Minnie (Korean: 민니; Japanese:ミンニ), born as Nicha Yontararak (มินนี่ ณิชา ยนตรรักษ์), is a Thai singer, songwriter, and actress under CUBE Entertainment. She is the main vocalist of the South Korean girl group (G)I-DLE.
Early life[]
Minnie has loved to play piano since she was young, which was influenced by her mom. She always watched her mom playing the piano, and asked her to teach her how to play it. While in Elementary School, she brought her friend to learn singing with her. She was inspired by Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" and likes it a lot. After that, whenever her school held events, she would always show up at the stage. She also became a cheerleader, drummer, actress in a stage play, and more.
Since K-Pop was very popular during her school life, she wanted to become a K-Pop singer. However, she always thought it was impossible and just a dream. CUBE announced an audition and her vocal teacher asked "Why don't you try it?", and she went to the audition. She couldn't believe that she had actually passed the audition. She was hesitant at going to South Korea as a trainee and going to university alone. However, her parents were able to convince her to go to South Korea. They told her to seize the opportunity and to not let it slip. 3 years later she would go on to debut with (G)I-DLE, after struggling to maintain her passion for becoming an idol. She was able to make many new friends and create many good memories. She doesn't regret her decision to move to South Korea; she was able to do what she loves and make her dreams come true.
Career[]
Pre-debut[]
Minnie attended Wattana Wittaya Academy and studied music at Grammy Vocal Studio in Thailand. She was the cheerleader, drummer, actress in a stage play, and more in her school. She also studied Chinese for four years. In September 2014, she participated in the CUBE Star World Audition in Thailand and came to Korea in 2015.
On March 23, 2016, Minnie was revealed to the public as a CUBE Entertainment trainee through their official Instagram. On November 5, she was featured in Jeon Soyeon's performance stage at Unpretty Rapstar 3 concert. In June 2017, she participated in a promotional video for Rising Star Cosmetics along with Song Yuqi and Shuhua, future members of (G)I-DLE. The same year, Minnie was given an opportunity to feature in Line Friends' "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and six songs in "Dance Party! - Children's English Songs".
2018–present: Debut with (G)I-DLE and collaborations[]
On May 2, 2018, Minnie debuted with (G)I-DLE with their mini-album I am and the title song "LATATA". She is known for having a unique, attractive and soothing voice.
In their second album, I made, Minnie participated in composing, songwriting and arranging "Blow Your Mind" which was first released through "To NEVERLAND". A self-directed music video was released. Minnie confessed that she makes songs on piano and is taking MIDI classes to improve composing. She was credited in composing "For You" for (G)I-DLE's Japanese debut album, LATATA. In October, 2019, (G)I-DLE took part in Queendom by Mnet. In the first preliminary stage, the viewers were overwhelmed with Minnie's Thai intro enchantment for "LATATA", and was well received from viewers in South Korea and Thailand. In the third pre-contest unit stage, Minnie represented (G)I-DLE as their vocal member. She shared the stage with AOA's Hyejeong performing "Instagram" by Dean. The stage was voted the most anticipated unit stage by the contestants. Moreover, the song re-entered music charts and grew popularity amongst the general public due to their performance. On October 15, it was announced that Minnie teamed up with Wengie, a Chinese-Australian YouTuber for a collaboration song "EMPIRE" on October 18. "EMPIRE" debuted at number 22 on the Billboard World Digital Songs.
In 2020, Minnie participated in writing and composing "i'M THE TREND" and "Tung-Tung (Empty)" alongside FCM Houdini. "i'M THE TREND" is a song dedicated for Neverland, and was unveiled during her group's first online concert "I-LAND: Who Am I", on July 5, 2020. "Tung-Tung (Empty)" is an emotional song that expresses the feeling of a tired heart which was once full but became empty. Through Minnie's words, "I hope that many people will sympathize with this song because it conveys loneliness." The song was released for (G)I-DLE's Japanese second extended play Oh My God.
In September, Minnie made her acting debut in a Netflix's sitcom "So Not Worth It" alongside Park Se-wan, Shin Hyun Seung, Got7's Youngjae and Han Hyun-min. The show centers on multinational students living their lives together in a dorm in Seoul. Minnie plays as Minnie, a Thai girl who fantasies about Korean dramas.
In October, Minnie sung "Getaway" as part of My Dangerous Wife soundtrack and "We Already Fell In Love" together with Miyeon as part of Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol soundtrack On October 6, Glance TV introduced their new fashion show Minnie Soojin's i'M THE TREND (민니 수진의 i'M THE TREND) and paired Minnie and Soojin together. The duo presented a styling battle every time for the title of 'Trend Center', which is a combination of a trend setter and an idol center. In addition, the duo revealed their styling secrets, various outfits, shopping tips and video pictorial 'Fashion Film'. The show premiered on October 14 through Naver Style TV. On November 22, Minnie appeared on Play Seoul, a program produced by the Seoul Tourism Foundation and KBS where influential K-stars can share with global fans their experiences in Seoul in real-time. The show aims to promote safe post-COVID19 tourism in Seoul. Minnie alongside Yuqi introduced the hip alley ways in Seoul by visiting Euljiro and Itaewon for their cafes and restaurants.
In 2021, Minnie co-composed "MOON" and "DAHLIA", which was released on January 11 for (G)I-DLE's fourth mini album I burn.
Discography[]
Digital Singles[]
- "4 in Love" (2022)
- "Pink Your Moment" (2023)
- "Melted" ([The Seasons VolⅡ. 8] <AKMU's Long Day Long Night> ReːWake x Minnie) (2023)
Collaborations[]
- "Expectations" (with Anne-Marie) (2023)
Features[]
- Line Friends - "Hot Summer" (2017)
- Line Friends - "Morning Sunrise" (2017)
- Line Friends - "Dinosaur Song (Herbivore Ver.)" (2017)
- Line Friends - "The Brush Brush Song" (2017)
- Line Friends - "Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow" (2017)
- Line Friends - "Clap Concert" (2017)
- Wengie - "Empire" (2019)
- F.HERO x UrboyTJ - "Money Honey" (2021)
- Heize - "Thief" (2022)
- Loco - "Not OK" (2023)
Osts[]
- "My Dangerous Wife OST Part.2" ("Getaway") (2020)
- "Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol OST Part.4" ("We Already Fell In Love" with Miyeon) (2020)
- "Link: Eat, Love, Kill OST Part.2" ("Saying Hello") (2022)
- "Loveless Herione" ("HWAA") (2022)
- "It Was All a Mistake OST Part.2" ("In The Novel") (2023)
- "It Was All a Mistake OST Remix" ("In The Novel (HypeerTime Remix)") (2023)
- "A Good Day to Be a Dog OST Part.2" ("Timing") (2023)
- "Lovely Runner OST Part.3" ("Like A Dream") (2024)
Video Gallery[]
(April 12, 2020)
(April 17, 2020)
(April 19, 2020)
References[]
