genie Music Awards | The Male Solo | Mino | Nominated | [92] | |
| Global Eye Awards | 2021 | Visual Culture Global Eye Award | Ohnim | Won | [93] |
| Golden Disc Awards | 2019 | Best Hip-Hop Award | Mino | Won | [94] |
| Korea Fashion Awards | 2020 | Issue Trend Award | Won | [95] | |
| Korea Youth Hope Awards | 2022 | Korea Youth Hope Award (Culture) | Won | [96] | |
| MelOn Music Awards | 2015 | Hot Trend Award | "Fear"(겁) | Nominated | [97] |
| Mnet Asian Music Awards | 2019 | Best Male Artist | Mino | Nominated | [98] |
| Best Hiphop and Urban Music | "Fiancé" | Nominated | |||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Artist of the Year | Mino | Nominated | |||
| Soribada Best K-Music Awards | 2018 | New Hallyu Hip Hop Artist | Won | [99] |
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elle Japan | 2021 | 81 Key Person - To Lead the New Era | Placed | [100] |
| GQ Korea | 2019 | Men of the Year | Placed | [101] |
| Lyst XHighsnobiety | 2020 | The Next 20 Cultural Pioneers | Placed | [102][103] |
Media related toMino (rapper) at Wikimedia Commons
